Complete Plays, The (149 page)

First Lady

My lord, you take us even at the best.

Apemantus

’Faith, for the worst is filthy; and would not hold taking, I doubt me.

Timon

Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you:
Please you to dispose yourselves.

All Ladies

Most thankfully, my lord.

Exeunt Cupid and Ladies

Timon

Flavius.

Flavius

My lord?

Timon

 
The little casket bring me hither.

Flavius

Yes, my lord. More jewels yet!
There is no crossing him in ’s humour;

Aside

Else I should tell him,— well, i’ faith I should,
When all’s spent, he ’ld be cross’d then, an he could.
’Tis pity bounty had not eyes behind,
That man might ne’er be wretched for his mind.

Exit

First Lord

Where be our men?

Servant

Here, my lord, in readiness.

Second Lord

Our horses!

Re-enter Flavius, with the casket

Timon

 
O my friends,
I have one word to say to you: look you, my good lord,
I must entreat you, honour me so much
As to advance this jewel; accept it and wear it,
Kind my lord.

First Lord

I am so far already in your gifts,—

All

So are we all.

Enter a Servant

Servant

My lord, there are certain nobles of the senate
Newly alighted, and come to visit you.

Timon

They are fairly welcome.

Flavius

I beseech your honour,
Vouchsafe me a word; it does concern you near.

Timon

Near! why then, another time I’ll hear thee:
I prithee, let’s be provided to show them entertainment.

Flavius

[Aside]
 
I scarce know how.

Enter a Second Servant

Second Servant

May it please your honour, Lord Lucius,
Out of his free love, hath presented to you
Four milk-white horses, trapp’d in silver.

Timon

I shall accept them fairly; let the presents
Be worthily entertain’d.

Enter a third Servant

How now! what news?

Third Servant

Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman, Lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him, and has sent your honour two brace of greyhounds.

Timon

I’ll hunt with him; and let them be received,
Not without fair reward.

Flavius

[Aside]
 
What will this come to?
He commands us to provide, and give great gifts,
And all out of an empty coffer:
Nor will he know his purse, or yield me this,
To show him what a beggar his heart is,
Being of no power to make his wishes good:
His promises fly so beyond his state
That what he speaks is all in debt; he owes
For every word: he is so kind that he now
Pays interest for ’t; his land’s put to their books.
Well, would I were gently put out of office
Before I were forced out!
Happier is he that has no friend to feed
Than such that do e’en enemies exceed.
I bleed inwardly for my lord.

Exit

Timon

You do yourselves
Much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits:
Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.

Second Lord

With more than common thanks I will receive it.

Third Lord

O, he’s the very soul of bounty!

Timon

And now I remember, my lord, you gave
Good words the other day of a bay courser
I rode on: it is yours, because you liked it.

Second Lord

O, I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, in that.

Timon

You may take my word, my lord; I know, no man
Can justly praise but what he does affect:
I weigh my friend’s affection with mine own;
I’ll tell you true. I’ll call to you.

All Lords

O, none so welcome.

Timon

I take all and your several visitations
So kind to heart, ’tis not enough to give;
Methinks, I could deal kingdoms to my friends,
And ne’er be weary. Alcibiades,
Thou art a soldier, therefore seldom rich;
It comes in charity to thee: for all thy living
Is ’mongst the dead, and all the lands thou hast
Lie in a pitch’d field.

Alcibiades

Ay, defiled land, my lord.

First Lord

We are so virtuously bound —

Timon

And so
Am I to you.

Second Lord

So infinitely endear’d —

Timon

All to you. Lights, more lights!

First Lord

The best of happiness,
Honour and fortunes, keep with you, Lord Timon!

Timon

Ready for his friends.

Exeunt all but Apemantus and Timon

Apemantus

What a coil’s here!
Serving of becks and jutting-out of bums!
I doubt whether their legs be worth the sums
That are given for ’em. Friendship’s full of dregs:
Methinks, false hearts should never have sound legs,
Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on court’sies.

Timon

Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen, I would be good to thee.

Apemantus

No, I’ll nothing: for if I should be bribed too, there would be none left to rail upon thee, and then thou wouldst sin the faster. Thou givest so long, Timon, I fear me thou wilt give away thyself in paper shortly: what need these feasts, pomps and vain-glories?

Timon

Nay, an you begin to rail on society once, I am sworn not to give regard to you. Farewell; and come with better music.

Exit

Apemantus

So:
Thou wilt not hear me now; thou shalt not then:
I’ll lock thy heaven from thee.
O, that men’s ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

Exit

A
CT
II

S
CENE
I. A S
ENATOR
’
S
HOUSE
.

Enter Senator, with papers in his hand

Senator

And late, five thousand: to Varro and to Isidore
He owes nine thousand; besides my former sum,
Which makes it five and twenty. Still in motion
Of raging waste? It cannot hold; it will not.
If I want gold, steal but a beggar’s dog,
And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold.
If I would sell my horse, and buy twenty more
Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon,
Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me, straight,
And able horses. No porter at his gate,
But rather one that smiles and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold: no reason
Can found his state in safety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say!

Enter Caphis

Caphis

Here, sir; what is your pleasure?

Senator

Get on your cloak, and haste you to Lord Timon;
Importune him for my moneys; be not ceased
With slight denial, nor then silenced when —
‘Commend me to your master’— and the cap
Plays in the right hand, thus: but tell him,
My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn
Out of mine own; his days and times are past
And my reliances on his fracted dates
Have smit my credit: I love and honour him,
But must not break my back to heal his finger;
Immediate are my needs, and my relief
Must not be toss’d and turn’d to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone:
Put on a most importunate aspect,
A visage of demand; for, I do fear,
When every feather sticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,
Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone.

Caphis

I go, sir.

Senator

‘I go, sir!’— Take the bonds along with you,
And have the dates in contempt.

Caphis

I will, sir.

Senator

Go.

Exeunt

S
CENE
II. T
HE
SAME
. A
HALL
IN
T
IMON
’
S
HOUSE
.

Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand

Flavius

No care, no stop! so senseless of expense,
That he will neither know how to maintain it,
Nor cease his flow of riot: takes no account
How things go from him, nor resumes no care
Of what is to continue: never mind
Was to be so unwise, to be so kind.
What shall be done? he will not hear, till feel:
I must be round with him, now he comes from hunting.
Fie, fie, fie, fie!

Enter Caphis, and the Servants of Isidore and Varro

Caphis

Good even, Varro: what,
You come for money?
Varro’s Servant Is’t not your business too?

Caphis

It is: and yours too, Isidore?
Isidore’s Servant It is so.

Caphis

Would we were all discharged!
Varro’s Servant I fear it.

Caphis

Here comes the lord.

Enter Timon, Alcibiades, and Lords, & c

Timon

So soon as dinner’s done, we’ll forth again,
My Alcibiades. With me? what is your will?

Caphis

My lord, here is a note of certain dues.

Timon

Dues! Whence are you?

Caphis

Of Athens here, my lord.

Timon

Go to my steward.

Caphis

Please it your lordship, he hath put me off
To the succession of new days this month:
My master is awaked by great occasion
To call upon his own, and humbly prays you
That with your other noble parts you’ll suit
In giving him his right.

Timon

Mine honest friend,
I prithee, but repair to me next morning.

Caphis

Nay, good my lord,—

Timon

Contain thyself, good friend.
Varro’s Servant One Varro’s servant, my good lord,—
Isidore’s Servant From Isidore;
He humbly prays your speedy payment.

Caphis

If you did know, my lord, my master’s wants —
Varro’s Servant ’Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks And past.
Isidore’s Servant Your steward puts me off, my lord;
And I am sent expressly to your lordship.

Timon

Give me breath.
I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on;
I’ll wait upon you instantly.

Exeunt Alcibiades and Lords

To Flavius

Come hither: pray you,
How goes the world, that I am thus encounter’d
With clamourous demands of date-broke bonds,
And the detention of long-since-due debts,
Against my honour?

Flavius

 
Please you, gentlemen,
The time is unagreeable to this business:
Your importunacy cease till after dinner,
That I may make his lordship understand
Wherefore you are not paid.

Timon

Do so, my friends. See them well entertain’d.

Exit

Flavius

Pray, draw near.

Exit

Enter Apemantus and Fool

Caphis

Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus: let’s ha’ some sport with ’em. Varro’s Servant Hang him, he’ll abuse us. Isidore’s Servant A plague upon him, dog! Varro’s Servant How dost, fool?

Apemantus

Dost dialogue with thy shadow?
Varro’s Servant I speak not to thee.

Apemantus

No,’tis to thyself.

To the Fool

Come away.
Isidore’s Servant There’s the fool hangs on your back already.

Apemantus

No, thou stand’st single, thou’rt not on him yet.

Caphis

Where’s the fool now?

Apemantus

He last asked the question. Poor rogues, and usurers’ men! bawds between gold and want!

All Servants

What are we, Apemantus?

Apemantus

Asses.

All Servants

Why?

Apemantus

That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves. Speak to ’em, fool.

Fool

How do you, gentlemen?

All Servants

Gramercies, good fool: how does your mistress?

Fool

She’s e’en setting on water to scald such chickens as you are. Would we could see you at Corinth!

Apemantus

Good! gramercy.

Enter Page

Fool

Look you, here comes my mistress’ page.

Page

[To the Fool]
 
Why, how now, captain! what do you in this wise company? How dost thou, Apemantus?

Apemantus

Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I might answer thee profitably.

Page

Prithee, Apemantus, read me the superscription of these letters: I know not which is which.

Apemantus

Canst not read?

Page

No.

Apemantus

There will little learning die then, that day thou art hanged. This is to Lord Timon; this to Alcibiades. Go; thou wast born a bastard, and thou’t die a bawd.

Page

Thou wast whelped a dog, and thou shalt famish a dog’s death. Answer not; I am gone.

Exit

Apemantus

E’en so thou outrunnest grace. Fool, I will go with you to Lord Timon’s.

Fool

Will you leave me there?

Apemantus

If Timon stay at home. You three serve three usurers?