Ackil. My fweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite From my great purpose in to-morrow's battle, Here is a letter from queen Hecuba;

9 A token from her daughter, my fair love,
Both taxing me, and gaging me to keep

An oath that I have fworn. I will not break it:
Fall Greeks; fail fame; honour, or go, or stay,
My major vow lies here, this I'll obey.
Come, come, Therfites, help to trim my tent,
This night in banquetting must all be spent.
Away, Patroclus.

[Exeunt. Ther. With too much blood, and too little brain, thefe two may run mad; but if with too much brain, and too little blood, they do, I'll be a curer of madmen. Here's Agamemnon, an honeft fellow enough, and one that loves quails; but he hath not fo much "brain as ear-wax: and the goodly transformation of Jupiter there, his brother, the bull,-the primitive flatue, and cblique memorial of cuckolds; a thrifty fhooing

Finch egg!] Of this reproach I do not know the exact meaning. I fuppofe he means to call him finging bird, as implying an ufelefs favourite, and yet more, fomething more worthlefs, a finging bird in the egg, or generally, a flight thing eafily crushed. JOHNSON.

A finch's egg is remarkably gaudy; but of terms of reproach it is difficult always to pronounce the exact meaning. STEEV. 9 A token from her daughter, &c.] This is a circumftance taken from the flory book of the three deftructions of Troy. HANMER.

1- and the goodly transformation of Jupiter there, his brother, the bull, the primitive ftatue, and CBLIQUE memorial of cuckolds ;] He calls Monclaus the transformation of Jupiter, that is, as himself explains it, the bull, on account of his borns, which he had as a cuckold. This cuckold he calls the primitive ftatue of cuckolds; i. e. his flory had made him fo famous, that he flood as the great archetype of his character. But how was he an oblique memorial of cuckolds? can any thing be a more direct memorial of cuckolds, than a cuckold? and fo the foregoing character of his being the primitive fatue of them plainly im

fhooing-horn in a chain, hanging at his brother's leg;
to what form, but that he is, fhould wit larded with
malice, and malice 2 forced with wit, turn him? To
an afs were nothing, he is both afs and ox.
To an
ox were nothing, he is both ox and afs. To be a dog,
a mule, a cat, a fitchew, a toad, a lizzard, an owl, a
puttock, or a herring without a roe, I would not care:
but to be a Menelaus-I would confpire against
destiny. Afk me not what I would be, if I were not
Therfites; for I care not, to be the loufe of a lazar,
fo I were not Menelaus.- -Hey-day, 3 fpirits

and fires!

plies. To reconcile these two contradictory epithets therefore we should read,

an OBELISQUE memorial of cuckolds. He is reprefented as one who would remain an eternal monu. ment of his wife's infidelity. And how could this be better done than by calling him an obelifque memorial? of all human edifices the moft durable. And the fentence rifes gradually, and properly from a ftatue to an obelifque. To this the editor Mr. THEOBALD replies, that the bull is called the primitive ftatue: by which he only giveth us to understand, that he knoweth not the difference between the English articles a and the. But by the bull is meant Menelaus; which title Therfites gives him again afterwards- The cuckold and the cuckold maker are at it.

THE BULL has the game-But the Oxford editor makes quicker work with the term oblique, and alters it to antique, and fo all the difficulty's evaded.

WARBURTON.

The author of The Revifal obferves (after having controverted every other part of Dr. Warburton's note, and juftified Theobald) that the memorial is called oblique, because it was only indirectly fuch, upon the common fuppofition that both bulls "and cuckolds were furnished with horns." STEEVENS,

2

forced with wit,-] Stuffed with wit. A term of cookery.In this fpeech I do not well understand what is meant by loving quails. JOHNSON.

By loving quails the poet may mean loving the company of harlots. A quail is a bird remarkably falacious. Mr. UPTON fays that Xenephon, in his memoirs of Socrates, has taken notice of this quality in the bird. STEEVENS.

3-fpirits and fires!] This Therfites fpeaks upon the first fight of the diftant lights. JOHNSON,

Enter

1

Enter Heltor, Troilus, Ajax, Agamemnon, Ulyfes, Neftor, and Diomed, with lights.

Aga. We go wrong, we go wrong,

Ajax. No, yonder 'tis; there, where we fee the

light.

Helt. I trouble you.

Ajax. No, not a whit.

Enter Achilles.

Ulv. Here comes himself to guide you.

Achil. Welcome, brave Hector. Welcome, princes all.

Aga. So, now fair prince of Troy, I bid good night. Ajax commands the guard to tend on you.

Het. Thanks, and good night, to the Greeks' general.

Men. Good night, my lord.

Helt. Good night, fweet lord Menelaus.

Ther. Sweet drought. Sweet, quoth a. Sweet fink! Sweet fewer!

Ackil. Good night, and welcome, both at once, to thofe

That go or tarry.

Aga. Good night.

Achil. Old Neftor tarries, and you too, Diomed; Keep Hector company an hour or two.

Dio. I cannot, lord; I have important business, The tide whereof is now. Good night, great Hector. Het. Give me your hand.

Uy. Follow his torch, he goes to Calchas' tent.

I'll keep you company.

Troi. Sweet Sir, you honour me,

Helt. And fo, good night.

Achil. Come, come, enter my tent.

[To Troilus.

[Exeunt.

Ther. That fame Diomed's a falfe-hearted rogue, a

most unjust knave. I will no more truft him when

he

he leers, than I will a ferpent when he hiffes. 4 He will spend his mouth and promife, like Brabler the hound; but when he performs, aftronomers foretel it; it is prodigious, there will come fome change: the fun borrows of the moon, when Diomed keeps his word. I will rather leave to fee Hector, than not dog him: 5 they say he keeps a Trojan drab, and uses the traitor Calchas his tent. I'll after-Nothing [Exeunt. but letchery! all incontinent varlets!

SCENE II.

Calchas's tent.

Enter Diomed.

Dio. What are you up here, ho? speak.
Cal. Who calls?

· Dio. Diomed.Calchas, I think. Where is your
daughter?

Cal. She comes to you.

Enter Troilus and Ulyffes (undiscovered by Diomed); after them Therfites (unfeen by Troilus and Ulyffes). Uly. Stand where the torch may not difcover us.

Enter Creffida.

Troi. Creffid, come forth to him!.

Dio. How now, my charge?

Cre. Now, my fweet guardian! Hark, a word

with you.

Troi. Yea, fo familiar!

Ulyff. She will fing any man at first fight.

4

[Whispers.

He will spend his mouth and promife, like Brabler the beund; If a hound gives his mouth, and is not upon the fcent of the game, he is by fportsmen called a babler or brabler. The proverb fays, Brabling curs never want fore ears.

ANON.

they fay, he keeps a Trojan drab,- -] This character

of Diomed is likewife taken from Lidgate. STEEVENS.

Ther.

Ther. And any man may fing her, if he can take her cliff. She's noted.

Dio. Will you remember?

Cre. Remember? yes.

Dio. Nay, but do then:

And let your mind be coupled with your words.
Troi. What fhould fhe remember?

Ulyff. Lift!

Cre. Sweet honey Greek, tempt me no more to folly. Ther. Roguery!

Dio. Nay, then

Cre. I'll tell you what.

Dio. Pho! pho! Come. Tell a pin. You are forfworn.

Cre. In faith, I cannot.

me do?

What would you have

Ther. A juggling trick, to be fecretly open.

Dio. What did you fwear you would bestow on me? Cre. I pr'ythee, do not hold me to mine oath; Bid me do any thing but that, fweet Greek.

Dio. Good night.

Troi. Hold! patience!

Uly. How now, Trojan?

Cre. Diomed-

Dio. No, no, good night: I'll be your fool no

more.

Troi. Thy better must.

Cre. Hark, one word in your ear.

Troi. O plague, and madness!

Uly. You are mov'd, prince. Let us depart, I

pray you,

Left your difpleasure should enlarge itself

To wrathful terms. This place is dangerous;
The time right deadly. I befeech you, go.
Troi. Behold, I pray you!

her cliff] That is, her key. Clef, French. JOHNSON. See The Chances, by Beaumont and Fletcher, where Antonio, employing musical terms, fays,

Will none but my C. cliff ferve your turn." STEEV,