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 twenty more
Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon,
^{8 note}

But rather one that smiles, and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold; ^{1 note}

Caph.
Here, sir; What is your pleasure?

Sen.
Get on your cloak, and haste you to lord Timon;
Importune him for my monies; be not ceas'd^{2 note}

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
Has 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 tost and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone:
Put on a most importunate aspect,
A visage of demand; for, I do fear,
When every feather sticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull^{4 note},
^{5 note}Which flashes now a phœnix. Get you gone.

Caph.
I go, sir.

Sen.
I go, sir?—^{6 note}

Caph.
I will, sir.

Sen.
Go. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. 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; nor resumes no care
Of what is to continue; ^{7 note}

Caph.
^{8 note}

You come for money?

Var.
Is't not your business too?

Caph.
It is;—And your's too, Isidore?

Isid.
It is so.

Caph.
'Would we were all discharg'd!

Var.
I fear it.

Caph.
Here comes the lord. Enter Timon, Alcibiades, &c.

Tim.
So soon as dinner's done, we'll forth again,
My Alcibiades.—With me? What is your will? [They present their bills.

Caph.
My lord, here is a note of certain dues.

Tim.
Dues? Whence are you?

Caph.
Of Athens here, my lord.

Tim.
Go to my steward.

Caph.
Please it your lordship, he hath put me off
To the succession of new days this month:
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^{9 note},
In giving him his right.

Tim.
Mine honest friend,
I pr'ythee, but repair to me next morning.

Caph.
Nay, good my lord,—

Tim.
Contain thyself, good friend.

Var.
One Varro's servant, my good lord,—

Isid.
From Isidore;
He humbly prays your speedy payment,—

Caph.
If you did know, my lord, my master's wants,—

Var.
'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks,
And past.—

Isid.
Your steward puts me off, my lord; and I
Am sent expressly to your lordship.

Tim.
Give me breath:—
I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on; [Exeunt Alcibiades, &c.
I'll wait upon you instantly.—Come hither, pray you. [To Flavius.
How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd,
With clamorous demands of broken bonds¹, ^note
,
And the detention of long-since-due debts,
Against my honour?

Flav.
Please you, gentlemen,
The time is unagreeable to this business:
Your importunacy 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.

Flav.
Pray draw near. [Exit Flavius.

^{2 note}Enter Apemantus, and a Fool.

Caph.
Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus;
Let's have some sport with 'em.

Var.

Hang him, he'll abuse us.

Isid.

A plague upon him, dog!

Var.

How dost, fool?

Apem.

Dost dialogue with thy shadow?

Var.

I speak not to thee.

Apem.

No, 'tis to thyself.—Come away.

Isid. [To Var.]

There's the fool hangs on your back already.

Apem.

No, thou stand'st single, thou art not on him yet.

Caph.

Where's the fool now?

Apem.

He last ask'd the question. ^{3 note}

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.

^{4 note}

Apem.

Good! gramercy.

Fool.

Look you, here comes my master's page^{6 note}


.

Page. [To the Fool.]

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 whelp'd a dog; and thou shalt famish, a dog's death. Answer not, I am gone.

Apem.
Even so, thou out-run'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 serve three usurers?

All.

Ay; '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 to his servant: My mistress is one, and I am her fool. When men come to borrow of your masters, they approach sadly, and go away merry; but they enter my master's house merrily, and go away sadly: The reason of this?

Var.

I could render one.

Apem.

Do it then, that we may account thee a whore-master, and a knave; which notwithstanding, thou shalt be no less esteemed.

Var.

What is a whore-master, fool?

Fool.

A fool in good clothes, and something like

thee. 'Tis a spirit: sometime, it appears like a lord; sometime, like a lawyer; sometime, like a philosopher, with two stones more than's ^{7 note}

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.

Apem.

Come with me, fool, come.

Fool.

I do not always follow lover, elder brother, and woman; sometime, the philosopher.

Flav.

Pray you, walk near; I'll speak with you anon.

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?

Flav.
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 ^{8 note}

Flav.
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 have shook my head, and wept;
Yea, 'gainst the 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,
^{9 note}

Tim.
Let all my land be sold.

Flav.
'Tis all engag'd, some forfeited and gone;
And what remains will hardly stop the mouth
Of present dues: the future comes apace:
What shall defend the interim? ^{1 note}

Tim.
To Lacedæmon did my land extend.

Flav.
^{2 note}

Tim.
You tell me true.

Flav.
If you suspect my husbandry, or falshood,
Call me before the exactest auditors,
And set me on the proof. So the gods bless me,
When all our offices have been opprest
With riotous feeders^{3 note}

; when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy;
I have retir'd me to ^{4 note}

And set mine eyes at flow.

Tim.
Pr'ythee, no more.

Flav.
Heavens, have I said, the bounty of this lord!
How many prodigal bits have slaves, and peasants,
This night englutted! Who is not Timon's?
What heart, head, sword, force, means, but is lord Timon's?
Great Timon's, 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, fast-lost; one cloud of winter showers,
These flies are couch'd.

Tim.
Come, sermon me no further:
No villainous bounty yet hath past my heart^{5 note}
;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.
Why dost thou weep? Can'st thou the conscience lack,
To think I shall lack friends? Secure thy heart;
If I would broach the vessels of my love,

^{6 note}

Flav.
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; I am wealthy in my friends.
Within there,—Flaminius! Servilius! Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other Servants.

Serv.
My lord, my lord,—

Tim.
I will dispatch you severally,—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, say,
That my occasions have found time to use them
Toward a supply of money: let the request
Be fifty talents.

Flam.
As you have said, my lord.

Flav.
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' the instant
A thousand talents to me.

Flav.
I have been bold,
(For that ^{7 note}I knew it the most general 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'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 sorry—you are honourable,—
But yet they could have wish'd—they know not—
Something hath been amiss—a noble nature
May catch a wrench—would all were well—'tis pity—
And so, ^{8 note}

Tim.
You gods reward them!—
I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly: These old fellows
^{3 note}Have their ingratitude in them hereditary:
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it seldom flows;
'Tis lack of kindly warmth, they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull, and heavy^{4 note}



.—
Go to Ventidius,—Pr'ythee, be not sad,
Thou art true, and honest; 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, 9Q0981 which craves to be remember'd
With those five talents:—that had, give it these fellows
To whom 'tis instant due. Ne'er speak, or think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can sink.

Flav.
^{5 note}

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