Second Sen.

So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble message and by promis'd means:
We were not all unkind, nor all deserve

The common stroke of war.

First Sen.

These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands from whom

You have receiv'd your griefs; nor are they such

20

That these great towers, trophies, and schools should

fall

For private faults in them.

Second Sen.

Nor are they living
Who were the motives that you first went out;
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,

Into our city with thy banners spread :

By decimation, and a tithed death,

If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature loathes, take thou the destin'd tenth,

28. Shame

26

30

24. griefs] Theobald; greefe Ff 1, 2; grief Ff 3, 4. excess] Theobald (Shame that they wanted, cunning in excesse) F 1; Shame (that they wanted cunning in excesse) Ff 2, 3, 4.

That he is worshipp'd in a baser temple

Than where swine feed!

51

'Tis thou that rigg'st the bark and plough'st the foam, Settlest admired reverence in a slave:

To thee be worship; and thy saints for aye

Be crown'd with plagues that thee alone obey.
Fit I meet them.

Poet. Hail, worthy Timon!

Pain.

55

[Advancing.

Our late noble master!

бо

Tim. Have I once liv'd to see two honest men?
Poet. Sir,

Having often of your open bounty tasted,
Hearing you were retired, your friends fall'n off,
Whose thankless natures-O abhorred spirits!
Not all the whips of heaven are large enough—
What! to you,

Whose star-like nobleness gave life and influence

65

To their whole being! I am rapt, and cannot cover
The monstrous bulk of this ingratitude

With any size of words.

Tim. Let it go naked, men may see 't the better:

70

55. worship] Rowe; worshipt Ff 1, 2, 3; worship't F 4. 64. enough-] Rowe; enough, Ff 2, 3, 4. 70. go naked, men] Theobald, go, Naked men Ff.

Pain.

Tim.

You that are honest, by being what you are,
Make them best seen and known.

He and myself

Have travell'd in the great shower of your gifts,
And sweetly felt it.

75

Ay, you are honest men. Pain. We are hither come to offer you our service. Tim. Most honest men! Why, how shall I requite you? Can you eat roots and drink cold water? no. Both. What we can do, we'll do, to do you service.

Tim. Ye're honest men.

Ye've heard that I have gold;

I am sure you have: speak truth; ye're honest men. Pain. So it is said, my noble lord; but therefore

Came not my friend nor I.

Tim. Good honest men! Thou draw'st a counterfeit
Best in all Athens: thou 'rt, indeed, the best;

Thou counterfeit'st most lively.

81

Pain.
So, so, my lord. 85
Tim. E'en so, sir, as I say. And, for thy fiction,
Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth
That thou art even natural in thine art.
But, for all this, my honest-natur'd friends,
I must needs say you have a little fault:
Marry, 'tis not monstrous in you, neither wish I
You take much pains to mend.

90

79. Ye're . ye've] Dyce, Y'are . . 73. Have gifts] have had full experience of the plenteous rain of your generosity; cp. line 16, above, "to load our purposes with what they may travail

for.'

88. That thou . . art] that even in that which is a work of art you show yourself in your true nature, sc. that of a hypocrite.

Tim. There's never a one of you but trusts a knave,

Both.

That mightily deceives you.

Do we, my lord?

Tim. Ay, and you hear him cog, see him dissemble,
Know his gross patchery, love him, feed him,
Keep in your bosom; yet remain assured

That he's a made-up villain.

Pain. I know none such, my lord.

Poet.

Nor I.

Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you gold,

Rid me these villains from your companies:

100

Hang them or stab them, drown them in a draught, 105
Confound them by some course, and come to me,
I'll give you gold enough.

Both. Name them, my lord; let's know them.

Tim. You that way and you this, but two in company;

Each man apart, all single and alone,
Yet an arch-villain keeps him company.

98. cog] deceive; sometimes used transitively, as in Marston, Antonio and Mellida, Pt. I. III. i. 99, "to cog a die." 99. patchery] knavish contrivance; cp. Troilus and Cressida, 11. iii. 77, "Here is such patchery, such juggling and such knavery."

101. made-up] complete; cp. Richard III. I. i. 21, 66 scarce half made up"; Cymbeline, v. ii. 109, "being scarce made up, I mean, to man"; Heywood, The English Traveller, III. i., "So every way accomplished and made up."

I 10

105. draught] a jakes; cp. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels,v. ii., “You shall bury them in a muckhill, a draught"; Marston, The Malcontent, IV. ii. 143, "'tis but the draught wherein the heavenly bodies discharge their corruption."

109. but. company] but still two together; for, as he goes on to explain, though they are apart, yet with each of them " an arch-villain keeps him company." Hanmer's alteration of " but " to "not" utterly spoils the humour of the passage.

If, where thou art, two villains shall not be,

Come not near him. If thou would'st not reside

But where one villain is, then him abandon.

Hence! pack! there's gold; you came for gold, ye
slaves :

You have work for me, there's payment: hence!
You are an alchemist, make gold of that.

Out, rascal dogs!

115

[Beats them out and then retires to 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,
Is friendly with him.

First Sen.

Bring us to his cave:

It is our part and promise to the Athenians
To speak with Timon.

Second Sen.

Flav.

At all times alike

I 20

Men are not still the same: 'twas time and griefs 125
That framed him thus: time, with his fairer hand,

Offering the fortunes of his former days,

The former man may make him. Bring us to him,
And chance it as it may.

Here is his cave.

Peace and content be here! Lord Timon! Timon! 130
Look out, and speak to friends: the Athenians,