Cef. [within.] Cry, Trojans !

Heat. It is Caffandra.

Enter Caffandra, raving.

Caf. Cry, Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand eyes, And I will fill them with prophetic tears.

Helt. Peace, fifter, peace.

Caf. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled elders,
Soft infancy, that nothing canft but cry,
Add to my clamours! let us pay betimes
A moiety of that mafs of moan to come.
Cry, Trojans, cry! practife your eyes with tears;
Troy muft not be, nor goodly Ilion stand;
Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all.
Cry, Trojans, cry! a Helen and a woe;

Cry, cry! Troy burns, or else let Helen go. [Exit. Het. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these high ftrains

Of divination in our fifter work

Some touches of remorfe? Or is your blood
So madly hot that no difcourfe of reason,
Nor fear of bad fuccefs in a bad caufe,
Can qualify the fame?

Troi. Why, brother Hector,

2

We may not think the juftnefs of each act
Such and no other than event doth form it;
Nor once deject the courage of our minds,
Because Caffandra's mad; her brain-fick raptures
Cannot diftaste the goodness of a quarrel,
Which hath our feveral honours all engag'd
To make it gracious. For my private part
I am no more touch'd than all Priam's fons;
And Jove forbid there fhould be done amongst us
Such things, as would offend the weakest spleen
To fight for and maintain !

2

diftafie Corrupt; change to a worfe ftate. JoHNs.

Par.

Par. Elfe might the world convince of levity
As well my undertakings, as your counfels :
But I atteft the gods, your full confent
Gave wings to my propenfion, and cut off
All fears attending on fo dire a project.
For what, alas, can these my single arms?
What propugnation is in one man's valour,
To ftand the push and enmity of those
This quarrel would excite? Yet, I proteft,
Were I alone to país 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 honey ftill, but these the gall;
So, to be valiant, is no praife at all.

Par. Sir, I propofe not merely to myself
The pleasures fuch a beauty brings with it;
But I would have the foil of her fair rape
Wip'd off, in honourable keeping her.
What treafon were it to the ranfack'd queen,
Difgrace to your great worths, and fhame to me,
Now to deliver her poffeffion up,

On terms of base compulfion? can it be,
That fo degenerate a ftrain as this,

Should once fet footing in your generous bofoms?
There's not the meaneft fpirit on our party,
Without a heart to dare, or fword to draw,
When Helen is defended; nor none fo noble,
Whofe life were ill beftow'd, or death unfam'd,
Where Helen is the fubject. Then, I fay,
Well may we fight for her, whom, we know well,
The world's large fpaces cannot parallel.

Het. Paris and Troilus, you have both faid well; And on the cause and question now in hand Have gloz'd, but fuperficially; not much

Unlike young men, whom Ariftotle thought
Unfit to hear moral philofophy.

The reafons 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 render'd 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 3 benummed wills, refift the same,
4 There is a law in each well-ordered nation
To curb thofe raging appetites that are
Moft difobedient and refractory.
If Helen then be wife to Sparta's king-
As it is known fhe is-thefe 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 5 Is this in way of truth; yet ne'ertheless,

My fprightly brethren, I propend to you

In refolution to keep Helen ftill;

For 'tis a caufe that hath no mean dependance
Upon our joint and several dignities.

Troi. Why, there you touch'd the life of our defign: Were it not glory that we more affected

3

benummed wills,-] That is, inflexible, immoveable, no longer obedient to fuperior direction. JOHNSON. 4 There is a lar] What the law does in every nation between individuals, juftice ought to do between nations. JOHNSON.

Is this in way of truth;-] Though confidering truth and juftice in this question, this is my opinion; yet as a question of honour, I think on it as you. JOHNSON.

Than

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Than the performance of our heaving fpleens,
I would not wifh a drop of Trojan blood

Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector,
She is a theme of honour and renown;

A fpur 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 fmiles upon the forehead of this action,
For the wide world's revenue.

Het. I am yours,

You valiant offspring of great Priamus.
I have a roifting challenge fent amongst
The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks,
Will strike amazement to their drowsy spirits.
I was advertis'd their great general flept,
Whilft 7 emulation in the army crept;
This, I prefume, will wake him.

SCENE III,

Achilles' tent.

Enter Therfites.

[Exeunt.

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 fatisfaction! 'would it were otherwife, that I could beat him, whilft he rail'd at me. 'Sfoot, I'll learn to conjure and raise devils, but I'll fee fome iffue of my fpiteful 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

6

the performance of our heaving spleens,] The execution of fpite and refentment. JOHNSON. 7 — emulation—] That is, envy, factious contention. JонNS,

great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou art love the king of gods; and, Mercury, lofe all the ferpentine 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 itfelf knows is fo abundant fcarce, it will not in circumvention deliver a fly from a fpider, 8 without drawing the maffy iron and cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the whole camp! or rather the 9 boneache! for that, methinks, is the curfe dependant on thofe that war for a placket. I have faid my prayers, and devil Envy say Amen. What ho! my lord Achilles !

Enter Patroclus.

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

Ther. If I could have remember'd a gilt counterfeit, thou couldst not have flipp'd out of my contemplation: but it is no matter, Thyfelf upon thyfelf! The common curfe of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue! heaven bless thee from a tutor, and difcipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy direction 'till thy death, then if she, that lays thee out, fays-thou art a fair corfe, I'll be fworn and fworn upon't, fhe never fhrowded any but Lazars. Amen. Where's Achilles?

Patr. What, art thou devout? waft thou in prayer? Ther. Ay; the heavens hear me !

Enter Achilles.

Achil. Who's there?

Patr. Therfites, my lord.

Savithout drawing the maffy irons-] That is, without drawing their fewords to cut the web. They ufe no means but thofe of violence. JOHNSON.

9

-the bone-ache!] In the quarto, the Neapolitan boneache. JOHNSON.