And buckle-in a waist most fathomlefs,
With spans and inches fo diminutive
As fears and reafons? fie, for godly fhame!
Hel. No marvel, though you bite fo fharp at reafons,
You are fo empty of them. Should not our father
Bear the great fway of his affairs with reasons,
Because your speech hath none, that tells him fo?
Troi. You are for dreams and flumbers, brother
priest,
You fur your gloves with reason. Here are your reafons:
You know, an enemy intends you
harm ş
3
You know, a fword employ'd is perilous,
And reason flies the object of all harm:
Who marvels then, when Helenus beholdş
A Grecian and his fword, if he do fet
The very wings of reafon to his heels;
And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a ftar dif-orb'd?-Nay, if we talk of reason,
Let's fhut our gates, and feep: Manhood and honour
Should have hare hearts, would they but fat their
thoughts
With this cramm'd reafon; reafon and refpect
Make livers pale, and luftyhood deject.
Het. Brother, she is not worth what the doth cost The holding.
Trei. What is aught, but as 'tis valu'd?
Het. But value dwells not in particular will;
It holds his estimate and dignity
As well wherein 'tis precious of itself,
As in the prizer: 'tis mad idolatry,
To make the fervice greater than the god;
And the will dotes, that is inclinable
And By like chidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a far dif-orb'd?-] Thefe two lines are mifplaced
in all the folio editions. Pore.
And the will dotes, that is inclinable] Old edition, not fo well, has it attributive. POPE,
To what infectioufly itfelf affects,
* Without fome 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 fhores
Of will and judgment; How may I avoid,
Although my will diftafte what it elected,
The wife I chofe? there can be no evafion
To blench from this, and to ftand firm by honour;
We turn not back the filks upon the merchant,
When we have 3 foil'd them; nor the remainder
viands
We do not throw in unrefpective fieve,
Because we now are full. It was thought meet,
Paris fhould do fome vengeance on the Greeks:
Your breath of full confent belly'd his fails;
The feas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce,
And did him fervice: he touch'd the ports defir'd;
And, for an old aunt, whom the Greeks held captive,
He brought a Grecian queen, whofe youth and
frefhnefs
By the old edition Mr. Pope means the old quarto. The foli has, as it ftands, inclinable.I think the first reading better; the will dotes that attributes or gives the qualities which it affects; that firit caufes excellence, and then admires it. JOHNSON.
* Without fome image of the affected merit.] We should read: -the affected's merit.
i. e. without fome mark of merit in the thing affected.
The prefent reading is right. The will affects an object for fome fuppofed merit, which Hector fays is cenfurable, unlels the merit fo affected be really there. JOHNSON.
-] So reads the quarto. The folio -spoil'd them.- JOHNSON.
-unrespective fieve,] That is, into a common voider. Sieve is in the quarto. The folio reads,
for which the fecond folio and modern editions have filently printed,
unreffeive place. JOHNSON.
Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes ' pale the morning.
Why keep we her? the Grecians keep our aunt:
Is the worth keeping? why, fhe is a pearl,
Whofe 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 confefs, he brought home noble prize,
(As you must needs, for you all clapp'd your hands,
And cry'd-Ineftimable!) why do you now
The iffue of your proper wifdoms rate;
"And do a deed that fortune never did,
Beggar the estimation which you priz'd
Richer than fea and land? O theft moft base;
That we have ftolen what we do fear to keep!
But, thieves, unworthy of a thing so stolen,
That in their country did them that difgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place!
Caf. [within] Cry, Trojans, cry!
Pri. What noife? what fhriek is this?
Troi. 'Tis our mad fifter, I do know her voice
Caf. [within] Cry, Trojans!
Caf. Cry, Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand eyes, And I will fill them with prophetic tears.
• —pale the morning.] So the quarto. The folio and modern editors,
-ftale the morning. JOHNSON.
• And do a deed that fortune never did,] If I understand this paffage, the meaning is: "Why do you, by cenfuring the determination of your own wifdoms, degrade Helen, whom fortune has not yet deprived of her value, or against whom, as the wife of Paris, fortune has not in this war fo declared, as to make us value her lefs?" This is very harsh, and much strained,
7 But thieves,] Hanmer reads,-Bafe thieves.
Helt. Peace, fister, peace.
Caf. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled elders,
Soft infancy, that nothing can't but cry,
Add to my clamours! let us pay betimes
A moiety of that mass of moan to come.
Cry, Trojans, cry! practise your eyes with tears!
Troy must not be, nor goodly Ilion ftand;
Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all.
Cry, Trojans, cry! a Helen, and a woe:
Cry, cry! Troy burns, or elfe let Helen go. [Exit.
Het. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these high
ftrains
Of divination in our fifter work
Some touches of remorfe? or is your blood
So madly hot, that no difcourfe of reason,
Nor fear of bad fuccefs in a bad cause,
Can qualify the fame?
Troil. Why, brother Hector,
We may not think the juftnefs of each act
Such and no other than event doth form it;
Nor once deject the courage of our minds,
Because Caffandra's mad; her brain-fick raptures
Cannot diftafte the goodness of a quarrel,
Which hath our feveral honours all engag'd
To make it gracious. For my private part,
I am no more touch'd than all Priam's fons :
And Jove forbid, there fhould be done amongst us
Such things as would offend the weakest spleen
To fight for and maintain!
Par. Elfe might the world convince of levity
-mid-age and wrinkled elders.] The folio has;
-wrinkled old.
Perhaps the poet wrote:
• Add to my clamours!] Folio-clamour. MALONE.
-diftafte-] Corrupt; change to a worfe ftate. JoHNSON,
As well my undertakings, as your counfels:
But I atteft the gods, your full confent
Gave wings to my propenfion, and cut off
All fears attending on fo dire a project.
For what, alas, can thefe my fingle arms?
What propugnation is in one man's valour,
To ftand the push and enmity of those
This quarrel would excite? Yet, I protest,
Were I alone to pafs the difficulties,
And had as ample power as I have will,
Paris fhould ne'er retract what he hath done,
Nor faint in the purfuit.
Pri. Paris, you speak
Like one befotted on your fweet delights:
You have the honey ftill, but thefe the gall;
So to be valiant, is no praife at all.
Par. Sir, I propofe not merely to myself
The pleasures fuch a beauty brings with it;
But I would have the foil of her fair rape
Wip'd off, in honourable keeping her.
What treason were it to the ranfack'd queen,
Difgrace to your great worths, and fhame to me,
Now to deliver her poffeffion up,
On terms of base compulfion? can it be,
That fo degenerate a ftrain as this,
Should once fet footing in your generous bofoms?
There's not the meaneft fpirit on our party,
Without a heart to dare, or fword to draw,
When Helen is defended; nor none so noble,
Whofe life were ill bestow'd, or death unfam'd,
Where Helen is the fubject: then, I fay,
Well may we fight for her, whom, we know well,
The world's large spaces cannot parallel.
Helt. Paris, and Troilus, you have both faid
And on the cause and queftion now in hand
Have gloz'd, but fuperficially; not much
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