For this one wish, That you had power and wealth | Debts wither them: Be men like blasted woods,
To requite me, by making rich yourself. [man, And may diseases lick up their false bloods!
Tim. Look thee, 'tis so!-Thou singly honest And so, farewell, and thrive.
Here, take :—the gods out of my misery [happy: Flav. O, let me stay
Have sent thee treasure. Go, live rich, and And comfort you, my master.
But thus condition'd; thou shalt build from men; Tim. If thou hat'st
Hate all, curse all: show charity to none;
But let the famish'd flesh slide from the bone,
Ere thou relieve the beggar: give to dogs [them,
What thou deny'st to men; let prisons swallow

ACT V.

[knave, | On special dignities, which vacant lie
For thy best use and wearing.
2 Sen. They confess,

Both. Doubt it not, worthy lord.
Tim. There's ne'er a one of you but trusts a
That mightily deceives you.

Both. Do we, my lord?

[semble,
Tim. Ay, and you hear him cog, see him dis-
Know his gross patchery, love him, feed him,
Keep in your bosom: yet remain assur'd,
That he's a made-up villain.

Pain. I kuow none such, my lord.
Poet. Nor I.

[gold,

Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you Rid me these villains from your companies: Hang them, or stab them, drown them in a draught, Confound them by some course, and come to me, I'll give you gold enough.

Both. Name them, my lord, let's know them. Tim. You that way, and you this, but two in company:

Each man apart, all single and alone,
Yet an arch-villain keeps him company.
If, where thou art, two villains shall not be,

[to Painter.
Come not near him. If thou would'st not reside
[to Poet.
But where one villain is, then him abandon.
Hence! pack! there's gold, ye came for gold, ye
slaves.
[Hence!
You have done work for me, there's payment.
You are an alchymist, make gold of that :-
Out, rascal dogs! [exit, beating and driving them out.

SCENE II. THE SAME.

Enter Flavius and two Senators.

Toward thee, forgetfulness too general, gross:
Which now the public body,—which doth seldom
Play the recanter,-feeling in itself

A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense withal
Of its own fall, restraining aid to Timon;
And send forth us, to make their sorrowed render,
Together with a recompense more fruitful
Than their offence can weigh down by the dram ;
Ay, even such heap and sums of love and wealth,
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. You witch me in it;

Surprise me to the very brink of tears :—
Lend me a fool's heart, and a woman's eyes,
And I'll beweep these comforts, worthy senators.

1 Sen. Therefore, so please thee to return with
And of our Athens (thine, and ours,) to take [us,
The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd with absolute power, and thy good name
Live with authority:-so, soon we shall drive back
Of Alcibiades the approaches wild;
Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up
His country's peace.

2 Sen. And shakes his threat'ning sword Against the walls of Athens.

1 Sen. Therefore, Timon,[thus,Tim. Well, sir, I will; therefore I will, sir; If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,

Flav. It is in yain that you would speak with Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,

Timon;

For he is set so only to himself,

[Athens, That-Timon cares not. But if he sack fair And take our goodly aged men by the beards,

That nothing but himself, which looks like man, Giving our holy virgins to the stain
Is friendly with him.

1 Sen. Bring us to his cave:

It is our part, and promise to the Athenians,
To speak with Timon.

2 Sen. At all times alike.

Men are not still the same. 'Twas time, and griefs,
That fram'd him thus: time, with his fairer hand,
Offering the fortunes of his former days,

Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war; [it,
Then, let him know,-and tell him, Timon speaks
In pity of our aged, and our youth,

I cannot choose but tell him, that I care not,
And let him take't at worst; for their knives
care not,

While you have throats to answer: for myself,
There's not a whittle in the unruly camp,

The former man may make him: bring us to him, But I do prize it at my love, before
And chance it as it may.

Flav. Here is his cave.

Peace and content be here! Lord Timon! Timon!
Look out, and speak to friends: the Athenians,
By two of their most reverend senate, greet thee:
Speak to them, noble Timon.

Enter Timon.

The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave you
To the protection of the prosperous gods,
As thieves to keepers.

Flav. Stay not, all's in vain.

Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph,
It will be seen to-morrow; my long sickness
Of health, and living, now begins to mend,
And nothing brings me all things. Go, live stíll;
Be Alcibiades your plague, you his,
And last so long enough!

1 Sen. We speak in vain.

Tim. But yet I love my country; and am not
One that rejoices in the common wreck,
As common bruit doth put it.

1 Sen. That's well spoke.

Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen,— 1 Sen. These words become your lips as they pass through them.

2 Sen. And enter in our ears, like great triIn their applauding gates. [umphers

Tim. Commend me to them;

And tell them, that, to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain [them:
In life's uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do
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,

That mine own use invites me to cut down,
And shortly must I fell it: tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree,

From high to low throughout, that whoso please Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time
To stop affliction, let him take his haste,
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
And hang himself:-I pray you do my greeting.
Flav. Trouble him no further, thus you still
shall find him.

Tim. Come not to me again: but say to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting mansion
Upon the beached verge of the salt flood;
Which once a day with his embossed froth
The turbulent surge shall cover; thither come,
And let my grave-stone be your oracle.—
Lips, let sour words go by, and language end:
What is amiss, plague and infection mend!
Graves only be men's works; and death, their gain!
Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his reign.

1 Sen. His discontents are unremoveably Coupled to nature:

[exit.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring
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,
And made us speak like friends:-this man was
From Alcibiades to Timon's cave,
With letters of entreaty, which imported
His followship i'the cause against your city,
In part for his sake mov'd.

Enter Senators, from Timon.
Sen. Here come our brothers.

[riding

[pect.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him exThe 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:
Some beast rear d this; there does not live a man.

With all licentious measure, making your wills
The scope of justice; 'till now, myself, and such
As slept within the shadow of your power,
Have wander'd with our travers'd arms and
breath'd

Our sufferance vainly. Now the time is flush,
When crouching marrow, in the bearer strong,
Cries, of itself, No more! Now breathless wrong
Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease;
And pursy insolence shall break his wind
With fear, and horrid flight.

1 Sen. Noble, and young,

When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
Ere thou hadst power, or we had cause to fear,
We sent to thee; to give thy rages balm
To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
Above their quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our city's love,

By humble message, and by promis'd means;
We were not all unkind, nor all deserve
The common stroke of war.

1 Sen. These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they such,
That these great towers, trophies, and schools,

should fall

For private faults in them.

2 Sen. Nor are they living,
Who were the motives that you first went out;
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread:
By decimation, and a tithed death
(If thy revenges hunger for that food,
Which nature loaths), take thou the destin'd tenth;
And by the hazard of the spotted die,
Let die the spotted.

1 Sen. All have not offended;
For those that were, it is not square, to take,
On those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin,
Which, in the bluster of thy wrath, must fall
With those that have offended: like a shepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull the infected forth,
But kill not altogether.

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;

Where is thou art.