Of man,

and beast, the infinite malady Crust you quite o'er!-What, dost thou go? Soft, take thy physick first-thou too,—and thou;[Throws the dishes at them, and drives them out. Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.— What, all in motion? Henceforth be no feast, Whereat a villain's not a welcome guest. Burn, house; sink, Athens! henceforth hated be Of Timon, man, and all humanity! [Exit.

Re-enter the Lords, with other Lords and Senators. 1 Lord. How now, my lords 9?

2 Lord. Know you the quality of Lord Timon's fury?

3 Lord. Pish! did you see my cap?

4 Lord. I have lost my gown.

3 Lord. He's but a mad lord, and nought but humour sways him. He gave me a jewel the other day, and now he has beat it out of my hat:-Did you see my jewel?

4 Lord. Did you see my cap?

2 Lord. Here 'tis.

4 Lord. Here lies my gown.
1 Lord. Let's make no stay.

2 Lord. Lord Timon's mad.

3 Lord.

I feel't upon my bones. 4 Lord. One day he gives us diamonds, next day

stones 10

[Exeunt.

maton figures appended to clocks: but the term was used for 'time serving busy-bodies, who had their oar in every man's boat, or hand in every man's dish.' See King Richard III. Act iv. Sc. 2, p. 114.

9 This and the next speech is spoken by the newly arrived lords.

10 In the old MS. play of Timon painted stones are introduced as part of this mock banquet. It seems probable that Shakspeare was acquainted with this ancient drama. Timon has thrown nothing at his guests, but warm water and dishes.

SCENE I.

ACT IV.

Without the Walls of Athens.

Enter TIMON.

Tim. Let me look back upon thee, O thou wall,
That girdlest in those wolves! Dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent;
Obedience fail in children! slaves, and fools,
Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench,
· And minister in their steads! to general filths1
Convert o'the instant, green virginity!

Do't in your parents' eyes; bankrupts, hold fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,
And cut your trusters' throats! bound servants, steal!
Large handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law: maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy mistress is o' the brothel! son of sixteen,
Pluck the lin❜d crutch from the old limping sire,
With it beat out his brains! piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestick awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs, and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries 2,

And yet confusion live!-Plagues, incident to men,

1 Steevens explains this common sewers,' which is quite ludicrous, unless he meant it metaphorically. General filths means common strumpets: filthiness and obscenity were synonymous with our ancestors.

2 i. e. contrarieties, whose nature it is to waste or destroy each other.

as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base.'

King Henry V.

Your potent and infectious fevers heap
On Athens, ripe for stroke! thou cold sciatica,
Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners! lust and liberty3
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth;
That 'gainst the stream of virtue they may strive,
And drown themselves in riot! itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bosoms; and their crop
Be general leprosy! breath infect breath;
That their society, as their friendship, may
Be merely poison! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou détestable town!

Take thou that too, with multiplying banns *!
Timon will to the woods; where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.
The gods confound (hear me, you good gods all),
The Athenians both within and out that wall!
And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may grow
To the whole race of mankind, high, and low!
Amen.

SCENE II.

Athens. A Room in Timon's House.

[Exit.

Enter FLAVIUS, with two or three Servants.

1 Serv. Hear you, master steward, where's our master?

Are we undone? cast off? nothing remaining?

Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous gods, I am as poor as you.

3 Liberty here means licentiousness or libertinism. So in the Comedy of Errors :

'And many such like liberties of sin.'

4i. e. accumulated curses. Multiplying for multiplied, the active participle with a passive signification.

1 Serv.

Such a house broke!

Şo noble a master fallen! All gone! and not
One friend, to take his fortune by the arm,
And go along with him!

2 Serv.

As we do turn our backs

From our companion, thrown into his grave;
So his familiars to his buried fortunes 1

Slink all away; leave their false vows with him,
Like empty purses pick'd: and his poor self,
A dedicated beggar to the air,

With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone.-More of our fellows.

Enter other Servants.

Flav. All broken implements of a ruin'd house. 3 Serv. Yet do our hearts wear Timon's livery, That see I by our faces; we are fellows still, Serving alike in sorrow: Leak'd is our bark; And we, poor mates, stand on the dying deck, Hearing the surges threat: we must all part Into this sea of air.

Good fellows all,

Flav.
The latest of my wealth I'll share amongst you.
Wherever we shall meet, for Timon's sake,
Let's yet be fellows; let's shake our heads, and
As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes,
We have seen better days.

say,

Let each take some;
[Giving them money.
Not one word more:
parting poor 2.

Nay, put out all your hands.
Thus part we rich in sorrow,

[Exeunt Servants.

1 So those who were familiar to his buried fortunes, who in the most ample manner participated them, slink all away,' &c. 2 This conceit occurs again in King Lear :

Fairest Cordelia, thou art most rich, being poor.'

Johnson observes, that 'Nothing contributes more to the ex

O, the fierce3 wretchedness that glory brings us!
Who would not wish to be from wealth exempt,
Since riches point to misery and contempt?
Who'd be so mock'd with glory? or to live
But in a dream of friendship?

To have his pomp, and all what state compounds,
But only painted, like his varnish'd friends?
Poor honest lord, brought low by his own heart;
Undone by goodness! Strange, unusual blood*,
When man's worst sin is, he does too much good!
Who then dares to be half so kind again?
For bounty, that makes gods, does still mar men.
My dearest lord,—bless'd, to be most accurs'd,
Rich, only to be wretched;-thy great fortunes
Are made thy chief afflictions. Alas, kind lord!
He's flung in rage from this ungrateful seat
Of monstrous friends: nor has he with him to
Supply his life, or that which can command it.
I'll follow, and inquire him out:

I'll ever serve his mind with my best will;
Whilst I have gold, I'll be his steward still. [Exit.

altation of Timon's character than the zeal and fidelity of his servants; nothing but real virtue can be honoured by domesticks; nothing but impartial kindness can gain affection from dependants.'

.

3 Fierce here means vehement; as in Love's Labour's Lost, vol. ii. p. 411:

With all the fierce endeavour of your wit.'

See King Henry VIII. Act i. Sc. 1, note 15.

4 Blood is here used for passion, propensity, affection. Malone asserts that blood is used for natural propensity or disposition throughout these plays;' but he has not given a single instance, while we have many passages where it can mean nothing but passion or affection. Thus in Much Ado about Nothing, vol. ii. p. 154:- Wisdom and blood combating in so tender a body, we have ten proofs to one that blood hath the victory.' And in All's Well that Ends Well, Act iii. Sc. 2:

'Now his important blood will nought deny
That she'll demand.'