2 Lord. A thousand pieces!

1 Lord. What of you?

3 Lord. He sent to me, sir.-Here he comes.

Enter TIMON and Attendants.

Tim. With all my heart, gentlemen both :-And how fare you?

1 Lord. Ever at the best, hearing well of your lordship.

2 Lord. The swallow follows not summer more willing than we your lordship.

Tim. [Aside.] Nor more willingly leaves winter; such summer-birds are men.-Gentlemen, our dinner will not recompense this long stay: feast your ears with the music awhile; if they will fare so harshly on the trumpet's sound: we shall to 't presently.

1 Lord. I hope it remains not unkindly with your lordship, that I returned you an empty messenger. Tim. O, sir, let it not trouble you.

2 Lord. My noble lord,

Tim. Ah, my good friend! what cheer?

[The banquet brought in. 2 Lord. My most honourable lord, I am e'en sick of shame, that when your lordship this other day sent to me I was so unfortunate a beggar.

Tim. Think not on 't, sir.

2 Lord. If you had sent but two hours before,Tim. Let it not cumber your better remembrance.— Come, bring in all together.

2 Lord. All covered dishes!

1 Lord. Royal cheer, I warrant you.

3 Lord. Doubt not that, if money, and the season, can yield it.

1 Lord. How do you? What's the news?

3 Lord. Alcibiades is banished: Hear you of it? 1 & 2 Lord. Alcibiades banished!

3 Lord. 'T is so, be sure of it.

1 Lord. How? how?

2 Lord. I pray you upon what?

Tim. My worthy friends, will you draw near? 3 Lord. I'll tell you more anon.

feast toward.

2 Lord. This is the old man still.

3 Lord. Will 't hold, will 't hold?

Here's a noble

2 Lord. It does: but time will-and so3 Lord. I do conceive.

Tim. Each man to his stool, with that spur as he would to the lip of his mistress: your diet shall be in all places alike. Make not a city feast of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place: Sit, sit. The gods require our thanks.

You great benefactors, sprinkle our society with thankfulness. For your own gifts make yourselves praised: but reserve still to give lest your deities be despised. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another: for, were your godheads to borrow of men, men would forsake the gods. Make the meat he beloved, more than the man that gives it. Let no assembly of twenty be without a score of villains: If there sit twelve women at the table, let a dozen of them be-as they are. The rest of your fees, O gods,-the senators of Athens, together with the common lag of people,-what is amiss in them, you gods, make suitable for destruction. For these my present friends, as they are to me nothing, so in nothing bless them, and to nothing are they welcome.

Uncover, dogs, and lap.

[The dishes uncovered, are full of warm water. Some speak. What does his lordship mean? Some other. I know not.

Tim. May you a better feast never behold,

You knot of mouth-friends! smoke and lukewarm

water

Is your perfection. This is Timon's last;

Who stuck and spangled you with flatteries,
Washes it off, and sprinkles in your faces

[Throwing water in their faces. Your reeking villainy. Live loath'd, and long, Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites, Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears, You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time's flies, Cap and knee slaves, vapours and minute-jacks! Of man, and beast, the infinite malady Crust you quite o'er!-What, dost thou go? Soft, take thy physic first-thou too,-and thou ;[Throws the dishes at them, and drives them out. Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.What, all in motion? Henceforth be no feast, Whereat a villain 's not a welcome guest. Burn, house; sink, Athens! henceforth hated be Of Timon, man, and all humanity.

[Exit.

Re-enter the Lords, with other Lords, and Senators. 1 Lord. How now, my lords?

2 Lord. Know you the quality of lord Timon's fury? 3 Lord. Pish! did you see my cap?

4 Lord. I have lost my gown.

3 Lord. He's but a mad lord, and nought but humour sways him. He gave me a jewel the other day, and now he has beat it out of my hat :-Did you see my jewel?

4 Lord. Did you see my cap?

2 Lord. Here 't is.

4 Lord. Here lies my gown.

1 Lord. Let's make no stay.

2 Lord. Lord Timon 's mad.
3 Lord.

I feel 't upon my bones.

[Exeunt.

4 Lord. One day he gives us diamonds, next day

stones.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.-Without the Walls of Athens.
Enter TIMON.

Tim. Let me look back upon thee. O thou wall,
That girdles in those wolves, dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens!a 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
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 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' the brothel! Son of sixteen,
Pluck the lin'd crutch from thy 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

a We follow the punctuation of the original. When Timon says, "let me look back upon thee," he apostrophizes the city generally the seat of his splendour and his misery. To say nothing of the metrical beauty of the pause after thee, there is much greater force and propriety, as it appears to us, in the arrangement which we adopt.

b Convert is here used in the sense of turn-turn yourself 66 green virginity."

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!

Take thou that too, with multiplying bans!
Timon will to the woods; where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.

The gods confound (hear me, you good gods all)
The 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!
Amen.

SCENE II.-Athens.

[Exit.

A Room in Timon's House.

Enter FLAVIUS, with Two or Three Servants.

1 Serv. Hear you, master steward, where 's our master? Are we undone? cast off? nothing remaining?

Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,

I am as poor as you.

1 Serv.

Such a house broke!

So noble a master fallen! All gone! and not
One friend to take his fortune by the arm,

And go along with him!

2 Serv.

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,