PLAN. Sir, pray, believe it; and be not Backward in th' entertainment of these soldiers, If you esteem't a happiness; in a word, You are a conqueror: and th' audacious Argives Have paid their lives as sacrifices To your offended sword. EPH. A messenger of comfort to a despairing lover Is a less acceptable thing than this thy presence; If what yon fellow told me were untruth, Thy welcome sight hath amply made amends For those tormenting fears he put me to. But if it were not, let me know what chance Redeem'd you? PLAN. If you have heard how things then went, when I Sent away that messenger---- EPH. Yes, I have heard it. PLAN. Then know, when death and our own fates had sworn Our ruin, and we, like some strong wall that long Resists the iron vomits of the flaming cannon, At last shakes itself into a dreadful ruin To those who throw it down; so had the Iberians, With valour great as the cause they fought for, Strove with a noble envy, who should first[86] Outgo his fellow in slaughtering the Argives: At last, oppress'd with multitude and toil, We sunk under the unequal burden; Then was our emulation chang'd, and who before Strove to outdo each other, now eagerly contended To run the race of death first. Sir, there it was I (and many other braver captains) fell, Being one wound from head to foot. O, then It was Inophilus came in, With about twenty other gallants, and with what speed The nimble lightning flies from east to west, Redeem'd this bleeding trunk, which the Insulting Argive had encompass'd, Blown up with victory and pride; he with A gallantry like none but great Inophilus, Being bravely back'd by his own soldiers, Whose actions spoke them more than men, had not Inophilus been by, redeem'd the honour Of a bleeding day. And thus are[87] [now] our troops, As little in number[88] as their valour great, Enrich'd with victory, blood, and jewels, Of which the opposite army wanted no store, Return'd with the renown of an achievement, As full of glory and honour to the conquerors, As ruin to the Argives. INO. My liege, Had this action and my merit been so great As our prince would make it, I then might Own it, and expect reward.---- But it was so small, so much below my duty, That I must, upon my knees, beg pardon That I came no sooner. EPH. This is a prodigy Beyond whatever yet was wrote in story. Inophilus, we have been too backward In cherishing thy growing virtue, we will Hereafter mend it. And, dear Rinatus, be proud of thy brave son, And let the people honour the remaining army; We shall esteem it as a favour done to us. We have a largess for your valorous captains, You have not fought in vain. This day let our court put on its greatest jollity, And let none wear a discontented brow; For where a frown is writ, we'll think it reason To say, that face hath characters of treason. [_Exeunt._ ACT III., SCENE 1. _Enter_ PLANGUS _and_ INOPHILUS. INO. But, sir, when you consider she's a woman----