Patr. Why, thou damnable box of envy, thou, what
mean'st thou to curse thus?[2137]
Ther. Do I curse thee? 25
Patr. Why, no, you ruinous butt; you whoreson indistinguishable[2138]
cur, no.[2139]
Ther. No! why art thou then exasperate, thou idle
immaterial skein of sleave silk, thou green sarcenet flap for[2140]
a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's purse, thou? Ah,[2141] 30
how the poor world is pestered with such waterflies, diminutives
of nature!
Patr. Out, gall![2142]
Ther. Finch-egg!
Achil. My sweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite[2143] 35
From my great purpose in to-morrow's battle.
Here is a letter from Queen Hecuba,
A token from her daughter, my fair love,
Both taxing me and gaging me to keep
An oath that I have sworn. I will not break it: 40
Fall Greeks; fail fame; honour or go or stay;[2144]
My major vow lies here, this I'll obey.
Come, come, Thersites, help to trim my tent:
This night in banqueting must all be spent.[2145]
Away, Patroclus! [Exeunt Achilles and Patroclus.[2145][2146] 45
Ther. With too much blood and too little brain, these
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 honest fellow enough and one that loves quails;[2147]
but he has not so much brain as ear-wax: and the goodly[2148] 50
transformation of Jupiter there, his brother, the bull, the[2149]
primitive statue and oblique memorial of cuckolds; a thrifty[2150]
shoeing-horn in a chain, hanging at his brother's leg,—to[2151]
what form but that he is, should wit larded with malice and[2152]
malice forced with wit turn him to? To an ass, were nothing;[2153] 55
he is both ass and ox: to an ox, were nothing; he is[2154]
both ox and ass. To be a dog, a mule, a cat, a fitchew, a[2154][2155]
toad, a lizard, an owl, a puttock, or a herring without a roe,[2156]
I would not care; but to be Menelaus! I would conspire[2157]
against destiny. Ask me not what I would be, if I were[2158] 60
not Thersites; for I care not to be the louse of a lazar, so I
were not Menelaus. Hoy-day! spirits and fires!
Enter Hector, Troilus, Ajax, Agamemnon, Ulysses, Nestor, Menelaus, and Diomedes, with lights.[2159]
Agam. We go wrong, we go wrong.[2160]