Flav. Pray, draw near.

Enter Apemantus, and Fool.

[Exit Flav.

Cap. Stay, ftay, here comes the fool with Apemantus,

let's have fome fport with 'em.

Var. Hang him, he'll abuse us.

Ifid. A plague upon him, dog.
Var. How doft, fool?

Apem. Doft dialogue with thy fhadow ?

Var. I fpeak not to thee.

Apem. No, 'tis to thyfelf. Come away.

Ifid. There's the fool hangs on your back already. Apem. No, thou ftand'ft fingle, thou art not on him yet. Cap. Where's the fool now?

Apem. He laft afk'd the queftion.

Poor rogues, and

ufurer's men bawds between gold and want!

All. What are we, Apemantus ?

Apem. Afles.

All. Why?

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

Fool. How do you, gentlemen?

All. Gramercies, good fool: how does your miftrefs? Fool. She's e'en fetting on water to fcald fuch chickens as you are. 'Would, we could fee you at Corinth. Apem. Good! gramercy!

Enter Page.

Fool. Look you, here comes my miftrefs's page. Page. Why how now, captain? what do you in this wife company? how doft thou, Apemantus?

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

Page. Pr'ythee, Apemantus, -read me the fuperfcription of these letters; I know not which is which. Apem. Canft not read ?

Page. No.

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

Page.

[Exit.

Page. Thou waft whelpt a dog, and thou shalt famish, a dog's death. Anfwer not, I am gone. Apem. Ev'n fo thou outrun'st grace.

Fool, I will go with you to Lord Timon's.
Fool. Will you leave me there?
Apem. If Timon stay at home-

You three ferve three ufurers?
All. I would, they ferv'd us.

Apem. So would I-as good a trick as ever hangman ferv'd thief.

Fool. Are you three ufurers' men?

All. Ay, fool.

Fool. I think, no ufurer but has a fool to his fervant. My mistress is one, and I am her fool; when men come to borrow of your mafters, they approach fadly, and go away merrily; but they enter my miftrefs's houfe merrily, and go away fadly. The reafon of this ?

Var. I could render one.

Apem. Do it then, that we may account thee a whoremafter and a knave; which notwithstanding, thou shalt be no less efteem'd.

Var. What is a whore-master, fool?

Fool. A fool in good clothes, and fomething like thee. "Tis a fpirit; fometimes it appears like a Lord, sometimes like a lawyer, fometimes like a philofopher, with two ftones more than's artificial one. He is very often like a knight; and generally, in all shapes that man goes up and down in, from fourscore to thirteen, this Ipirit walks in.

Var. Thou art not altogether a fool.

Fool. Nor thou altogether a wife man; as much foolery as I have, fo much wit thou lack'ft.

Apem. That anfwer might have become Apemantus.
All. Afide, afide, here comes Lord Timon.

Enter Timon and Flavius.

Apem. Come with me, fool, come.

Fool. I do not always follow lover, elder brother, and

woman; fometime, the philofopher.

Flav. Pray you walk near, I'll speak with you anon. [Exeunt Creditors, Apemantas, and Fool.

Tim. You make me marvel; wherefore, ere this time, Had you not fully laid my ftate before me ?

That I might fo have rated my expence,

As I had leave of means.

Flav. You would not hear me: At many leifures I propos'd.

Tim. Go to:

Perchance fome fingle vantages you took,
When my indifpofition put you back:
And that unaptnefs made you minister
Thus to excufe yourself.

Flav. O my good Lord,

At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And fay, you found them in mine honesty.

When for fome trifling prefent, you have bid me
Return fo much, I've hook my head, and wept;
Yea, 'gainst th' authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more clofe. I did endure
Not feldom, nor no flight checks; when I have
Prompted you in the ebb of your estate,

And your great flow of debts. My dear-lov'd Lord,
Though you hear now too late, yet now's a time;
The greatest of your having lacks a half

To pay your prefent debts.

Tim. Let all my land be fold.

Flav. 'Tis all engag'd, fome forfeited and And what remains will hardly stop the mouth Of present dues; the future comes apace: What fhall defend the interim, and at length How goes our reck'ning? (14)

gone:

Tim

(14) How goes our reck'ning ?] Mr. Warburton gave me fo ingeni-. ous a conjecture on this paffage, that tho' I have not ventur'd, against the authority of all the books, to infert it in the text, I cannot but give it a place here. "This fteward, (fays he) methinks, talks very "wildly. His mafter, indeed, might well have afk'd, Horu goes our "reck'ning? But the fteward was too well fatisfied in this queftion "I would read, therefore,

VOL. VI.

"Hold

Tim. To Lacedemon did my

land extend.

Flav. O my good Lord, the world is but a world; Were it all yours, to give it in a breath,

How quickly were it gone!

Tim. You tell me true.

Flav. If you fufpect my husbandry or falfhood;
Call me before th' exacteft auditors,

And fet me on the proof. So the gods bless me,
When all our offices have been opprest

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken fpilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy;
I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,

And fet mine eyes at flow.

Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.

Flav. Heav'ns! have I faid, the bounty of this Lord! How many prodigal bits have flaves and peasants

This night englutted! who now is not Timon's?

What heart, head, fword, force,means, but is Lord Timon's?
Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon's?

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made:
Feast-won, faft-loft: one cloud of winter fhowers,
These flies are coucht.

Tim. Come, fermon me no further.

No villainous bounty yet hath past my heart;
Unwifely, not ignobly, have given.

Why dost thou weep? canft thou the conscience lack,
To think I fhall lack friends? fecure thy heart;

If I would broach the vessels of my love,

And try the arguments of hearts by borrowing,
Men and men's fortunes could I frankly use,
As I can bid thee speak.

Flav. Affurance blefs your thoughts!

"Hold good our reck’ning ?”

If the text, however, fhould be without fault, in this manner it must be expounded. Sir, we have not enough left hardly to fatisfy prefent demands; and others are drawing on apace: how fhall we guard against intervening dangers, and what a deplorable reckoning will things come to at laft?

Tim.

Tim. And in fome fort these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them bleffings; for by these Shall I try friends. You fhall perceive how you Mistake my fortunes in my friends I'm wealthy. Within there, ho! Flaminius, Servilius !

Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other Servants. Serv. My Lord, my Lord.

Tim. I will difpatch you fev'rally.

You to Lord Lucius-to Lord Lucullus you, I hunted with his honour to day-you to Sempronius-commend me to their loves; and I am proud, fay, that my occafions have found time to ufe 'em toward a fupply of money; let the request be fifty talents.

Flam. As you have faid, my Lord.

Flav. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? hum-
Tim. Go, you, Sir, to the Senators;

[To Flavius.

Of whom, even to the ftate's best health, I have
Deferv'd this hearing; bid 'em send o' th' instant
A thousand talents to me.

Flav. I've been bold,

(For that I knew it the moft gen'ral way)

To them to use your fignet and your name;
But they do fhake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Tim. Is't true? can't be ?

Flav. They answer in a joint and corporate voice,
That now they are at fall, want treasure, cannot

Do what they would; are forry-You are honourable-
But
yet they could have wifht--they know not-
Something hath been amifs-a noble nature

May catch a wrench-would all were well-'tis pity-
And fo intending other ferious matters,

After diftasteful looks, and these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods, (15)
They

(15) Cold-moving nods,] All the editions exhibit thefe as two dif tinct adjectives, to the prejudice of the author's meaning: but they must be joined by an hyphen, and make a compound adjective out of a fubftantive and a participle, and then we have the true fenfe of the place; cold-moving, cold-provoking, nods fo difcouraging that they

G 2

chill'd