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[Aside.

I prythee, let us be provided
To show them entertainment.
Flav. I scarce know how.

Enter another SERVANT.

2 Serv. May it please your honour, the 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

Enter a third SERVANT.

Be worthily entertain'd.-How now, what news?

3 Serv. Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman, lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him; and has sent your honour two brace of greyhounds.

Tim. I'll hunt with him; And let them be received,

Not without fair reward.

Flav. [aside.] What will this come to?

He commands us 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, he owes

For every word; he is so kind, that he now

Pays interest for't; his land 's put to their books.
Well, 'would I were gently put out of office,

Before I were forced out!

Happier is he that has no friend to feed,

Than such as do even enemies exceed.

I bleed inwardly for my lord.

Tim. You do yourselves

Much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits:-
Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.

[Exit.

2 Lord. With more than common thanks I will receive it.

3 Lord. O, he is the very soul of bounty!

Tim. And now I remember me, my lord, you gave

Good words the other day of a bay courser

I rode on it is yours, because you liked it.

2 Lord. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, in that.

Tim. You may take my word, my lord; I know, no man

Can justly praise, but what he does affect:

1 weigh my friend's affection with mine own; I'll tell you true. I'll call on you.

All Lords. None so welcome.

Tim. I take all and your several visitations
So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give;
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: for all thy living

Is 'mongst the dead; and all the lands thou hast
Lie in a pitch'd field.

Alcib. Ay, defiled land, my lord..

1 Lord. We are so virtuously bound,Tim. And so

Am I to you.

2 Lord. So infinitely endear'd,

Tim. All to you.*-Lights, more lights.

1 Lord. The best of happiness,

Honour, and fortunes, keep with you, lord Timon!

Tim. Ready for his friends. [Exeunt ALCIBIADES, LORDS, &c. Apem. What a coil's here!

Serving of becks,† and jutting out of bums!

I doubt whether their legs be worth the sums
That are given for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs;
Methinks, false hearts should never have sound legs.
Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on court'sies.
Tim. Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen,
I'd be good to thee.

Apem. No, I'll nothing: for,

If I should be bribed 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 paper I shortly:

What need these feasts, pomps, and vain-glories?
Tim. Nay,

An you begin to rail on society once,

I am sworn, not to give regard to you.

Farewell; and come with better music.

[Exit.

Apem. So ;

Thou❜lt not hear me now,-thou shalt not then, I'll lock

Thy heaven § from thee. O, that men's ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

[Exit.

ACT II.

SCENE I-The same.

A Room in a SENATOR'S House.

Enter a SENATOR, with Papers in his Hand.

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,
Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me, straight,
And able horses: No porter at his gate;

*All happiness to you.
Be ruined by securities.

+ Salutations with the head. Good advice.

But rather one that smiles, and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold; no* reason
Can found his state in safety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say!

Enter CAPHIS.

Caph. Here, Sir; What is your pleasure?

Sen. Get on your cloak, and haste you to lord Timon;
Impórtune him for my moneys; be not ceased+

With slight denial; nor then silenced, when-
Commend me to your master-and the cap

Plays in the right hand, thus:-but tell him, sirrah,
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

Have 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 toss'd 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,

Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone.

Caph. I go, Sir.

Sen. I go, Sir ?-take the bonds along with you, – And have the dates in compt.

Caph. I will, Sir.

Sen. Go.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The same. A Hall in TIMON'S House.

Enter FLAVIUS, with many bills in his hand.

Flav. No care, no stop! so senseless of expense, 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; Never mind

Was to be so unwise, to be so kind.

What shall be done? He will not hear, till feel:

I must be round with him now he comes from hunting.
Fie, fie, fie, fie!

Enter CAPHIS, and the SERVANTS of ISIDORE and VARRO.
Caph. Good even, Varro: What,

You come for money?

Var. Serv. Is't not your business too?

Caph. It is;-And yours too, Isidore ?

Isid. Serv. It is so.

Caph. 'Would we were all discharged!
Var. Serv. I fear it.

Caph. Here comes the lord.

* I. e. no sound reason can judge his condition safe.

† Stopped.

Enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, and LORDS, &c.
Tim. So soon as dinner 's done, we'll forth again,
My Alcibiades.-With me? What's your will?
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 awaked by great occasion,

To call upon his own; and humbly prays you,
That with your other noble parts you'll suit,*
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. Serv. One Varro's servant, my good lord,-
Isid. Serv. From Isidore;

He humbly prays your speedy payment,

Caph. If you did know, my lord, my master's wants,-
Var. Serv. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks,

And past,

Isid. Serv. 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 and LORDS. I'll wait upon you instantly.-Come hither, pray you,

How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd
With clamorous demands of date-broken bonds,
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.

Flav. I pray, draw near.

Enter APEMANTUS and a FOOL.

[TO FLAVIUS.

[Exit TIMON. [Exit FLAVIUS.

Caph. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus; let's

have some sport with 'em.

Var. Serv. Hang him, he'll abuse us.

Isid. Serv. A plague upon him, dog!
Var. Serv. How dost, fool?

Apem. Dost dialogue with thy shadow ?
Var. Serv. I speak not to thee.

VOL. IV.

* Act consistently with yourself.
L

Apem. No; 'tis to thyself,-Come away.

[To the FOOL.

Isid. Serv. [to VARRO'S SERVANT]. 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 asked the question.-Poor rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between gold and want!

All Serv. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem. Asses.

All Serv. Why?

Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves.-Speak to 'em, fool.

Fool. How do you, gentlemen?

All Serv. Gramercies, good fool: How does your mistress? Fool. She's e'en setting on water to scald such chickens as you are. 'Would, we could see you at Corinth.

Apem. Good! gramercy.

Enter PAGE.

Fool. Look you, here comes my mistress' page.

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. Canst not read ?

Page. No.

Apem. There will little learning die then, that day thou art hanged. This is to lord Timon: this to Alcibiades. Go; thou wast born a bastard, and thou'lt die a bawd.

Page. Thou wast whelped a dog; and thou shalt famish, a dog's death. Answer not, I am gone.

[Exit PAGE.

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 Serv. Ay, 'would they served us!

Apem. So would I,-as good a trick as ever hangman served thief.

Fool. Are you three usurers' men?

All Serv. 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 mistress house merrily, and go away sadly: The reason of this ?

Var. Serv. I could render one.

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

Var. Serv. What is a whoremaster, fool?

Fool. A fool in good clothes, and something like thee. "Tis a

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