A lengthy oration on the history and dignity of Ireland follow. It ends with curses against the English. Lambert speaks of the British Navy as valuable to the defense of Ireland. The Citizen draws a vivid picture of the brutality of life in the Navy. "They believe in rod, the scourger almighty, creator of hell upon earth." BloomÂ’s attempts to speak for both sides in this question produce general scorn. Asked to define a nation, he finds himself, as an Irish Jew, in an uncertain position. The Citizen asks what BloomÂ’s nation is. He hears the answer: "Ireland, says Bloom. I was born here. Ireland." He spits in scorn. Bloom steps out to the neighboring Courthouse to see if he can find Cunningham. The others continue discussing oppression and the gory details of colonial atrocities. Lenehan, who has just come in, believes that Bloom has left to pick up his winnings on a horse. He is angry with him for what he considers, rather obscurely, to have been a betrayal. Bantam Lyon has supposed that Bloom has tipped him that a horse called "Throwaway" would win the race. But the horse had been such an outsider that Lyon and Lenehan had placed their money elsewhere. "Throwaway" had won at twenty to one.

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