Complete Plays, The (150 page)

All Servants

Ay; would they served us!

Apemantus

So would I,— as good a trick as ever hangman served thief.

Fool

Are you three usurers’ men?

All Servants

Ay, fool.

Fool

I think no usurer but has a fool to his servant: my mistress is one, and I am her fool. When men come to borrow of your masters, they approach sadly, and go away merry; but they enter my mistress’ house merrily, and go away sadly: the reason of this? Varro’s Servant I could render one.

Apemantus

Do it then, that we may account thee a whoremaster and a knave; which not-withstanding, thou shalt be no less esteemed. Varro’s Servant What is a whoremaster, fool?

Fool

A fool in good clothes, and something like thee. ’Tis a spirit: sometime’t appears like a lord; sometime like a lawyer; sometime like a philosopher, with two stones moe than’s artificial one: he is very often like a knight; and, generally, in all shapes that man goes up and down in from fourscore to thirteen, this spirit walks in. Varro’s Servant Thou art not altogether a fool.

Fool

Nor thou altogether a wise man: as much foolery as
I have, so much wit thou lackest.

Apemantus

That answer might have become Apemantus.

All Servants

Aside, aside; here comes Lord Timon.

Re-enter Timon and Flavius

Apemantus

Come with me, fool, come.

Fool

I do not always follow lover, elder brother and woman; sometime the philosopher.

Exeunt Apemantus and Fool

Flavius

Pray you, walk near: I’ll speak with you anon.

Exeunt Servants

Timon

You make me marvel: wherefore ere this time
Had you not fully laid my state before me,
That I might so have rated my expense,
As I had leave of means?

Flavius

You would not hear me,
At many leisures I proposed.

Timon

Go to:
Perchance some single vantages you took.
When my indispos ition put you back:
And that unaptness made your minister,
Thus to excuse yourself.

Flavius

O my good lord,
At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And say, you found them in mine honesty.
When, for some trifling present, you have bid me
Return so much, I have shook my head and wept;
Yea, ’gainst the authority of manners, pray’d you
To hold your hand more close: I did endure
Not seldom, nor no slight cheques, when I have
Prompted you in the ebb of your estate
And your great flow of debts. My loved lord,
Though you hear now, too late — yet now’s a time —
The greatest of your having lacks a half
To pay your present debts.

Timon

Let all my land be sold.

Flavius

’Tis all engaged, some forfeited and gone;
And what remains will hardly stop the mouth
Of present dues: the future comes apace:
What shall defend the interim? and at length
How goes our reckoning?

Timon

To Lacedaemon did my land extend.

Flavius

O my good lord, the world is but a word:
Were it all yours to give it in a breath,
How quickly were it gone!

Timon

You tell me true.

Flavius

If you suspect my husbandry or falsehood,
Call me before the exactest auditors
And set me on the proof. So the gods bless me,
When all our offices have been oppress’d
With riotous feeders, when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine, when every room
Hath blazed with lights and bray’d with minstrelsy,
I have retired me to a wasteful cock,
And set mine eyes at flow.

Timon

Prithee, no more.

Flavius

Heavens, have I said, the bounty of this lord!
How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants
This night englutted! Who is not Timon’s?
What heart, head, sword, force, means, but is
Lord Timon’s?
Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon!
Ah, when the means are gone that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made:
Feast-won, fast-lost; one cloud of winter showers,
These flies are couch’d.

Timon

Come, sermon me no further:
No villanous bounty yet hath pass’d my heart;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.
Why dost thou weep? Canst thou the conscience lack,
To think I shall lack friends? Secure thy heart;
If I would broach the vessels of my love,
And try the argument of hearts by borrowing,
Men and men’s fortunes could I frankly use
As I can bid thee speak.

Flavius

Assurance bless your thoughts!

Timon

And, in some sort, these wants of mine are crown’d,
That I account them blessings; for by these
Shall I try friends: you shall perceive how you
Mistake my fortunes; I am wealthy in my friends.
Within there! Flaminius! Servilius!

Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other Servants

Servants

My lord? my lord?

Timon

I will dispatch you severally; you to Lord Lucius; to Lord Lucullus you: I hunted with his honour to-day: you, to Sempronius: commend me to their loves, and, I am proud, say, that my occasions have found time to use ’em toward a supply of money: let the request be fifty talents.

Flaminius

As you have said, my lord.

Flavius

[Aside]
 
Lord Lucius and Lucullus? hum!

Timon

Go you, sir, to the senators —
Of whom, even to the state’s best health, I have
Deserved this hearing — bid ’em send o’ the instant
A thousand talents to me.

Flavius

I have been bold —
For that I knew it the most general way —
To them to use your signet and your name;
But they do shake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Timon

Is’t true? can’t be?

Flavius

They answer, in a joint and corporate voice,
That now they are at fall, want treasure, cannot
Do what they would; are sorry — you are honourable,—
But yet they could have wish’d — they know not —
Something hath been amiss — a noble nature
May catch a wrench — would all were well —’tis pity;—
And so, intending other serious matters,
After distasteful looks and these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps and cold-moving nods
They froze me into silence.

Timon

You gods, reward them!
Prithee, man, look cheerly. These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary:
Their blood is caked, ’tis cold, it seldom flows;
’Tis lack of kindly warmth they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion’d for the journey, dull and heavy.

To a Servant

Go to Ventidius.

To Flavius

Prithee, be not sad,
Thou art true and honest; ingeniously I speak.
No blame belongs to thee.

To Servant

Ventidius lately
Buried his father; by whose death he’s stepp’d
Into a great estate: when he was poor,
Imprison’d and in scarcity of friends,
I clear’d him with five talents: greet him from me;
Bid him suppose some good necessity
Touches his friend, which craves to be remember’d
With those five talents.

Exit Servant

To Flavius

That had, give’t these fellows
To whom ’tis instant due. Ne’er speak, or think,
That Timon’s fortunes ’mong his friends can sink.

Flavius

I would I could not think it: that thought is bounty’s foe; Being free itself, it thinks all others so.

Exeunt

A
CT
III

S
CENE
I. A
ROOM
IN
L
UCULLUS
’
HOUSE
.

Flaminius waiting. Enter a Servant to him

Servant

I have told my lord of you; he is coming down to you.

Flaminius

I thank you, sir.

Enter Lucullus

Servant

Here’s my lord.

Lucullus

[Aside]
 
One of Lord Timon’s men? a gift, I warrant. Why, this hits right; I dreamt of a silver basin and ewer to-night. Flaminius, honest Flaminius; you are very respectively welcome, sir. Fill me some wine.

Exit Servants

And how does that honourable, complete, free-hearted gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good lord and master?

Flaminius

His health is well sir.

Lucullus

I am right glad that his health is well, sir: and what hast thou there under thy cloak, pretty Flaminius?

Flaminius

’Faith, nothing but an empty box, sir; which, in my lord’s behalf, I come to entreat your honour to supply; who, having great and instant occasion to use fifty talents, hath sent to your lordship to furnish him, nothing doubting your present assistance therein.

Lucullus

La, la, la, la! ‘nothing doubting,’ says he? Alas, good lord! a noble gentleman ’tis, if he would not keep so good a house. Many a time and often I ha’ dined with him, and told him on’t, and come again to supper to him, of purpose to have him spend less, and yet he would embrace no counsel, take no warning by my coming. Every man has his fault, and honesty is his: I ha’ told him on’t, but I could ne’er get him from’t.

Re-enter Servant, with wine

Servant

Please your lordship, here is the wine.

Lucullus

Flaminius, I have noted thee always wise. Here’s to thee.

Flaminius

Your lordship speaks your pleasure.

Lucullus

I have observed thee always for a towardly prompt spirit — give thee thy due — and one that knows what belongs to reason; and canst use the time well, if the time use thee well: good parts in thee.

To Servant

Get you gone, sirrah.

Exit Servant

Draw nearer, honest Flaminius. Thy lord’s a bountiful gentleman: but thou art wise; and thou knowest well enough, although thou comest to me, that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship, without security. Here’s three solidares for thee: good boy, wink at me, and say thou sawest me not. Fare thee well.

Flaminius

Is’t possible the world should so much differ,
And we alive that lived? Fly, damned baseness,
To him that worships thee!

Throwing the money back

Lucullus

Ha! now I see thou art a fool, and fit for thy master.

Exit

Flaminius

May these add to the number that may scald thee!
Let moulten coin be thy damnation,
Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,
It turns in less than two nights? O you gods,
I feel master’s passion! this slave,
Unto his honour, has my lord’s meat in him:
Why should it thrive and turn to nutriment,
When he is turn’d to poison?
O, may diseases only work upon’t!
And, when he’s sick to death, let not that part of nature
Which my lord paid for, be of any power
To expel sickness, but prolong his hour!

Exit

S
CENE
II. A
PUBLIC
PLACE
.

Enter Lucilius, with three Strangers

Lucilius

Who, the Lord Timon? he is my very good friend, and an honourable gentleman.

First Stranger

We know him for no less, though we are but strangers to him. But I can tell you one thing, my lord, and which I hear from common rumours: now Lord Timon’s happy hours are done and past, and his estate shrinks from him.

Lucilius

Fie, no, do not believe it; he cannot want for money.

Second Stranger

But believe you this, my lord, that, not long ago, one of his men was with the Lord Lucullus to borrow so many talents, nay, urged extremely for’t and showed what necessity belonged to’t, and yet was denied.

Lucilius

How!

Second Stranger

I tell you, denied, my lord.

Lucilius

What a strange case was that! now, before the gods, I am ashamed on’t. Denied that honourable man! there was very little honour showed in’t. For my own part, I must needs confess, I have received some small kindnesses from him, as money, plate, jewels and such-like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet, had he mistook him and sent to me, I should ne’er have denied his occasion so many talents.

Enter Servilius

Servilius

See, by good hap, yonder’s my lord;
I have sweat to see his honour. My honoured lord,—

To Lucius

Lucilius

Servilius! you are kindly met, sir. Fare thee well: commend me to thy honourable virtuous lord, my very exquisite friend.

Servilius

May it please your honour, my lord hath sent —

Lucilius

Ha! what has he sent? I am so much endeared to that lord; he’s ever sending: how shall I thank him, thinkest thou? And what has he sent now?

Servilius

Has only sent his present occasion now, my lord; requesting your lordship to supply his instant use with so many talents.

Lucilius

I know his lordship is but merry with me;
He cannot want fifty five hundred talents.

Servilius

But in the mean time he wants less, my lord.
If his occasion were not virtuous,
I should not urge it half so faithfully.

Lucilius

Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius?