1

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: Farewel.
Ajax. Farewel. Who shall answer him ?
Achil. I know not, it is put to lottery; otherwise,
He knew his man.

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Ajax. O, meaning you :---I'll go learn more of it. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

Troy. PRIAM's Palace. 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 consum'd
In hot digestion of this cormorant war,-
Shall be struck off :-Hector, what say you to't?
Hect. Though no man lesser fears the Greeks than I,

As far as toucheth my particular, yet,
Dread Priam,

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 follows?
Than Hector is: The wound of peace is surety,

140

Surety

Surety secure; but modest doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches 150
To the bottom of the worst. Let Helen go:

Since the first sword was drawn about this question,
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,
Had it our name, the value of one ten;
What merit's in that reason, which denies
The yielding of her up?

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 past-proportion of his infinite?

And buckle-in a waist most fathomless,

With spans and inches so diminutive

As fears and reasons? fie, for godly shamel

160

Hel. No marvel, though you bite so sharp at

reasons,

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 ?

170

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,

Eiij

And

And reason flies the object of all harm :
Who marvels then, when Helenus beholds
A Grecian and his sword, if he do set
The very wings of reason to his heels;

And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,

180

Or like a star dis-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 respect
Make livers pale, and lustyhood deject.

Hect. Brother, she is not worth what she doth cost The holding.

Troi. What is aught, but as 'tis valu'd?
Hect. But value dwells not in particular will;

It holds his estimate and dignity

190

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 inclinable

To what infectiously itself affects,
Without some 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

200

We

We turn not back the silks upon the merchant, When we have soil'd them; nor the remainder

viands

1

We do not throw in unrespective sieve,

210

Because we now are full. It was thought meet,
Paris should do some vengeance on the Greeks :
Your breath of full consent belly'd his sails;
The seas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce,
And did him service: he touch'd the ports desir'd;
And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held captive,
He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and fresh-

ness

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 confess, he brought home noble prize, (As you must needs, for you all clapp'd your hands,

220

And cry'd-Inestimable 1) 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 1
But, thieves, unworthy of a thing so stolen,
That in their country did them that disgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place!

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Cas.

Cas. [Within.] Cry, Trojans, ery !
Pri. What noise? what shriek is this?

Troi. '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 ter thousand

eyes,

And I will fill them with prophetic tears.

Heft. Peace, sister, peace.

240

Cas. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled

elders,

Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry,
Add to my clamours! let us pay betimes
A moiety of that mass of moan to come.
Cry, Trojans, cryl practise your eyes with tears t
Troy, must not be, nor goodly Ilion stand;
Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all.
Cry, Trojans, cryl a Helen, and a woe :

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

strains

Of divination in our sister work

Some touches of remorse? or is your blood

So madly hot, that no discourse of reason,
Nor fear of bad success in a bad cause,

Can qualify the same ?

Troi. Why, brother Hector,

We may not think the justness of each act

250

Such