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Ifid. A plague upon him, dog!

Var. How doft, "fool?

Apem. Doft dialogue with thy fhadow ?

Var. I speak not to thee.

Apem. No, 'tis to thy felf.

Come away.

Ifid. There's the fool hangs on your back already. Apem. No, thou ftand'ft fingle, thou art not on him yet. Cap. Where's the fool now?

Apem. He laft ask'd the queftion.

Poor rogues', and

furers' men! bawds between gold and want!

All. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem. Affes.

All. Why?

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

Fool. How do you, Gentlemen ?

All. Gramercies, good Fool: how does your

miftrefs?

Fool. She's e'en fetting on water to fcald fuch chickens as you are. 'Would, we could fee you at Corinth. Apem. Good! gramercy!

Enter Page.

Fool. Look you, here comes my miftrefs' page. Page. Why, how now, captain? what do you in this wife company? how doft thou, Apemantus?

Apem. Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I might anfwer thee profitably.

Page. Pr'ythee, Apemantus, read me the Superfcription of thefe letters; I know not which is which. Apem. Can't not read?

Page. No.

Apem. There will little learning die then, that day. thou art hang'd. This is to lord Timon, this to Alcibiades, Go, thou waft born a baftard, and thou'lt die a bawd.

Page. Thou waft whelpt a dog, and thou shalt famish, a dog's death. Anfwer not, I am gone. Apem. Ev'n fo thou out-run'ft grace.

[Exit.

Fool, I will go with you to lord Timon's.
Fool. Will you leave me there?

Apem.

Apem. If Timon stay at home You three ferve three Ufurers? All. I would, they serv'd us.

Apem. So would I—as good a trick as ever hangman ferv'd thief.

Fool. Are you three usurers' men ?

All. Ay, fool.

Fool. I think, no ufurer but has a fool to his fervant. My miftrefs is one, and I am her fool; when men come to borrow of your mafters, they approach fadly, and go away merrily; but they enter my miftrefs's houfe merrily, and go away fadly. The reason of this?

Var. I could render one.

Apem. Do it then, that we may account thee a whoremafter, and a knave; which notwithstanding, thou fhalt be no lefs esteem'd.

Var. What is a whore-mafter, fool?

Fool. A fool in good Cloaths, and fomething like thee. 'Tis a fpirit; fometimes it appears like a lord, fometimes like a lawyer, fometimes like a philofopher, with two ftones more than's 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. Thou art not altogether a fool.

Fool. Nor thou altogether a wife man; as much foolery as I have, fo much wit thou lack'ft.

Apem. That anfwer might have become Apemantus.
All. Afide, afide, here comes lord Timon.

Enter Timon and Flavius.

Apem. Come with me, fool, come.

Fool. I do not always follow lover, elder brother, and woman; fometime, the philofopher.

Fla. Pray you, walk near, I'll speak with you anon. [Exeunt Creditors, Apemantus and Fool.

Tim. You make me marvel; wherefore, ere this time, Had you not fully laid my ftate before me?

That I might fo have rated my expence,

As

As I had leave of means.

Fla. You would not hear me;

At many leifures I propos'd.
Tim. Go to:

Perchance, fome fingle vantages you took,
When my indifpofition put you back:

And that unaptness made

Thus to excufe your felf.

Fla. O my good lord!

you minifter

At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And fay, you found them in mine honesty.
When, for fome trifling Prefent, you have bid me
Return fo much, I've shook my head, and wept;
Yea, 'gainst th' authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more close. I did endure
Not feldom, nor no flight, checks; when I have
Prompted you in the ebb of your eftate,

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 prefent debts.

Tim. Let all my land be fold.

Fla. 'Tis all engag'd, fome forfeited and gone: And what remains will hardly ftop the mouth Of prefent dues; the future comes apace:. What fhall defend the interim, and at length How goes our reck'ning?

Tim. To Lacedæmon did my land extend. Fla. O my good lord, the world is but a world; Were it all yours, to give it in a breath,

How quickly were it gone!

Tim. You tell me true.

Fla. If you fufpect my husbandry, or falfhood,
Call me before th' exacteft Auditors,

And fet me on the proof. So the Gods blefs me,
When all our Offices have been opprest

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken fpilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelfie;

I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,
And fet mine eyes at flow.

Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.

Fla. Heav'ns! have I faid, the bounty of this lord! How many prodigal bits have flaves and peasants

This night englutted! who now is not Timon's?
What heart, head, fword, force, means, but is lord
Timon's?

Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon's?

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praife is made:
Feaft-won, fast-loft: one cloud of winter fhowres,
These flies are coucht.

Tim. Come, fermon me no further.

No villainous bounty yet hath paft my heart;
Unwifely, not ignobly, have I given.

Why doft thou weep? canft thou the confcience lack,
To think I fhall lack friends? fecure thy heart;
If I would broach the veffels of my love,
And try the arguments of hearts by borrowing,
Men and men's fortunes could I frankly use,
As I can bid thee speak.

Fla. Affurance blefs your thoughts!

Tim. And in fome fort these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them bleffings; for by these

Shall I try friends. You fhall perceive how you
Miftake my fortunes in my friends I'm wealthy.
Within there, Ho! Flaminius, Servilius!

Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other fervants.

Serv. My lord, my lord.

Tim. I will dispatch you fev'rally.

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, fay, that my occafions have found time to ufe 'em toward a fupply of mony; let the request be fifty talents.

Flam. As you have faid, my lord.

Fla. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? hum
Tim. Go, you, Sir, to the Senators;

[To Flavius.

Of

Of whom, even to the State's beft health, I have
Deferv'd this hearing; bid 'em fend o'th' inftant
A thousand talents to me.

Fla. I've been bold,

(For that I knew it the moft gen'ral way)

To them to use your fignet and your name;
But they do fhake their heads, and I am here
No richer in Return.

Tim. Is't true? can't be ?

Fla. They answer in a joint and corporate voice, That now they are at Fall, want Treafure, cannot Do what they would; are forry-You are honourableBut yet they could have wifht-they know not Something hath been amifs

-

a noble nature

May catch a wrench- would all were well-'tis pity-
And fo intending other ferious matters,

After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,
With certain half caps, and cold-moving nods, (12)
They froze me into filence.

Tim. You Gods reward them!

I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly. Thefe old fellows
Have their Ingratitude in thein hereditary :
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it feldom flows,
'Tis lack of kindly warmth, they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again tow'rd earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull and heavy.
Go to Ventidius pr'ythee, be not fad,
Thou'rt true, and juft; ingenuously I fpeak,
No Blame belongs to thee: Ventidius lately
Bury'd his father, by whose death he's stepp'd
Into a great eftate; when he was poor,
Imprifon'd, and in fcarcity of friends,

I clear'd him with five talents. Greet him from me;

(12) Cold moving Nods,] All the Editions exhibit these as two diftinct Adjectives, to the Prejudice of the Author's Meaning: but they must be join'd by an Hyphen, and make a Compound Adjective out of a Subftantive and a Participle, and then we have the true Senfe of the Place; Cold-moving, Cold-provoking; Nods fo difcouraging, that they chill'd the very Ardour of our petition, and froze us into filence.

Bid

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