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Tim. [Aside] I'll meet you at the turn. What a

god's gold,

That he is worship'd in a baser temple

Than where swine feed!

'Tis thou that rigg'st the bark and plow'st the foam,

Settlest admired reverence in a slave:

To thee be worship! and thy saints for aye

Be crown'd with plagues, that thee alone obey!
Fit I meet them.

[Coming forward. 60

Our late noble master!

Poet. Hail, worthy Timon!

Pain.

Tim. Have I once lived to see two honest men?
Poet. Sir,

Having often of your open bounty tasted,
Hearing you were retired, your friends fall'n
off,

Whose thankless natures-O abhorred spirits!-
Not all the whips of heaven are large enough-
What! to you,

Whose star-like nobleness gave life and influ

ence

To their whole being! I am rapt, and cannot

cover

The monstrous bulk of this ingratitude

With any size of words.

Tim. Let it go naked, men may see 't the better. You that are honest, by being what you are, Make them best seen and known.

Pain.

He and myself

70

Have travail'd in the great shower of your gifts,
And sweetly felt it.

Tim.

Aye, you are honest men.

Pain. We are hither come to offer you our serv

ice.

Tim. Most honest men! Why, how shall I requite you?

80

Can you eat roots, and drink cold water? no. Both. What we can do, we 'll do, to do you service. Tim. Ye're honest men: ye've heard that I have gold;

I am sure you have: speak truth; ye 're honest

men.

Pain. So it is said, my noble lord: but therefore Came not my friend nor I.

Tim. Good honest men! Thou draw'st a counterfeit

Best in all Athens: thou 'rt indeed the best;
Thou counterfeit'st most lively.

Pain.
So, so, my lord.
Tim. E'en so, sir, as I say. And, for thy fiction,
Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and
smooth

That thou art even natural in thine art.

But, for all this, my honest-natured friends,

I must needs say you have a little fault:

91

Marry, 'tis not monstrous in you; neither wish I
You take much pains to mend.

Both.

To make it known to us.

Tim.

Beseech

your honor

You'll take it ill.

Will you, indeed?

Both. Most thankfully, my lord.

Tim.

Both. Doubt it not, worthy lord.

XXXIII-8

113

Tim. There's never a one of you but trusts a knave That mightily deceives you.

Both.

Do we, my lord?

101

Tim. Aye, and you hear him cog, see him dissemble, Know his gross patchery, love him, feed him, Keep in your bosom: yet remain assured

That he's a made-up villain.

Pain. I know none such, my lord.

Poet.

Nor I.

Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you gold, 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.

110

Tim. You that way, and you this, but two in com

pany:

Each man apart, all single and alone,

Yet an arch-villain keeps him company.

If, where thou art, two villains shall not be,
Come not near him. If thou wouldst not reside
But where one villain is, then him abandon.
Hence, pack! there's gold; you came for gold,
ye slaves:

[To Painter] You have work for me, there's

payment: hence!

120

115. The plain and simple meaning of this is, "where each of you is, a villain must be in his company, because you are both of you arch villains"; therefore a villain goes with you everywhere.-H. N. H.

120. "You have work"; so Ff.; Hanmer, "You have work'd";

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Tim. "Look you, I love you well; I'll give you gold," Timon of Athens. Act 5, Scene 1.

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