Were I alone to pafs the Difficulties,

And had as ample Power, as I have Will,

Paris fhould ne'er retract what he hath done,

Nor faint in the purfuit.

Pri. Paris, you speak

Like one befotted on your fweet Delights;
You have the Hony ftill, but these the Gall,
So to be Valiant, is no praife at all.

Par. Sir, I propofe not meerly to my felf,
The Pleasures fuch a Beauty brings with it:
But I would have the Soil of her fair Rape
Wip'd off in honourable keeping her.
What Treason were it to the ranfack'd Queen,
Disgrace to your great Worths, and Shame to me,
Now to deliver her Poffeffion up,

On terms of bafe Compulfion? Can it be,
That fo degenerate a ftrain as this,

Should once fet foot within your generous Bofoms?
There's not the meaneft Spirit on our Party,
Without a Heart to dare, or Sword to draw,
When Helen is defended: Nor none fo, Noble,
Whofe Life were ill beftow'd, or Death unfam'd,'
Where Helen is the Subject. Then, I fay,
Well may we fight for her, whom we know well,
The World's large Spaces cannot parallel.

Hec. Paris and Troilus, you have both faid well:
And on the Caufe and Queftion, now in hand,
Have glofs'd, but fuperficially; not much
Unlike young Men, whom graver Sages think
Unfit to hear moral Philofophy.

The Reasons you alledge, do more conduce
To the hot Paffion of diftemper'd 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 Decifion. Nature craves

All Dues be rendred 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,

VO L. IV.

X

And that great Minds, of partial Indulgence
To their benummed Wills, refift the fame,'
There is a Law in each well-ordered Nation,
To curb thofe raging Appetites that are
Most disobedient and refractory.

If Helen then be Wife to Sparta's King,
(As it is known fhe is) these moral Laws
Of Nature, and of Nations, fpeak aloud
To have her back return'd. Thus to perfift
In doing wrong, extenuates not wrong,

But makes it much more heavy. Hector's Opinion
Is this in way of truth; yet ne'ertheless,
My spritely Brethren, I propend to you

In refolution to keep Helen ftill;

For 'tis a Caufe that hath no mean dependance,

Upon our joint and feveral Dignities.

Troi. Why there, you touch'd the Life of our Defigns: Were it not Glory that we more affected,

Than the performance of our heaving Spleens,

I would not with a drop of Trojan Blood

Spent more in her Defence. But, worthy Hector,
She is a Theam 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 prefume, brave Hector would not lofe
So rich advantage of a promis'd Glory,
As fimiles upon the Forehead of this Action,
For the wide World's Revenue.

Helt. I am yours,

You valiant Off-spring of great Priamus,
I have a roifting Challenge fent amongst
The dull and factious Nobles of the Greeks,
Will ftrike Amazement to their drowfie Spirits.
I was advertis'd, their great Gencral flept,
Whilft Emulation in the Army crept;
This I prefume will wake him.

[Exeunte

SCENE

SCENE II. The Grecian Camp.

Enter Therfites folus.

How now, Therfites? what, loft 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 otherwife; that I could beat him, whilft he rail'd at me: 'Sfoot, I'll learn to Conjure and raife Devils, but I'll fee fome iffue of my fpiteful Execrations. Then there's Achilles, a rare Engineer. If Troy be not taken 'till thefe two undermine it, the Walls will ftand 'till they fill of themselves. O thou great Thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art Jove the King of Gods; and Mercury, lofe all the Serpentine Craft of thy Caduceus, if thou take not that little, little, lefs than little, wit from them that they have, which fhort-arm'd Ignorance it felf knows, is fo abundant fcarce, it will not in Circumvention deliver a Fly from a Spider, without drawing the maffy Irons and cutting the Web After this, the Vengeance on the whole Camp, or rather the Bone-ach, for that, methinks, is the Curfe dependant on thofe that war for a Placket. I have faid my Prayers, and Devil, Envy, fay Amen. What ho ? my Lord Achilles ?

Enter Patroclus.

Patr. Who's there? Therfites. Good Therfites, come in and rail.

Ther. If I could have remembred a gilt Counter, thou would'ft not have flip'd out of my Contemplation, but it is no matter, thy felf upon thy felf. The common Curfe of Mankind, Folly and Ignorance be thine in great Revenue; Heav'n blefs thee from a Tutor, and Difcipline come not near thee. Let thy Blood be thy direction 'till thy Death, then if the that lays thee out, fays thou art a fair Coarse, I'll be fworn and fworn upon't, the never throwded any but Lazars, Amen. Where's Achilles?

Patr. What, art thou devout? waft thou in a Prayer?
Ther. Ay, the Heav'ns hear me.

Achil. Who's there?

Enter Achilles.'

Patr. Therfites, my Lord.

X 2

Achil

Achil. Where, where? art thou come? why, my Cheefe, my Digeftion why haft thou not ferved thy felf up to my Table, fo many Meals? Come, what's Agamemnon?

Ther. Thy Commander, Achilles; then tell me, Patroclus, what's Achilles?

Patr. Thy Lord, Therfites: then tell me, I pray thee, what's thy felf?

Ther. Thy Knower, Patroclus: then tell me, Patroclus, what art thou?

Pair. Thou may'ft tell, that know'ft.

Achil. O tell, tell.

Ther. I'll decline the whole Queftion. Agamemnon commands Achilles, Achilles is my Lord, I am Patroclus's Knower, and Patroclus is a Fco!.

Patr. You Rafcal

Ther. Peace, Fool, I have done.

Achil. He is a privileg'd Man. Proceed, Therfites. Ther. Agamemnon is a Fool, Achilles is a Fool, Therfites is a Fool, and, as aforefaid, Patroclus is a Fool.

Achil. Derive this; come.

Ther. Agamemnon is a Fool to offer to command Achilles, Achilles is a Fool to be commanded of Agamemnon, Therfites is a Fool to serve such a Fool, and Patroclus is a Fool pofitive.

Patr. Why am I a Fool?

Enter Agamemnon, Ulyffes, Neftor, Diomedes, Ajax, and Chalcas.

Ther. Make that demand to thy Creator, it fuffices me thou art. Look you, who comes here?

Achil. Patroclus, I'll fpeak with no Body: Come in with me, Therfites.

[Exit. Ther. Here is fuch Patchery, fuch Jugling, and fuch Knavery all the Argument is a Cuckold and a Whore, a good quarrel to draw emulatious Factions, and bleed to Death upon Now the dry Serpigo on the Subject, and War and Lechery confound all.

Aga. Where is Achilles?

Patr. Within his Tent, but ill difpos'd, my Lord.
Aga. Let it be known to him that we are here.

He fent our Meffengers, and we lay by

Our Appertainments, vifiting of him:

Let

Let him be told of, left perchance he think
We dare not move the queftion of our place,
Or know not what what we are.

Patr. I fhall fo fay to him.

Olyf. We faw him at the opening of his Tent, He is not fick.

cause.

[Exit.

Ajax. Yes, Lion-fick, fick of a proud heart: you may call it Melancholy, if you will favour the Man, but by my head, 'tis Pride; but why, why ?-let him fhew us the A word, my Lord. [To Agamemnon. Neft. What moves Ajax thus to bay at him? Vlyf. Achilles hath inveigled his Fool from him. Neft. Who, Therfites?

Vlyf. He.

Neft. Then will Ajax lack Matter, if he have loft his Argument.

Vlyf. No, you fee he is his Argument, that has his Argument, Achilles.

Neft. All the better, this Fraction is more our wish than their Faction; but it was a ftrong Counsel that a Fool could difunite.

Vlyf. The Amity that Wisdom knits not, Folly may eafily untye. Enter Patroclus.

Here comes Patroclus.

Neft. No Achilles with him?

Vlyf. The Elephant hath Joints, but none for Courtefie; His Legs are Legs for neceffity, not for flight.

Patr. Achilles bids me fay, he is much forry,
If any thing more than your Sport and Pleafure,
Did move your Greatnefs, and this noble State,
To call upon him; he hopes it is no other,
But for your health and your digeftion-fake;
An after-Dinner's Breath,

Aga. Hear you, Patroclus ;

We are too well acquainted with thefe Anfwers:
But his evafion wing'd thus fwift with fcorn,
Cannot outflie our Apprehenfions.

Much attribute he hath, and much the reason,
Why we afcribe it to him; yet all his Virtues,
(Not virtuously of his own part beheld)
Do in our Eyes begin to lofe their Glofs;
X 3

And