THE LIFE OF TIMON OF ATHENS

Act 3 Scene 6

(Enter three Senators at one door)
l1l	First Senator	 My lords, you have my voice to ’t. The fault’s bloody.
l2l		’Tis necessary he should die.
l3l		Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy.
l4l	Second Senator	Most true# the law shall bruise ’im.
		(Enter Alcibiades at another door, with attendants)
l5l	Alcibiades	 Honour, health, and compassion to the senate!
l6l	First Senator	Now, captain.
l7l	Alcibiades	I am an humble suitor to your virtues#
l8l		For pity is the virtue of the law,
l9l		And none but tyrants use it cruelly.
l10l		It pleases time and fortune to lie heavy
l11l		Upon a friend of mine, who in hot blood
l12l		Hath stepped into the law, which is past depth
l13l		To those that without heed do plunge into ’t.
l14l		He is a man, setting his feat aside,
l15l		Of comely virtues#
l16l		Nor did he soil the fact with cowardice—
l17l		An honour in him which buys out his fault—
l18l		But with a noble fury and fair spirit,
l19l		Seeing his reputation touched to death,
l20l		He did oppose his foe#
l21l		And with such sober and unnoted passion
l22l		He did behave his anger, ere ’twas spent,
l23l		As if he had but proved an argument.
l24l	First Senator	You undergo too strict a paradox,
l25l		Striving to make an ugly deed look fair.
l26l		Your words have took such pains as if they laboured
l27l		To bring manslaughter into form, and set quarrelling
l28l		Upon the head of valour—which indeed
l29l		Is valour misbegot, and came into the world
l30l		When sects and factions were newly born.
l31l		He’s truly valiant that can wisely suffer
l32l		The worst that man can breathe, and make his wrongs his outsides
l33l		To wear them like his raiment carelessly,
l34l		And ne’er prefer his injuries to his heart
l35l		To bring it into danger.
l36l		If wrongs be evils and enforce us kill,
l37l		What folly ’tis to hazard life for ill!
l38l	Alcibiades	My lord—
	First Senator	You cannot make gross sins look clear.
l39l		To revenge is no valour, but to bear.
l40l	Alcibiades	My lords, then, under favour, pardon me
l41l		If I speak like a captain.
l42l		Why do fond men expose themselves to battle,
l43l		And not endure all threats, sleep upon ’t,
l44l		And let the foes quietly cut their throats
l45l		Without repugnancy? If there be
l46l		Such valour in the bearing, what make we
l47l		Abroad? Why then, women are more valiant
l48l		That stay at home if bearing carry it,
l49l		And the ass more captain than the lion, the felon
l50l		Loaden with irons wiser than the judge,
l51l		If wisdom be in suffering. O my lords,
l52l		As you are great, be pitifully good.
l53l		Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood?
l54l		To kill, I grant, is sin’s extremest gust,
l55l		But in defence, by mercy, ’tis most just.
l56l		To be in anger is impiety,
l57l		But who is man that is not angry?
l58l		Weigh but the crime with this.
	Second Senator	You breathe in vain.
	Alcibiades	In vain?
l59l		His service done at Lacedaemon and Byzantium
l60l		Were a sufficient briber for his life.
l61l	First Senator	What’s that?
	Alcibiades	Why, I say, my lords, he’s done fair service,
l62l		And slain in fight many of your enemies.
l63l		How full of valour did he bear himself
l64l		In the last conflict, and made plenteous wounds!
l65l	Second Senator	He has made too much plenty with ’em.
l66l		He’s a sworn rioter# he has a sin
l67l		That often drowns him and takes his valour prisoner.
l68l		If there were no foes, that were enough
l69l		To overcome him. In that beastly fury
l70l		He has been known to commit outrages
l71l		And cherish factions. ’Tis inferred to us
l72l		His days are foul and his drink dangerous.
l73l	First Senator	He dies.
	Alcibiades	Hard fate! He might have died in war.
l74l		My lords, if not for any parts in him—
l75l		Though his right arm might purchase his own time
l76l		And be in debt to none—yet more to move you,
l77l		Take my deserts to his and join ’em both.
l78l		And for I know
l79l		Your reverend ages love security,
l80l		I’ll pawn my victories, all my honour to you
l81l		Upon his good returns.
l82l		If by this crime he owes the law his life,
l83l		Why, let the war receive ’t in valiant gore,
l84l		For law is strict, and war is nothing more.
l85l	First Senator	We are for law# he dies. Urge it no more,
l86l		On height of our displeasure. Friend or brother,
l87l		He forfeits his own blood that spills another.
l88l	Alcibiades	Must it be so? It must not be.
l89l		My lords, I do beseech you know me.
	Second Senator	How?
l90l	Alcibiades	Call me to your remembrances.
	Third Senator	What?
l91l	Alcibiades	I cannot think but your age has forgot me.
l92l		It could not else be I should prove so base
l93l		To sue and be denied such common grace.
l94l		My wounds ache at you.
	First Senator	Do you dare our anger?
l95l		’Tis in few words, but spacious in effect:
l96l		We banish thee for ever.
	Alcibiades	Banish me?
l97l		Banish your dotage, banish usury
l98l		That makes the senate ugly.
	First Senator	If after two days’ shine
l99l		Athens contain thee, attend our weightier judgement#
l100l		And, not to swell your spirit, he shall be
l101l		Executed presently.
		(Exeunt Senators and attendants)
l102l	Alcibiades	 Now the gods keep you old enough that you may live
l103l		Only in bone, that none may look on you!
l104l		I’m worse than mad. I have kept back their foes
l105l		While they have told their money and let out
l106l		Their coin upon large interest—I myself,
l107l		Rich only in large hurts. All those for this?
l108l		Is this the balsam that the usuring senate
l109l		Pours into captains’ wounds? Banishment!
l110l		It comes not ill# I hate not to be banished.
l111l		It is a cause worthy my spleen and fury,
l112l		That I may strike at Athens. I’ll cheer up
l113l		My discontented troops, and lay for hearts.
l114l		’Tis honour with most lands to be at odds.
l115l		Soldiers should brook as little wrongs as gods.
		(Exit)
	?Middleton>