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Troilus and Cressida

ACT II SCENE III The Grecian camp. Before Achilles' tent. 
[Enter THERSITES, solus]
THERSITESHow now, Thersites! what lost 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 otherwise; that I could beat him,
whilst he railed at me. 'Sfoot, I'll learn to5
conjure and raise devils, but I'll see some issue of
my spiteful execrations. Then there's Achilles, a
rare enginer! If Troy be not taken till these two
undermine it, the walls will stand till they fall of
themselves. O thou great thunder-darter of Olympus,10
forget that thou art Jove, the king of gods and,
Mercury, lose all the serpentine craft of thy
caduceus, if ye take not that little, little less
than little wit from them that they have! which
short-armed ignorance itself knows is so abundant15
scarce, it will not in circumvention deliver a fly
from a spider, without drawing their massy irons and
cutting the web. After this, the vengeance on the
whole camp! or rather, the bone-ache! for that,
methinks, is the curse dependent on those that war20
for a placket. I have said my prayers and devil Envy
say Amen. What ho! my Lord Achilles!
[Enter PATROCLUS]
PATROCLUSWho's there? Thersites! Good Thersites, come in and rail.
THERSITESIf I could have remembered a gilt counterfeit, thou
wouldst not have slipped out of my contemplation: but25
it is no matter; thyself upon thyself! The common
curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in
great revenue! heaven bless thee from a tutor, and
discipline come not near thee! Let thy blood be thy
direction till thy death! then if she that lays thee30
out says thou art a fair corse, I'll be sworn and
sworn upon't she never shrouded any but lazars.
Amen. Where's Achilles?
PATROCLUSWhat, art thou devout? wast thou in prayer?
THERSITESAy: the heavens hear me!35
[Enter ACHILLES]
ACHILLESWho's there?
PATROCLUSThersites, my lord.
ACHILLESWhere, where? Art thou come? why, my cheese, my
digestion, why hast thou not served thyself in to
my table so many meals? Come, what's Agamemnon?40
THERSITESThy commander, Achilles. Then tell me, Patroclus,
what's Achilles?
PATROCLUSThy lord, Thersites: then tell me, I pray thee,
what's thyself?
THERSITESThy knower, Patroclus: then tell me, Patroclus,45
what art thou?
PATROCLUSThou mayst tell that knowest.
ACHILLESO, tell, tell.
THERSITESI'll decline the whole question. Agamemnon commands
Achilles; Achilles is my lord; I am Patroclus'50
knower, and Patroclus is a fool.
PATROCLUSYou rascal!
THERSITESPeace, fool! I have not done.
ACHILLESHe is a privileged man. Proceed, Thersites.
THERSITESAgamemnon is a fool; Achilles is a fool; Thersites55
is a fool, and, as aforesaid, Patroclus is a fool.
ACHILLESDerive this; come.
THERSITESAgamemnon is a fool to offer to command Achilles;
Achilles is a fool to be commanded of Agamemnon;
Thersites is a fool to serve such a fool, and60
Patroclus is a fool positive.
PATROCLUSWhy am I a fool?
THERSITESMake that demand of the prover. It suffices me thou
art. Look you, who comes here?
ACHILLESPatroclus, I'll speak with nobody.65
Come in with me, Thersites.
[Exit]
THERSITESHere is such patchery, such juggling and such
knavery! all the argument is a cuckold and a
whore; a good quarrel to draw emulous factions
and bleed to death upon. Now, the dry serpigo on70
the subject! and war and lechery confound all!
[Exit]
[Enter AGAMEMNON, ULYSSES, NESTOR, DIOMEDES, and AJAX]
AGAMEMNONWhere is Achilles?
PATROCLUSWithin his tent; but ill disposed, my lord.
AGAMEMNONLet it be known to him that we are here.
He shent our messengers; and we lay by75
Our appertainments, visiting of him:
Let him be told so; lest perchance he think
We dare not move the question of our place,
Or know not what we are.
PATROCLUSI shall say so to him.80
[Exit]
ULYSSESWe saw him at the opening of his tent:
He is not sick.
AJAXYes, lion-sick, sick of proud heart: you may call it
melancholy, if you will favour the man; but, by my
head, 'tis pride: but why, why? let him show us the85
cause. A word, my lord.
[Takes AGAMEMNON aside]
NESTORWhat moves Ajax thus to bay at him?
ULYSSESAchilles hath inveigled his fool from him.
NESTORWho, Thersites?
ULYSSESHe.90
NESTORThen will Ajax lack matter, if he have lost his argument.
ULYSSESNo, you see, he is his argument that has his
argument, Achilles.
NESTORAll the better; their fraction is more our wish than
their faction: but it was a strong composure a fool95
could disunite.
ULYSSESThe amity that wisdom knits not, folly may easily
untie. Here comes Patroclus.
[Re-enter PATROCLUS]
NESTORNo Achilles with him.
ULYSSESThe elephant hath joints, but none for courtesy:100
his legs are legs for necessity, not for flexure.
PATROCLUSAchilles bids me say, he is much sorry,
If any thing more than your sport and pleasure
Did move your greatness and this noble state
To call upon him; he hopes it is no other105
But for your health and your digestion sake,
And after-dinner's breath.
AGAMEMNONHear you, Patroclus:
We are too well acquainted with these answers:
But his evasion, wing'd thus swift with scorn,110
Cannot outfly our apprehensions.
Much attribute he hath, and much the reason
Why we ascribe it to him; yet all his virtues,
Not virtuously on his own part beheld,
Do in our eyes begin to lose their gloss,115
Yea, like fair fruit in an unwholesome dish,
Are like to rot untasted. Go and tell him,
We come to speak with him; and you shall not sin,
If you do say we think him over-proud
And under-honest, in self-assumption greater120
Than in the note of judgment; and worthier
than himself
Here tend the savage strangeness he puts on,
Disguise the holy strength of their command,
And underwrite in an observing kind125
His humorous predominance; yea, watch
His pettish lunes, his ebbs, his flows, as if
The passage and whole carriage of this action
Rode on his tide. Go tell him this, and add,
That if he overhold his price so much,130
We'll none of him; but let him, like an engine
Not portable, lie under this report:
'Bring action hither, this cannot go to war:
A stirring dwarf we do allowance give
Before a sleeping giant.' Tell him so.135
PATROCLUSI shall; and bring his answer presently.
[Exit]
AGAMEMNONIn second voice we'll not be satisfied;
We come to speak with him. Ulysses, enter you.
[Exit ULYSSES]
AJAXWhat is he more than another?
AGAMEMNONNo more than what he thinks he is.140
AJAXIs he so much? Do you not think he thinks himself a
better man than I am?
AGAMEMNONNo question.
AJAXWill you subscribe his thought, and say he is?
AGAMEMNONNo, noble Ajax; you are as strong, as valiant, as145
wise, no less noble, much more gentle, and altogether
more tractable.
AJAXWhy should a man be proud? How doth pride grow? I
know not what pride is.
AGAMEMNONYour mind is the clearer, Ajax, and your virtues the150
fairer. He that is proud eats up himself: pride is
his own glass, his own trumpet, his own chronicle;
and whatever praises itself but in the deed, devours
the deed in the praise.
AJAXI do hate a proud man, as I hate the engendering of toads.155
NESTORYet he loves himself: is't not strange?
[Aside]
[Re-enter ULYSSES]
ULYSSESAchilles will not to the field to-morrow.
AGAMEMNONWhat's his excuse?
ULYSSESHe doth rely on none,
But carries on the stream of his dispose160
Without observance or respect of any,
In will peculiar and in self-admission.
AGAMEMNONWhy will he not upon our fair request
Untent his person and share the air with us?
ULYSSESThings small as nothing, for request's sake only,165
He makes important: possess'd he is with greatness,
And speaks not to himself but with a pride
That quarrels at self-breath: imagined worth
Holds in his blood such swoln and hot discourse
That 'twixt his mental and his active parts170
Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages
And batters down himself: what should I say?
He is so plaguy proud that the death-tokens of it
Cry 'No recovery.'
AGAMEMNONLet Ajax go to him.175
Dear lord, go you and greet him in his tent:
'Tis said he holds you well, and will be led
At your request a little from himself.
ULYSSESO Agamemnon, let it not be so!
We'll consecrate the steps that Ajax makes180
When they go from Achilles: shall the proud lord
That bastes his arrogance with his own seam
And never suffers matter of the world
Enter his thoughts, save such as do revolve
And ruminate himself, shall he be worshipp'd185
Of that we hold an idol more than he?
No, this thrice worthy and right valiant lord
Must not so stale his palm, nobly acquired;
Nor, by my will, assubjugate his merit,
As amply titled as Achilles is,190
By going to Achilles:
That were to enlard his fat already pride
And add more coals to Cancer when he burns
With entertaining great Hyperion.
This lord go to him! Jupiter forbid,195
And say in thunder 'Achilles go to him.'
NESTOR[Aside to DIOMEDES] O, this is well; he rubs the
vein of him.
DIOMEDES[Aside to NESTOR] And how his silence drinks up
this applause!200
AJAXIf I go to him, with my armed fist I'll pash him o'er the face.
AGAMEMNONO, no, you shall not go.
AJAXAn a' be proud with me, I'll pheeze his pride:
Let me go to him.
ULYSSESNot for the worth that hangs upon our quarrel.205
AJAXA paltry, insolent fellow!
NESTORHow he describes himself!
AJAXCan he not be sociable?
ULYSSESThe raven chides blackness.
AJAXI'll let his humours blood.210
AGAMEMNONHe will be the physician that should be the patient.
AJAXAn all men were o' my mind,--
ULYSSESWit would be out of fashion.
AJAXA' should not bear it so, a' should eat swords first:
shall pride carry it?215
NESTORAn 'twould, you'ld carry half.
ULYSSESA' would have ten shares.
AJAXI will knead him; I'll make him supple.
NESTORHe's not yet through warm: force him with praises:
pour in, pour in; his ambition is dry.220
ULYSSES[To AGAMEMNON] My lord, you feed too much on this dislike.
NESTOROur noble general, do not do so.
DIOMEDESYou must prepare to fight without Achilles.
ULYSSESWhy, 'tis this naming of him does him harm.
Here is a man--but 'tis before his face;225
I will be silent.
NESTORWherefore should you so?
He is not emulous, as Achilles is.
ULYSSESKnow the whole world, he is as valiant.
AJAXA whoreson dog, that shall pelter thus with us!230
Would he were a Trojan!
NESTORWhat a vice were it in Ajax now,--
ULYSSESIf he were proud,--
DIOMEDESOr covetous of praise,--
ULYSSESAy, or surly borne,--235
DIOMEDESOr strange, or self-affected!
ULYSSESThank the heavens, lord, thou art of sweet composure;
Praise him that got thee, she that gave thee suck:
Famed be thy tutor, and thy parts of nature
Thrice famed, beyond all erudition:240
But he that disciplined thy arms to fight,
Let Mars divide eternity in twain,
And give him half: and, for thy vigour,
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield
To sinewy Ajax. I will not praise thy wisdom,245
Which, like a bourn, a pale, a shore, confines
Thy spacious and dilated parts: here's Nestor;
Instructed by the antiquary times,
He must, he is, he cannot but be wise:
Put pardon, father Nestor, were your days250
As green as Ajax' and your brain so temper'd,
You should not have the eminence of him,
But be as Ajax.
AJAXShall I call you father?
NESTORAy, my good son.255
DIOMEDESBe ruled by him, Lord Ajax.
ULYSSESThere is no tarrying here; the hart Achilles
Keeps thicket. Please it our great general
To call together all his state of war;
Fresh kings are come to Troy: to-morrow260
We must with all our main of power stand fast:
And here's a lord,--come knights from east to west,
And cull their flower, Ajax shall cope the best.
AGAMEMNONGo we to council. Let Achilles sleep:
Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.265
[Exeunt]


Troilus and Cressida, Act 3, Scene 1

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