TIMON. Does she love him?
OLD ATHENIAN. She is young and apt:
Our own
precedent passions do
instruct us
What levity's in youth.
TIMON. Love you the maid?
LUCILIUS. Ay, my good lord, and she accepts of it.
OLD ATHENIAN. If in her marriage my consent be missing,
I call the gods to
witness I will choose
Mine heir from forth the beggars of the world,
And dispossess her all.
TIMON. How shall she be endow'd,
If she be mated with an equal husband?
OLD ATHENIAN. Three talents on the present; in future, all.
TIMON. This gentleman of mine hath serv'd me long;.
To build his fortune I will
strain a little,
For 'tis a bond in men. Give him thy daughter:
What you
bestow, in him I'll counterpoise,
And make him weigh with her.
OLD ATHENIAN. Most noble lord,
Pawn me to this your honour, she is his.
TIMON. My hand to thee; mine honour on my promise.
LUCILIUS. Humbly I thank your
lordship. Never may
That state or fortune fall into my keeping
Which is not owed to you!
Exeunt LUCILIUS and OLD ATHENIAN
POET. [Presenting his poem] Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your
lordship!
TIMON. I thank you; you shall hear from me anon;
Go not away. What have you there, my friend?
PAINTER. A piece of
painting, which I do beseech
Your
lordship to accept.
TIMON. Painting is
welcome.
The
painting is almost the natural man;
For since dishonour
traffics with man's nature,
He is but outside; these pencill'd figures are
Even such as they give out. I like your work,
And you shall find I like it; wait attendance
Till you hear further from me.
PAINTER. The gods
preserve ye!
TIMON. Well fare you, gentleman. Give me your hand;
We must needs dine together. Sir, your jewel
Hath suffered under praise.
JEWELLER. What, my lord! Dispraise?
TIMON. A mere satiety of commendations;
If I should pay you for't as 'tis extoll'd,
It would unclew me quite.
JEWELLER. My lord, 'tis rated
As those which sell would give; but you well know
Things of like value, differing in the owners,
Are prized by their masters. Believe't, dear lord,
You mend the jewel by the wearing it.
TIMON. Well mock'd.
Enter APEMANTUS
MERCHANT. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue,
Which all men speak with him.
TIMON. Look who comes here; will you be chid?
JEWELLER. We'll bear, with your
lordship.
MERCHANT. He'll spare none.
TIMON. Good
morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus!
APEMANTUS. Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good
morrow;
When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honest.
TIMON. Why dost thou call them knaves? Thou know'st them not.
APEMANTUS. Are they not Athenians?
TIMON. Yes.
APEMANTUS. Then I
repent not.
JEWELLER. You know me, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. Thou know'st I do; I call'd thee by thy name.
TIMON. Thou art proud, Apemantus.
APEMANTUS. Of nothing so much as that I am not like Timon.
TIMON. Whither art going?
APEMANTUS. To knock out an honest Athenian's brains.
TIMON. That's a deed thou't die for.
APEMANTUS. Right, if doing nothing be death by th' law.
TIMON. How lik'st thou this picture, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. The best, for the innocence.
TIMON. Wrought he not well that painted it?
APEMANTUS. He
wrought better that made the
painter; and yet he's
but a
filthy piece of work.
PAINTER. Y'are a dog.
APEMANTUS. Thy mother's of my
generation; what's she, if I be a dog?
TIMON. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. No; I eat not lords.
TIMON. An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger ladies.
APEMANTUS. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies.
TIMON. That's a lascivious apprehension.
APEMANTUS. So thou apprehend'st it take it for thy labour.
TIMON. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. Not so well as plain
dealing, which will not cost a man
a doit.
TIMON. What dost thou think 'tis worth?
APEMANTUS. Not worth my thinking. How now, poet!
POET. How now, philosopher!
APEMANTUS. Thou liest.
POET. Art not one?
APEMANTUS. Yes.
POET. Then I lie not.
APEMANTUS. Art not a poet?
POET. Yes.
APEMANTUS. Then thou liest. Look in thy last work, where thou hast
feign'd him a
worthy fellow.
POET. That's not feign'd- he is so.
APEMANTUS. Yes, he is
worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy
labour. He that loves to be flattered is
worthy o' th' flatterer.
Heavens, that I were a lord!
TIMON. What wouldst do then, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. E'en as Apemantus does now: hate a lord with my heart.
TIMON. What, thyself?
APEMANTUS. Ay.
TIMON. Wherefore?
APEMANTUS. That I had no angry wit to be a lord.- Art not thou a
merchant?
MERCHANT. Ay, Apemantus.
APEMANTUS. Traffic
confound thee, if the gods will not!
MERCHANT. If
traffic do it, the gods do it.
APEMANTUS. Traffic's thy god, and thy god
confound thee!
Trumpet sounds. Enter a MESSENGER
TIMON. What trumpet's that?
MESSENGER. 'Tis Alcibiades, and some twenty horse,
All of companionship.
TIMON. Pray
entertain them; give them guide to us.
Exeunt some attendants
You must needs dine with me. Go not you hence
Till I have thank'd you. When dinner's done
Show me this piece. I am
joyful of your sights.
Enter ALCIBIADES, with the rest
Most
welcome, sir! [They salute]
APEMANTUS. So, so, there!
Aches contract and
starve your supple joints!
That there should be small love
amongst these sweet knaves,
And all this courtesy! The
strain of man's bred out
Into baboon and monkey.
ALCIBIADES. Sir, you have sav'd my
longing, and I feed
Most hungerly on your sight.
TIMON. Right
welcome, sir!
Ere we depart we'll share a
bounteous time
In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.
Exeunt all but APEMANTUS
Enter two LORDS
FIRST LORD. What time o' day is't, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. Time to be honest.
FIRST LORD. That time serves still.
APEMANTUS. The more
accursed thou that still omit'st it.
SECOND LORD. Thou art going to Lord Timon's feast.
APEMANTUS. Ay; to see meat fill knaves and wine heat fools.
SECOND LORD. Fare thee well, fare thee well.
APEMANTUS. Thou art a fool to bid me
farewell twice.
SECOND LORD. Why, Apemantus?
APEMANTUS. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give
thee none.
FIRST LORD. Hang thyself.
APEMANTUS. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests
to thy friend.
SECOND LORD. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence.
APEMANTUS. I will fly, like a dog, the heels o' th' ass. Exit
FIRST LORD. He's opposite to
humanity. Come, shall we in
And taste Lord Timon's
bounty? He outgoes
The very heart of kindness.
SECOND LORD. He pours it out: Plutus, the god of gold,
Is but his
steward; no meed but he repays
Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him
But breeds the giver a return exceeding
All use of quittance.
FIRST LORD. The noblest mind he carries
That ever govern'd man.
SECOND LORD. Long may he live in fortunes! shall we in?
FIRST LORD. I'll keep you company. Exeunt
SCENE II.
A room of state in TIMON'S house
Hautboys playing loud music. A great
banquet serv'd in;
FLAVIUS and others attending; and then enter LORD TIMON,
the states, the ATHENIAN LORDS, VENTIDIUS, which TIMON redeem'd
from prison. Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS,
discontentedly, like himself
VENTIDIUS. Most honoured Timon,
It hath pleas'd the gods to remember my father's age,
And call him to long peace.
He is gone happy, and has left me rich.
Then, as in
gratefulvirtue I am bound
To your free heart, I do return those talents,
Doubled with thanks and service, from whose help
I deriv'd liberty.
TIMON. O, by no means,
Honest Ventidius! You mistake my love;
I gave it
freely ever; and there's none
Can truly say he gives, if he receives.
If our betters play at that game, we must not dare
To
imitate them: faults that are rich are fair.
VENTIDIUS. A noble spirit!
TIMON. Nay, my lords,
ceremony was but devis'd at first
To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow
welcomes,
Recanting
goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown;
But where there is true friendship there needs none.
Pray, sit; more
welcome are ye to my fortunes
Than my fortunes to me. [They sit]
FIRST LORD. My lord, we always have confess'd it.
APEMANTUS. Ho, ho, confess'd it! Hang'd it, have you not?
TIMON. O, Apemantus, you are
welcome.
APEMANTUS. No;
You shall not make me
welcome.
I come to have thee
thrust me out of doors.
TIMON. Fie, th'art a churl; ye have got a
humour there