Still ferve him with my life.My dearest mafter! Timon comes forward from bis tave. I have forgot [men; Then, if thou grant'st thou art a man, I have Flav. An honeft poor fervant of yours. Tim. Then I know thee not: I ne'er had honeft man about me, I; all I kept were knaves, to ferve in meat to villains. Ne'er did poor fteward wear a truer grief Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'st Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my lord, די lafts, To entertain me as your fteward still. Tim. Had I a steward So true, fo juft, and now fo comfortable? Forgive my general and exceptless rashness, To requite mo, by making rich yourself. Tim. Look thee, 'tis fo!-Thou fingly honest man, And may difeafes lick up their false bloods! Pain. As I took note of the place, it cannot be far where he abides. Poet. What's to be thought of him? Does the rumour hold for true, that he is fo full of gold? Pain. Certain : Alcibiades reports it; Phrynia and Tymandra had gold of him he likewife enrich'd poor ftraggling foldiers with great quantity: 'Tis faid, he gave his fteward a mighty fum. Peet. Then this breaking of his has been but a try for his friends ? Pain. Nothing else: you fhall fee' him a palm in Athens again, and flourish with the highest. Therefore, 'tis not amifs, we tender our loves to him, in this fuppos'd diftrefs of his : it will fhew honeftly in us; and is very likely to load our Methinks, thou art more honest now, than wife; purposes with what they travel for, if it be a juft For, by oppreling and betraying me, Thou might'ft have fooner got another fervice: Upon their first lord's neck. But tell me true, Flav. No, my most worthy mafter, in whofe Sufpect ftill comes where an estate is leaft. For any benefit that points to me, and true report that goes of his having. Poet. What have you now to prefent unto him? Pain. Nothing at this time but my vifitation: only I will promife him an excellent piece. Poet. I muft ferve him fo too; tell him of an intent that's coming toward him. Pain. Good as the beft. Promifing is the very air o' the time; opens the eyes of expectation: performance is ever the duller for his act; and, but in the plainer and fimpler kind of people, the deed of faying is quite out of ufe 4. To promife is moft courtly and fashionable; performance is a kind of will, or teftament, which argues a great fickness in his judgment that makes it. Re-enter Timon from his cave, unfeen. Tim. Excellent workman! Thou canst not paint a man fo bad as thyself. Peet. I am thinking, what I fhall fay I have Either in hope, or prefent, I'd exchange it provided for him: It must be a perfonating of For this one wish, That you had power and wealth himself : a fatire against the softness of profperity; 1 Knave is here ufed in the compound fenfe of a fervant and a rafcal. [2 To turn wild. is to distract. An appearance fo unexpected, fays Timon, almost tures my favageness to distraction. 3 i. e. away from human habitations. 4 The fenfe is, "The deing of that which we have fuid we would do, the accomplishment and performance of our promifc, is, except among the lower claffes of mankind, quite out of use." 5 Perfonating for repicfenting fimply; for the fubject of this projected fatire was Timon's cafe, not his perfon with a discovery of the infinite flatteries, that follow youth and opulency. Tim. Must thou needs stand for a villain in thine own work? Wilt thou whip thine own faults in other men? Do fo, I have gold for thee. Poet. Nay, let's seek him : Then do we fin against our own eftate, When the day ferves, before black-corner'd night 1, [gold, Tim. I'll meet you at the turn. What a god's That he is worshipp'd in a baser temple, Than where swine feed! 'Tis thou that rigg'ft the bark, and plow'ft the foam; Settleft admired reverence in a slave : To thee be worship! and thy faints for aye Be crown'd with plagues, that thee alone obey! Fit I meet them. Port. Hail! worthy Timon. Pain. Our late noble mafter. Why, thy verfe fwells with stuff fo fine and imooth, Both. Befeech your honour Both. Moft thankfully, my lord. Both. Doubt it not, worthy lord. Tim. There's ne'er a one of you but trufts a knave, That mightily deceives you. Both. Do we, my lord? Tim. Ay, and you hear him cog, fee him diffemble, Pain. I know none fuch, my lord. [guld, Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you Rid me thefe villains from your companies: Tim. Have I once liv'd to fee two honeft men? Hang them, or ftab them, drown them in a draught 4, Poet. Sir, Having often of your open bounty tasted, Whofe ftar-like nobleness gave life and influence Tim. Let it go naked, men may fee't the better: You, that are honeft, by being what you are, Make them best seen, and known. Confound them by fonie course, and come to me, I'll give you gold enough. Both. Name them, my lord, let's know them. Each man apart,-all fingle, and alone,- [To the Painter. Come not near him.-If thou wouldst not refle [To the Pat But where one villain is, then him abandon.— Hence pack! there's gold, ye came for gold, ye flaves : You have work for me, there is payment: Hence! [Exit, beating and driving them out. 1 i. e night which is as obfcure as a dark corner. 2 A portrait was called a counterfeit in our author's time. 3 i. e. a hypocrite. 4 That is, in the jakes. 5 This paffage is obfcure. Dr. Johnson thinks the meaning is this: But two in company, that is, Stand apart, let only two be together; for even when each itands fingle there are two, he himself and a villain. But, in the North, fignifies, without. The The former man may make him: Bring us to him, | And take our goodly aged men by the beards, And chance it as it may. Flav. Here is his cave. Peace and content be here! Lord Timon! Timon! Enter Timon. Giving our holy virgins to the ftain Of contumelious, beaftly, mad-brain'd war ; I cannot chufe but tell him, that-I care not, Tim. Thou fun, that comfort'ft, burn! Speak, While you have throats to anfwer: for myself, and be hang'd! For each true word, a blifter, and each falfe 1 Sen. Worthy Timon,— [mon. Tim. Of none but fuch as you, and you of Ti2 Sen. The fenators of Athens greet thee, Ti[the plague, Tim. I thank them; and would fend them back Could I but catch it for them. mon. 2 Sen. They confefs, Toward thee, forgetfulness too general, grofs: A lack of Timon's aid, hath fense withal Together with a recompence more fruitful Tim. You witch me in it; 2 Sen. And thakes his threat'ning fword Against the walls of Athens. 1 Sen. Therefore, Timon,-- There's not a whittle 4 in the unruly camp, But I do prize it at my love, before The reverend'ft throat in Athens. So I leave you Flav. Stay not, all's in vain. Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph, 1 Sen. We speak in vain. Tim. But yet I love my country; and am not I Sen. That's well spoke. Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen,- [ers 2 Sen. And enter in our ears, like great triumphIn their applauding gates. Tim. Commend me to them; And tell them, that, to ease them of their griefs, I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath. clofe, That mine own ufe invites me to cut down, fhall find him. Tim. Come not to me again: but say to Athens, Tim. Well, fir, I will; therefore I will, fir; Which once a day with his embossed froth 6 Thus, If Alcibiades kill my countrymen, Let Alcibiades know this of Timon, [Athens, The turbulent furge fhall cover; thither come, Lips, let four words go by, and language end: -But if he fack fair What is amifs, plague and infection mend! 4 A whittle is ftill in the midI The Athenians had fenfe, that is, felt the danger of their own fall, by the arms of Alcibiades. 2 Render is confeffion. 3 Allowed is licenfed. privileged, uncontrolled. land counties the common rame for a pocket clafp knife, fuch as children ufe. 5 i.e. from highest to lowest. 6 We have before obferved, that when a deer was run hard, and foamed at the mouth, he was laid to be emboss'd. Graves Before the Walls of Athent. Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades, with bis poseert, [Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the walk. Enter two other Senators, with a Messenger. 1 Sen. Thou haft painfully discovered; are his A full as thy report? [files Mef. I have spoke the least: Befides, his expedition promifes Prefent approach. [Timon. 2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not. Mef. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend ;-Who, though in general part we were oppos'd, Yet our old love made a particular force, When crouching marrow 4, in the bearer strong, When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit, Ere thou hadft power, or we had caufe to fear, And made us fpeak like friends :—this man was To wipe out our ingratitudes with loves riding From Alcibiades to Timon's cave, With letters of entreaty, which imported Enter the other Senators. 1 Sen. Here come our brothers. 3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect. The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful fcouring Doth choak the air with duft: In, and prepare ; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the snare. [Exeunt. Sol. By all defcription, this should be the place. Who's here? fpeak, ho!-No anfwer?-What is this? Timon is dead, who hath out-stretch'd his span : ; Above their 5 quantity. 2 Sen. So did we woo Transformed Timon to our city's love, 1 Sen. Thefe walls of ours Were not erected by their hands, from whom For private faults in them. 2 Sen. Nor are they living, Who were the motives that you first went out; I Sen. All have not offended; For thofe that were, it is not fquare 7, to take, I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax Dr. Warburton obferves, that dear, in the language of that time, fignified dread, and is so used by Shakspeare in numberless places. Mr. Steevens fays, that dear may in this inftance fignify immediate; and that it is an enforcing epithet with not always a diftinct meaning. 2 Arms acros. 3 A bird is flush when his feathers are grown, and he can leave the neft. Flush means mature. 4 The marrow was fuppofed to be the original of firength. The image is from a camel kneeling to take up his load, who rifes immediately when he finds he has as much laid on as he can bear. Their refers to rages. 6 The meaning is, "Shame in excefs (i. e. extremity of fhame) that they wanted cunning (ie. that they were not wise enough not to banish you) hath broke their hearts.” not regular, not equitable. 7 i. c. Pafs by, bate: and curfe thy fill; but pafs, and flay not bere thy gait. These well exprefs in thee thy latter fpirits: From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit make each 'T [Exeunt. Prefcribe to other, as each other's leach 3.-Let our drums ftrike. .2 TITUS |