Tim. Why doft afk that? I have forgot all 5 · Flav. An honeft poor fervant of yours. Tim. Then I know thee not: I ne'er had honest man about me, I; all I kept were knaves, to serve in meat to villains. Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief For his undone lord, than mine eyes for you. To requite me, by making rich yourself. Tim. What, doft thou weep?-Come nearer ;-15 Because thou art a woman, and difclaim'ft Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my lord, To accept my grief, and, whilft this poor wealth lafts, To entertain me as your steward still. Tim. Had I a steward So true, fo juft, and now so comfortable? Forgive my general and exceptless rashness, One honest man,-mistake me not,-But one; 25 Pain. As I took note of the place, it cannot be far where he abides. Poet. What's to be thought of him? Does the rumour hold for true, that he is so full of gold? Pain. Certain Alcibiades reports it; Phrynia and Tymandra had gold of him: he likewife enrich'd poor ftraggling foldiers with great quan30tity: 'Tis faid, he gave his steward a mighty fum. Poet. Then this breaking of his has been but a try for his friends? Pain. Nothing else: you fhall fee him a palm in Athens again, and flourish with the highest. 35 Therefore, 'tis not amifs, we tender our loves to him, in this fuppos'd distress of his: it will fhew honeftly in us; and is very likely to load our purposes with what they travel for, if it be a just and true report that goes of his having. 149 Methinks, thou art more honest now, than wife; [gifts, Flav. No, my most worthy mafter, in whofe Sufpect fill comes where an estate is least. That which I fhew, heaven knows, is merely love, For any benefit that points to me, Either in hope, or prefent, I'd exchange it For this one with, That you had power and wealth Poet. What have you now to prefent unto him? Pain. Nothing at this time but my visitation: only I will promise him an excellent piece. Poet. I muft ferve him fo too; tell him of an intent that's coming toward him. Pain. Good as the beft. Promifing is the very air o' the time; it opens the eyes of expectation : performance is ever the duller for his act; and, but in the plainer and fimpler kind of people, the deed of faying is quite out of ufe 4. To promise 50 is moft courtly and fashionable: performance is a kind of will, or teftament, which argues a great fickness in his judgment that makes it. Re-enter Timon from bis cave, unseen. Tim. Excellent workman! Thou canst not paint 55 a man fo bad as thyself. Poet. I am thinking, what I shall say I have provided for him: It must be a perfonating 5 of himself: a satire against the softness of profperity; I Knave is here used in the compound sense of a fervant and a rascal. 2 To turn wild is to diftraft. An appearance fo unexpected, fays Timon, almost turns my favageness to distraction. 3 i. e. away from human habitations. 4 The fenfe is, "The doing of that which we have faid we would do, the accomplishment and performance of our promife, is, except among the lower claffes of mankind, quite out of ufe." 5 Perfonating for representing fimply; for the subject of this projected fatire was Timon's cafe, not his perfen. with [gold, Poet. Hail! worthy Timon. Tim. Have I once liv'd to fee two honeft men? Having often of your open bounty tafted, Whofe ftar-like noblenefs gave life and influence Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you Rid me thefe villains from your companies Hang them, or ftab them, drown them in a draught 4, 25 Confound them by fome courfe, and come to me, I give you gold enough. Both. Name them, my lord, let's know them. 30 Each man apart,—all fingle, and alone,- Tim. Let it go naked, men may fee 't the better: 35 [To the Painter. Come not near him.-If thou wouldst not refide [To the Poet. But where one villain is, then him abandon.Hence! pack! there's gold, ye came for gold, ye flaves: You have work for me, there is payment: Hence! 4c You are an alchymift, make gold of that:Out, rafcal dogs! 45 [Exit, beating and driving them out. Enter Flavius, and tavo Senators. Flav. It is in vain that you would speak with For he is fet fo only to himself, 50 That nothing, but himself, which looks like man, Is friendly with him. Tim. Good honeft men :-Thou draw'ft a counBeft in all Athens: thou art, indeed, the beft; Thou counterfeit'ft moft lively. 55 i. e. night which is as obfcure as a dark corner. author's time. 3 i. e. a hypocrite. 1 Sen. Bring us to his cave: It is our part, and promise to the Athenians, 2 Sen. At all times alike Men are not ftill the fame: 'Twas time, and griefs, That fram'd him thus: time, with his fairer hand, Offering the fortunes of his former days, 2 A portrait was called a counterfeit in our 4 That is, in the jakes. 5 This paffage is obfcure. Dr. Johnfon thinks the meaning is this: But tavo in company, that is, Stand apart, ler only to be together; for even when each stands fingle there are two, he himfelf and a villain. But, in the North, fignifies, wilbout. The The former man may make him: Bring us to him, And take our goodly aged men by the beards, And chance it as it may. 5 Giving our holy virgins to the stain Of contumelious, beaftly, mad-brain'd war; In pity of our aged, and our youth, I cannot chufe but tell him, that---I care not, And let him take't at worft; for their knives care not, While you have throats to answer: for myself, 10 There's not a whittle 4 in the unruly camp, Tim. Of none but fuch as you, and you of Ti-15 mon. Tim. I thank them; and would send them back Could I but catch it for them. 1 Sen. O, forget What we are sorry for ourselves in thee. Intreat thee back to Athens; who have thought For thy beft ufe and wearing. 2 Sen. They confefs, Toward thee, forgetfulness too general, grofs: A lack of Timon's aid, hath fense withal But I do prize it at my love, before Flav. Stay not, all's in vain. Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph, 1 Sen. We speak in vain. Tim. But yet I love my country; and am not One that rejoices in the common wreck, 25 As common bruit doth put it. 30 Surprize me to the very brink of tears: 2 Sen. And thakes his threat'ning sword Against the walls of Athens. 1 Sen. Therefore, Timon, 50 I Sen. That's well spoke. Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen,--1 Sen. These words become your lips as they pafs through them. [ers 2 Sen. And enter in our ears, like great triumphIn their applauding gates. Tim. Commend me to them; And tell them, that, to ease them of their griefs, I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath. clofe, That mine own ufe invites me to cut down, Tim. Come not to me again: but fay to Athens, Tim. Well, fir, I will; therefore I will, fir; 55 Which once a day with his emboffed froth Thus, ? Render is confefion. The turbulent furge fhall cover; thither come, 1 The Athenians bad fenfe, that is, felt the danger of their orun fall, by the arms of Alcibiades. 3 Allowed is licensed, privileged, uncontrolled. 4 A whittle is still in the midland counties the common name for a pocket clafp knife, fuch as children use. 5 i. e. from higheft 6 We have before obferved, that when a deer was run hard, and foamed at the mouth, he was faid to be embɔfs'd. to loweft. Graves Graves only be men's works; and death, their gain !! [Exit Timon. 1 Sen. His difcontents are unremoveably Coupled to nature. 2. Sen. Our hope in him is dead: let us return, And strain what other means is left unto us In our dear peril. 1 Sen. It requires swift foot. SCENE IV. The Walls of Athens. [Excunt. Enter two other Senators, with a Meffenger. 1 Sen. Thou haft painfully difcovered; are his As full as thy report? Mef. I have spoke the least : Befides, his expedition promises Prefent approach. 5 Before the Walls of Athens. Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades, with bis powers. Alc. Sound to this coward and lascivious town Our terrible approach. [Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the walls. Our fufferance vainly: Now the time is flush 3, [Timon. 2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not And made us fpeak like friends :---this man was From Alcibiades to Timon's cave, Sol. By all defcription, this fhould be the place. Who's here? fpeak, ho!---No answer ?---What is this? Timon is dead, who hath out-ftretch'd his fpan: I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax; [Exit. 25 1 Sen. Noble and young, When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit, 2 Sen. So did we woo Transformed Timon to our city's love, 35 1 Sen. These walls of ours Were not erected by their hands, from whom 2 Sen. Nor are they living, Who were the motives that you first went out; Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess 40 Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord, Into our city with thy banners spread : 45 By decimation, and a tithed death, (If thy revenges hunger for that food, Which nature loaths) take thou the deftin'd tenth; 1 Sen. All have not offended; For thofe that were, it is not fquare 7, to take, On thofe that are, revenges: crimes, like lands, 50 Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman, Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage: Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin, Which, in the blufter of thy wrath, muft fall 3 A bird * Dr. Warburton obferves, that dear, in the language of that time, fignified dread, and is so used by Shakspeare in numberlefs places. Mr. Steevens fays, that dear may in this inftance fignify immediate; and that it is an enforcing epithet with not always a diftin&t meaning. 2 Arms acrofs. is flush when his feathers are grown, and he can leave the neft. Flush means mature. 4 The marrow was fuppofed to be the original of ftrength. The image is from a camel kneeling to take up his load, who rifes immediately when he finds he has as much laid on as he can bear. 5 Their refers to rages. The meaning is, "Shame in excefs (i. e. extremity of fhame) that they wanted cunning (i. e. that they were not wife enough not to banish you) hath broke their hearts." regular, not equitable. 7 i. e. not With With thofe that have offended: like a fhepherd, Approach the fold, and cull the infected forth, But kill not altogether. 2 Sen. What thou wilt, Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy fmile, Than hew to't with thy fword. 1 Sen. Set but thy foot Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope; 2 Sen. Throw thy glove, Or any token of thine honour elfe, That thou wilt ufe the wars as thy redress, Ak. Then there's my glove; Defcend, and open your uncharged ports': Beth. 'Tis most nobly spoken. 1i. e. unguarded gates. bate: Pafs by, and curfe thy fill; but pass, and stay not bere thy gait. 15 Thefe well exprefs in thee thy latter fpirits: Though thou abhor'dft in us our human griefs, Scorn'dft our brain's flow 2, and those our droplets which From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit 20 Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye On thy low grave.-On :-Faults forgiven.Dead Is noble Timon; of whose memory Hereafter more.-Bring me into your city, And I will ufe the olive with my sword: 25 Make war breed peace; make peace stint war; make each Prefcribe to other, as each other's leach 3.Let our drums ftrike. 2 Our brain's flow is our tears. [Excunt. 3 i, e. phyfician. TITUS |