Mer. If traffic do it, the gods do it. Apem. Traffic's thy god, and thy god confound thee. Trumpets sound. Enter a Servant. Tim. What trumpet's that? Serv. 'Tis Alcibiades, and Some twenty horse, all of companionship.1 Tim. Pray, entertain them; give them guide to [Exeunt some Attendants. You must needs dine with me:-Go not you hence, Till I have thanked you ;—and, when dinner's done, Show me this piece. I am joyful of your sights. us. Enter ALCIBIADES, with his Company. Most welcome, sir! [They salute. Apem. So, so; there!— Aches contract and starve your supple joints!-- knaves, And all this court'sy! The strain of man's bred out Into baboon and monkey.2 Alcib. Sir, you have saved my longing, and I feed Most hungrily on your sight. Tim. Right welcome, sir: Ere we depart, we'll share a bounteous time In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in. [Exeunt all but APEMANTUS. Enter two Lords. 1 Lord. What time a day is't, Apemantus? Apem. Time to be honest. 1 i. e. Alcibiades' companions. 2 Man is degenerated; his strain or lineage is worn down into a monkey. 3 It has been before observed that to depart and to part were anciently synonymous. 1 Lord. That time serves still.. Apem. The most accursed thou,' that still omit'st it. 2 Lord. Thou art going to lord Timon's feast? Apem. Ay; to see meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools. 2 Lord. Fare thee well, fare thee well. Apem. Thou art a fool, to bid me farewell twice. 2 Lord. Why, Apemantus? Apem. Should'st have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none. 1 Lord. Hang thyself. Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend. 2 Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence. Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. [Exit. 1 Lord. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes 2 Lord. He pours it out. Plutus, the god of gold, Is but his steward: no meed, but he repays Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him, But breeds the giver a return exceeding All use of quittance.3 1 Lord. The noblest mind he carries, That ever governed man. 2 Lord. Long may he live in fortunes! Shall we in? 1 Lord. I'll keep you company. 1 Ritson says we should read: "The more accursed thou." 2 Meed here means desert. [Exeunt. 3 i. e. all the customary returns made in discharge of obligations. SCENE II. The same. A Room of State in Timon's House. Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet served in; FLAVIUS and others attending. Then enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, LUCIUS, LUCULLUS, SEMPRONIUS, and other Athenian Senators, with VENTIDIUS, and Attendants.-Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly. Ven. Most honored Timon, 't hath pleased the gods to remember My father's age, and call him to long peace. To your free heart, I do return those talents, Doubled, with thanks and service, from whose help I derived liberty. Tim. O, by no means, Honest Ventidius: you mistake my love: If our betters play at that game, we must not dare [They all stand, ceremoniously, looking on TIMON. Tim. Nay, my lords, ceremony Was but devised at first to set a gloss On faint deeds, hollow welcomes, Recanting goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown; But where there is true friendship, there needs none. Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes, Than my fortunes to me. [They sit. 1 Lord. My lord, we always have confessed it. Apem. Ho, ho, confessed it? hanged it, have you not? 1 "The faults of rich persons wear a plausible appearance." 2 There seems to be some allusion to a common proverbial saying of Shakspeare's time, "Confess and be hanged." Tim. O Apemantus! you are welcome. You shall not make me welcome. I come to have thee thrust me out of doors. No, Tim. Fie! thou art a churl: you have got a humor there Does not become a man; 'tis much to blame : They say, my lords, Ira furor brevis est; Go, let him have a table by himself; Apem. Let me stay at thine apperil,2 Timon; Tim. I take no heed of thee; thou art an Athenian; therefore welcome; I myself would have no power: pr'ythee, let my meat make thee silent. Apem. I scorn thy meat; 'twould choke me, for 3 Ne'er flatter thee.-O you gods! what a number He cheers them up too. I wonder men dare trust themselves with men. Methinks they should invite them without knives; * Sits next him now, parts bread with him, and pledges Is the readiest man to kill him: it has been proved. If I Were a huge man, I should fear to drink at meals, 1 The old copy reads, " Yond' man's very angry. 2 Steevens and Malone dismissed apperil from the text, and inserted own peril; but Mr. Gifford has shown that the word occurs several times in Ben Jonson: "Sir, I will bail you at mine own apperil.” 3 For in the sense of cause or because. Devil is an Ass. 4 It was the custom, in old times, for every guest to bring his own knife. Lest they should spy my windpipe's dangerous notes;' Great men should drink with harness 2 on their throats. Tim. My lord, in heart; and let the health go round. 2 Lord. Let it flow this way, my good lord. 3 Арет. Flow this way! A brave fellow!-he keeps his tides well. Timon,* Those healths will make thee, and thy state, look ill. Here's that which is too weak to be a sinner, Honest water, which ne'er left man i'the mire. This, and my food, are equals; there's no odds. Feasts are too proud to give thanks to the gods. 5 APEMANTUS's GRACE. Rich men sin, and I eat root. [Eats and drinks. Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus! Tim. Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the field now. Alcib. My heart is ever at your service, my lord. Tim. You had rather be at a breakfast of enemies, than a dinner of friends. 1 "The windpipe's notes" were the indications in the throat of its situation when in the act of drinking. Perhaps, as Steevens observes, a quibble is intended on windpipe and notes. 2 i. e. armor. 366 My lord's health in sincerity." 4 This speech, except the concluding couplet, is printed as prose in the old copy, nor could it be exhibited as verse without transposing the word Timon, which follows look ill, to its present place. Malone thinks that many of the speeches in this play, which are now exhibited in a loose and imperfect kind of metre, were intended by Shakspeare for prose, in which form they are exhibited in the old copy. 6 i. e. do it. 5 Foolish. |