Entreat thee back to Athens; who have thought 2 Sen. Their pangs of love, with other incident throes them: I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath. 2 Sen. I like this well, he will return again. Tim. I have a tree, which grows here in my close, A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense withal That mine own use invites me to cut down, Of its own fall, restraining aid to Timon; And shortly must I fell it; Tell my friends, And send forth us, to make their sorrowed render!, Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree,7 Together with a recompense more fruitful From high to low throughout, that whoso please Than their offence can weigh down by the dram; To stop affliction, let him take his haste, Ay, even such heaps and summs of love and wealth,Come hither, ere my tree hath felt As shall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs, And write in thee the figures of their love, Ever to read them thine. Tim. 2 Sen. And shakes his threat'ning sword If Alcibiades kill my countrymen, Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war ; I cannot choose but tell him, that-I care not, the axe, And hang himself:-I pray you, do my greeting. Tim. Come not to me again: but say to Athens, 2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead: let us return, It requires swift foot. [Exeunt. SCENE III-The walls of Athens. Enter two Senators, and a Messenger. 1 Sen. Thou hast painfully discover'd; are his files As full as thy report? Mess. 2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Mess. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend ;Whom, though in general part we were oppos'd, Yet our old love made a particular force, The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave you And made us speak like friends-this man was To the protection of the prosperous gods,4 As thieves to keepers. Stay not, all's in vain. Flav. And last so long enough! 1 Sen. 2 Sen. And enter in our ears like great triumphers riding From Alcibiades to Timon's cave, Enter Senators from Timon. 1 Sen. Here come our brothers. 3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful scouring Doth choke the air with dust: in and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the snare. [Exeunt. SCENE IV-The woods. Timon's cave, and a tomb-stone seen. Enter a Soldier, seeking Timon. Sol. By all description this should be the place. Who's here? speak, ho!-No answer?-What is this? Timon is dead, who hath outstretch'd his span: Dead, sure; and this his grave.— So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before, What's on this tomb I cannot read; the character To say, thou'lt enter friendly. I'll take with wax. Our captain hath in every figure skill; [Exit. SCENE V-Before the walls of Athens. Trumpets sound. Enter Alcibiades, and forces. Alcib. Sound to this coward and lascivious town Our terrible approach. [A parley sounded. Enter Senators on the walls. Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time Our sufferance vainly: Now the time is flush,2 1 Sen. 2 Sen. So did we woo For private faults in them. 2 Sen. Which nature loaths,) take thou the destin'd tenth; 1 Sen. 2 Sen. What thou wilt, Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile, Than hew to't with thy sword. 1 Sen. Set but thy foot Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope; (1) Arms across. (2) Mature. (3) i. e. By promising him a competent subsis tence. 2 Sen. Throw thy glove; Or any token of thine honour else, That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress, And not as our confusion; all thy powers Shall make their harbour in our town, till we Have seal'd thy full desire. Alcib. Then there's my glove; Descend, and open your uncharged ports;5 Those enemies of Timon's and mine own, Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof, Fall, and no more; and,-to atone your fears With my more noble meaning,-not a man Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream Of regular justice in your city's bounds, But shall be remedied, to your public laws, At heaviest answer. Both. 'Tis most nobly spoken. Alcib. Descend, and keep your words. The Senators descend, and open the gates. Enter a Soldier. Sold. My noble general, Timon is dead; Entomb'd upon the very hem o'the sea : And on his grave-stone, this insculpture; which With wax I brought away, whose soft impression Interprets for my poor ignorance. Alcib. [Reads.] Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft : Seek not my name: A plague consume you wicked cailiff's left! Here lie I Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate: Pass by, and curse thy fill; but pass, and stay not here thy gait. These well express in thee thy latter spirits: Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs, Scorn'dst our brain's flow, and those our droplets which From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit Prescribe to other, as each other's leech.9 [Exeunt. The play of Timon is a domestic tragedy, and therefore strongly fastens on the attention of the reader. In the plan there is not much art, but the incidents are natural, and the characters various and exact. The catastrophe affords a very powerful warning against that ostentatious liberality, which scatters bounty, but confers no benefits, and buys flattery, but not friendship. In this tragedy, are many passages perplexed, obscure, and probably corrupt, which I have endeavoured to rectify, or explain with due diligence; but having only one copy, cannot promise myself that my endeavours shall be much applauded. JOHNSON. (4) Not regular, not equitable. (5) Unattacked gates. (6) Reconcile. (7) i. e. Our tears. (8) Stop. (9) Physician Cit. Resolved, resolved. 1 Cit. First you know, Caius Marcius is chief enemy to the people. Cit. We know't, we know't. 1 Cit. Let us kill him, and we'll have corn at our own price. Is't a verdict? Cit. No more talking on't; let it be done: away, away. 2 Cit. One word, good citizens. 1 Cit. We are accounted poor citizens: the patricians, good: What authority surfeits on, would relieve us; If they would yield us but the superfluity, while it were wholesome, we might guess, they relieved us humanely; but they think, we are too dear: the leanness that afflicts us, the object of our misery, is as an inventory to particularize their abundance; our sufferance is a gain to them. Let us revenge this with our pikes, ere we become rakes: for the gods know, I speak this in hunger for bread, not in thirst for revenge. 1 Cit. Would you proceed especially against Caius Marcius? Cit. Against him first; he's a very dog to the commonalty. 2 Cit. Consider you what services he has done for his country? 1 Cit. Very well; and could be content to give him good report for't, but that he pays himself with being proud. 2 Cit. Nay, but speak not maliciously. 2 Cit. What he cannot help in his nature, you account a vice in him: You must in no way say, he is covetous. 1 Cit. If I must not, I need not be barren of accusations; he hath faults, with surplus, to tire in repetition. [Shouts within.] What shouts are these? The other side o'the city is risen: Why stay we prating here? to the Capitol. Cit. Come, come. 1 Cit. Soft; who comes here? Enter Menenius Agrippa. 2 Cit. Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that hath always loved the people. 1 Čit. He's one honest enough; 'Would, all the rest were so! Men. What work's, my countrymen, in hand? Where go you With bats and clubs? The matter? Speak, I pray you. 1 Cit. Our business is not unknown to the senate; they have had inkling, this fortnight, what we intend to do, which now we'll show 'em in deeds. They say, poor suitors have strong breaths; they shall know, we have strong arms too. Men. Why, masters, my good friends, mine honest neighbours, Will you undo yourselves? 1 Čit. We cannot, sir, we are undone already. Men. I tell you, friends, most charitable care Have the patricians of you. For your wants, Your suffering in this dearth, you may as well Strike at the heaven with your staves, as lift them Against the Roman state; whose course will on The way it takes, cracking ten thousand curbs Of more strong link asunder, than can ever Appear in your impediment: For the dearth, 1 Cit. I say unto you, what he hath done fa-The gods, not the patricians, make it; and mously, he did it to that end: though soft-con-Your knees to them, not arms, must help. Alack, You are transported by calamity Thither where more attends you; and you slander The helms o'the state, who care for you like fathers, Whereby they live: And though that all at once, me,- 1 Cit. Ay, sir; well, well. Though all at once cannot 1 Cit. Care for us!-True, indeed!-They ne'er cared for us yet. Suffer us to famish, and their store-houses crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to support usurers: repeal daily any whole-See what I do deliver out to each; some act established against the rich; and provide Yet I can make my audit up, that all more piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain From me do back receive the flower of all, the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and And leave me but the bran. What say you to't? there's all the love they bear us. 1 Cit. It was an answer: How apply you this? Men. The senators of Rome are this good belly, And you the mutinous members: For examine Their counsels, and their cares; digest things rightly, Men. Either you must Confess yourselves wondrous malicious, 1 Cit. Well, I'll hear it, sir: yet you must not think to fob off our disgrace2 with a tale: but, an't please you, deliver. Men. There was a time, when all the body's Rebell'd against the belly; thus accus'd it :- ments Touching the weal o'the common; you shall find, But it proceeds, or comes, from them to you, 1 Cit. I the great toe? Why the great toe? Of this most wise rebellion, thou go'st foremost : Did see, and hear, devise, instruct, walk, feel, 1 Cit. Well, sir, what answer made the belly? 1 Cit. Men. What then?'Fore me, this fellow speaks!-what then? what then? 1 Cit. Should by the cormorant belly be restrain'd, Who is the sink o'the body, Men. Well, what then? 1 Cit. The former agents, if they did complain, What could the belly answer? Men. I will tell you; And, through the cranks and offices of man, That in these several places of the city Hang 'em! They say? Conjectural marriages; making parties strong, (4) Exactly. (5) Windings. They are dissolved: Hang em! They said, they were a hungry; sigh'd forth proverbs; That hunger broke stone walls; that, dogs must eat; sent not Corn for the rich men only :-With these shreds They vented their complainings; which being answer'd, And a petition granted them, a strange one (To break the heart of generosity, And make bold power look pale,) they threw their caps As they would hang them on the horns o'the moon, Men. What is granted them? Mar. Five tribunes to defend their vulgar wisdoms, Of their own choice: One's Junius Brutus, Men. This is strange. Mes. Where's Caius Marcius? Our musty superfluity:-See, our best elders. 1 Sen. Marcius, 'tis true, that you have lately They have a leader, Mar. And were I any thing but what I am, I would wish me only he. You have fought together. and he Upon my party, I'd revolt, to make Only my wars with him: he is a lion 1 Sen. Then, worthy Marcius, Attend upon Cominius to these wars. Mar. Sir, it is; And I am constant.-Titus Lartius, thou Shalt see me once more strike at Tullus' face: What, art thou stiff? stand'st out? No, Caius Marcius; Tit. O, true bred! Lead you on: Noble Lartius! 1 Sen. Hence! To your homes, be Mar. gone. The Volces have much corn; take these rats thither, away. [Exeunt Senators, Com. Mar. Tit. and Sic. When we were chosen tribunes for the Bru. Mark'd you his lip, and eyes? Nay, but his taunts. Sic. Be-mock the modest moon. Half all Cominius' honours are to Marcius, Let's hence, and hear Upon his present action. Bru. Let's along. [Exeunt. SCENE II-Corioli. The senate-house. Enter Tullus Aufidius, and certain Senators. 1 Sen. So, your opinion is, Aufidius, Is it not yours? (9) Sncer. (8) Shows itself. |