[To Poet] You are an alchemist, make gold of that: Out, rascal dogs! [Beats them out, and then retires into his cave. Enter Flavius and two Senators. Flav. It is in vain that you would speak with Timon; For he is set so only to himself That nothing but himself which looks like man First. Sen. Bring us to his cave: Sec. Sen. At all times alike Men are not still the same: 'twas time and griefs hand, Offering the fortunes of his former days, 130 The former man may make him. Bring us to him, 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 Timon comes from his cave. Malone, "You have done work"; Steevens conj. "You've work’d.”— I. G. Tim. Thou sun, that comfort'st, burn! Speak, and be hang'd: For each true word, a blister! and each false First Sen. Worthy Timon,Tim. Of none but such as you, and you of Timon. First Sen. The senators of Athens greet thee, Timon. 143 Tim. I thank them, and would send them back the plague, Could I but catch it for them. First Sen. O, forget What we are sorry for ourselves in thee. The senators with one consent of love Entreat thee back to Athens; who have thought For thy best use and wearing. Sec. Sen. They confess 150 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 140. "as a cauterizing"; Rowe's emendation; F. 1, "as a Cantherizing"; Ff. 2, 3, 4, "as a Catherizing"; Pope, "cauterizing"; Capell, "cancerizing."-I. G. 151. "general, gross": Pope's emendation of Ff., “generall grosse”; S. Walker conj., adopted by Dyce, “general-gross.”—I. G. 152. There is a good deal of grammatical confusion in this sentence, that might be remedied by changing which to and.-H. N. H. 155. "sense fail"; the Athenians have a sense of the danger of their own fall [fail] by the arms of Alcibiades, by their withholding aid that should have been given to Timon.-H. N. H. And send forth us, to make their sorrowed ren- Together with a recompense more fruitful As shall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs, Tim. You witch me in it, Surprise me to the very brink of tears: 160 Lend me a fool's heart, and a woman's eyes, And I'll beweep these comforts, worthy senators. First Sen. Therefore, so please thee to return with us, And of our Athens, thine and ours, to take name 171 Live with authority: so soon we shall drive back Sec. Sen. And shakes his threatening sword Against the walls of Athens. First Sen. Therefore, Timon, Tim. Well, sir, I will; therefore, I will, sir; thus: If Alcibiades kill my countrymen, Let Alcibiades know this of Timon, That Timon cares not. But if he sack fair Athens, And take our goodly aged men by the beards, 180 Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war; Then let him know, and tell him Timon speaks it, In pity of our aged and our youth, I cannot choose but tell him, that I care not, 180 While you have throats to answer: for myself, But I do prize it at my love before The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave To the protection of the prosperous gods, 190 Flav. Be Alcibiades your plague, you his, And last so long enough! First 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. First Sen. That's well spoke. Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen,— First Sen. These words become your lips as they pass thorough them. 202 Sec. Sen. And enter in our ears like great trium phers In their applauding gates. Tim. Commend me to them; I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' 210 wrath. First 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 To stop affliction, let him take his haste, Come hither ere my tree hath felt the ax, 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 220 217. "haste"; Pope, "taste"; Warburton conj. MS., "tatch"; Collier MS., "halter."-I. G. 219. This was suggested by a passage in Plutarch's Life of Antony, where it is said Timon addressed the people of Athens in similar terms from the public tribune in the market place. See the Introduction.-H. N. H. |