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my clofe,

Tim. I have a tree, which grows here in
That mine own ufe invites me to cut down,
And fhortly muft I fell it. Tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the frequence of degree,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To ftop affliction, let him take his hafte ;

Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the ax,

And hang himfelf. I pray you, do my greeting.
Flav. Vex him no further, thus you still shall find him.
Tim. Come not to me again, but say to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting manfion
Upon the beached verge of the falt flood;
Which once a-day with his emboffed froth
The turbulent furge fhall cover: thither come,
And let my grave ftone be your oracle.
Lips, let four words go by, and language end:
What is amifs, plague and infection mend!
Graves only be mens' works, and death their gain !
Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his reign.
[Exit Timon
1 Sen. His difcontents are unremoveably coupled to

his nature.

2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead; let us return, And ftrain what other means is left unto us

In our dear peril.

1 Sen. It requires fwift foot.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Changes to the walls of Athens.
Enter two other Senators, with a Messenger.

1 Sen. Thou haft painfully difcover'd; are his files As full as thy report ?

Me. I have fpoke the leaft.

Befides, his expedition promifes
Prefent approach.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon. Me. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend; And though in general part we were oppos'd,

Yet our old love had a particular force,

And made us fpeak like friends. This man was riding From Alcibiades to Timon's cave,

With letters of intreaty, which imported

His fellowship i' th' caufe against your city, part for his fake mov'd.

In

Enter the other Senators.

1 Sen. Here come our brothers.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful scouring Doth choke the air with duft. In, and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the fnare t.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V. Before the walls of Athens.

Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades with his powers. Alc. Sound to this coward and lascivious town Our terrible approach.

[Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the walls. Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious measure, making your wills The fcope of juftice. Till now myself, and fuch As flept within the fhadow of your power,

Have wander'd with our travers'd arms, and breath'd
Our fufferance vainly. Now the time is flufh,
When crouching marrow in the bearer ftrong
Cries of itself, No more: now breathlefs wrong
Shall fit and pant in your great chairs of ease,
And purfy Infolence shall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.

I Sen. Noble and young,

When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
Ere thou hadst power, or we had cause to fear
We fent to thee, to give thy rages balm,

02

-our foes the fnare

Enter a Soldier in the woods, feeking Timon.

Sol. By all defcription this should be the place.

Who's here? fpeak, ho.- No anfwer? What is this?---
Timon is dead, who hath outstretch'd his fpan;
Some beaft rear'd this; here does not live a man.
Dead, fure, and this his grave; what's on this tonib?
I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax;
Our captain hath in every figure skill,

An ag'd interpreter, tho' young in days:
Before proud Athens he's fet down by this,
Whofe fall the mark of his ambition is.
SCENE, &c.

Το

[Exit.

To wipe out our ingratitude, with loves
Above their quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble meffage, and by promis'd 'mends:
We were not all unkind, nor all deferve
The common ftroke of war.

1 Sen. Thefe walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they such,
That thefe great tow'rs, trophies, and schools fhould fall
For private faults in them.

2 Sen. Nor are they living,

Who were the motives that you firft went out :

Shame that they wanted cunning, in excess

Hath broke their hearts. March on, ob, Noble Lord, Into our city with thy banners fpread;

By decimation and a tithed death,

If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature lothes, take thou the destin❜d tenth † :

1 Sen. All have not offended;

For thofe that were, it is not square to take
On thofe that are, revenge: crimes, like to lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage;
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin
Which in the blufter of thy wrath must fall
With thofe that have offended; like a fhepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull th' infected forth;
But kill not altogether.

2 Sen. What thou wilt,

Thou rather fhalt inforce it with thy fmile,
Than hew to't with thy fword.
Sen. Set but thy foot

Against our rampir'd gates, and they fhall ope:
So thou wilt fend thy gentle heart before,
To fay thou'lt enter friendly.

2 Sen. Throw thy glove,

* their refers to rages.

+

take thou the deftin'd tenth :

And by the hazard of the spotted dye,

Let die the fpotted.

1. Sea, All have, &c.

Or any token of thine honour else,

That thou wilt ufe the wars as thy redrefs,
And not as our confufion: all thy powers
Shall make their harbour in our town, till we
Have feal'd thy full defire.

Alc. Then there's my glove;

Defcend, and open your uncharged ports;
Thofe enemies of Timon's, and mine own,
Whom you yourselves fhall fet out for reproof,
Fall, and no more; and to atone your fears
With my more noble meaning, not a man
Shall pafs his quarter, or offend the stream
Of regular juftice in your city's bounds;
But shall be remedied by public laws
At heaviest anfwer.

Both. 'Tis moft nobly spoken.

Alc. Defcend, and keep your words.

Enter a Soldier.

Sol. My noble General, Timon is dead,
Intomb'd upon the very hem o' th' fea;
And on the grave-ftone this infculpture, which
With wax I brought away; whose soft impreffion
Interpreteth for my poor ignorance.

[Alcibiades reads the epitaph.]

Here lies a wretched corfe, of wretched foul bereft :
Seek not my name: a plague confume you caitiffs left:
Here lie I Timon, who all living men did hate;
Pafs by, and curfe thy fill, but ftay not here thy gait.

Thefe well exprefs in thee thy latter spirits:
Tho' thou abhorr'dft in us our human griefs,

Scorn'd our brine's flow, and thofe our droplets, which From niggard nature fall: yet rich conceit

Taught thee to make vaft Neptune weep for aye

On thy low grave.-On: faults forgiven.Dead Is noble Timon, of whofe memory “

Hereafter more

Bring me into your city,

And I will use the olive with my fword;

flint war; make

Make war breed peace; make peace
Prefcribe to other, as each other's leach.
Let our drums ftrike..

0 3

[cach

[Exeunt.

TITUS.

TITUS ANDRONICUS.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

SATURNINUS, fon to the late Em-
peror of Rome, and afterwards
declared Emperor himself.
Baffianus, brother to Saturninus,
in love with Lavinia.
Titus Andronicus, a Noble Ro-
man, General against the Goths.
Marcus Andronicus, Tribune of
the People, and brother to Titus.
Marcus,

Quintus, fons to Titus Andro

Lucius,
Mutius,

nicus.

[blocks in formation]

Young Lucius, a boy, fon to Lu-Lavinia, daughter to Titus An

cius.

dronicus.

Publius, Jon to Marcus the Tri-Nurfe, with a Black-a-moor child. bune, and nephew to Titus An- Senators, Judges, Officers, Sob diers, and other Attendants.

dronicus.

SCENE, Rome, and the country near it.

АСТ І. SCENE I.

Before the capital in Rome.

Enter the Tribunes and Senators aloft, as in the fenate. En ter Saturninus and his followers, at one door; and Baf fianus and bis followers at the other, with drum and colours..

Sat.

NOBLE Patricians, patrons of my right,

Defend the juftice of my caufe with arms:
And countrymen, my loving followers,
Plead my fucceffive title with your fwords.
I am the first-born fon of him that last
Vore the imperial diadem of Rome :

Then

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