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And on the cause and question now in hand

Have gloz'd, but superficially; not much

Unlike young men, whom Aristode thought

Unfit to hear moral philosophy.

The reasons you allege do more conduce

To the hot passion of distemp'red blood

Than to make up a free determination

'Twixt right and wrong; for pleasure and revenge

Have ears more deaf than adders to the voice

Of any true decision. Nature craves

All dues be rend'red to their owners. Now,

What nearer debt in all humanity

Than wife is to the husband? If this law

Of nature be corrupted through affection;

And that great minds, of partial indulgence

To their benumbed wills, resist the same;

There is a law in each well-order'd nation

To curb those raging appetites that are

Most disobedient and refractory.

If Helen, then, be wife to Sparta's king-

As it is known she is-these moral laws

Of nature and of nations speak aloud

To have her back return'd. Thus to persist

In doing wrong extenuates not wrong,

But makes it much more heavy. Hector's opinion

Is this, in way of truth. Yet, ne'er the less,

My spritely brethren, I propend to you

In resolution to keep Helen still;

For 'tis a cause that hath no mean dependence

Upon our joint and several dignities.

TROILUS.

Why, there you touch'd the life of our design.

Were it not glory that we more affected

Than the performance of our heaving spleens,

I would not wish a drop of Troyan blood

Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector,

She is a theme of honour and renown,

A spur to valiant and magnanimous deeds,

Whose present courage may beat down our foes,

And fame in time to come canonize us;

For I presume brave Hector would not lose

So rich advantage of a promis'd glory

As smiles upon the forehead of this action

For the wide world's revenue.

HECTOR.

I am yours,

You valiant offspring of great Priamus.

I have a roisting challenge sent amongst

The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks

Will strike amazement to their drowsy spirits.

I was advertis'd their great general slept,

Whilst emulation in the army crept.

This, I presume, will wake him.

Exeunt

ACT II. SCENE 3. The Grecian camp. Before the tent of ACHILLES

Enter THERSITES, solus

THERSITES.

How now, Thersites! What, lost in the labyrinth of thy

fury? Shall the elephant Ajax carry it thus? He beats me, and

I

rail at him. O worthy satisfaction! Would it were otherwise: that

I could beat him, whilst he rail'd at me! 'Sfoot, I'll learn to

conjure and raise devils, but I'll see some issue of my spiteful

execrations. Then there's Achilles, a rare engineer! If Troy be

not taken till these two undermine it, the walls will stand till

they fall of themselves. O thou great thunder-darter of Olympus,

forget that thou art Jove, the king of gods, and, Mercury, lose

all the serpentine craft of thy caduceus, if ye take not that

little little less-than-little wit from them that they have!

which short-arm'd ignorance itself knows is so abundant scarce,

it will not in circumvention deliver a fly from a spider without

drawing their massy irons and cutting the web. After this, the

vengeance on the whole camp! or, rather, the Neapolitan

bone-ache! for that, methinks, is the curse depending on those

that war for a placket. I have said my prayers; and devil Envy

say 'Amen.' What ho! my Lord Achilles!

Enter PATROCLUS

PATROCLUS.

Who's there? Thersites! Good Thersites, come in and rail.

THERSITES.

If I could 'a rememb'red a gilt counterfeit, thou

wouldst not have slipp'd out of my contemplation; but it is no

matter; thyself upon thyself! The common curse of mankind, folly

and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! Heaven bless thee from

a tutor, and discipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy

direction till thy death. Then if she that lays thee out says

thou art a fair corse, I'll be sworn and sworn upon't she never

shrouded any but lazars. Amen. Where's Achilles?

PATROCLUS.

What, art thou devout? Wast thou in prayer?

THERSITES.

Ay, the heavens hear me!

PATROCLUS.

Amen.

Enter ACHILLES