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

Apem. That answer might have become Apemant us. All Serv. Aside, aside; here comes lord Timon.

Re-enter TIMON and FLAVIUS.

Apem. Come, with me, fool, come.

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

[Exe. APEMANTUS and Fool. Flav. 'Pray you, walk near; I'll speak with you anon. [Exe. Serv.

Tim. You make me marvel: Wherefore, ere this time, Had you not fully laid my state before me;

That I might so have rated my expence,
As I had leave of means?

Flav. You would not hear me,

At many leisures I propos'd.

Tim. Go to:

Perchance, some single vantages you took,
When my indisposition put you back;
And that unaptness made your minister, 5
Thus to excuse yourself.

Flav. 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 checks; when I have
Prompted you, in the ebb of your estate,
And your great flow of debts. My dear-lov'd 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.

Tim. Let all my land be sold.

Flav. Tis all engag'd, 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

15) And made that unaptness your minister.

MAL.

6

6 Though I tell you this, says Flavius, at too late a period, perhaps, for The information to be of any service to you, yet, late as it is, it is necessary that you should be acquainted with it. RITSON.

How goes our reckoning?

Tim. To Lacedæmon did my land extend.

Flav. 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?

Tim. You tell me true.

Flav. 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 blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy;
I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,

And set mine eyes at flow.

Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.

Flav. 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 lordTimon'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.

Tim. Come, sermon me no further:

No villainous bounty yet hath pass'd my heart;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.2

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, 3
Men, and men's fortunes, could I franklý use,

As I can bid thee speak.

Flav. Assurance bless your thoughts!

Tim. And, in some sort, these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them blessings; for by these

E9] Offices-the apartments allotted to culinary purposes, &c. STEEV. Cock-a cockloft, a garret. And a wasteful cock, signifies a garret HANMER.

lying in waste, neglected, put to no use.

Awisteful cock is what we now call a waste pipe; a pipe which is continually running, and thereby prevents the overflow of cisterns and other reservoirs, by carrying off their superfluous water. COLLINS.

[2] Every reader must rejoice in this circumstance of comfort, which presents itself to Timon, who, though beggar'd through want of prudence, consoles himself with reflection that his ruin was not brought on by the pursuit of guilty pleasures. STEEV.

[3] Argument-may mean the contents, as the argument of a book; or for evidences and proofs. JOHNS.

Shall I try friends: You shall perceive, how you
Mistake my fortunes; I am wealthy in my friends.
Within there, ho!Flaminius! Servilius !

Enter FLAMINIUS, SERVILIUS, and other Servants.
Serv. My lord, my lord,-

Tim. I will despatch 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 them
Toward a supply of money: let the request
Be fifty talents.

Flam. As you have said, my lord.

Flav. Lord Lucius, and lord Lucullus? humph! [Asi. Tim. Go you, sir, to the senators, [To another Serv. (Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have Deserv'd this hearing,) bid 'em send o'the instant A thousand talents to me.

Flav. I have been bold,

(For that I knew it the most gen'ral way,)4
To them to use your signet, and your name;
But they do shake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Tim. Is't true? can it be?

Flav. 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-but Something hath been amiss-a noble nature

May catch a wrench-would all were well-'tis pity-
And so, intending other serious matters, 5

After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions, 6
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence..

Tim. You gods, reward them !

I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly; These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary :
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it seldom flows;
'Tis lack of kindly warmth, they are not kind;

E4] General is not speedy, but compendious, the way to try many at a time. JOHNS.

E5] Intending is regarding, turning their notice to other things. JOHNS. 6 Fractions-broken hints, interrupted sentences, abrupt remarks. JOH.. [7] A half-cap is a cap slightly moved, not put off. JOHNS.

[8] Hereditary for by natural constitution. But some distempers of natural constitution being called hereditary, he calls their ingratitude so. WARB.

And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull, and heavy.-
Go to Ventidius,-[To a Serv.] 'Prythee, [To FLAVI-
Us.] be not sad,

Thou art true, and honest; ingeniously I speak,9
No blame belongs to thee :- [To Serv.] 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 :-that had, [To FLAVIUS.] give it these fellows,

To whom 'tis instant due. Ne'er speak, or think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can sink.
Flav. I would, I could not think it; That thought is

bounty's foe;

Being free itself, it thinks all others so."

SCENE 1-The same.

ACT III.

[Exeunt.

A Room in LuCULLUS's House. FLAMINIUS waiting. Enter a Servant to him.

Serv. I HAVE told my lord of you, he is coming down to you.

Flam. I thank you, sir.

Enter LUCULLUS. Serv. Here's my lord.

Lucul. [Aside.] One of lord T'imon's men ? a gift, I warrant. Why, this hits right; I dreamt of a silver bason and ewer to-night. Flaminius, honest Flaminius; you are very respectively welcome, sir.2-Fill me some wine. [Exit Servant.]-And how does that honourable, complete, free-hearted gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good lord and master?

Flam. His health is well, sir.

Lucul. I am right glad that his health is well, sir: And what hast thou there under thy cloak, pretty Flaminius? Flam. 'Faith, nothing but an empty box, sir; which,

[9] Ingenious was anciently used instead of ingenuous.
[1] Free is liberal, not parsimonious.
[2] Respectfully. So in King John,
"'Tis too respective."

JOHNS.

STEEV

REED.

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.

Lucul. 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 have 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 ;3 I have told him on't, but I could never get him from it.

Re-enter Servant, with wine.

Serv. Please your lordship, here is the wine.

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

Flam. Your lordship speaks your pleasure.

Lucul. 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.-Get you gone, sirrah. [To the Servant, who goes out.]-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 saw'st me not. Fare thee well.

Flam. Is't possible, the world should so much differ; And we alive, that liv'd ?4 Fly, damned baseness, To him that worships thee. [Throwing the money away. Lucul. Ha! Now, I see, thou art a fool, and fit for thy [Exit LUCULLUS.

master.

Flam. May these add to the number that may scald thee! Let molten coin be thy damnation,5

Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!

Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,

M. MASON.

[3] Honesty does not here mean probity, but liberality. [4] And we who were alive then, alive now. As much as to say, in so

short a time.

WARB.

[5] Perhaps the poet alludes to the punishment inflicted on M. Aquilius by Mithridates. In The Shepherd's Calendar, however, Lazarus declares himself to have seen in hell a great number of wide cauldrons and kettles full of boyling lead and oyle, with other hot metals molten, in the which were plunged and dipped the covetous men and women for to fulfill and replenish them of their insatiate covetise. STEEV.