Manet Apemantus. Enter Lucius and Lucullus.

Luc. What time a day is't, Apemantus?
Apem. Time to be honest.

Luc. That time ferves till.

Apem. The most accurfed thou, that ftill omitt'ft it. Lucul. Thou art going to Lord Timon's feast.

Apem. Ay, to fee meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools.
Lucul. Fare thee well, fare thee well.

Apem. Thou art a fool to bid me farewel twice.
Lucul. Why, Apemantus?

Apem. Thou should't have kept one to thyfelf, for I mean to give thee none.

Luc. Hang thyfelf.

Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding: make thy requests to thy friend.

Lucul. Away,unpeaceable dog,or--I'll spurn thee hence.
Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels o' th' afs.
Luc. He's oppofite to humanity.

Come, fhall we in, and tafte Lord Timon's bounty?
He, fure, outgoes the very heart of kindness.

Lucul. He pours it out. Plutus, the god of gold,
Is but his fteward: no meed but he repays
Seven-fold above itfelf; no gift to him,
But breeds the giver a return exceeding
All ufe of quittance.

Luc. The nobleft mind he carries, That ever govern'd man.

Lucul. Long may he live in fortunes! fhall we in ? Luc. I'll keep you company.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, another Apartment in Timon's Houfe. Hautboys playing, loud mufick. A great banquet ferv'd in; and then enter Timon, Lucius, Lucullus, Sempronius, and other Athenian fenators, with Ventidius. Then comes dropping after all, Apemantus difcontentedly.

Ven.

M

Oft honour'd Timon, it hath pleas'd the gods To call my father's age unto long peace. He is gone happy, and has left me rich.

Then,

Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound
To your free heart, I do return thofe talents,

Doubled with thanks and fervice, from whofe help
I deriv'd liberty.

Tim. O, by no means,

Honeft Ventidius: you miftake my love;
I gave it freely ever, and there's none
Can truly fay he gives, if he receives:

If our betters play at that game, we must not dare
To imitate them. Faults that are rich, are fair.
Ven. A noble fpirit.

Tim. Nay, ceremony was but devis'd at first,
To fet a glofs on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodnets, forry ere 'tis fhown:

But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Pray, fit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes,
Than they to me.
[They fit down.

Luc. We always have confeft it.

Apem. Ho, ho, confeft it? hang'd it, have you not?Tim. O Apemantus, you are welcome.

Apem. No; you fhall not make me welcome. I come to have thee thruft me out of doors.

Tim. Fie, th'art a churl; ye have got a humour there Does not become a man, 'tis much to blame:

They fay, my Lords, that Ira furor brevis eft,

But yonder man is ever angry.

Go, let him have a table by himself:
For he does neither affe&t company,

Nor is he fit tor't, indeed.

Apem. Let me ftay at thy peril, Timon; I come to obferve, I give thee warning on't.

Tim. I take no heed of thee; th’art an Athenian, therefore welcome; I myself would have no power-pr'y thee let my meat make thee filent:

Apem. I fcorn thy meat, 'twould choak me: for I fhould ne'er flatter thee. O you gods! what a number of men eat Timon, and he fees 'em not? It grieves me to fee

So many dip their meat in one man's blood,

And all the madness is, he cheers them up too.

I

I wonder, men dare truft themselves with men!
Methinks, they fhould invite them without knives;
Good for their meat, and safer for their lives.
There's much example for't; the fellow that
Sits next him now, parts bread with him, and pledges
The breath of him in a divided draught,

Is th' readieft man to kill him. "Thas been prov'd.
Were I a great man, I should fear, to drink,

Left they should fpy my wind-pipe's dangerous notes: Great men fhould drink with harnefs on their throats. Tim. My Lord, in heart; and let the health go round. Lucul. Let it flow this way, my good Lord.

Apem. Flow this way!-a brave fellow! he keeps his tides well; thofe healths will make thee and thy ftate look ill, Timon. Here's that which is too weak to be a finner, honeft water, which ne'er left man i' th' mire: This and my food are equal, there's no odds; Feafts are too proud to give thanks to the gods.

Apemantus's grace.

Immortal gods, I crave no pelf;
I pray for no man but myfelf;
Grant, I may never prove fo fond
To truft man on his oath, or bond;
Or a harlot for her weeping;
Or a dog, that feems a fleeping;
Or a keeper with my freedom;
Or my friends, if I fhould need 'em.
Amen, Amen; So fall to't:

Rich men fin, and I eat root.

Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus!

Tim. Captain, Alcibiades, your heart's in the field now. Alc. My heart is ever at your fervice, my Lord. Tim. You had rather been at a breakfast of enemies, than a dinner of friends.

Alc. So they were bleeding new, my Lord, there's no meat like 'em. I could with my friend at fuch a feast. Apem. Would all these flatterers were thine enemies then; that thou might'ft kill 'em, and bid me to 'em!

Luc.

Luc. Might we but have the happiness, my Lord, that you would once ufe our hearts, whereby we might exprefs fome part of our zeals, we should think ourfelves for ever perfect.

Tim. Oh, no doubt, my good friends, but the gods themselves have provided that I fhall have as much help from you: how had you been my friends elfe; why have you that charitable title from thoufands, did not you chiefly belong to my heart? I have told more of you to myfelf, than you can with modesty speak in your own behalf. And thus far I confirm you. Oh you gods, (think I,) what need we have any friends, if we fhould never have need of 'em? they would most refemble sweet inftruments hung up in cafes, that keep their founds to themselves. Why I have often wisht myfelf poorer, that I might come nearer to you: we are born to do benefits. And what better or properer can we call our own, than the riches of our friends? O, what a precious comfort 'tis to have fo many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes! O joy, e'en made away ere't can be born; mine eyes cannot hold water, methinks: to forget their faults, I drink to you.

Apem. Thou weep'ft to make them drink, Timon. Lucul. Joy had the like conception in our eyes, And at that inftant like a babe sprung up.

Apem. Ho, ho! I laugh to think that babe a baftard. 3 Lord. I promife you, my Lord, you mov'd me much. Apem. Much!

Sound Tucket.

Tim. What means that trump? how now?

Enter Servant.

Serv. Please you, my Lord, there are certain Ladies moft defirous of admittance.

Tim. Ladies? what are their wills?

Serv. There comes with them a fore-runner, my Lord, which bears that office to fignify their pleafures. Tim. I pray, let them be admitted.

Enter

Enter Cupid with a Mafque of Ladies, as Amazons.

Cup. Hail to thee, worthy Timon, and to all That of his bounties tafte! The five beft fenfes Acknowledge thee their patron; and do come Freely to gratulate thy plenteous bofom :. Th'ear, tafte, touch, fmell, pleas'd from thy table rise, (7) These only now come but to feast thine eyes.

Tim. They're welcome all; let 'em have kind admittance. Let mufick make their welcome.

Luc. You fee, my Lord, how amply you're belov'd. Apem. Hoyday! what a fweep of vanity comes this way! They dance, they are mad women.

Like madness is the glory of this life;

As this pomp fhews to a little oil and root.
We make ourselves fools, to difport ourselves;
And spend our flatteries, to drink those men,
Upon whofe age we void it up again,
With poifonous fpight and envy-

Who lives, that's not depraved, or depraves?
Who dies, that bears not one fpurn to their graves
Of their friends gift?-

I fhould fear, thofe, that dance before me now,
Would one day ftamp upon me: "Thas been done;
Men fhut their doors against the fetting fun.

The Lords rife from table, with much adoring of Timon; each fingling out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women; a lofty firain or two to the hautboys, and ceafe. Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair Set a fair fashion on our entertainment, [Ladies,

(7) There tafie, truch, all, pleas'd from thy table rife: They only now---] The incomparable emendation, with which the text is here fupply'd, I owe to my ingenious friend Mr. Warburton. The five fenfes, as he obferves, are talk'd of by Cupid, but only three of them made out; and thofe in a very heavy, unintelligible manner. But now you have them all, and the poet's fenfe, compleat, viz. The five fenfes, Timon, acknowledge thee their patron; four of them, the hearing, the touch, the tafte, and smell, are all regaled at your board; and thefe Ladies come with me to entertain your fight, in prefenting a mafque.