3 Sen. Doubt not that, if money and the season can it.

yield

1 Sen. How do you? what's the news?

3 Sen. Alcibiades is banish'd: hear you of it? Both. Alcibiades banish'd!

3 Sen. 'Tis fo, be fure of it. 1 Sen. How? how?

2 Sen. 1 pray you upon what?

Tim. My worthy friends, will you draw near 3 Sen. I'll tell you more anon. toward.

Here's a noble feaft

2 Sen. This is the old man ftill.
3 Sen. Will't hold? will't hold?
2 Sen. It does, but time will, and fo-
3 Sen. I do conceive.

Tim. Each man to his tool, with that fpur as he would to the lip of his mistress: your diet fhall be in all places alike. Make not a city feaft of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place. Sit, fit. The gods require our thanks.

You great benefactors, fprinkle our fociety with thankful nefs. For your own gifts make yourselves prais'd; but referve fill to give, left your deities he defpifed. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another. For were your godheads to borrow of men, men would forfake the gods. Make the meat beloved, more than the man that gives it. Let no affembly of twenty be without a feore of villains. If there fit twelve women at the table, let a dozen of them be as they are-The rest of your foes, O gods, the Senators of Athens, together with the common lag of people, what is amifs in them, you gods, make fuitable for deflruction. For thefe my friends-as they are to me nothing, fo in nothing bless them, and to nothing are they welcome.

Uncover, dogs, and lap.

Some fpeak. What does his lordship mean?
Some other. I know not.

Tim. May you a better feat never behold,

You knot of mouth-friends! fmoke and lukewarm water
Is your perfection t. This is Timon's last;
Who ftuck and fpangled with your flatteries,
Wafhes them off, and iprinkles in your faces
VOL. VI.

M

↑ perfection, for exact or perfect likeness.

Your

Your reaking villany. Live loth'd, and long,
Moft fimiling, fmooth, detefted parafites,
Courteous deftroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time-flies,
Cap-and-knee flaves, vapours, and minute-jacks;
Of man and beast the infinite malady
Cruft you quite o'er !- --What, doft thou go?
Soft, take thy phyfic firft-thou too

and thou

[Throwing the dishes at them, and drives 'em 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, fink Athens, henceforth hated be
Of Timon, man, and all humanity!

Re-enter the Senators.

1 Sen. How now, my Lords?

[Exit.

2 Sen. Know you the quality of Lord Timon's fury! -3 Sen. Piha! did you fee

4

Sen. I've loft my gown.

my cap?

i Sen. He's but a mad Lord, and nought but humour fways him. He gave me a jewel th' other day, and now he has beat it out of my cap. Did you fee my jewel?

2 Sen. Did you fee my cap?
3 Sen. Here 'tis.

4 Sen. Here lies my gown.
i Sen. Let's make no ftay.
2 Sen. Lord Timon's mad.
3 Sen. I feel't upon my bones.

4 Sen. One day he gives us diamonds, next day ftones.

LET

ACT IV. SCENE I.

Without the walls of Athens.

Enter Timon.

[Exeunt.

ET me lookback upon thee. O thou wall, That girdleft in those wolves! dive in the earth, And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent; Obedience fail in children; flaves and fools

• Pluck

'Pluck the grave wrinkled fenate from the bench, • And minister in their fteads: to general filth Convert o' th' inftant, green virginity!

'Do't in your parents' eyes. Bankrupts, hold faft; Rather than render back, out with your knives,

'And cut your trufters' throats. Bound fervants, fteal; Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,

'And pill by law. Maid, to thy master's bed;

Thy mistress is o' th' brothel. Son of sixteen, 'Pluck the lin'd crutch from the old limping fire, And with it beat his brains out! Fear and piety, 'Religion to the gods, peace, juftice, truth, 'Domeftic awe, night-reft, and neighbourhood, • Inftruction, manners, misteries and trades, Degrees, obfervances, cuftoms and laws, Decline to your confounding contraries! 'And yet confusion live!

Plagues, incident to men,

'Your potent and infectious fevers heap

'On Athens, ripe for ftroke! Thou cold Sciatica, Cripple our Senators, that their limbs may halt

'As lamely as their manners.. Luft and liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,
'That 'gainst the ftream of virtue they may ftrive,
And drown themselves in riot! Itches, blains,
'Sow all the Athenian bofoms, and their crop
'Be general leprofy! Breath infect breath,
That their fociety (as their friendship) may
'Be merely poifon! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
'But nakedness, thou town deteftable!
Take thou that too, with multiplying banns:
Timon will to the woods, where he thall find
Th' unkindeft beast much kinder than mankind.
The gods confound (hear me, ye good gods all)
Th' 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!

SCENE II. Changes to Timon's houfe:

Enter Flavius, with two or three Servants.

[Exit.

1 Ser. Hear you, good mafter steward, where's our Are we undone, caft off, nothing remaining? [maffee?

Flav. Alack, my fellows, what fhould I fay to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,

I am as poor as you.

1 Ser. Such a houfe broke !

So noble a mafter fall'n

all gone! and not One friend to take his fortune by the arm, And go along with him?

2 Ser. As we do turn our backs

From our companion thrown into his grave,
• So his familiars from his buried fortunes
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-fhunn'd poverty,

4

Walks, like contempt, alone.-More of our fellows.
Enter other Servants.

Flav. All broken implements of a ruin'd house!
3 Ser. Yet do our hearts wear Timon's livery,
That fee I by our faces; we are fellows ftill,
Serving alike in forrow. Leak'd is our bark,
And we poor mates ftand on the dying deck,
Hearing the furges threat. We must all part
Into the fea of air.

Flav. Good fellows all,

The latest of my wealth I'll fhare amongst you.
Where-ever we shall meet, for Timon's fake,
Let's yet be fellows; shake our heads, and say,
(As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes),
We have seen better days. Let each take some;
Nay, put out all your hands; not one word more,
Thus part we rich in forrow, parting poor.

[He gives them money; they embrace, and part
feveral ways.

"Oh, the first wretchednefs that glory brings us!
Who would not wish to be from wealth exempt,
Since riches point to mifery and contempt ?
Who'd be fo mock'd with glory, as to live
But in a dream of friendship?

To have his pomp, and all what ftate compounds,
But only painted, like his varnish'd friends!
Poor honeft Lord! brought low by his own heart,

Undone

Undone by goodness: ftrange unusual blood,
When man's worft fin is, he does too much good.
Who then dares to be half so kind again?

For bounty, that makes gods, does ftill mar men.
My dearest Lord, bess'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 feat
Of monftrous 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 ferve his mind with my best will;
Whilst I have gold, I'll be his steward itill.

SCENE III. The woods.

Enter Timon.

[Exit.

Tim. "Obleffing-breeding fun, draw from the earth "Rotten humidity: below thy fifter's orb "Infect the air! Twinn'd brothers of one womb, "Whofe procreation, refidence, and birth, "Scarce is dividant, touch with several fortunes, "The greater fcorns the leffer. Not ev❜n nature, "To whom all fores lay fiege, can bear great fortune "But by contempt of nature.

"Raife me this beggar, and denude that Lord, "The fenator fhall bear contempt hereditary,

"The beggar native honour :

"It is the pasture lards the wedder's fides,

"The want that makes him lean. Who dares, who dares,

"In purity of manhood stand upright,

"And fay this man's a flatterer? If one be, "So are they all; for every greeze of fortune "Is fmooth'd by that below. The learned pate "Ducks to the golden fool: all is oblique ; "There's nothing level in our curfed natures, "But direct villany." Then be abhorr'd, All feafts, focieties, and throngs of men! His femblable, yea himself, Timon disdains.Destruction phang mankind! Earth, yield me roots! [Digging the earth.

"Who feeks for better of thee, fauce his palate

M 3

"With