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Ther. Even so ? a great deal of your wit too lies in your sinews, or else there be liars. Hector shall have a great catch, if he knock out either of your brains; 'a were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel.

Achil. What, with me too, Thersites?

Ther. There's Ulysses, and old Nestor,

whose

wit was mouldy ere your grandsires had nails on their toes, yoke you like draught oxen, and make you plough up the wars.

Achil, What, what?

Ther. Yes, good sooth; 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 see 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. [Exit.

Patr. A good riddance.

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

That Hector, by the first hour of the sun,
Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy,
To-morrow morning call some knight to arms,
That hath a stomach; and such a one, that dare
Maintain I know not what; 'tis trash: Fare-
well.

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Ajax, Farewell. Who shall answer him? Achil. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwise,

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Enter PRIAM, HECTOR, TROILUS, PARIS, and HELENUS.

Pri. After so many hours, lives, speeches spent, Thus once again says Nestor from the Greeks; Deliver Helen, and all damage else

As honour, loss of time, travel, expence, Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is

4

consum'd

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There is no lady of more softer bowels,

More spungy to suck in the sense of fear,

More ready to cry out Who knows what fol

lows?

Than Hector is: The wound of peace is surety,
Surety secure; but modest doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches
To the bottom of the worst. Let Helen go:

Since the first sword was drawn about this ques

tion,

Every tithe soul, 'mongst many thousand dismes,

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,-- 3 Al
Had it our name, the value of one ten;

What merit's in that reason, which denies
The yielding of her up? 1

Tro: Fie, fie, my brother!

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Weigh you the worth and honour of a King, ludi So great as our dread father, in a scale

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New LA. Of common ounces? will you with counters sum aÀ The past-proportion of his infinite? And buckle-in a waist most fathomless, at LaA With spans and inches so diminutive

reasons,

As fears and reasons? fie, for godly shame!od
Hel. No marvel, though you bite so sharp at
ei no bul I
You are so empty of them. Should not our father"
Bear the great sway of his affairs with reasons,
Because your speech hath none, that tells him so??
Tro. You are for dreams and stambers bro-A
other priest,

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You fur your gloves with reason.

reasons:

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Here are yo
Your T

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You know, an enemy intends you harm;
You know, a sword employ'd is perilous,
And reason flies the object of all haring of
Who marvels then, when Helenus beholds
A Grecian and his sword, if he do set Atsund wol

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The very wings of reason to his heels:
And fly like hidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a star dis-orb'd? Nay,"

reason,

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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 respect
Make livers pale, and lustihood deject.

Hect. Brother, she is not worth what she doth

The holding.

cost

Tro. What is aught, but as 'tis valued?

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Hect. But value dwells not in particular will; It holds his estimate and dignity

t

As well wherein 'tis precious, of itself
As in the prizer: 'tis mad idolatry,
To make the service greater than the god;
And the will dotes, that is attributive.
To what infectiously itself affects,
Without some image of the affected merit.
Tro. 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 judgement: 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 silks upon the merchant,
When we have foil'd them; nor the remainder 7
viands

We do not throw in unrespective sieve,

Because we now are full. It was thought meet,
Paris should do some vengeance on the Greeks,
Your breath with full consent belly'd his sails;
The seas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce, A
And did him service: he touch'd the ports de- y

sir'd;

And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held

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Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes pale the morning.
Why keep we her? the Greciaus 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 confess, 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 issue of your proper wisdoms rate;
And do a deed that fortune never did,
Beggar the estimation which you priz'd
Richer than sea and land? O theft most base;
That we have stolen what we do fear to keep!
But, thieves, unworthy of a thing so stolen,
That in their country did them that disgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place!
Cas. [Within.] Cry, Trojans, cry!
Pri. What noise? what shriek is this?
Tro. 'Tis our mad sister, I do know her voice.
Cas. [Within.] Cry, Trojans!

Hect. It is Cassandra.

Enter CASSANDRA, raving:

Cas. Cry, Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand
eyes,

And I will fill them with prophetick tears.
Hect. Peace, sister, peace.

Cas. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled
elders,

Soft infancy, that nothing can'st but cry,
Add to my clamours! let us pay betimes,
A moiety of that mass of moan to come.

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