TIM.

Does she love him?

OLD ATH. She is young and apt:
Our own precedent passions do instruct us
What levity's in youth.

TIM. [TO LUCILIUS.] Love you the maid?

Luc. Ay, my good lorul, and she accepts of it.

OLD ATH. If in her marriage my consent be missing,
I call the gods to witness, I will choose

Mine heir from forth the beggars of the world,
And dispossess her all.

TIM.

How shall she be endow'd,

If she be mated with an equal husband?

OLD ATH. Three talents on the present; in future, all.
TIM. This gentleman of mine hath serv'd me long;

To build his fortune I will strain a little,

For 't is a bond in men. Give him thy daughter:
What you bestow, in him I'll counterpoise,

And make him weigh with her.

OLD ATH.

Most noble lord,

Pawn me to this your honour, she is his.

TIM. My hand to thee; mine honour on my promise.
Luc. Humbly I thank your lordship: never may

That state or fortune fall into my keeping,

Which is not ow'd to you! [Exeunt LUCILIUS and old Athenian. POET. Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your lordship!

TIM. I thank you; you shall hear from me anon:

Go not away. What have you there, my friend?

PAIN. A piece of painting, which I do beseech Your lordship to accept.

TIM.

Painting is welcome.
The painting is almost the natural man ;
For since dishonour traffics with man's nature,
He is but outside: these pencill'd figures are
Even such as they give out. I like your work;
And you shall find I like it: wait attendance
you hear further from me.

Till

PAIN.

The gods preserve ye! TIM. Well fare you, gentleman: give me your hand; We must needs dine together.-Sir, your jewel

Hath suffered under praise.

JEW.

What, my lord! dispraise?

My lord, 't is rated

TIM. A mere satiety of commendations. If I should pay you for 't as 't is extoll'd, It would unclew me quite.

JEW.

As those which sell would give: but you well know,
Things of like value, differing in the owners,

Are prized by their masters: believe 't, dear lord,

You mend the jewel by the wearing it.

Are prized by their masters:] "Are rated according to the esteem in which their possessor is held."-JOHNSON.

TIM.

Well mock'd.

MER. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue,

Which all men speak with him.

TIM. Look, who comes here: will you be chid?

He'll spare none.

TIM. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus!

APEM. Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good morrow;

When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honest.

TIM. Why dost thou call them knaves? thou know'st them not.

APEM. Are they not Athenians?

TIM. Yes.

APEM. Then I repent not.

JEW. You know me, Apemantus?

APEM. Thou know'st I do; I call'd thee by thy name.

TIM. Thou art proud, Apemantus.

APEM. Of nothing so much, as that I am not like Timon.
TIM. Whither art going?

APEM. To knock out an honest Athenian's brains.

TIM. That's a deed thou 'lt die for.

APEM. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law.

TIM. How likest thou this picture, Apemantus?

APEM. The best, for the innocence.

TIM. Wrought he not well, that painted it?

APEM. He wrought better that made the painter; and yet he's but

a filthy piece of work.

PAIN. You are a dog.

APEM. Thy mother's of my generation; what's she, if I be a dog? TIM. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus?

APEM. No; I eat not lords.

TIM. An thou shouldst, thou 'dst anger ladies.

APEM. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies.

TIM. That's a lascivious apprehension.

APEM. So thou apprehend'st it, take it for thy labour.a

TIM. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus?

APEM. Not so well as plain-dealing, which will not cost*

doit.

TIM. What dost thou think 't is worth?

APEM. Not worth my thinking.-How now, poet!

POET. How now, philosopher!

APEM. Thou liest.

POET. Art not one?

a man a

APEM. Yes.

POET. Then I lie not.

APEM. Art not a poet?

POET. Yes.

(*) Old text, cast.

So thou apprehend'st it, take it, &c.] That is, In whatever sense thou apprehend'st it, take it, &c.

APEM. Then thou liest: look in thy last work, where thou hast feigned him a worthy fellow.

POET. That's not feigned; he is so.

APEM. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy labour: he that loves to be flattered is worthy o' the flatterer. Heavens, that I were a lord!

TIM. What wouldst do then, Apemantus?

APEM. Even as Apemantus does now,-hate a lord with my heart. TIM. What, thyself?

APEM. Ay.

TIM. Wherefore?

APEM. That I had no angry wit to be a lord.-a Art not thou a merchant?

MER. Ay, Apemantus.

APEM. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not!

MER. If traffic do it, the gods do it.

APEM. Traffic's thy god, and thy god confound thee!

Trumpet sounds. Enter a Servant.

TIM. What trumpet's that?

SERV. 'Tis Alcibiades, and some twenty horse,

All of companionship.

TIM. Pray, entertain them; give them guide to us.—

[Exeunt some Attendants.

You must needs dine with me.-Go not you hence,

*

Till I have thank'd you; and when dinner's done,
Show me this piece.-I am joyful of your sights.-

• Enter ALCIBIADES, with his Company.

Most welcome, sir!
APEM.

So, so; there!—b

Aches contract and starve your supple joints!—

[They salute.

That there should be small love 'mongst these sweet knaves,
And all this court'sy! The strain of man's bred out

Into baboon and monkey.

ALCIB. Sir, you have sav'd my longing, and I feed Most hungerly on your sight.

TIM.

Right welcome, sir!

(*) First folio omits, and.

That I had no angry wit to be a lord.-] This appears to be an incorrigible corruption. Warburton proposed, "That I had so hungry a wit to be a lord." MasonThat I had an angry wish to be a lord." And Mr. Collier's annotator reads, "That I had so hungry a wish to be a lord." No one of these, or of many other emendations which have been proposed, is sufficiently plausible to deserve a place in the text. We leave the passage, therefore, as it stands in the old copy, merely suggesting that be may have been misprinted for bay; "That I had no angry wit to bay a lord." The meaning being, he should hate himself, because, by his elevation, he had lost the privilege of reviling rank. In a subsequent scene, he says,-"No, I'll nothing: for, if I should be bribed too, there would be none left to rail upon thee;" &c.

b So, so; there! &c.] This speech is printed as prose in the old text, and begins, So, so; their Aches contract," &c. The present arrangement was made by Capell.

a

Ere we depart, we'll share a bounteous time
In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.

[Exeunt all except APEMANTUS.

Enter Two Lords.

1 LORD. What time o' day is 't, Apemantus?

APEM. Time to be honest.

1 LORD. That time serves still.

APEM. The most accursed thou, that still omitt'st it.

2 LORD. Thou art going to lord Timon's feast?

APEM. Ay; to see meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools.

2 LORD. Fare thee well, fare thee well.

APEM. Thou art a fool to bid me farewell twice.

2 LORD. Why, Apemantus?

APEM. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee

none.

1 LORD. Hang thyself!

APEM. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend.

2 LORD. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence! APEM. I will fly, like a dog, the heels o' the ass.

*

1 LORD. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes

The very heart of kindness.

2 LORD. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold,

Is but his steward: no meed,b but he repays

Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him,

But breeds the giver a return, exceeding

All use of quittance.c

1 LORD.

The noblest mind he carries,

That ever govern'd man.

2 LORD. Long may he live in fortunes! Shall we in?

1 LORD. I'll keep you company.

[Exit.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The same. A Room of State in Timon's House. Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet served in; FLAVIUS and others attending; then enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, Lords, Senators, and VENTIDIUS. Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly, like himself.

VEN. Most honour'd Timon,

Depart,--] Separate, part.

(*) First folio, Comes.

b Meed,-] Here, as in other places, Shakespeare uses meed in the sense of merit, or desert. See Henry VI. Part III." Act II. Sc. 1:—

"Each one already blazing by our meeds."

And a passage in Act IV. Sc. 8, of the same play,

"That's not my fear; my meed hath got me fame."

So also in "Hamlet," Act V. Sc. 2:

"but in the imputation laid on him by them, in his meed he's unfellowed." All use of quittance.] All customary requital.

It hath pleas'd the gods to remember my father's age,
And call him to long peace.

He is gone happy, and has left me rich:

Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound

To your free heart, I do return those talents,
Doubled with thanks and service, from whose help
I deriv'd liberty.

TIM.

O, by no means;

Honest Ventidius, you mistake my love;
I gave it freely ever, and there's none
Can truly say he gives, if he receives:

If our betters play at that game, we must not dare
To imitate them; faults that are rich are fair.

VEN. A noble spirit.

[They all stand ceremoniously looking on TIMON.
TIM. Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devis'd at first,
To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodness, sorry ere 't is shown;

But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes,
Than my fortunes to me.

1 LORD. My lord, we always have confess'd it.
APEM. Ho, ho, confess'd it! hang'd it, have you not ?a
TIM. O, Apemantus!-you are welcome.

APEM. No, you shall not make me welcome:

I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.

TIM. Fie, thou 'rt a churl; you've got a humour there Does not become a man, 't is much to blame :

They say, my lords, ira furor brevis est,

But yond' man is everb angry.

Go, let him have a table by himself;

For he does neither affect company,

Nor is he fit for it, indeed.

APEM. Let me stay at thine apperil, Timon;

I come to observe; I give thee warning on 't.

[They sit.

TIM. I take no heed of thee; thou art an Athenian, therefore welcome: I myself would have no power: pr'ythee, let my meat make thee silent.

APEM. I scorn thy meat; 't would choke me, for I should ne'er flatter thee. O you gods! what a number of men eat Timon, and he sees "em not! It grieves me to see so many dip their meat in one man's blood; and all the madness is, he cheers them up too.

I wonder men dare trust themselves with men :

Methinks they should invite them without knives;

Good for their meat, and safer for their lives.

Confess'd it! hang'd it, have you not?] An allusion, not unfrequent with the writers of the Elizabethan era, to a familiar proverbial saying, "Confess and be hang'd." Shakespeare again refers to it in "Othello," Act IV. Sc. 1:

"to confess, and be hang'd for his labour."

↳ But yond man is ever angry.] The original reads, rerie angry; corrected by Rowe.