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. Apem. Even so thou out-runn'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 as whoremaster, and a knave; which notwithstanding, thou shalt be no less esteem'd..

Var. Serv. What is a whoremaster, fool?

Fool. A fool in good clothes, and something like thee. 'Tis a spirit: sometime, it appears like a lord; sometime, like a lawyer; sometime, like a philosopher, with two stones more than his artificial one. He is very often like a knight; and, generally in all shapes, that man goes up and down in, from fourscore to thirteen, this spirit walks in.

Var. Serv. Thou art not altogether a fool.

Fool. Nor thou altogether a wise man: as much foolery as I have, so much wit thou lackest.

Apem. That answer might have become Apemant us. All Serv. Aside, aside; here comes lord Timon.

Re-enter TIMON and FLAVIUS.

Apem. Come, with me, fool, come.

Fool. I do not always follow lover, elder brother, and woman; sometime, the philosopher.

[Exe. APEMANTUS and Fool. Flav. 'Pray you, walk near ; I'll speak with you anon. [Exe. Serv. Tim. You make me marvel: Wherefore, ere this time, Had you not fully laid my state before me ; That I might so have rated my expence, As I had leave of means?

Flav. You would not hear me,

At many_leisures I propos'd.
Tim. Go to:

Perchance, some single vantages you took,
When my indisposition put you back;
And that unaptness made your minister, 5
Thus to excuse yourself.

Flav. O my good lord!

At many times I brought in my accounts,

Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And say, you found them in mine honesty.
When, for some trifling present, you have bid me
Return so much, I have shook my head, and wept ;
Yea, 'gainst the authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more close: I did endure
Not seldom, nor no slight checks; when I have
Prompted you, in the ebb of your estate,

And your great flow of debts. My dear-lov'd lord,
Though you hear now, (too late!) yet now's a time,"
The greatest of your having lacks a half

To pay your present debts.

Tim. Let all my land be sold.

Flav. 'Tis all engag'd, some forfeited and gone ; And what remains will hardly stop the mouth

Of present dues: the future comes apace :

What shall defend the interim ? and at length.

[5] And made that unaptness your minister.

MAL.

[6] Though I tell you this, says Flavius, at too late a period, perhaps, for the information to be of any service to you, yet, late as it is, it is necessary that you should be acquainted with it. RITSON.

How goes our reckoning?

Tim. To Lacedæmon did my land extend.

Flav. O my good lord, the world is but a word; Were it all yours to give it in a breath,

How quickly were it gone?

Tim. You tell me true.

Flav. If you suspect my husbandry, or falsehood,
Call me before the exactest auditors,

And set me on the proof. So the gods bless me,
When all our offices have been oppress'd

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy ;
I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,'

And set mine eyes at flow.

Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.

Flav. Heavens, have I said, the bounty of this lord! How many prodigal bits have slaves, and peasants, This night englutted! Who is not Timon's?

What heart, head, sword,force, means, but is lordTimon's?
Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon?

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made:
Feast-won, fast-lost; one cloud of winter showers,
These flies are couch'd.

Tim. Come, sermon me no further:

No villainous bounty yet hath pass'd my heart;

Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.2

Why dost thou weep? Canst thou the conscience lack,

To think I shall lack friends? Secure thy heart;

If I would broach the vessels of my love,

3

And try the argument of hearts by borrowing, 3
Men, and men's fortunes, could I frankly use,

As I can bid thee speak.

Flav. Assurance bless your thoughts!

Tim. And, in some sort,these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them blessings; for by these

[9] Offices-the apartments allotted to culinary purposes, &c. STEEV. [] Cock-a cockloft, a garret. And a wasteful cock, signifies a garret lying in waste, neglected, put to no use. HANMER.

A wasteful cock is what we now call a waste pipe; a pipe which is continually running, and thereby prevents the overflow of cisterns and other reservoirs, by carrying off their superfluous water. COLLINS.

[2] Every reader must rejoice in this circumstance of comfort, which presents itself to Timon, who, though beggar'd through want of prudence, consoles himself with reflection that his ruin was not brought on by the pur. suit of guilty pleasures. STEEV.

[3] Argument may mean the contents, as the argument of a book; or for evidences and proofs. JOHNS.

Shall I try friends: You shall perceive, how you
Mistake my fortunes; I am wealthy in my friends.
Within there, ho!Flaminius! Servilius !

Enter FLAMINIUS, SERVILIUS, and other Servants.
Serv. My lord, my lord,-

Tim. I will despatch you severally.-You, to lord Lucius, -To lord Lucullus you; I hunted with his

Honour to-day ;-You, to Sempronius ;

Commend me to their loves; and, I am proud, say,
That my occasions have found time to use them
Toward a supply of money: let the request
Be fifty talents.

Flam. As you have said, my lord.

Flav. Lord Lucius, and lord Lucullus? humph! [Asi. Tim. Go you, sir, to the senators, [To another Serv. (Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have Deserv'd this hearing,) bid 'em send o'the instant A thousand talents to me.

Flav. I have been bold,

(For that I knew it the most gen'ral way,)4
To them to use your signet, and your name;
But they do shake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Tim. Is't true? can it be?

Flav. They answer, in a joint and corporate voice, That now they are at fall, want treasure, cannot Do what they would; are sorry-you are honourable,But yet they could have wish'd-they know not-but Something hath been amiss-a noble nature

May catch a wrench-would all were well-'tis pityAnd so, intending other serious matters, 5

7

After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions, 6
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence.

Tim. You gods, reward them !—

I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly; These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary :8
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it seldom flows;
'Tis lack of kindly warmth, they are not kind;

[41 General is not speedy, but compendious, the way to try many at a JOHNS.

time.

[5] Intending is regarding, turning their notice to other things. JOHNS. [6] Fractions-broken hints, interrupted sentences, abrupt remarks. JOH. [7] A half-cap is a cap slightly moved, not put off. JOHNS.

[8] Hereditary for by natural constitution. But some distempers of natural. constitution being called hereditary, he calls their ingratitude so. WARE

And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull, and heavy.-
Go to Ventidius,-[To a Serv.] 'Prythee, [To FLAVI-
Us.] be not sad,

Thou art true, and honest; ingeniously I speak, 9
No blame belongs to thee :-[To Serv.] Ventidius lately
Buried his father; by whose death, he's stepp'd
Into a great estate: when he was poor,
Imprison'd, and in scarcity of friends,

I clear'd him with five talents: Greet him from me ;
Bid him suppose, some good necessity

Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd With those five talents :-that had, [To FLAVIUS.] give it these fellows,

To whom 'tis instant due. Ne'er speak, or think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can sink.
Flav. I would, I could not think it; That thought is
bounty's foe;

Being free itself, it thinks all others so. '

ACT III.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I-The same. A Room in LUCULLUS's House. FLAMINIUS waiting. Enter a Servant to him.

Serv. I HAVE told my lord of you, he is coming down to you.

Flam. I thank you, sir.

Enter LucULLUS. Serv. Here's my lord.

Lucul. [Aside.] One of lord T'imon's men? a gift, I warrant. Why, this hits right; I dreamt of a silver bason and ewer to-night. Flaminius, honest Flaminius ; you are very respectively welcome, sir.2-Fill me some wine. [Exit Servant.]-And how does that honourable, complete, free-hearted gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good lord and master?

Flam. His health is well, sir.

Lucul. I am right glad that his health is well, sír: And what hast thou there under thy cloak, pretty Flaminius! Flam. 'Faith, nothing but an empty box, sir; which,

[9] Ingenious was anciently used instead of ingenuous [1] Free is liberal, not parsimonious. JOHNS.

[2] Respectfully. So in King John,

"Tis too respective."

STEEV.

REED.