Timon's hall.
Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand.
Flav.
No care, no stop? so senseless of expence,
That he will neither know how to maintain it,
Nor cease his flow of riot? Takes no account
How things go from him, and resumes no care
Of what is to continue:
What shall be done?—he will not hear, 'till feel:
I must be round with him, now he comes from hunting.
Fie, fie, fie, fie!
Enter Caphis, Varro, and other servants.
Cap.
Good evening, Varro; what, you come for money?
Var.
Is't not your business, too?
Cap.
It is.
'Would we were all discharg'd!
Var.
I fear it.
Cap.
Here comes the lord.
Enter Timon, and his train.
Tim.
So soon as dinner's done, we'll forth again.
My Alcibiades,—Well, what's your will?
[They present him their bills.
Cap.
My lord, here is a note of certain dues.
Tim.
Dues? whence are you?
Cap.
Of Athens here, my lord.
Tim.
Go to my steward.
Cap.
Please it your lordship, he hath put me off,
To the succession of new days, this month:
-- 99 --
My master is awak'd by great occasion,
To call upon his own; and humbly prays you,
That with your other noble parts you'll suit,
In giving him his right.
Tim.
Mine honest friend,
I pr'ythee, but repair to me, next morning.
Cap.
Nay, good my lord—
Tim.
Contain thyself, good friend.
Var.
One Varro's servant, my good lord—
Cap.
If you did know, my lord, my master's wants—
Var.
'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks,
and past.—
Cap.
Your steward puts me off, my lord, and I
Am sent expresly to your lordship.
Tim.
Give me breath:—
I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on,
[Exeunt Lords.
I'll wait upon you, instantly.—Come hither:
How goes the world, that I am thus encount'red
With clam'rous claims of debt, of broken bonds,
And the detention of long-since due debts,
Against my honour?
Fla.
Please you, gentlemen,
The time is unagreeable to this business:
Your importunity cease, 'till after dinner;
That I may make his lordship understand
Wherefore you are not paid.
Tim.
Do so, my friends; see them well entertain'd.
[Exit Timon.
Fla.
Pray, draw near.
[Exit Flavius.
Enter Apemantes, and Fool* note.
Cap.
Stay, stay, here comes the Fool, with Apemantus,
let's have some sport with 'em.
Var.
Hang him, he'll abuse us.
How dost, fool?
-- 100 --
Apem.
Dost dialogue with thy shadow?
Var.
I speak not to thee.
Apem.
No, 'tis to thyself. Come away.
Cap.
There's the fool hangs on your back, already.
Apem.
No, thou stand'st single, thou art not on
him yet.
Cap.
Where's the fool now?
Apem.
He last ask'd the question. Poor rogues,
and usurers' men! bawds between gold and want!
All.
What are we, Apemantus?
Apem.
Asses.
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 mistress?
Fool.
She's e'en setting on water to scald such
chickens as you are. 'Would we could see you at
Corinth.
Apem.
Good! gramercy!
Enter Page.
Fool.
Look you, here comes my mistress's page.
Page.
Why, how now, captain? what do you in
this wise company? how dost thou, Apemantus?
Apem.
'Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I
might answer thee profitably.
Page.
Pr'ythee, Apemantus, read me the superscription
of these letters; I know not which is which.
Apem.
Can'st 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 wast born a bastard, and
thou'lt die a bawd.
Page.
Thou wast whelpt a dog, and thou shalt famish,
a dog's death. Answer not, I am gone.
[Exit.
Apem.
Ev'n so thou out-run'st grace.
Fool, I will go with you to lord Timon's.
-- 101 --
Fool.
Will you leave me there?
Apem.
If Timon stay at home—
You three serve three usurers?
All.
I would they serv'd us.
Apem.
So would I—as good a trick as ever
hangman serv'd thief.
Fool.
Are you three usurers' men?
All.
Ay, fool.
Fool.
I think, no usurer but has a fool for his servant.
Var.
What is a whore-master, fool?
Fool.
A fool in good cloaths, and something like
thee. 'Tis a spirit; sometimes it appears like a
lord, sometimes like a lawyer, sometimes like a philosopher.
He is very often like a knight; and generally,
in all shapes that man goes up and down in,
from fourscore to thirteen, this spirit walks in.
Var.
Thou art not altogether a fool.
Fool.
Nor thou altogether a wise man; as much
foolery as I have, so much wit thou lack'st.
Apem.
That answer might have become Apemantus.
All.
Aside, aside, here comes lord Timon.
[Exeunt Creditors, Apemantus, and Fool.
Enter Timon and Flavius* note.
Tim.
You make me marvel; wherefore, ere this time,
Had you not fully laid my state before me?
That I might so have rated my expence,
As I had leave of means.
Fla.
You would not hear me;
At many leisures I propos'd.
Tim.
Go to:
Perchance, some single vantages you took,
When my indisposition put you back;
And that unaptness made you minister
Thus to excuse yourself.
-- 102 --
Fla.
O my good lord!
At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And say, you found them in mine honesty.
When, for some trifling present, you have bid me
Return so much, I've shook my head, and wept;
Yea, 'gainst th' authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more close. I did endure
Not seldom, nor no slight, 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 present debts* note.
Tim.
Let all my land be sold.
Fla.
'Tis all engaged, some forfeited and gone:
And what remains will hardly stop the mouth
Of present dues; the future comes apace:
What shall defend the interim, and, at length,
How goes our reck'ning?
Tim.
To Lacedæmon did my land extend.
Fla.
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.
Fla.
If you suspect my husbandry, or falshood,
Call me before th' exactest auditors,
And set 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 spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsie:
I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,
And set mine eyes at flow.
Tim.
Pr'ythee no more.
Fla.
Heav'ns! have I said, the bounty of this lord!
-- 103 --
How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants
This night englutted! who now is not Timon's?
What heart, head, sword, 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* note:
Tim.
Come, sermon me no further.
No villainous bounty yet hath past my heart;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.
Why dost thou weep? canst thou the conscience lack,
To think I shall lack friends? secure 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† note.
Fla.
Assurance bless your thoughts!
Tim.
And in some sort these wants of mine are crown'd,
That I account them blessings; for by these
Shall I try friends. You shall perceive how you
Mistake my fortunes: in my friends I'm wealthy.
Within there, Hoa! Flaminius, Servilius!
Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other servants.
Ser.
My lord, my lord.
Tim.
I will dispatch you sev'rally.
You to lord Lucius—to lord Lucullus you—I hunted
with his honour, to-day—you to Sempronius—command
me to their loves: and I am proud, say, that my
occasions have found time to use them towards a
supply of money; let the request be fifty talents.
Flam.
As you have said, my lord.
-- 104 --
Fla.
Lord Lucius and Lucullus? hum—
Tim.
Go, you, Sir, to the senators;
[To Flavius.
Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have
Deserv'd this hearing; bid 'em send, o'th'instant,
A thousand talents to me.
Fla.
I've been bold,
(For that I knew it the most gen'ral way)
To them to use your signet and your name;
But they do shake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.
Tim.
Is't true? can it be?
Fla.
They answer in a joint and corporate voice,
That now they are at fall, want treasure, cannot
Do what they would; are sorry—You are honourable—
But yet they could have wisht—they know not—
Something hath been amiss—a noble nature
May catch a wrench—would all were well—'tis pity—
And so intending other serious matters,
After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence* note.
Tim.
You gods reward them!
I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly. These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary:
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it seldom flows,
And nature, as it grows again tow'rd earth,
Is fashioned for the journey, dull and heavy.
Go to Ventidius—pr'ythee, be not sad,
Thou'rt true, and just; ingenuously I speak,
No blame belongs to thee: Ventidius lately
Bury'd his father, by whose death he's stepp'd
Into a great estate; when he was poor,
Imprison'd, and in scarcity of friends,
I clear'd him with five talents. Greet him from me;
Bid him suppose some good necessity
Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd
-- 105 --
With those five talents. That had, give't these fellows,
To whom tis instant due. Ne'er speak or think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friend's can sink* note.
John Bell [1774], Bell's Edition of Shakespeare's Plays, As they are now performed at the Theatres Royal in London; Regulated from the Prompt Books of each House By Permission; with Notes Critical and Illustrative; By the Authors of the Dramatic Censor (Printed for John Bell... and C. Etherington [etc.], York) [word count] [S10401].
