Let me look back upon thee, O thou Wall,
That girdlest in those wolves! dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent;
Obedience fail in children; slaves and fools
Pluck the grave wrinkled Senate from the bench,

And minister in their steads: To general filths(21) ^note

Convert o'th' instant, green Virginity!
Do't in your parents eyes. Bankrupts, hold fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,(22) ^note


And cut your trusters throats. Bound servants, steal;
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 thy old limping sire,
And with it beat his brains out! Fear and Piety,
Religion to the Gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestick awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs 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 stroke! Thou cold Sciatica,
Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners. Lust and Liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,
That 'gainst the stream of virtue they may strive,
And drown themselves in riot! Itches, Blains,
Sow all the Athenian bosoms, and their Crop
Be general Leprosie: breath infect breath,
That their society (as their friendship) may
Be meerly poison. Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou detestable town!
Take thou that too, with multiplying banns:
Timon will to the Woods, where he shall find

Th' unkindest 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! [Exit.

Next section