Act V · Scene IV
Plains between Troy and the Grecian camp.
Hover a speech to translate it — or press play to hear it performed.
Alarums: excursions. Enter THERSITES
THERSITES
Now they are clapper-clawing one another; I'll golook on. That dissembling abominable varlets Diomed,has got that same scurvy doting foolish young knave'ssleeve of Troy there in his helm: I would fain seethem meet; that that same young Trojan ass, thatloves the whore there, might send that Greekishwhore-masterly villain, with the sleeve, back to thedissembling luxurious drab, of a sleeveless errand.O' the t'other side, the policy of those craftyswearing rascals, that stale old mouse-eaten drycheese, Nestor, and that same dog-fox, Ulysses, isnot proved worthy a blackberry: they set me up, inpolicy, that mongrel cur, Ajax, against that dog ofas bad a kind, Achilles: and now is the cur Ajaxprouder than the cur Achilles, and will not armto-day; whereupon the Grecians begin to proclaimbarbarism, and policy grows into an ill opinion.Soft! here comes sleeve, and t'other.
Enter DIOMEDES, TROILUS following
TROILUS
Fly not; for shouldst thou take the river Styx,I would swim after.
DIOMEDES
Thou dost miscall retire:I do not fly, but advantageous careWithdrew me from the odds of multitude:Have at thee!
THERSITES
Hold thy whore, Grecian!--now for thy whore,Trojan!--now the sleeve, now the sleeve!
Exeunt TROILUS and DIOMEDES, fighting
Enter HECTOR
HECTOR
What art thou, Greek? art thou for Hector's match?Art thou of blood and honour?
THERSITES
No, no, I am a rascal; a scurvy railing knave:a very filthy rogue.
HECTOR
I do believe thee: live.
Exit
THERSITES
God-a-mercy, that thou wilt believe me; but aplague break thy neck for frightening me! What'sbecome of the wenching rogues? I think they haveswallowed one another: I would laugh at thatmiracle: yet, in a sort, lechery eats itself.I'll seek them.
Exit