a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; he were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel. Achil. What, with me too, Thersites?

Ther. There's Ulysses and old 9 Neftor (whose wit was mouldy ere your grandfires had nails on their toes) yoke you like draft oxen, and make you plough up the war.

Achil. What! what!

Ther. Yes, good footh; to, Achilles! to, Ajax!

to

Ajax. I shall cut out your tongue.

Ther. 'Tis no matter, I shall speak as much as thou afterwards.

Patr. No more words, Thersites:-Peace.

Ther. I will hold my peace,' when Achilles' brach bids me, shall I ?

Achil. There's for you, Patroclus.

Ther. I will fee you hang'd, like clotpoles, ere I come any more to your tents. I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.

Patr. A good riddance.

[Exit.

Achil. Marry this, Sir, is proclaim'd through all

our hoft;

That Hector, by the fifth hour of the fun,

Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy,
To-morrow morning call fome knight to arms,
That hath a stomach; such a one that dare

Maintain, I know not what. 'Tis trash; farewell.

- Nestor (whose wit was mouldy ere their grandfires bad nails)] This is one of these editors wife riddles. What! was Nestor's wit mouldy before his grandfire's toes had any nails ? Prepofterous nonsense! and yet so easy a change, as one poor pronoun for another, sets all right and clear. THEOBALD.

1

- when Achilles' brach bids me,-) The folio and quarto read, Achilles' BROOCH. Brooch is an appendant ornament. The meaning may be, equivalent to one of Achilles' hangers on. JOHNSON.

Brach I believe to be the true reading. He calls Patroclus, in contempt, Achilles' dog. STEEVENS.

Ajax.

we all anfwer him?

wis put to lottery; otherwise

mouring you :- I'll go learn more of it.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

1

2

Priam's palace.

Eur Priam, Heftor, Troilus, Paris, and Helenus.

After fo many hours, lives, speeches spent,

Thas arce again says Neftor from the Greeks:
Dorse Bien, and all damage elfe,

war was of time, travel, expence,
friends, and what else dear that is confum'd

In bus sigeftion of this cormorant war,
Shan be ftruck off. Hector, what say you to't?

La. Though no man leffer fears the Greeks than I,
As far as touches my particular, yet, dread Priam,
There is no lady of more softer bowels,
More spungy to fuck in the fenfe of fear,...
More ready to cry out, Who knows what follaτώς ?"
Than Hector is. The wound of peace is furety,
Surety fecure; but modeft doubt is call'd
Thy beacon of the wife, the tent that searches
To the bottom of the worst. Let Helen go.
Since the first sword was drawn about this question,
Every tithe foul 'mongst many thousand difmes
Hath been as dear as Helen; I mean, of ours.
If we have lost so many tenths of ours,
To guard a thing not ours; not worth to us,
Had it our name, the value of one ten;
What merit's in that reason which denies
The yielding of her up?

many thousand dismes] Disme, Fr. is the tithe, the

i

I

Troi. Fie, fie, my brother!

Weigh you the worth and honour of a king
So great as our dread father, in a scale
Of common ounces? will you with counters sum
* The paft-proportion of his infinite?
And buckle in a waist most fathomless,
With spans and inches so diminutive

As fears and reasons? Fie, for godly shame!

Hel. No marvel, though you bite so sharp at reasons, You are so empty of them. Should not our father Bear the great fway of his affairs with reasons, Because your speech hath none, that tells him so ?

Troi. You are for dreams and slumbers, brother

priest,

You fur your gloves with reason. Here are your

reasons.

You know, an enemy intends you harm;
You know, a sword employ'd is perilous;
And reason flies the object of all harm.
Who marvels then, when Helenus beholds
A Grecian and his sword, if he do fet
The very wings of reason to his heels;
3 And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a star dif-orb'd ?-Nay, if we talk of reason,
Let's shut our gates, and sleep: manhood and honour
Should have hare-hearts, would they but fat their

thoughts

With this cramm'd reason: reason and refpect
Make livers pale, and lustyhood deject.

Hett. Brother, she is not worth what she doth coft The holding.

The past-proportion of bis infinite?) Thus read both the copies. The meaning is, that greatness to which no measure bears any proportion. The modern editors filently give, The vaft proportion - JOHNSON.

Troi. What is aught, but as 'tis valued ?
Heft. But value dwells not in particular will;
It holds his estimate and dignity
As well wherein 'tis precious of itself,
As in the prizer: 'tis mad idolatry,
To make the service greater than the god;
4 And the will dotes that is inclinable
To what infectioufly itself affects,
5 Without fome image of the affected merit.

Troi. I take to-day a wife, and my election
Is led on in the conduct of my will;
My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears,
Two traded pilots 'twixt the dangerous shores
Of will and judgment; how may I avoid,
Although my will distaste what it elected,
The wife I chose? there can be no evasion
To blench from this, and to stand firm by honour.
We turn not back the filks upon the merchant,
When we have foil'd them; nor the remainder viands
We do not throw in 7 unrespective sieve,

• And the will dotes that is inclinable] Old edition, not fo well, has it, attributive. POPE.

By the old edition Mr. Pope means the old quarto. The folio has, as it stands, inclinable. I think the first reading better; the will dotes that attributes or gives the qualities which it affects; that first causes excellence, and then admires it.

JOHNSON.

5 Without some image of th' AFFECTED merit.) We should read, th' AFFECTED's merit.

i. e. without some mark of merit in the thing affected. WARB. The present reading is right. The will affects an object for fome supposed merit, which Hector says, is uncensurable, unless the merit fo affected be really there. JOHNSON.

6

7

-foil'd them;-) So reads the quarto. The folio -spoil'd them. - JOHNSON.

- unrespective sieve,] That is, into a common vaider.

Because we now are full. It was thought meet,
Paris should do fome vengeance on the Greeks:
Your breath of full consent bellied his fails;
The seas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce,
And did him service: he touch'd the ports defir'd,
And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held captive,
He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and freshness
Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes & pale the morning.
Why keep we her? the Grecians keep our aunt.
Is she worth keeping? why, she is a pearl,
Whose price hath launch'd above a thousand ships,
And turn'd crown'd kings to merchants.
If you'll avouch, 'twas wisdom Paris went,
(As you must needs, for you all cry'd, go, go)
If you'll confefs he brought home noble prize,
(As you must needs, for you all clapp'd your hands,
And cry'd, inestimable!) why do you now
The ifssue of your proper wisdoms rate;
9 And do a deed that fortune never did,
Beggar that estimation which you priz'd
Richer than fea and land? O theft most base!
That we have stolen what we do fear to keep!
* But thieves, unworthy of a thing fo stolen;
Who in their country did them that disgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place!
Caf. [within.] Cry, Trojans, cry!
Pri. What noife? what shriek is this?
Troi. 'Tis our mad fifter, I do know her voice.

8

- pale the morning.) So the quarto. The folio and modern editors,

ftale the morning. JOHNSON.

9 And do a deed that fortune never did, If I understand this paffage, the meaning is, "Why do you, by cenfuring the deter"mination of your own wisdoms, degrade Helen, whom fortune "has not yet deprived of her value, or against whom, as the "wife of Paris, fortune has not in this war so declared, as to make us value her less?" This is very harsh, and much strained. JOHNSON.

1

But thieves,

VOL. IX.

HANMER reads, Base thieves, - JOHNS.