Agam. How? I ask, that I might waken reverence, Which is that god in office, guiding men? Ene. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm❜d, Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Eneas, That breath fame follows; that praise, sole pure, transcends. Agam. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Æneas? Ane. Ay, Greek, that is my name. Agam. What's your affair, I pray you? Ene. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears. Agam. He hears naught privately, that comes from Troy. Ene. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper him: I bring a trumpet to awake his ear; To set his sense on the attentive bent, And then to speak. Agam. Speak frankly as the wind; It is not Agamemnon's sleeping hour:" That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake,' He tells thee so himself. Ene. Trumpet, blow loud, Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents;- What Troy means fairly, shall be spoke aloud. That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril; Agam. This shall be told our lovers, lord Æneas; Nest. Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man When Hector's grandsire suck'd; he is old now; But, if there be not in our Grecian host One noble man, that hath one spark of fire To answer for his love, tell him from me,I'll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver, And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn; And, meeting him, will tell him, that my lady Was fairer than his grandame, and as chaste As may be in the world: his youth in flood, I'll prove this truth with my three drops of blood. Ene. Now heavens forbid such scarcity of youth! Ulyss. Amen. Agam. Fair lord Eneas, let me touch your hand; To our pavilion shall I lead you, Sir, Achilles shall have word of this intent; So shall each lord of Greece, from tent to tent: [Exeunt all but Ulysses and Nestor. Ulyss. Nestor,- An armour for the arm. Ulyss. I have a young conception in my brain, Be you my time to bring it to some shape. Nest. What is't? Ulyss. This 'tis : Blunt wedges rive hard knots: the seeded pride In rank Achilles, must or now be cropp'd, Nest. Well, and how? Ulyss. This challenge that the gallant Hector sends, However it is spread in general name, Nest. The purpose is perspicuous even as substance, Whose grossness little characters sum up: ment, Ay, with celerity, find Hector's purpose Ulyss. And awake him to the answer, think you? It is most meet; whom may you else oppose, In this wild action: for the success, And in such indexes although small pricks Of things to come at large. It is supposed, What heart receives from hence a conquering part, Difficulty. To steel a strong opinion to themselves? Ulyss. Give pardon to my speech ;- By shewing the worst first. Do not consent, are they? Ulyss. What glory our Achilles shares from Were he not proud, we all should share with him: Now I begin to relish thy advice; [Exeunt. Estimation of character. + Lot Character. § Provoke ACT II. SCENE 1.-Another Part of the Grecian Camp. Enter AJAX and THERSITES. Ajax. Thersites, Ther. Agamemnon-how if he had boils 1 full, all over, generally? Ajax. Thersites, Ther. And those boils did run?-Say so,-did not the general run then? Were not that a botcl:y core ? Ajax. Dog, Ther. Then would come some matter from him; I see none now. Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel then. [Strikes him. Ther. The plague of Greece upon thee, thou mongrel beef-witted lord! Ajax. Speak then, thou unsalted leaven, speak: I will beat thee into handsomeness. Ther. I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holiness but, I think, thy horse will sooner con an oration, than thou learn a prayer without book. Thou canst strike, canst thou? A red murrain o' thy jade's tricks! Ajax. Toad's-stool, learn me the proclamation. Ther. Dost thou think, I have no sense, thou strikest me thus ? Ajax. The proclamation,- Ther. Thou art proclaim'd a fool, I think. Ajax. Do not, porcupine, do not; my fingers itch. Ther. I would, thou didst itch from head to foot, and I had the scratching of thee; I would make thee the loathsomest scab in Greece. When thou. art forth in the incursions, thou strikest as slow ast another. Ajax. 1 say, the proclamation.- Ther. Thou grumblest and railest every hour on Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his greatness, as Cerberus is at Proserpina's beauty, ay, that thou barkest at him. Ajax. Mistress Thersites ! Ther. Thou shouldest strike him. г Ther. He would pun thee into shivers with his fist, as a sailor breaks a biscuit. Ajax. You whoreson curr[Beating him. |