Of raging waste! It cannot hold; it will not.
If I want gold, steal but a beggar's dog
And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold;
If I would sell my horse, and buy twenty more
Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon,
Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me, straight,
And able horses. No porter at his gate,
But rather one that smiles and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold; no reason
Can sound his state in safety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say!

Caph.

Enter CAPHIS.

10

Here, sir; what is your pleasure? Sen. Get on your cloak, and haste you to Lord Timon;

Importune him for my moneys; be not ceas'd
With slight denial, nor then silenc'd when-
'Commend me to your master'-and the cap
Plays in the right hand, thus; but tell him,
My uses cry to me; I must serve my turn
Out of mine own; his days and times are past,
And my reliances on his fracted dates

20

Have smit my credit: I love and honour him,
But must not break my back to heal his finger;
Immediate are my needs, and my relief
Must not be toss'd and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone:

Put on a most importunate aspect,
A visage of demand; for I do fear,
When every feather sticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,
Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone.
Caph. I go, sir.

30

Sen. I go, sir!' Take the bonds along with

Flav.

And the detention of long-since-due debts,
Against my honour?
Please you, gentlemen,
The time is unagreeable to this business:
Your importunacy cease till after dinner,
That I may make his lordship understand
Wherefore you are not paid.

Tim.

See them well entertained. Flav.

40

Do so, my friends. Exit. Exit.

Pray, draw near.

Enter APEMANTUS and Fool.

Caph. Stay, stay; here comes the fool with Apemantus: let's ha' some sport with 'em. Var. Serv. Hang him, he 'll abuse us. Isid. Serv. A plague upon him, dog! Var. Serv. How dost, fool?

50

Apem. Dost dialogue with thy shadow?
Var. Serv. I speak not to thee.
Apem. No; 'tis to thyself. To the Fool. Come

away.

Isid. Serv. There's the fool hangs on your back already.

Apem. No, thou standest single; thou 'rt not on him yet.

Poor

Caph. Where's the fool now? Apem. He last asked the question. rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between gold and want!

All Serv. What are we, Apemantus ?
Apem. Asses.

All Serv. Why?

61

Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves. Speak to 'em, fool. Fool. How do you, gentlemen?

All Serv. Gramercies, good fool. How does your mistress?

Apem. Good! gramercy.

Enter Page.

72

Fool. Look you, here comes my mistress' page. Page. To the Fool. Why, how now, captain! what do you in this wise company? How dost thou, Apemantus?

Apem. Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I might answer thee profitably.

Page. Prithee, Apemantus, read me the superscription of these letters: I know not which is

which.

Apem. Canst not read? Page. No.

82

Apem. There will little learning die then that day thou art hanged. This is to Lord Timon; this to Alcibiades. Go; thou wast born a bastard, and thou 'lt die a bawd.

Page. Thou wast whelped a dog, and thou shalt famish a dog's death. Answer not; I am gone.

Exit. 91 Apem. E'en so thou outrunnest grace. Fool, I will go with you to Lord Timon's. Fool. Will you leave me there? Apem. If Timon stay at home. serve three usurers?

You would not hear me, At many leisures I propos'd. Tim. Go to: Perchance some single vantages you took, When my indisposition put you back; And that unaptness made your minister, Thus to excuse yourself. Flav.

140

O my good lord! At many times I brought in my accounts. Laid them before you; you would throw them off. And say you found them in mine honesty. When for some trifling present you have bid me Return so much, I have shook my head and wept: Yea, 'gainst the authority of manners, pray'd you To hold your hand more close: I did endure Not seldom, nor no slight checks, when I have Prompted you in the ebb of your estate And your great flow of debts. My loved lord. Though you hear now, too late, yet now's a time,

150

All Serv. Ay; would they served us. Apem. So would I, as good a trick as ever hangman served thief.

Fool. Are you three usurers' men?
All Serv. Ay, fool.

100

Fool. I think no usurer but has a fool to his servant my mistress is one, and I am her fool. When men come to borrow of your masters, they approach sadly, and go away merry; but they enter my mistress' house merrily, and go away sadly the reason of this?

:

Tim. To Lacedæmon did my land extend. Flav. O my good lord! the world is but a word; Were it all yours to give it in a breath, How quickly were it gone.

Tim.

You tell me true.
Flav. If you suspect my husbandry or falsehood,
Call me before the exactest auditors,
And set me on the proof. So the gods bless me.
When all our offices have been oppress'd
With riotous feeders, when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine, when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights and bray'd with min-
strelsy,

I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,
And set mine eyes at flow.
Tim.
Prithee, no more. 170
Flav. Heavens! have I said, the bounty of
this lord.

How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants
This night englutted! Who is not Timon's !
What heart, head, sword, force, means, but is
Lord Timon's?

Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon! Ah! when the means are gone that buy this praise,

The breath is gone whereof this praise is made : Feast-won, fast-lost; one cloud of winter showers,

These flies are couch'd.

Tim.
Is 't true? can't be?
Flav. They answer, in a joint and corporate
voice,

sir. And what hast thou there under thy cloak, Lucul. I am right glad that his health is well, pretty Flaminius?

Flam. Faith, nothing but an empty box, sir, which, in my lord's behalf, I come to entreat your honour to supply; who, having great and instant occasion to use fifty talents, hath sent to your lordship to furnish him, nothing doubting your present assistance therein.

22

But yet they could have wish'd; they know not;
Something hath been amiss; a noble nature
May catch a wrench; would all were well; 'tis
pity;

And so, intending other serious matters,
After distasteful looks and these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps and cold-moving nods
They froze me into silence.

Tim.
You gods, reward them! 220
Prithee, man, look cheerly. These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary;
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it seldom flows;
'Tis lack of kindly warmth they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull and heavy.
To a Servant. Go to Ventidius. To FLAVIUS.
Prithee, be not sad,

Thou art true and honest; ingenuously I speak, No blame belongs to thee. To Servant. Ventidius lately

Buried his father; by whose death he's stepp'd Into a great estate; when he was poor, Imprison'd and in scarcity of friends,

231

him on 't; and come again to supper to him, of purpose to have him spend less; and yet he would embrace no counsel, take no warning by my coming. Every man has his fault, and honesty is his; I ha' told him on 't, but I could ne'er get him from it.

Re-enter Servant, with wine.

32

Serv. Please your lordship, here is the wine. Lucul. Flaminius, I have noted thee always wise. Here's to thee.

Flam. Your lordship speaks your pleasure.

Lucul. I have observed thee always for a towardly prompt spirit, give thee thy due, and one that knows what belongs to reason; and canst use the time well, if the time use thee well: good parts in thee. To the Servant. Get you gone, sirrah. Exit Servant. 42

Draw nearer, honest Flaminius. Thy lord's a bountiful gentleman; but thou art wise, and thou knowest well enough, although thou comest to me, that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship, without security.

Enter LUCIUS, with three Strangers. Luc. Who? the Lord Timon? he is my very good friend, and an honourable gentleman.

First Stran. We know him for no less, though we are but strangers to him. But I can tell you one thing, my lord, and which. I hear from common rumours: now Lord Timon's happy hours are done and past, and his estate shrinks from him.

Luc. Fie, no, do not believe it; he cannot want for money.

10

Second Stran. But believe you this, my lord, that, not long ago, one of his men was with the Lord Lucullus to borrow so many talents, nay, urged extremely for 't, and showed what necessity belonged to 't, and yet was denied. Luc. How!

Second Stran. I tell you, denied, my lord. Luc. What a strange case was that! now, before the gods, am ashamed on 't. Denied that honourable man! there was very little honour showed in 't. For my own part, I must needs confess, I have received some small kindnesses from him, as money, plate, jewels, and such like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet. had he mistook him and sent to me, I should ne'er have denied his occasion so many talents.

Luc. What a wicked beast was I to disfurnish myself against such a good time, when I might ha' shown myself honourable! how unluckily it happened, that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour! Servilius, now, before the gods, I am not able to do; the more beast, I say; I was sending to use Lord Timon myself, these gentlemen can witness; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had done 't now. Commend me bounti fully to his good lordship; and I hope his honour will conceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to be kind: and tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, say, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far as to use mine own words to him Ser. Yes, sir, I shall.

Luc. I'll look you out a good turn, Servilius. Exit SERVILIUS. True, as you said, Timon is shrunk indeed; And he that's once denied will hardly speed. Exit.

First Stran. Do you observe this, Hostilius? Second Stran. Ay, too well.

First Stran. Why, this is the world's soul; and just of the same piece

Is every flatterer's spirit. Who can call him
His friend that dips in the same dish? for in
My knowing, Timon has been this lord's father,
And kept his credit with his purse,
Supported his estate; nay, Timon's money
Has paid his men their wages: he ne'er drinks
But Timon's silver treads upon his lip;
And yet, O! see the monstrousness of man,
When he looks out in an ungrateful shape,
He does deny him, in respect of his,
What charitable men afford to beggars.
Third Stran. Religion groans at it.
First Stran.

80

For mine own part,

I never tasted Timon in my life,
Nor came any of his bounties over me,
To mark me for his friend; yet, I protest,
For his right noble mind, illustrious virtue,
And honourable carriage,

Had his necessity made use of me,

I would have put my wealth into donation,
And the best half should have return'd to him,
So much I love his heart. But, I perceive,
Men must learn now with pity to dispense;
For policy sits above conscience.

Exeunt.