It hath pleas'd the gods to remember my father's
And call him to long peace.

He is gone happy, and has left me rich:
Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound
Το your free heart, I do return those talents,
Doubled with thanks and service, from whose help
I deriv'd liberty.

TIM.

O, by no means; Honest Ventidius, you mistake my love; I gave it freely ever, and there's none Can truly say 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 spirit.

[They all stand ceremoniously looking on TIMON. TIM. Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devis'd at first,

To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown;
But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes,
Than my fortunes to me.
[They sit.

1 LORD. My lord, we always have confess'd it. APEM. Ho, ho, confess'd it hang'd it, have

you not ?b

TIM. O, Apemantus !-you are welcome.
APEM. No, you shall not make me welcome :
I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.
TIM. Fie, thou 'rt a churl; you've got a
humour there

Does not become a man, 't is much to blame :-
They say, my lords, ira furor brevis est,
But yond' man is ever angry.
Go, let him have a table by himself;

a All use of quittance.] All customary requital. bConfess'd it! hang'd it, have you not?] An allusion, not unfrequent with the writers of the Elizabethan era, to a familiar proverbial saying, "Confess and be hang'd." Shakespeare again refers to it in "Othello," Act IV. Sc. 1:

"—to confess, and be hang'd for his labour."

For he does neither affect company, Nor is he fit for it, indeed.

APEM. Let me stay at thine apperil, Timon ; I come to observe; I give thee warning on't.

TIM. I take no heed of thee; thou art an Athenian, therefore welcome: I myself would have no power: pr'ythee, let my meat make thee silent.

APEM. I scorn thy meat; 't would choke me, for I should ne'er flatter thee. O you gods! what a number of men eat Timon, and he sees 'em not! It grieves me to see so many dip their meat in one man's blood; and all the madness is, he cheers them up too.

I wonder men dare trust themselves with men : Methinks they should 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, pledges the breath of him in a divided draught, is the readiest man to kill him: it has been proved. If I were a huge man, I should fear to drink at meals;

Lest they should spy my windpipe's dangerous

APEMANTUS' GRACE.

Immortal gods, I crave no pelf;
I pray for no man but myself:
Grant I may never prove so fond,
To trust man on his oath or bond;
Or a harlot, for her weeping;
Or a dog, that seems a-sleeping;
Or a keeper with my freedom;
Or my friends, if I should need 'em.
Amen. So fall to 't:

Rich men sin, and I eat root.
[Eats and drinks.

Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus!

TIM. Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the field now.

ALCIB. My heart is ever at your service, my lord.

TIM. You had rather be at a breakfast of enemies, than a dinner of friends.

ALCIB. So they were bleeding-new, my lord, there's no meat like 'em; I could wish my best friend at such a feast.

APEM. Would all those flatterers were thine enemies then, that then thou mightst kill 'em, and bid me to 'em!

1 LORD. Might we but have that happiness, my lord, that you would once use our hearts, whereby we might express some part of our zeals, we should think ourselves for ever perfect.

TIM. O, no doubt, my good friends, but the gods themselves have provided that I shall have much help from you: how had you been my friends else? why have you that charitable title from thousands, did not you chiefly belong to my heart? I have told more of you to myself, than you can with modesty speak in your own behalf; and thus far I confirm you. O, you gods, think I, what need we have any friends, if we should ne'er have need of 'em? they were the most needless creatures living, should we ne'er have use for 'em ; and would most resemble sweet instruments hung up in cases, that keep their sounds to themselves. Why, I have often wished myself 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 so many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes! O joy,* e'en made away ere't can be born! Mine eyes cannot hold out water, methinks; to forget their faults, I drink to you.

APEM. Thou weepest to make them drink,
Timon.

2 LORD. Joy had the like conception in our

Enter a Servant.

How now?

SERV. Please you, my lord, there are certain ladies most desirous of admittance.

TIM. Ladies! what are their wills?

SERV. There comes with them a forerunner, my lord, which bears that office, to signify their pleasures.

TIM. I pray, let them be admitted.

Enter CUPID.

CUP. Hail to thee, worthy Timon ;—and to all That of his bounties taste!-The five best senses Acknowledge thee their patron; and come freely To gratulate thy plenteous bosom the ear, Taste, touch, smell, pleas'd from thy table rise;" They only now come but to feast thine eyes. TIM. They are welcome all; let 'em have kind admittance:

Music, make their welcome.

[Exit CUPID. 1 LORD. You see, my lord, how ample you're belov'd.

Music. Re-enter CUPID, with a masque of Ladies as Amazons, with lutes in their hands, dancing and playing.

APEM. Hoy day, what a sweep of vanity comes
this way!

They dance! they are mad women.
Like madness is the glory of this life,
As this pomp shows to a little oil and root.a
We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves;
And spend our flatteries, to drink those men,
Upon whose age we void it up again,
With poisonous spite and envy.
Who lives, that's not depraved or depraves?
Who dies, that bears not one spurn to their graves
Of their friends' gift?

I should fear those that dance before me now,
Would one day stamp upon me: 't has been done;
Men shut their doors against a setting sun.
The Lords rise from table, with much adoring of
TIMON; and to show their loves, each singles
out an Amazon, and all dance, men with
women, a lofty strain or two to the hautboys,
and cease.

TIM. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies,

(*) Old text, 1 Lord.

There is no crossing him in's humour; Else I should tell him well, i'faith, I should: When all's spent, he'd be cross'd then, an he could.] In the second line we adopt the punctuation of the old copy, which, from not perceiving the sense of tell, that is, rate, or call

1 LORD. Where be our men?

SERV. Here, my lord, in readiness. 2 LORD.

TIM. O my friends,

Our horses!

I have one word to say to you.-Look you, my

good lord,

I must entreat you honour me so much

As to advance this jewel; accept it and wear it, Kind my lord.

1 LORD. I am so far already in your gifts,ALL. So are we all.

Enter a Servant.

SERV. My lord, there are certain nobles of the senate newly alighted, and come to visit you. TIM. They are fairly welcome.

FLAV. I beseech your honour, Vouchsafe me a word; it does concern you near. TIM. Near! why then another time I'll hear thee: I pr'ythee, let's be provided to show them enter

tainment.

FLAV. [Aside.] I scarce know how.

to account, modern editors have oddly altered to,"Else I should tell him,-well,-i' faith, I should." The word crossing induced the irresistible paragram on tell, and a still further quibble on cross'd, which is to be understood, both in the sense of thwarted and have crosses, or money. For examples of a similar equivoque, see note (c), p. 56, Vol. I., and note (a), p. 141 of the present Volume.

Enter another Servant.

2 SERV. May it please your honour, lord Lucius, Out of his free love, hath presented to you Four milk-white horses, trapp'd in silver.

TIM. I shall accept them fairly: let the presents Be worthily entertain'd.

Enter a third Servant.

How now! what news ?

3 SERV. Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman, lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him; and has sent your honour two brace of greyhounds.

TIM. I'll hunt with him; and let them be receiv'd, Not without fair reward.

FLAV. [Aside.]

What will this come to?

He commands us to provide, and give great gifts, And all out of an empty coffer.

Nor will he know his purse; or yield me this,

To show him what a beggar his heart is,

Being of no power to make his wishes good;
His promises fly so beyond his state,

That what he speaks is all in debt, he owes for every word;

He is so kind, that he now pays interest for't;
His land's put to their books. Well, would I were
Gently put out of office, before I were forc'd out!
Happier is he that has no friend to feed,
Than such that do e'en enemies exceed.
I bleed inwardly for my lord.

[Exit.

TIM. You do yourselves much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits.-Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.

2 LORD. With more than common thanks I will receive it.

3 LORD. O, he's the very soul of bounty! TIM. And now I remember, my lord, you gave good words the other day of a bay courser I rode on: 'tis yours, because you liked it. [that.

2 LORD. O, I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, in TIM. You may take my word, my lord; I know,

A Becks.-] Becks here mean bows.

b I doubt whether their legs, &c.] To make a leg, meant formerly to make an obeisance. Apemantus, perhaps, intends a play upon

APEM.

[Exeunt ALCIBIADES, Lords, dc.

a

What a coil's here. Serving of becks, and jutting out of bums! I doubt whether their legs be worth the sums That are given for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs: Methinks, false hearts should never have sound legs. Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on court'sies. TIM. Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen, I would be good to thee.

APEM. No, I'll nothing: for, if I should be bribed too, there would be none left to rail upon thee; and then thou wouldst sin the faster. Thou givest so long, Timon, I fear me thou wilt give away thyself in paper shortly: what need these feasts, pomps, and vain glories?

TIM. Nay, an you begin to rail on society once, I am sworn not to give regard to you. Farewell; [Exit.

and come with better music.

APEM. So thou wilt not hear me now, thou shalt not then; I'll lock thy heaven from thee. O, that men's cars should be

To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

the word.

[Exit.

In paper-] In paper is supposed to mean in securities. d So thou wilt not-] That is, As thou wilt not, &c.

Enter a Senator with papers in his hand. SEN. And late, five thousand;-to Varro and to Isidore

He owes nine thousand;-besides my former

sum,

Which makes it five and twenty.-Still in motion
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 ten more*
Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon,
Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me straight,
Ten 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 found+ his state in safety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say!

САРН.

Enter CAPHIS.

pleasure?

Here, sir; what is your

SEN. Get on your cloak, and haste you to lord
Timon;

Impórtune him for my monies; 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,
sirrah,*

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
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,

(*) First folio omits, sirrah.

e No porter-] From what follows we may suspect the original had "no grim porter."