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 Ser. 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 Ser.

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

As we do turn our backs

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.

9 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.

3 Serv. 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.

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 out heads, and say,
As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes,

We have seen better days. Let each take some;

"

[Giving them money. Nay, put out all your hands. Not one word more : Thus part we rich in sorrow, parting poor.

[Exeunt Servants. 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'd be so mock'd with glory? or to live But in a dream of friendship?

2

To have his pomp, and all what state compounds,
But only painted, like his varnish'd friends?
Poor honest lord, brought low by his own heart;
Undone by goodness! Strange, unusual blood,
When man's worst sin is, he does too much good!
Who then dares to be half so kind again?
For bounty, that makes gods, does still mar men.
My dearest lord,- bless'd, to be most accurs'd,
Rich, only to be wretched; thy great fortunes
Are made thy chief afflictions. Alas, kind lord!
He's flung in rage from this ungrateful seat

Of monstrous friends: nor has he with him to

10, the fierce wretchedness-] Fierce is here used for hasty, precipitale.

2

Strange, unusual blood,] Strange, unusual blood, may mean strange, unusual disposition.

Supply his life, or that which can command it.

best will;

I'll follow, and enquire him out:
I'll ever serve his mind with my
Whilst I have gold, I'll be his steward still.

SCENE III.

[Exit.

The Woods.

Enter TIMON.

Tim. O blessed breeding sun, draw from the earth Rotten humidity; below thy sister's orb

Infect the air! Twinn'd brothers of one womb,

Whose procreation, residence, and birth,

Scarce is dividant, - touch them with several fortunes;

The greater scorns the lesser: Not nature,

To whom all sores lay siege, can bear great fortune,

But by contempt of nature.1

Raise me this beggar, and denude that lord;+
The senator shall bear contempt hereditary,

The beggar native honour.

It is the pasture lards the brother's sides,

The want that makes him lean. Who dares, who dares,

In purity of manhood stand upright,

And say, This man's a flatterer? if one be,

3—

world.

4

below thy sister's orb] that is, the moon's, this sublunary

Not nature,

To whom all sores lay siege, can bear great fortune,

But by contempt of nature.] Mr. M. Mason observes, that this passage "but by the addition of a single letter may be rendered clearly intelligible; by merely reading natures instead of nature.” The meaning will then be - "Not even beings reduced to the utmost extremity of wretchedness, can bear good fortune, without contemning their fellow-creatures."

+"deny't that lord;" –

So are they all; for every grize of fortune 5
Is smooth'd by that below: the learned pate
Ducks to the golden fool: All is oblique ;
There's nothing level in our cursed natures,
But direct villainy. Therefore be abhorr❜d
All feasts, societies, and throngs of men!
His semblable, yea himself, Timon disdains:
Destruction fang mankind! — Earth, yield me roots!

[Digging.

Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate
With thy most operant poison! What is here?
Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, gods,
I am no idle votarist. Roots, you clear heavens ! 8
Thus much of this, will make black, white; foul, fair;
Wrong, right; base, noble; old, young; coward, va-

liant.

Ha, you gods! why this? What this, you gods? Why

this

Will lug your priests and servants from your sides;
Pluck stout men's pillows from below their heads:
This yellow slave

Will knit and break religions; bless the accurs'd;
Make the hoar leprosy ador'd; place thieves,
And give them title, knee, and approbation,
With senators on the bench; this is it,
That makes the wappen'd widow wed again;
She, whom the spital-house, and ulcerous sores
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices
To the April day again. Come, damned earth,

5

for every grize of fortune-] Grize for step or degree.

6 fang mankind!] i. e. seize, gripe.

7 — no idle votarist.] No insincere or inconstant supplicant. Gold will not serve me instead of roots.

8 you clear heavens!] This may mean either ye cloudless skies, or ye deities exempt from guilt.

9 To the April day again.] The April day does not relate to the widow, but to the other diseased female, who is represented as the