Tim. Think not on't, sir.

2 Lord. If you had sent but two hours before,

Tim. Let it not cumber your better remembrance .— Come, bring in all together.

2 Lord. All covered dishes!

1 Lord. Royal cheer, I warrant you.

3 Lord. Doubt not that, if money and the season can yield it.

1 Lord. How do you? What's the news?

3 Lord. Alcibiades is banished: Hear you of it? 1 & 2 Lord. Alcibiades banished!

3 Lord. 'Tis so, be sure of it.

1 Lord. How? how?

2 Lord. I pray you, upon what?

Tim. My worthy friends, will you draw near? 3 Lord. I'll tell you more anon.

toward'.

2 Lord. This is the old man still.

3 Lord. Will't hold, will't hold?

Here's a noble feast

2 Lord. It does: but time will-and so3 Lord. I do conceive.

Tim. Each man to his stool, with that spur as he would to the lip of his mistress: your diet shall be in all places alike. Make not a city feast of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place: Sit, sit. The gods require our thanks.

You great benefactors, sprinkle our society with thankfulness. For your own gifts, make yourselves praised: but reserve still to give, lest your deities be despised. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another: for, were your godheads to borrow of men, men would forsake the gods. Make the meat be beloved, more than the man that gives it. Let no assembly of twenty be with

6 your better remembrance.] i. e. your good memory: the comparative for the positive degree.

7 Here's a noble feast toward.] i. e. in a state of readiness.

out a score of villains: If there sit twelve women at the table, let a dozen of them be-as they are.-The rest of your fees, O gods,—the senators of Athens, together with the common lag of people,-what is amiss in them, you gods, make suitable for destruction. For these my present friends, as they are to me nothing, so in nothing bless them, and to nothing they are welcome.

Uncover, dogs, and lap.

[The Dishes uncovered, are full of warm Water. Some speak. What does his lordship mean? Some other. I know not.

Tim. May you a better feast never behold,

You knot of mouth-friends! smoke, and luke-warm

water

Is your perfection. This is Timon's last;
Who stuck and spangled you with flatteries,
Washes it off, and sprinkles in your faces

[Throwing water in their faces.
Your reeking villainy. Live loath'd, and long,
Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,
Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time's flies',
Cap and knee slaves, vapours, and minute-jacks2,
Of man, and beast, the infinite malady'
Crust you quite o'er!-What, dost thou go?

3

Soft, take thy physick first-thou too,-and thou ;[Throws the Dishes at them, and drives them out.

8

the common lag

9 Is your perfection.] Your perfection is the highest of your excel

The fag-end of a web of cloth is, in some places, called the lag-end.

lence.

1

time's flies,] Flies of a season. JOHNSON.

2

minute-jacks,] A minute-jack is what was called formerly

a Jack of the clock-house; an image whose office was the same as

one of those at St. Dunstan's church, in Fleet-street.

3

the infinite malady-] Every kind of disease incident to man and beast.

-

Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.-
What, all in motion? Henceforth be no feast,
Whereat a villain's not a welcome guest.
Burn, house; sink, Athens! henceforth hated be
Of Timon, man, and all humanity.

[Exit.

Re-enter the Lords, with other Lords and Senators. 1 Lord. How now, my lords?

2 Lord. Know you the quality of lord Timon's fury? 3 Lord. Pish! did you see my cap?

4 Lord. I have lost my gown.

3 Lord. He's but a mad lord, and nought but humour sways him. He gave me a jewel the other day, and now he has beat it out of my hat:-Did you see my jewel?

4 Lord. Did you see my cap?

2 Lord. Here 'tis.

4 Lord. Here lies my gown.

1 Lord. Let's make no stay.

2 Lord. Lord Timon's mad.

3 Lord.

I feel't upon my bones.

4 Lord. One day he gives us diamonds, next day

stones.

ACT IV.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.-Without the Walls of Athens.

Enter TIMON.

Tim. Let me look back upon thee, O thou wall,
That girdlest in those wolves! Dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent;
Obedience fail in children! slaves, and fools,
Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench,
And minister in their steads! to general filths*

- general filths —] i. e. common sewers.

Convert o'the instant, green virginity!

Do't in your parents' eyes! bankrupts, hold fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,
And cut your trusters' throats! bound servants, steal!
Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law! maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy mistress is o'the brothel! son of sixteen,
Pluck the lin'd crutch from the old limping sire,
With it beat out his brains! piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestick awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs, and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries,
And yet confusion live!-Plagues, incident to men,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap
On Athens, ripe for stroke! thou cold sciatica,
Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners! lust and liberty'
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth;
That 'gainst the stream of virtue they may strive,
And drown themselves in riot! itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bosoms; and their crop
Be general leprosy! breath infect breath;
That their society, as their friendship, may
Be merely poison! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou détestable town!
Take thou that too, with multiplying banns!
Timon will to the woods; where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.

5

confounding contraries,] i. e. contrarieties whose nature it is to waste or destroy each other.

6

fusion.

7

8

yet confusion -] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, let con

liberty- Liberty is here used for libertinism.

multiplying banns!] i. e. accumulated curses. Multiplying for multiplied: the active participle with a passive signification.

The gods confound (hear me, you good gods all,)
The Athenians both within and out that wall!
And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may grow
To the whole race of mankind, high, and low!
Amen.

[Exit.

SCENE II.

Athens. A Room in Timon's House.

Enter FLAVIUS, with Two or Three Servants.

1 Serv. Hear you, master steward, where's our master? Are we undone? cast off? nothing remaining?

Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,

I am as poor as you.

1 Serv.

Such a house broke!

So noble a master fallen! All gone! and not
One friend, to take his fortune by the arm,
And go along with him!

2 Serv.

As we do turn our backs

From our companion, thrown into his grave;
So his familiars to his buried fortunes

Slink all away; leave their false vows with him,
Like empty purses pick'd: and his poor self,
A dedicated beggar to the air,

With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone.-More of our fellows.

Enter other Servants.

Flav. All broken implements of a ruin'd house.

• Enter Flavius,] Nothing contributes more to the exaltation of Timon's character than the zeal and fidelity of his servants. Nothing but real virtue can be honoured by domesticks; nothing but impartial kindness can gain affection from dependants.

VOL. VI.

G g