1 Sen. I hope, it remains not unkindly with your Lordship, that I return'd you an empty meffenger. Tim. O Sir, let it not trouble you.

2. Sen. My noble Lord.

Tim. Ah, my good friend, what cheer?

z Sen. Moft honourable Lord, that when your lordship t'other fo unfortunate a beggar.

Fim. Think not on't, Sir.

[The banquet brought in. I'm e'en fick of fhame, day fent to me, I was

2 Sen. If you had fent but two hours before. Fim. Let it not cumber your better remembrance. Come, bring in all together.

2 Sen. All cover'd dishes!

→Sen. Royal cheer, F warrant you.

3

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

1 Sen. How do you? what's the news?

3 Sen. Alcibiades is banifh'd hear you of it ♪ Both. Alcibiades banish'd!

3 Sen. "Tis fo, be fure of it.

1 Sen. How? how?

2 Sen. I pray you, upon what?

Tim. My worthy friends, will you draw near?

3 Se. I'll tell ye more anon. Here's a noble feaft toward. 2 Sen. This is the old man ftill.

3 Sen. Will't hold? will't hold ?

2 Sen. It does, but time will, and fo 3 Sen. I do conceive.

Tim. Each man to his ftool, with that fpur as he would to the lip of his miftrefs: your diet fhall be in all places alike. Make not a city-feaft of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place. Sit, fit. The Gods require our thanks.

You great Benefactors, Sprinkle our fociety with thankfulness. For your own gifts make yourselves prais'd; but referve ftill to give, left your Deities be defpifed. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another. For were your Godbeads to borrow of men, men would forfake the Gods. Make the meat beloved, more than the man that

gives it. Let no affembly of twenty be without a score of villains. If there fit twelve women at the table, let a dozen of them be as they are-the rest of your fees, 10 Gods, the fenators of Athens, together with the common lag of people, what is amifs in them, you Gods, make fuitable for deftruction. For thefe my friends as they are to me nothing, so in nothing bless them, and to nothing are they welcome.

Uncover, dogs, and lap.

Some Speak. What does his Lordship mean?
Some other. I know not.

Tim. May you a better feast never behold,

สร

You knot of mouth-friends: fmoke, and lukewarm water,
Is your perfection. This is Timon's laft;
Who ftuck and fpangled you with flatteries,
Walhes it off, and sprinkles in your faces
Your reaking villany. Live loath'd, and long,
Moft fmiling, fmooth, detefted parafites,
Courteous deftroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time-flies,
Cap-and-knee flaves, vapors, and minute-jacks (15)
Of man and beat the infinite malady

९

Cruft you quite o'er!-what, doft thou go?
Soft, take thy phyfick firft-thou too-and thou

Throwing the dishes at them, and drives, 'em out
Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.
What! all in motion? henceforth be no feaft,
Whereat a villain's not a welcome guest.
Burn houfe, fink Athens, henceforth hated be
Of Timon, man, and all humanity!

of Man and Beaft, the infinite Malady

[Exit.

Cruft you quite o'er!] In what Senfe could the Senators be called minute Jacks of Man and Beaft? The Post juft before calls them Vapours; and certainly means to enforce that Image, by faying, they were Jacks not of a Minute's Truft, or Dependence. Then what could the infinite Malady fignify, without fomething fubjoined to give us a clearer Idea of it? As I point the Paffage, it plainly means, May the whole Catalogue, the infinite Number of Diftempers, that have ever invaded either Man or Beaft, all be joined to plague you.

Re-enter the Senators.

1 Sen. How now, my Lords?

2 Sen. Know you the quality of Lord Timon's fury! 3 Sen. Pha! did you fee my cap? 4 Sen. I've loft my gown.

i Sen. He's but a mad Lord, and nought but humour fways him. He gave me a jewel th' other day, and now he has beat it out of my cap. Did you fee my jewel? 2 Sen. Did you see my cap?

3 Sen. Here 'tis.

4 Sen. Here lies my gown. 1 Sen. Let's make no stay. 2 Sen. Lord Timon's mad.

3 Sen. I feel't upon my bones.

4 Sen. One day he gives us diamonds, next day ftones.

[Exeunt.

A C T IV.

SCENE, without the walls of Athens.

L

Enter TI MO N.

ET me look back upon thee, O thou wall,

That girdleft in those wolves! dive in the earth, And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent; Obedience fail in children; flaves and fools Pluck the grave wrinkled Senate from the bench, And minifter in their fteads: to general filths Convert o'th' inftant, green Virginity!

Do't in your parents' eyes. Bankrupts, hold faft; Rather than render back, out with your knives, (16)

(16)

-Bankrupts, bold fast,

Rather than render back; out with your Knives,

And cut your Truflers' throats.] Thus has this Paffage hitherto been moft abfurdly pointed; even by the poetical Editors, Mr. Rowe, and Mr. Pope. I had reformed the Pointing; but am, however, to make my Acknowledgments to fome anonymous Gentleman, who by Letter advifed me to point it as I have done in the Text.

And

And cut your trufters' throats. Bound fervants, steal›.
Large-handed robbers your grave mafters are,
And pill by law. Maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy mistress is o'th' brothel. Son of fixteen,
Pluck the lin'd crutch from thy old limping fire,
And with it beat his brains out! Fear and piety,
Religion to the Gods, peace, juftice, truth,
Domestick awe, night-reft, and neighbourhood,
Inftruction, manners, myfteries and trades,
Degrees, obfervances, customs and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries!
And yet confufion live!-Plagues, incident to men,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap

On Athens, ripe for ftroke! Thou cold Sciatica,
Cripple our fenators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners. Luft and liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,
That 'gainst the ftream of virtue they may ftrive,
And drown themselves in riot! Itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bofoms, and their crop
Be general leprofy; breath infect breath,
That their fociety (as their friendship) may
Be merely poifon. Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou deteftable town!

Take thou that too, with multiplying banns;
Timon will to the woods, where he shall find
Th' unkindeft beaft much kinder than mankind..
The Gods confound (hear me, ye good Gods all)
Th' 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!

[Exit.

SCENE changes to TIMON's House.

"H

Enter Flavius, with two or three Servants. 15.Ear you, good mafter steward, where's our mafter? Are we undone, caft off, nothing remaining? ve Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous Gods, G5

I am

I am as poor as you.

Serv. Such a house broke!

So noble a mafter fall'n! 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

So his familiars to his buried fortunes

grave,

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

With his disease of all-fhun'd poverty,

Walks, like contempt, alone.

-More of our fellows.

Enter other Servants.

Flav. All broken implements of a ruin'd house! 3 Serv. Yet do our hearts wear Timon's livery, That fee I by our faces; we are fellows ftill, Serving alike in forrow. Leak'd is our bark, And we poor mates, ftand on the dying deck, Hearing the furges threat: we must all part Into the fea of air.

Flav. Good fellows all,

The latest of my wealth I'll fhare amongst you,
Where-ever we fhall meet, for Timon's fake,
Let's yet be fellows fhake our heads, and fay,
(As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes)
We have seen better days. Let each take fome;
Nay put out all your hands; not one word more,
Thus part we rich in forrow, parting poor.

[He gives them money; they embrace, and part feveral ways,
Oh, the firft wretchednels that glory brings us!
Who would not wish to be from wealth exempt,.
Since riches point to mifery, and contempt?
Who'd be fo mock'd with glory, as to live
But in a dream of friendship?

To have his pomp, and all what fate compounds,
But only painted, like his varnifh'd friends!
Poor honeft Lord! brought low by his own heart,
Undone by goodness: frange unusual blood,

When