Flav. Pray you walk near, I'll speak with you anon. [Exeunt Creditors, Apemantus, and Fool. Tim. You make me marvel; wherefore, ere this time, Had you not fully laid my ftate before me?

That I might fo have rated my expence,

As I had leave of means.

Flav. You would not hear me : At many leifures I propos'd.

Tim. Go to:

Perchance, fome fingle vantages you took,
When my indifpofition put you back:
And that unaptnefs made you minifter
Thus to excufe yourself.

Flav. O my good Lord,

At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And fay, you found them in mine honesty.

When, for fome trifling prefent, you have bid me
Return fo much, I've fhook my head, and wept;
Yea, 'gainst th' authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more clofe. I did endure
Not feldom, nor no flight checks; when I have
Prompted you in the ebb of your eftate,

1

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 prefent debts.

Tn. Let all my land be fold.

Flav. 'Tis all engag'd, fome forfeited and gone :
And what remains will hardly ftop the mouth
Of prefent dues; the future comes apace:
What fhall defend the interim, and at length
How goes our reck'ning? (14)

Tim.

(14) How goes our reck'ning?] Mr. Wa-burton gave me fo ingenious a conjecture on this paffage, that tho' I have not ventur'd, against the authority of all the books, to infert it in the text, I cannot but give it a place here. "This fteward, (fays he) methinks, talks very "wildly. His mafter, indeed, might well have afk'd, Horv goes our "reck'ning? But the fteward was too well fatisfied in this question: "I would read, therefore,

"Hold

Tim. To Lacedæmom did my land extend.

Flav. 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.

Flav. If you fufpect my husbandry or falfhood;
Call me before th' exacteft auditors,

And fet me on the proof. So the gods blefs me,
When all our offices have been oppreft

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken fpilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelfy;
I have retir'd me to a wafteful cocl:,

And fet mine eyes at flow.

Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.

Flav. Heav'ns! have I faid, the bounty of this Lord! How many prodigal bits have flaves and peasants This night englutted! who now is not Timon's? What heart,head, fword, 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 praife is made: Feaft-won, faft-loft: one cloud of winter showers, These flies are coucht.

Tim. Come, fermon me no further.

No villainous bounty yet hath past my heart;
Unwifely, not ignobly, have I given.

Why dost thou weep? canft thou the confcience lack,
To think I fhall lack friends? fecure thy heart;

If I would broach the veffels 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.

Flav. Affurance bless your thoughts!

"Hold good our reck'ning?"

If the text, however, fhould be without fault, in this manner it must be expounded, Sir, we have not enough left hardly to fatisfy prefent demands; and others are drawing on apace: how fhall we guard against intervening dangers, and what a deplorable reckoning will things come to at last? 4

Tim. And in some fort these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them bleffings; for by these Shall I try friends. You fhall perceive how you Miftake my fortunes: in my friends I'm wealthy. Within there, ho! Flaminius, Servilius!

Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other Servants. Serv. My Lord, my Lord.

Tim. I will difpatch you fev'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, fay, that my occafions have found time to use 'em toward a fupply of money; let the request be fifty talents.

Flam. As you have faid, my Lord. Flav. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? humTim. Go, you, Sir, to the Senators; [To Flavius. Of whom, even to the ftate's best health, I have Deferv'd this hearing; bid 'em send o' th' instant A thoufand talents to me.

Flav. 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 fhake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Tim. Is't true? can't be ?

Flav. They anfwer in a joint and corporate voice, That now they are at fall, want treasure, cannot Do what they would; are forry--You are honourableBut yet they could have wifht-they know notSomething hath been amifs-a noble nature

May catch a wrench--would all were well-'tis pity-
And fo intending other ferious matters,

After diftafteful looks, and these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods, (15)
They

(15) Cold-moving nods,] All the editions exhibit these as two dif tinet adjectives, to the prejudice of the author's meaning: but they must be join'd by an byphen, and make a compound adjective out of a substantive and a participle, and then we have the true fenfe of the place; cold-moving, cold-provoking, nods so discouraging that they

G 2

chill'd

They froze me into filence.

Thefe old fellows

Tim. You gods reward them!
I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly.
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary:
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it feldom flows,
'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 fad,
Thou'rt true, and juft; ingenuously I fpeak,
No blame belongs to thee: Ventidius lately
Bury'd his father, by whofe 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;
Bid him fuppofe, fome good neceffity

Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd
With thofe five talents. That had, give't thefe fellows
To whom 'tis inftant due. Ne'er speak, or think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can fink.
Stew. Would, I could not; that thought is bounty's foe;
Being free itself, it thinks all others fo.

I

[Exeunt.

SCENE, Lucullus's House in Athens.

Flaminius waiting, Enter a Servant to him.

SERVANT.

Have told my Lord of you; he is coming down to you.
Flam. I thank you, Sir.

Enter Lucullus.

Ser. Here's my Lord.

chill'd the very ardour of our petition, and froze us into filence. We meet with a compound, exactly form'd like this, in K. John, Act 2. where Lady Confiance fays;

His grandam's wrong, and not his mother's fhames,
Draws thofe heav'n-moving pearls from his poor eyes.

Lucul.

Lucul. One of Lord Timon's men; a gift, I warrant— Why, this hits right: I dreamt of a filver bafon and ewre to-night. Flaminius, honeft 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 mafter?

Flam. His health is well, Sir.

Lucul. I am right glad that his health is well, Sir; and what haft thou there under thy cloak, pretty Flaminius? Flam. Faith, nothing but an empty box, Sir, which my Lord's behalf, I come to entreat your honour to fupply; who having great and inftant occafion to use fifty talents, hath fent to your Lordship to furnish him, nothing doubting your prefent affiftance therein.

in

Lucul. La, la, la, la,-Nothing doubting, fays he? alas, good Lord, a noble gentleman 'tis, if he would not keep fo good a houfe. Many a time and often I ha' din'd with him, and told him on't; and come again to fupper to him, on purpose to have him fpend lefs. And yet he would embrace no counfel, take no warning by my coming; every man hath his fault, and honefty is his. I ha' told him on't, but I could never get him from't.

Enter a Servant, with wine.

Ser. Please your Lordship, here is the wine. Lucul. Flaminius, I have noted thee always wife. Here's to thee.

Flam. Your Lordship fpeaks your pleasure.

Lucul. I have obferv'd thee always for a towardly prompt fpirit, give thee thy due: and one that knows what belongs to reafon; and canft ufe the time well, if the time ufe 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 wife, and thou knoweft well enough (altho' thou comeft to me) that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship without fecurity.

G 3