SCENE II.
—Another Apartment in Timon's House. Loud Music. A Banquet. Enter Timon, Lucius, Lucullus, Sempronius, and other Athenian Senators. Then comes, dropping after all, Apemantus discontentedly.
Semp.
Most honoured Timon, it hath pleased the Gods
To call my father's age unto long peace.
He is gone happy, and has left me rich.
Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound
To your free heart, I do return those talents,
Doubled with thanks and service, from whose help
I derived liberty.
-- 10 --
Tim.
O, by no means,
Honest Sempronius, you mistake my love;
I gave it freely ever, and there's none
Can truly say he gives, if he receives.
Semp.
A noble spirit.
Tim.
Nay, ceremony was but devised 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 they to me.
[They sit down.
Luc.
We always have confest it.
Apem.
Ho, ho, confest it? hang'd it, have you not?
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, th'art a churl; ye have got a humour there,
Does not become a man, 'tis much to blame.
Go, let him have a table by himself:
For he does neither affect company,
Nor is he fit for't.
Apem.
Let me stay, at thy peril, Timon; I come
to observe, I give thee warning on't.
Tim.
I take no heed of thee; th'art an Athenian,
therefore welcome; pr'ythee, let my meat make
thee silent.
Apem.
I scorn thy meat, 'twould choak me: for
I should ne'er flatter thee. O you Gods! what a
number of men eat Timon, and he sees them 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, part's bread with him, and pledges
The breath of him in a'divided draught,
Is th' readiest man to kill him: it has been prov'd.
Were I a great man, I should fear to drink,
-- 11 --
Lest they should spy my wind-pipe's dangerous notes:
Great men should drink with harness on their throats.
Tim.
My lord, in heart; and let the health go round.
Lucul.
Let it flow this way, my good lord.
Apem.
Flow this way?—a brave fellow! he keeps
his tides well: those healths will make thee and thy
state look ill, Timon. Here's that which is too
weak to be a sinner, honest water, which ne'er left
man i' the mire:
This and my food are equal, there's no odds;
Feasts are too proud to give thanks to the Gods.
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, amen; so fall to't:
Rich men sin, and I eat root.
Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus!
Tim.
Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the field
now.
Alc.
My heart is ever at your service, my lord.
Luc.
Might we but have the 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.
Why, I have often wisht 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!
Luc.
I promise you, my lord, you moved me much.
Apem.
Much!
[Tucket Sounds.
-- 12 --
Tim.
What means that trump? how now?
Enter Flaminius.
Flam.
Please you, my lord, there are certain
ladies most desirous of admittance.
Tim.
They're welcome all; let 'em have kind admittance.
Let music make their welcome.
Apem.
Heyday! what a sweep of vanity comes this way!
They dance, they are mad women.
I should fear, those that dance before me now,
Would one day stamp upon me: 't has been done;
Men shut their doors against the setting sun.
Ballet of Amazons. At the end of Ballet they Exeunt.
Tim.
They have done our pleasures much grace,
I am to thank them for it.—Flavius.
Flav.
My lord.
Tim.
The little casket bring me hither.
Flav.
Yes, my lord. More jewels yet—there's
no crossing him in's humour,
Else I should tell him—well—
[Exit and re-enter directly with a Casket.
Tim.
O my good friends!
I have one word to say to you: look, my lord,
I must entreat you, honour me so much
As to advance this jewel, accept and wear it,
Kind my lord!
Luc.
I am so far already in your gifts—
Tim.
You do yourselves much wrong, you bate
too much of your own merits. Here, my lord, a
trifle of our love.
Semp.
With more than common thanks I will receive
it.
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 lik'd it.
Lucul.
Oh, I beseech you, pardon me, my lord,
in that.
Tim.
I take all, and your several visitations
So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give;
-- 13 --
Methinks, I could deal kingdoms to my friends,
And ne'er be weary; Alcibiades,
Thou art a soldier, therefore seldom rich,
It comes in charity to thee; thy living
Is 'mongst the dead; and all the lands thou hast
Lie in a pitcht field.
Alc.
I defy land, my lord.
Semp.
We are so virtuously bound—
Tim.
And so am I to you.
Lucul.
So infinitely endeared—
Tim.
All to you. Lights! more lights, more lights.
Luc.
The best of happiness, honour, and fortunes, keep with you lord Timon.
Tim.
Ready for his friends.
[Exeunt Lords.
Tim.
Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen,
I would be good to thee.
Apem.
No, I'll nothing; for if I should be brib'd
too, there would be none left to rail upon thee, and
then thou wouldst sin the faster. Thou giv'st so
long, Timon, I fear me, thou wilt give away thyself
in proper shortly. What need these feasts, pomps,
and vain glories?
Tim.
Nay, if you begin to rail on society once, I
am sworn not to give regard to you. Farewell, and
come with better music.
Apem.
So—thou wilt not hear me now, thou shalt
not then.
I'll lock thy heaven from thee:
Oh, that men's ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery.
[Exit.
Enter Servilius.
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 entertained.
[Exit Servilius.
Enter Flaminius.
How now! what news?
Flam.
Please you my lord, that honourable gentleman,
-- 14 --
lord Lucullus, entreats your company tomorrow
to hunt with him, and hath sent your honour
two brace of greyhounds.
Tim.
I'll hunt with him, and let them be received
not without fair reward.
[Exit Flaminius.
Enter Servilius.
Serv.
My lord, there are certain nobles of the
Senate newly alighted, and come to visit you.
Tim.
They are fairly welcome.
[Exit Servilius.
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 pry'thee let's be provided to show them entertainment.
[Exit Timon.
Flav.
I scarce know how—what will this come
to? He commands me 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. Well would I were
Gently put out of office, ere I were forced.
I bleed inwardly for my lord.
[Exeunt.
END OF THE FIRST ACT.
-- 15 --
George Lamb [1816], Shakspeare's Timon of Athens, as revived at the Theatre Royal, Drury-lane, On Monday, Oct. 28, 1816. Altered and adapted for representation, by the Hon. George Lamb (Printed for, and published by C. Chapple [etc.], London) [word count] [S41200].
