Were he not proud, we all should wear with him : But he already is too insolent; And we were better parch in Afric sun, Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes, The sort to fight with Hector: Among ourselves, 30 That we have better men. But, hit or miss, To Agamemnon: go we to him straight. 31 33 the mastiffs on, as 'twere their bone. [Exeunt. H. So in the folio; in the quarto, "share with him.” Opinion for estimation or reputation. See 1 King Henry IV., Act v. sc. 4, note 2. The word occurs before in this scene, in the same sense: "Yet in the trial much opinion dwells." 32 So in the quarto; in the folio, "as the worthier man." 33 That is, urge, stimulate, or set the mastiffs on. John, Act iv. sc. 1, note 6 H. See King ACT II. SCENE I. Another part of the Grecian Camp. Enter AJAX and THERSITES. Ajax. Thersites, Ther. Agamemnon-how if he had boils? full, all over, generally? Ajax. Thersites, -did Ther. And those boils did run?-Say so, not the general run then? were not that a botchy corps ? Ajax. Dog, Ther. Then would come some matter from him • I see none now. Ajax. Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear? Feel then. [Strikes him. Ther. The plague of Greece' upon thee, thou mongrel beef-witted lord! Ajax. Speak, then, thou vinewd'st leaven,' speak! I will beat thee into handsomeness. Ther. I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holiness: but I think thy horse will sooner con an 1 Alluding to the plague sent by Apollo on the Grecian army. He calls Ajax mengrel, on account of his father being a Grecian and his mother a Trojan. Sir Andrew Aguecheek says, in Twelfth Night, "I am a great eater of beef, and believe that does harm to my wit." The folio has whinid'st, a misprint, no doubt, for vinewd'sl, which is the superlative of vinewed or vinny, an old word mean. ing decayed, musty. It is said to be still used, in Devonshire, of bread or cheese when spoilt by mould. It is thus applied by Beau mont, 1602. Many of Chaucer's words are become, as it were vinew'd and hoarie with over long lying." The quarto has un salted. H. oration, than thou learn a prayer without book. Thou canst strike, canst thou? a red murrain o'thy jade's tricks! Ajax. Toad-stool, learn me the proclamation. Ther. Dost thou think I have no sense, thou strik'st me thus ? Ajax. The proclamation, Ther. Thou art proclaim'd a fool, I think. Ajax. Do not, porcupine, do not; my fingers itch. Ther. I would thou didst itch from head to foot, and I had the scratching of thee; I would make thee the loathsomest scab in Greece. When thou art forth in the incursions, thou strikest as slow as another.3 Ajax. I say, the proclamation,— Ther. Thou grumblest and railest every hour on Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his greatness, as Cerberus is at Proserpina's beauty, ay, that thou barkest at him. Ajax. Mistress Thersites ! Ther. Thou shouldst strike him. Ajax. Cobloaf!" 5 Ther. He would pun thee into shivers with his fist, as a sailor breaks a biscuit. 3 All of this speech, after Greece, is wanting in the folio. H. 4 Cobloaf is perhaps equivalent to ill-shapen lump. Minsheu says, "a cob-loaf is a little loaf made with a round head, such as cob irons which support the fire." The misshapen head of Thersites should be remembered, which may be what is here alluded to: "Homer, declaryng a very foolyshe and an haskarde fellow under the person of Thersytes, sayth, that he was streyte in the shulders, and cop-heeded lyke a gygge, and thyn heryd full of scorfe and scalle." Horman's Vulgaria, 1519. 5 That is, pound; still in use provincially. The original word in Saxon is punian. It is used in Holland's translation of Pliny " Punned altogether, and reduced into a liniment." It is related of a Staffordshire servant of Miss Seward, that, hearing his mis Ajax. You whoreson cur! Ther. Do, do. Ajax. Thou stool for a witch! 6 [Beating him. Ther. Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows: an assinego may tutor thee. Thou scurvy valiant ass! thou art here but to thrash Trojans; and thou art bought and sold among those of any wit, like a Barbarian slave. If thou use to beat me, I will begin at thy heel, and tell what thou art by inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou! Ajax. You dog! Ther. You scurvy lord! Ajax. You cur! [Beating him. Ther. Mars his idiot! do, rudeness; do, camel; do, do. Enter ACHILLES and PATROCLUS. Achil. Why, how now, Ajax! wherefore do you thus? How now, Thersites! what's the matter, man? Achil. Ay; what's the matter? Ther. Nay, look upon him. Achil. So I do: what's the matter? Ther. Nay, but regard him well. Achil. Well! why, I do so. Ther. But yet you look not well upon him; for, whosoever you take him to be, he is Ajax. Achil. I know that, fool. Ther. Ay, but that fool knows not himself. tress knock with her foot to call up her attendant, he said, "Hark! madam is punning." Assinego is the Portuguese diminutive for an ass; and was often used in that sense in the Poet's time. H. Ajax. Therefore I beat thee. Ther. Lo, lo, lo, lo, what modicums of wit he utters! his evasions have ears thus long. I have bobb'd his brain more than he has beat my bones: I will buy nine sparrows for a penny, and his pia mater is not worth the ninth part of a sparrow. This lord, Achilles, Ajax, — who wears his wit in his belly, and his guts in his head, I'll tell you what I say of him. Achil. What? Ther. I say, this Ajax — [AJAX offers to strike him. Achil. Nay, good Ajax. Achil. Nay, I must hold you. Ther. as will stop the eye of Helen's needle, for whom he comes to fight. Achil. Peace, fool! Ther. I would have peace and quietness, but the fool will not: he there; that he, look Ajax. O, thou damn'd cur! I shall you, there. Achil. Will you set your wit to a fool's? Ther. No, I warrant you; for a fool's will shame it. Patr. Good words, Thersites. Achil. What's the quarrel? Ajax. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenour of the proclamation, and he rails upon me. Ther. I serve thee not. Ajax. Well, go to, go to. Ther. I serve here voluntary. Achil. Your last service was sufferance, 'twas not voluntary; no man is beaten voluntary: Ajax was here the voluntary, and you as under an impress. Ther. Even so? a great deal of your wit too lies in your sinews, or else there be liars. Hector |