Aš I had leave of means.

Fla. You would not hear me ;
At many leisures I propos'd.

Tim. Go to:
Perchance, some fingle vantages you took,
When my indisposition put you back :
And that unaptness made you minifter
Thus to excuse your self.

Fla. 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 trilling Present, you have bid me
Return so much, I've Thook my head, and wept ;
Yea, 'gainst th' authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more close. I did endure
Not seldom, nor no flight, 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 fold.

Fla. '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
How goes our reck’ning ?

Tim. To Lacedemon 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 suspect my husbandry, or fallhood, Call me before th' exactest Auditors, And set me on the proof. So the Gods bless me, When all our Offices have been opprest 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 minstrelsie ;

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

Tim. Pr’ythee, no more.

Fla. Heav'ns ! have I said, the bounty of this lord !
How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants
This night englutted ! who now is not Timon's ?
What heart, head, sword, 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 praise is made :
Feast-won, faft-loft : one cloud of winter showres,
These flies are coucht.

Tim. Come, sermon me no further.
No villainous bounty yet hath past my heart ;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.
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,
And try the arguments of hearts by borrowing,
Men and men's

fortunes could I frankly use, As I can bid thee speak.

Fla. Assurance bless your thoughts !

Tim. And in some sort these wants of mine are crown'd,
That I account them blessings ; for by these
Shall I try friends. You shall 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 sev'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, say, that my occasions
have found time to use 'em toward a supply of mony ;
let the request be fifty talents.
Flam. As you

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

Of

have said, my

Of whom, even to the State's best health, I have
Deserv'd this hearing ; bid 'em send o’th' instant
A thousand talents to me.

Fla. I've been bold,
(For that I knew it the most gen'ral way)
To them to use your fignet and your name;
But they do shake 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 Treasure, cannot Do what they would ; are sorry---You are honourableBut yet they could have wifht — they know notSomething hath been amiss - a noble nature May catch a wrench-would all were well—'tis pityAnd so intending other serious 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. These old fellows Have their Ingratitude in them hereditary : Their blood is cak’d, 'tis cold, it seldom Aows, '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 sad, Thou’rt true, and juft; ingenuously I speak, 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, Imprison'd, and in scarcity 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 Adje&ives, 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 Substantive and a Participle, and shen we have the true Sense of the Place ; Cold-moving, Coldprovoking ; Nods so discouraging, that they chill'd the very Ardour of our petition, and froze us into filence.

Bid him suppose, some good neceflity
Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd
With those five talents. That had, give't these fellows
To whom 'tis instant due. Ne'er speak, or think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can fink.
Stew. 'Would, I could not: that thought is boun-

ty's foe; Being free it self, it thinks all others fo. [Exeunt.

A c T III. SCENE, Lucullus's House in Athens.

Flaminius waiting, Enter a servant to him.

SE R V A N T.

I

Have told my lord of you ; he is coming down to

you.
Flam. I thank you, Sir.

Enter Lucullus.
Ser. Here's

my

lord. Lucul. One of lord Timon's men ; a gift, I warrant Why, this hits right: I dreamt of a silver bason and ewre to night. Flaminius, honest Flaminius, you are very respectively welcome, Sir; fill me fome wine. And how does that honourable, compleat, 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, Sir ; and what hast thou there under thy cloak, pretty Flaminius?

Flam. Faith, nothing but an empty box, Sir, which, in

my lord's behalf, I come to entreat your Honour to supply; who, having great and instant occafion to ule fifty talents, hath sent to your lordship to furnish him, nothing doubting your present assistance therein.

Lucul. La, la, la, la, - Nothing doubting, says he? alas, good lord, a noble gentleman ʼtis, if he would not keep so good a house. Many a time and often I ha' din'd with him, and told him on’t ; and come again to supper to him, on purpose to have him spend less. And yet he would embrace no counsel, take no warning by my Com. ing ; every man hath his fault, and honelty is' his. I ha’ told him on't, but I could never get him from't.

Enter a fervant, with wine.
Ser. Please your lordship, here is the wine.
Lucul. Flaminius, I have noted thee always wise.
Here's to thee.

Flam. Your lordship speaks your pleasure.

Lucul. I have observ'd thee always for a towardly prompt spirit, give thee thy due : and one that knows what belongs to reason; and canst use the time well, if the time use thee well. Good parts in thee Get you gone, firrah. (To the servant, who goes out.) - Draw nearer, honest Flaminius ; thy lord's a bountiful gentleman, but thou art wise, and thou knowest well enough (altho’ thou comeft to me) that this is no time to lend mony, efpecially upon bare friendship without security. Here's three Solidares for thee; good boy, wink at me, and say, thou saw'st me not. Fare thee well.

Flam. Is't possible the world should so much differ, And we alive that lived ? 'Ay, damned baseness, To him that worships thee. [Throwing the mony away.

Lucul. Ha! now I see thou art a fool, and fit for thy master.

[Exit Lucullus. Flam. May these add to the number that may scald

thee :
Let molten coin be thy damnation,
Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,
It turns in less than two nights ? O'you gods !
I feel my master's paffion. This slave
Unto this hour has my lord's meat in him :

Why