I must needs appear.
Second Lord In like manner was I in debt to my importunate
business, but he would not hear my excuse. I am
sorry, when he sent to borrow of me, that my
provision was out.
First Lord I am sick of that grief too, as I understand how all
things go.
Second Lord Every man here’s so. What would he have borrowed of
you?
First Lord A thousand pieces.
Second Lord A thousand pieces!
First Lord What of you?
Second Lord He sent to me, sir,–Here he comes.
Enter TIMON and Attendants
TIMON With all my heart, gentlemen both; and how fare you?
First Lord Ever at the best, hearing well of your lordship.
Second Lord The swallow follows not summer more willing than we
your lordship.
TIMON [Aside]
Nor more willingly leaves winter; such
summer-birds are men. Gentlemen, our dinner will not
recompense this long stay: feast your ears with the
music awhile, if they will fare so harshly o’ the
trumpet’s sound; we shall to ‘t presently.
First Lord I hope it remains not unkindly with your lordship
that I returned you an empty messenger.
TIMON O, sir, let it not trouble you.
Second Lord My noble lord,–
TIMON Ah, my good friend, what cheer?
Second Lord My most honourable lord, I am e’en sick of shame,
that, when your lordship this other day sent to me,
I was so unfortunate a beggar.
TIMON Think not on ‘t, sir.
Second Lord If you had sent but two hours before,–
TIMON Let it not cumber your better remembrance.
The banquet brought in
Come, bring in all together.
Second Lord All covered dishes!
First Lord Royal cheer, I warrant you.
Third Lord Doubt not that, if money and the season can yield
it.
First Lord How do you? What’s the news?
Third Lord Alcibiades is banished: hear you of it?
First Lord, Second Lord Alcibiades banished!
Third Lord ‘Tis so, be sure of it.
First Lord How! how!
Second Lord I pray you, upon what?
TIMON My worthy friends, will you draw near?
Third Lord I’ll tell you more anon. Here’s a noble feast toward.
Second Lord This is the old man still.
Third Lord Will ‘t hold? will ‘t hold?
Second Lord It does: but time will–and so–
Third Lord I do conceive.
TIMON 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 without
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 are they welcome.
Uncover, dogs, and lap.
The dishes are uncovered and seen to be full of warm water
Some Speak What does his lordship mean?
Some Others I know not.
TIMON May you a better feast never behold,
You knot of mouth-friends I smoke and lukewarm water
Is your perfection. This is Timon’s last;
Who, stuck and spangled with your flatteries,
Washes it off, and sprinkles in your faces
Your reeking villany.
Throwing the water in their faces
Live loathed 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-jacks!
Of man and beast the infinite malady
Crust you quite o’er! What, dost thou go?
Soft! take thy physic first–thou too–and thou;–
Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.
Throws the dishes at them, and drives them out
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, Senators, &c
First Lord How now, my lords!
Second Lord Know you the quality of Lord Timon’s fury?
Third Lord Push! did you see my cap?
Fourth Lord I have lost my gown.
First Lord He’s but a mad lord, and nought but humour sways him.
He gave me a jewel th’ other day, and now he has
beat it out of my hat: did you see my jewel?
Third Lord Did you see my cap?
Second Lord Here ’tis.
Fourth Lord Here lies my gown.
First Lord Let’s make no stay.
Second Lord Lord Timon’s mad.
Third Lord I feel ‘t upon my bones.
Fourth Lord One day he gives us diamonds, next day stones.
Exeunt
Act 4
Scene 1
Without the walls of Athens.
Enter TIMON
TIMON 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
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 lined crutch from thy old limping sire,
With it beat out his brains! Piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestic awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs, and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries,
And let 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,
at their society, as their friendship, may
merely poison! Nothing I’ll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou detestable town!
Take thou that too, with multiplying bans!
Timon will to the woods; where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.
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 2
Athens. A room in Timon’s house.
Enter FLAVIUS, with two or three Servants
First Servant Hear you, master steward, where’s our master?
Are we undone? cast off? nothing remaining?
FLAVIUS Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you?
Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,
I am as poor as you.
First Servant Such a house broke!
So noble a master fall’n! All gone! and not
One friend to take his fortune by the arm,
And go along with him!
Second Servant 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
FLAVIUS All broken implements of a ruin’d house.
Third Servant Yet do our hearts wear Timon’s livery;
That see I by our faces; we are fellows still,
Serving alike in sorrow: leak’d is our bark,
And we, poor mates, stand on the dying deck,
Hearing the surges threat: we must all part
Into this sea of air.
FLAVIUS Good fellows all,
The latest of my wealth I’ll share amongst you.
Wherever we shall meet, for Timon’s sake,
Let’s yet be fellows; let’s shake our heads, and say,
As ’twere a knell unto our master’s fortunes,
‘We have seen better days.’ Let each take some;
Nay, put out all your hands. Not one word more:
Thus part we rich in sorrow, parting poor.
Servants embrace, and part several ways
O, the fierce wretchedness that glory brings us!
Who would not wish to be from wealth exempt,
Since riches point to misery and contempt?
Who would be so mock’d with glory? or to live
But in a dream of friendship?