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That he is worshipp'd in a baser temple
Than where swine feed!

'Tis thou that rigg'st the bark, and plough'st tho

foam ;

Settlest admired reverence in a slave:

To thee be worship! and thy saints for aye

Be crown'd with plagues, that thee alone obey!
Fit I meet them.

Poet. Hail, worthy Timon!
Pain.

[Advancing.

Our late noble master.

Tim. Have I once liv'd to see two honest men?
Poet. Sir,

Having often of your open bounty tasted,
Hearing you were retir'd, your friends fall'n off,
Whose thankless natures - O, abhorred spirits!
Not all the whips of Heaven are large enough
What! to you,

Whose star-like nobleness gave life and influence

To their whole being? I am rapt, and cannot cover The monstrous bulk of this ingratitude

With any size of words.

Tim. Let it go naked, men may see't the better: You, that are honest, by being what you are,

Make them best seen and known.

Pain.

He, and myself,

Have travell'd in the great shower of your gifts,

And sweetly felt it.

Tim.

Ay, you are honest men.

Pain. We are hither come to offer you our ser

vice.

Tim. Most honest men! Why, how shall I re

quite you?

Can you eat roots, and drink cold water? no.

Both. What we can do, we'll do, to do you service.

Tim. You're honest men. You have heard that I have gold;

I am

sure you have: speak truth; you're honest

men.

Pain. So it is said, my noble lord; but therefore Came not my friend, nor I.

Tim. Good honest men!

terfeit

Thou draw'st a coun

Best in all Athens: thou art, indeed, the best;

Thou counterfeit'st most lively.

Pain.

Tim. Even so, sir, as I say.

So, so, my lord.

And, for thy fiction,

Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth,
That thou art even natural in thine art.
But, for all this, my honest-natur'd friends,
I must needs say, you have a little fault :

Marry, 'tis not monstrous in you; neither wish I,
You take such pains to mend.

Both.

To make it known to us.

Tim.

'Beseech your honour

You'll take it ill.

Will you, indeed?

Both. Most thankfully, my lord.
Tim.

Both. Doubt it not, worthy lord.

Tim. There's never a one of you but trusts a

knave,

That mightily deceives you.

Both.

Do we, my lord?

Tim. Ay, and you hear him cog, see him dis

semble,

Know his gross patchery, love him, feed him,

Keep in your bosom; yet remain assur'd,

That he's a made-up villain.

Pain. I know none such, my lord.
Poet.

Nor I.

Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you

gold,

Rid me these villains from your companies :

Hang them, or stab them, drown them in a draught,
Confound them by some curse, and come to me,
I'll give you gold enough.

Both. Name them, my lord; let's know them.
Tim. You that way, and you this; but two in

company:

Each man apart, all single and alone,

Yet an arch-villain keeps him company,

If, where thou art, two villains shall not be,

[To the Painter. Come not near him. - If thou would'st not reside

[To the Poet.

But where one villain is, then him abandon.
Hence! pack! there's gold; ye came for gold, ye

slaves :

You have [done] work for me, there's payment: hence! You are an alchymist, make gold of that.

Out, rascal dogs!

[Beats them out, and then retires to his cave.

[SCENE II.- Malone.]

Enter FLAVIUS and two Senators.

Flav. It is [in] vain that you would speak with

Timon;

For he is set so only to himself,

That nothing but himself, which looks like man,
Is friendly with him.

1 Sen.

Bring us to his cave:

It is our part and promise to the Athenians,
To speak with Timon.

2 Sen.

At all times alike,

Men are not still the same. 'Twas time, and griefs,

That fram'd him thus: time, with his fairer hand
Offering the fortunes of his former days,
The former man may make him. Bring us to him,
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. Th' Athenians,
By two of their most reverend Senate, greet thee:
Speak to them, noble Timon.

TIMON approaches from his cave.

Tim. Thou sun, that comfort'st, burn! Speak,

and be hang'd:

For each true word, a blister; and each false
Be as a cauterizing to the root o' the tongue,
Consuming it with speaking!

1 Sen.

Worthy Timon,

Tim. Of none but such as you, and you of

Timon.

2 Sen. The senators of Athens greet thee, Timon. Tim. I thank them and would send them back

the plague,

:

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,

Entreat thee back to Athens; who have thought

On special dignities, which vacant lie

For thy best use and wearing.

2 Sen.

They confess

Toward thee forgetfulness, too general, gross;
Which now the public body, which doth seldom
Play the recanter, feeling in itself

A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense withal

Of it own fail, restraining aid to Timon;

And send forth us, to make their sorrowed render, Together with a recompense, more fruitful

Than their offence can weigh down by the dram; 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.

1 Sen. Therefore, so please thee to return with us,
And of our Athens (thine and ours) to take
The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd with absolute power, and thy good name
Live with authority: so soon we shall drive back
Of Alcibiades th' approaches wild;

Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up

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Tim. Well, sir, I will; therefore, I will, sir;

thus,

If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,

Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,

That Timon cares not. But if he sack fair Athens, And take our goodly aged men by th' beards,

Giving our holy virgins to the stain

Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war,

Then, let him know, — and tell him, Timon speaks it,
In pity of our aged, and our youth,

I cannot choose 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,

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