3 Sen. 'Tis fo, be sure of it.
1 Sen. How? how?

2 Sen. I pray you, upon what? Tim. My worthy friends, will you 3 Sen. I'll tell ye more anon. toward.

2 Sen. This is the old man ftill.

draw near?

Here's a noble feaft

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 your felves prais'd; but referve fill to give, left your Deities be defpifed. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another. For were your Godheads 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, O Gods, the fenators of Athens, together with the common lag of people, what is amifs inthem, you Guds, make fuitable for deftruction. For thefe my friends as they are to me nothing, fo 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 feaft never behold,

You knot of mouth-friends: fmoke and lukewarm water ~
Is your perfection. This is Timon's last ; :

Who ftuck and fpangled you with flatteries,
Washes it off, and fprinkles in your faces.
Your reaking villany. Live loath'd, and long,
Moft fmiling, fmooth, detefted Parasites,
Courteous deftroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
G. 5

You

You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time-flies,
Cap-and-knee flaves, vapors, and minute-jacks; (15)
Of man and beast the infinite malady

What, doft thou go?
- thou too - and thou-

Cruft you quite o'er!
Soft, take thy phyfick firft.

[Throwing the difhes at them, and drives 'em out.

Stay, I will lend thee mony, borrow none.
What! all in motion? henceforth be no feast,
Whereat a villain's not a welcome guest.

Burn Houfe, fink Athens, henceforth hated be
Of Timon, man, and all humanity!

Re-enter the Senators.

1 Sen. How now, my lords?

[Exit.

2 Sen. Know you the quality of lord Timon's fury! Sen. Pha! did you see my cap?

3

4 Sen. I've lost my gown.

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.

jewel?

2 Sen. Did you fee 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.

Sen. I feel't upon my bones.

Did you

fee my

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

Of Man and Beaft, the infinite Malady

[Exeunt.

Cruft you quite o'er?] In what Senfe could the Senators be call'd minute Faks of Man and Beat? The Poet juft before calls them Vapours; and certainly means to enforce that Image, by faying, they were Jacks not of a Minute's Traft, or Dependence. Then what could the infinite Malady fignify, without fomething subjoin'd to give us a clearer Idea of it? As I point the Paffage, it plainly means, May the whole Catalogue, the infinite Number of Diftémpers, that have ever invaded either Man or Beast, all be join'd to plague you.

ACT

A C T IV.

SCENE, Without the Walls of Athens. Enter TIMON.

L

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; slaves 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)
And cut your trufters' throats. Bound fervants, steal,
Large-banded robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law. Maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy miftrefs 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,
Domeftick awe, night-reft, and neighbourhood,
Inftruction, manners, myfteries and trades,
Degrees, obfervances, cuftoms and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries!

And

yet Confufion live!

Plagues, incident to me,

Your potent and infectious fevers heap

On Athens, ripe for ftroke! Thou cold Sciatica,
Cripple our fenators, that their limbs may halt.

(16)

·Bankrupts, bold faft,

Rather than gender back; out with your Knives,

And cut your Truflers' throats.] Thus has this Paffage hi therto 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 Acknowledgements to fome anony mous Gentleman, who by Letter advifed me to point it as I have done in the Text:

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 bosoms, and their Crop
Be general Leprofie: breath infect breath,
That their fociety (as their friendship) may
Be meerly poison. 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 fhall find
Th' unkindeft beast 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.

1 Ser.

Enter Flavius, with two or three fervants.

TEAR you, good mafter fteward, where's our mafter?

HEAR

Are we undone, caft off, nothing remaining?

Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous Gods,

I am as poor as you.

1 Ser. Such a Houfe 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 Ser. As we do turn our backs

From our companion, thrown into his grave,
So his familiars to his buried fortunes

Slink all away; leave their falfe vows with him,
Like empty purfes pick'd: and his poor felf,

A dedicated beggar to the air,

With his disease of all-fhunn'd poverty,
Walks, like Contempt, alone..

More of our fellows.

Enter

Enter other fervants.

Fla. All broken implements of a ruin'd house!
3 Ser. 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.

Fla. Good fellows all,

The latest of my wealth I'll fhare amongst you.
Where-ever we shall meet, for Timon's fake,
Let's yet be fellows: shake our heads, and say,
(As 'twere a knell unto our mafter's fortunes)
We have feen 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 mony; they embrace, and part several

ways.

Oh, the firft wretchedness 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 State compounds,
But only painted, like his varnish'd friends !
Poor honeft lord! brought low by his own heart,
Undone by goodness: ftrange unusual blood,
When man's worst fin is, he does too much good.
Who then dares to be half fo kind again?

For bounty, that makes Gods, does ftill mar men.
My dearest lord, bleft to be most accurs'd,
Rich only to be wretched; thy great fortunes
Are made thy chief afflictions. Alas, kind lord!
He's flung in rage from this ungrateful Seat
Of monftrous friends: nor has he with him to
Supply his life, or that which can command it:
I'll follow and enquire him out.

I'll ever ferve his mind with my best will;
Whilft I have gold, I'll be his Steward ftill.

[Exil. SCENE