Ser. But in the mean time he wants less, my lord. If his occasion were not virtuous,*

I should not urge it half so faithfully.

Luc. Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius?
Ser. Upon my soul, 'tis true, sir.

Luc. What a wicked beast was I, to disfurnish myself against such a good time, when I might have shown myself honourable? how unluckily it happened, that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour;-Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do't; the more beast, I say: I was sending to use lord Timon myself, these gentlemen can witness; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had done it now. Commend me bountifully to his good lordship; and I hope his honour will conceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to be kind: And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, say, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far, as to use mine own words to him?

Ser. Yes, sir, I shall.

Luc. I will look you out a good turn, Servilius.— [Exit SERVILIUS. True, as you said, Timon is shrunk, indeed; And he, that's once denied, will hardly speed. [Exit,

AGAINST DUELLING.

Your words have took such pains, as if they labour'd

To bring manslaughter into form, set quarrelling
Upon the head of valour; which, indeed,

Is valour misbegot, and came into the world
When sects and factions were but newly born:
He's truly valiant, that can wisely suffer

The worst that man can breathe; and make his

wrongs

་

His outsides; wear them like his raiment, carelessly;
And ne'er prefer his injuries to his heart,
To bring it into danger.

"If he did not want it for a good use."

ACT IV.

TIMON'S EXECRATION OF THE ATHENIANS.

SCENE.-Without the walls of Athens.

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 stead! to general filths* Convert o' the instant, green virginity!

Do't in your parent's eyes! bankrupts, hold fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,
And cut your truster's throats! bound servants, steall
Large handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law! maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy mistress is o' the brothel! son of sixteen,
Pluck the lin❜d crutch from the old limping sire,
With it beat out his brains! piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestic 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 leprosy! breath infect breath;
That their society, as their friendship, may
Be merely poison! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou detestable town!

*Common sewers.

ti. e. Contrarieties, whose nature it is to waste or de troy each other. For libertinism.

A FRIEND FORSAKEN.

As we do turn our backs

From our companion, thrown into his grave:
So his familiars to his buried fortunes

Slink all away; leave their false vows with him
Like empty purses pick'd: and his poor self,
A dedicated beggar to the air,

With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone.

ON GOLD.

Earth, yield me roots! [Digging Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate With thy most operant poison! What is here? Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, gods, I am no idle votarist.* Roots, you clear heavens! Thus much of this, will make black, white; foul, fair;

Wrong, right; base, noble; old, young; coward, valiant.

Ha, you gods! why this? What this, you gods? Why this

Will lug your priests and servants from your sides,
Pluck stout men's pillows from below their heads:
This yellow slave

Will knit and break religions; bless the accurs'd;
Make the hoar leprosy ador'd; place thieves,
And give them title, knee, and approbation,
With senators on the bench: this is it,
That makes the wappen'df widow wed again;
She, whom the spital-house, and ulcerous sores
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices
To the April day again.‡ Come, damned earth,
Thou common whore of mankind, that put'st odds
Among the rout of nations, I will make thee
Do thy right nature.

* No insincere or inconstant supplicant. Gold will not serve me instead of roots.

† Sorrowful.

i. e. Gold restores her to all the sweetness and fresh ness of youth.

TIMON TO ALCIBIADES.

Go on,-here's gold,-go on;

Be as a planetary plague, when Jove

Will o'er some high-vic'd city hang his poison
In the sick air: let not thy sword skip one:
Pity not honour'd age for his white beard,
He's an usurer: Strike me the counterfeit matron:
It is her habit only that is honest,

Herself's a bawd: Let not the virgin's cheek
Make soft thy trenchant* sword; for those milk paps,
That through the window-bars bore at men's eyes,
Are not within the leaf of pity writ,

Set them down horrible traitors: Spare not the babe,
Whose dimpled smiles from fools exhaust their mercy;
Think it a bastard,† whom the oracle

Hath doubtfully pronounc'd thy throat shall cut,
And mince it sans remorse: Swear against objects;§
Put armour on thine ears, and on thine eyes;
Whose proof nor yells of mothers, maids, nor babes,
Nor sight of priests in holy vestments bleeding,
Shall pierce a jot. There's gold to pay thy soldiers.
Make large confusion; and, thy fury spent,
Confounded be thyself! Speak not, be gone.

TO THE COURTESANS.

Consumption sow

In hollow bones of man; strike their sharp shins,
And mar men's spurring. Crack the lawyer's voice,
That he may never more false title plead,

Nor sound his quillets|| shrilly; hear the flamen,
That scolds against the quality of flesh,
And not believes himself: down with the nose,
Down with it flat; take the bridge quite away
Of him, that his particular to foresee,

Smells from the general weal: make curl'd-pate ruf fians bald;

And let the unscar'd braggarts of the war

Derive some pain from

* Cutting.

+ Without pity.

you.

† An allusion to the tale of Cedipus

§i. e. Against objects of charity and compassion. Subtilties.

HIS REFLECTIONS ON THE EARTH.

That nature, being sick of man's unkindness,
Should yet be hungry!-Common mother, thou,
[Digging
Whose womb unmeasurable, and infinite breast,*
Teems, and feeds all; whose self-same mettle,
Whereof thy proud child, arrogant man, is puff'd,
Engenders the black toad, and adder blue,

The gilded newt, and eyeless venom'd wormt
With all the abhorred births below crispt heaven
Whereon Hyperion's quickening fire doth shine;
Yield him, who all thy human sons doth hate,
From forth thy plenteous bosom one poor root!
Ensear thy fertile and conceptious womb,
Let it no more bring out ingrateful man!
Go great with tigers, dragons, wolves, and bears:
Teem with new monsters, whom thy upward face
Hath to the marbled mansion all above

Never presented!-0, a root,-Dear thanks!
Dry up thy marrow, vines, and plough-torn leas;
Whereof ingrateful man, with liquorish draughts,
And morsels unctuous, greases his pure taind,
That from it all consideration slips!

HIS DISCOURSE WITH APEMANTUS.

Apem. This is in thee a nature but affected. A poor unmanly melancholy, sprung

From change of fortune. Why this spade? this place?

This slave-like habit? and these looks of care?
Thy flatterers yet wear silk, drink wine, lie soft;
Hug their diseas'd perfumes,§ and have forgot
That ever Timon was. Shame not these woods,
By putting on the cunning of a carper,
Be thou a flatterer now, and seek to thrive
By that which has undone thee, hinge thy knee.
And let his breath, whom thou❜lt observe,

*Boundless surface.

†The serpent called the blind worm.

+ Bent

9 i. e. Their diseased perfumed mistresses.
Il i. e. Shame not these woods by finding fault.