Tim. Why dost ask that? I have forgot all 5
Then, if thou grant'st thou art a man, I have
Forgot thee.

Flav. An honest poor servant of yours.
Tim. Then I know thee not:

I ne'er had honest man about me, I; all

I kept were' knaves, to serve in meat to villains.
Fiae. The gods are witness,

To requite me, by making rich yourself. [man,
Tim. Look thee, 'tis so!-Thou singly honest
Here, take:-the gods out of my misery
Have sent thee treasure. Go, live rich, and happy:
But thus condition'd: Thou shalt build from 'men;
Hate all, curse all: shew charity to none;
But let the famish'd flesh slide from the bone,
Ere thou relieve the beggar: give to dogs
What thou deny'st to men; let prisons swallow'em,
10 Debts wither'em to nothing: Be men like blasted
woods,

Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief
For his undone lord, than mine eyes for you.
Tim. What, dost thou weep?-Come nearer;-15
then I love thee,

Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'st
Flinty mankind; whose eyes do never give,
But thorough lust, and laughter. Pity's sleeping:
Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with 20
weeping!

Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my lord, To accept my grief, and, whilst this poor wealth lasts,

To entertain ine as your steward still.

Tim. Had I a steward

So true, so just, and now so comfortable?
It almost turns my dangerous nature wild2.
-Let me behold thy face.-Surely, this man
Was born of woman.-

Forgive my general and exceptless rashness,
Perpetual-sober gods! I do proclaim
One honest man,-mistake me not,-But one;
No more, I pray,—and he is a steward.-
How fain would I have hated all mankind,
And thou redeem'st thyself: But all, save thee,
I fell with curses.

Methinks, thou art more honest now, than wise;
For, by oppressing and betraying me,
Thou might'st have sooner got another service:
For many so arrive at second masters,
Upon their first lord's neck. But tell me true,
(For I must ever doubt, though ne'er so sure)
Is not thy kindness subtle, covetous,

[gifts,

25

And may diseases lick up their false bloods!
And so, farewell, and thrive.

Flav. O, let me stay, and comfort you, my master.
Tim. If thou hat'st curses,

Stay not; but fly, whilst thou art blest and free:
Ne'er see thou man, and let me ne'er see thee.
[Exeunt severally.

Enter Poet and Painter.

Pain. As I took note of the place, it cannot be far where he abides.

Poet. What's to be thought of him? Does the rumour hold for true, that he is so full of gold?

Pain. Certain: Alcibiades reports it; Phrynia and Tymandra had gold of him: he likewise enrich'd poor straggling soldiers with great quan30tity: 'Tis said, he gave his steward a mighty sum. Poet. Then this breaking of his has been but a try for his friends?

Pain. Nothing else: you shall see him a palm in Athens again, and flourish with the highest. 35 Therefore, 'tis not amiss, we tender our loves to him, in this suppos'd distress of his: it will shew honestly in us; and is very likely to load our purposes with what they travel for, if it be a just and true report that goes of his having.

40

If not a usuring kindness; and as rich men deal 45
Expecting in return twenty for one?

[breast

you

did

Flav. No, my most worthy master, in whose
Doubt and suspect, alas, are plac'd too late:
You should have fear'd false times, when
feast:
Suspect still comes where an estate is least.
That which I shew, heaven knows, is merely love,|
Duty and zeal to your unmatched mind,
Care of your food and living: and, believe it,
My most honour'd lord,

For any benefit that points to nie,
Either in hope, or present, I'd exchange it

For this one wish, That you had power and wealth

50

Poet. What have you now to present unto him? Pain. Nothing at this time but my visitation: only I will promise him an excellent piece.

Poet. I must serve him so too; tell him of an intent that's coming toward him.

Pain. Good as the best. Promising is the very air o' the time; it opens the eyes of expectation: performance is ever the duller for his act; and, but in the plainer and simpler kind of people, the deed of saying is quite out of use. To promise is most courtly and fashionable: performance is a kind of will, or testament, which argues a great sickness in his judgement that makes it.

Re-enter Timon from his cave, unseen. Tim. Excellent workman! Thou canst not paint 55 a man so bad as thyself.

5

Poet. I am thinking, what I shall say I have provided for him: It must be a personating of himself: a satire against the softness of prosperity;

2 To turn wild is to

1 Knave is here used in the compound sense of a servant and a rascal. distract.-An appearance so unexpected, says Timon, almost turns my sacageness to distraction. i.e. away from human habitations. 4 The sense is, "The doing of that which we have said we would do, the accomplishment and performance of our promise, is, except among the lower classes of mankind, quite out of use." Personating for representing simply; for the subject of this projected satire was Timon's case, not his person.

5

with

The former man may make him: Bring us to him, And take our goodly aged men by the beards,

And chance it as it may.

Flav. Here is his cave.

Peace and content be here! Lord Timon! Timon!
Look out, and speak to friends: The Athenians,
By two of their most reverend senate, greet thee:{
Speak to them, noble Timon.

Enter Timon.

5

Giving our holy virgins to the stain

Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war;
Then let him know, and tell him, Timon speaks it,

If pity of our aged, and our youth,

I cannot chuse but tell him, that--I care not,

And let him take 't at worst; for their knives care

not,

While you have throats to answer: for myself, 10 There's not a whittle in the unruly camp,

1 Sen. Worthy Timon,-
[mou.
Tim. Of none but such as you, and you of Ti-15
2 Sen. The senators of Athens greet thee, Ti-
[the plague,

mon.

Tim. I thank them; and would send them back Could I but catch it for them.

1 Sen. O, forget

What we are sorry for ourselves in thee.

The senators, with one consent of love,

Intreat thee back to Athens; who have thought
On special dignities, which vacant lie

For thy best use and wearing.

2 Sea. They confess,

Toward thee, forgetfulness too general, gross :
And now the public body,-which doth seldom
Play the recanter,-feeling in itself

A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense withal
Of its own fall, restraining aid to Timon;
And sends forth us, to make their sorrowed ren-
der',

But I do prize it at my love, before

The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave you
To the protection of the prosperous gods,
As thieves to keepers.

Flax. Stay not, all's in vain.

Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph,
It will be seen to-morrow; My long sickness
Of health, and living, now begins to mend,
And nothing brings me all things. Go, live still;
20 Be Alcibiades your plague, you his,
And last so long enough!

1 Sen. We speak in vain.

Tim. But yet I love my country; and am not One that rejoices in the common wreck, 25 As common bruit doth put it.

30

Together with a recompence more fruitful
Than their offence can weigh down by the dram;35
Ay, even such heaps and sums of love and wealth,
As shall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs,
And write in thee the figures of their love,
Ever to read them thine.

Tim. You witch me in it;
Surprise me to the very brink of tears:
Lend me a fool's heart, and a woman's eyes,
And I'll beweep these comforts, worthy senators.

40

1 Sen. Therefore, so please thee to return with
And of our Athens (thine, and ours) to take [us, 45
The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd with absolute power, and thy good name
Live with authority:-
:-so soon shall we drive back
Of Alcibiades the approaches wild;
Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up
His country's peace.

2 Sen. And shakes his threat'ning sword

Against the walls of Athens,

1 Sen. Therefore, Timon,

50

1 Sen. That's well spoke.

Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen,-1 Sen. These words become your lips as they pass through them. [umphers 2 Sen. And enter in our ears, like great triIn their applauding gates.

Tim. Commend me to them;

And tell them, that, to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragil vessel doth sustain

In life's uncertain voyage, I will some kindness
do them:-

I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath.
2 Sen. I like this well, he will return again.
Tim. I have a tree, which grows here in my
close,

That mine own use invites me to cut down,
And shortly must I fell it: Tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree',
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To stop affliction, let him take his haste,
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
And hang himself:-I pray you, do my greeting.
Flac. Trouble him no further, thus you still
shall find him.

Tim. Come not to me again: but say to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting mansion
Upon the beached verge of the salt flood,

Tim. Well, sir, I will; therefore I will, sir;55 Which once a day with his embossed froth

Thus,

If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,
Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,

[Athens,

That-Timon cares not.—But if he sack fair

The turbulent surge shall cover; thither come,
And let my grave-stone be your oracle.-
Lips, let sour words go by, and language end:
What is amiss, plague and infection mend!

The Athenians had sense, that is, felt the danger of their own fall, by the arms of Alcibiades. 2 Render is confession. Allowed is licensed, privileged, uncontrolled. 4 A whittle is still in the midland counties the common name for a pocket clasp knife, such as children use. 5 i. e. from highest to lowest. "We have before observed, that when a deer was run hard, and foamed at the mouth, he was said to be emboss'd.

[Exit Timon.

5

1 Sen. His discontents are unremoveably

Coupled to nature.

2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead: let us return, And strain what other means is left unto us In our dear' peril.

1 Sen. It requires swift foot.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

The Walls of Athens.

Enter two other Senators, with a Messenger. 1 Sen. Thou hast painfully discovered; are his As full as thy report?

Mes. I have spoke the least: Besides, his expedition promises Present approach.

[files

[Timon.

Trumpets sound. Enter A Alcib. Sound to this Our terrible approach. [Sound a parley. The Sena Till now you have gone With all licentious measu 10 The scope of justice; 'til As slept within the shado Have wander'd with ou breath'd

15

Our sufferance vainly: N
When crouching marrow
Cries of itself, No more
Shall sit and pant in your
And pursy insolence shall
With fear, and horrid flig
1 Sen. Noble and youn
When thy first griefs were
Ere thou hadst power, or
We sent to thee; to give t
To wipe out our ingratitud
25 Above their quantity.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not 20 Mes. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend;Who, though in general part we were oppos'd, Yet our old love made a particular force, And made us speak like friends:-this man was riding

From Alcibiades to Timon's cave,

With letters of entreaty, which imported
His fellowship i' the cause against your city,
In part for his sake mov'd.

Enter the other Senators.

1 Sen. Here come our brothers.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect. The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful scouring Doth choak the air with dust: In, and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the snare.

SCENE V.

Changes to the Woods.

Enter a Soldier, seeking Timon.

[Exeunt.

Sol. By all description, this should be the place. Who's here? speak, ho!-No answer?-What is this?

Timon is dead, who hath out-stretch'd his span:
Some beast read this; there does not live a man.
Dead, sure; and this his grave. What's on this
tomb?

I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax;
Our captain hath in every figure skill;
An ag'd interpreter, though young in days:
Before proud Athens he's set down by this,
Whose fall the mark of his ambition is.

[Exit.

2 Sen. So did we woo Transformed Timon to ou By humble message, and b We were not all unkind, no 30 The common stroke of war 1 Sen. These walls of ou Were not erected by their You have receiv'd your gri That these great towers, should fall

35

For private faults in them. 2 Sen. Nor are they livin Who were the motives that Shame, that they wanted cu 40 Hath broke their hearts". Into our city with thy banne By decimation, and a tithed (If thy revenges hunger for Which nature loaths) take the And by the hazard of the sp Let die the spotted.

45

1 Sen. All have not offend For those that were, it is not On those that are, revenges: 50 Are not inherited. Then, d Bring in thy ranks, but leave Spare thy Athenian cradle, a Which, in the bluster of thy

Dr. Warburton observes, that dear, in the language of that time, signified d by Shakspeare in numberless places.-Mr. Steevens says, that dear may in this mediate; and that it is an enforcing epithet with not always a distinct meaning. 3 A bird is flush when his feathers are grown, and he can leave the nest.-F The marrow was supposed to be the original of strength.-The image is from to take up his load, who rises immediately when he finds he has as much laid • Their refers to rages. The meaning is, "Shame in excess (i.e. extremity

wanted cunning (i. e. that they were not wise enough not to banish you) hath b i. e. not regular, not equitable.

2 Our brain's flow is our tears.