THE LIFE OF TIMON OF ATHENS

Act 3 Scene 4

(Enter Varro's two Servants, meeting others, all Servants of Timon's creditors, to wait for his coming out. Then enter Servants of  Lucius, Titus, and Hortensius)
l1l	Varro'S [First] Servant	 Well met# good morrow, Titus and Hortensius.
l2l	Titus' Servant	The like to you, kind Varro.
l3l	Hortensius' Servant	Lucius, what, do we meet together?
l4l	Lucius' Servant	Ay, and I think one business does command us all,
l5l		For mine is money.
	Titus' Servant	So is theirs and ours.
		( 5B Enter a Servant of  Philotus)
l6l	Lucius' Servant	 And Sir Philotus too!
	Philotus' Servant	Good day at once.
l7l	Lucius' Servant	Welcome, good brother. What do you think the hour?
l8l	Philotus' Servant	Labouring for nine.
l9l	Lucius' Servant	So much?
l10l	Philotus' Servant	Is not my lord seen yet?
l11l	Lucius' Servant	Not yet.
l12l	Philotus' Servant	I wonder on ’t# he was wont to shine at seven.
l13l	Lucius' Servant	Ay, but the days are waxed shorter with him.
l14l		You must consider that a prodigal course
l15l		Is like the sun’s,
l16l		But not, like his, recoverable. I fear
l17l		’Tis deepest winter in Lord Timon’s purse# that is,
l18l		One may reach deep enough, and yet find little.
l19l	Philotus' Servant	I am of your fear for that.
l20l	Titus' Servant	I’ll show you how t’ observe a strange event.
l21l		Your lord sends now for money?
	Hortensius' Servant	Most true, he does.
l22l	Titus' Servant	And he wears jewels now of Timon’s gift,
l23l		For which I wait for money.
l24l	Hortensius' Servant	It is against my heart.
l25l	Lucius' Servant	Mark how strange it shows.
l26l		Timon in this should pay more than he owes,
l27l		And e’en as if your lord should wear rich jewels
l28l		And send for money for ’em.
l29l	Hortensius' Servant	I’m weary of this charge, the gods can witness.
l30l		I know my lord hath spent of Timon’s wealth,
l31l		And now ingratitude makes it worse than stealth.
l32l	Varro'S First Servant	Yes# mine’s three thousand crowns. What’s yours?
	Lucius' Servant	Five thousand, mine.
l33l	Varro'S First Servant	’Tis much deep, and it should seem by th’ sum
l34l		Your master’s confidence was above mine,
l35l		Else surely his had equalled.
		(Enter Flaminius)
		
	Titus' Servant	 One of Lord Timon’s men.
l36l	Lucius' Servant	Flaminius! Sir, a word. Pray, is my lord
l37l		Ready to come forth?
l38l	Flaminius	No, indeed he is not.
l39l	Titus' Servant	We attend his lordship.
l40l		Pray signify so much.
	Flaminius	I need not tell
l41l		Him that# he knows you are too diligent.
		(Enter Flavius, muffled in a cloak)
l42l	Lucius' Servant	 Ha, is not that his steward muffled so?
l43l		He goes away in a cloud. Call him, call him.
l44l	Titus' Servant	(to Flavius)
		 Do you hear, sir?
l45l	Varro'S Second Servant	(to Flavius)
		 By your leave, sir.
l46l	Flavius	What do ye ask of me, my friend?
l47l	Titus' Servant	We wait for certain money here, sir.
	Flavius	Ay,
l48l		If money were as certain as your waiting,
l49l		’Twere sure enough.
l50l		Why then preferred you not your sums and bills
l51l		When your false masters ate of my lord’s meat?
l52l		Then they could smile and fawn upon his debts,
l53l		And take down th’ int’rest into their glutt’nous maws.
l54l		You do yourselves but wrong to stir me up.
l55l		Let me pass quietly.
l56l		Believe ’t, my lord and I have made an end.
l57l		I have no more to reckon, he to spend.
l58l	Lucius' Servant	Ay, but this answer will not serve.
l59l	Flavius	If ’twill not serve ’tis not so base as you,
l60l		For you serve knaves.
		(Exit)
l61l	Varro'S First Servant	 How? What does his cashiered
l62l		worship mutter?
l63l	Varro'S Second Servant	No matter what# he’s poor, and
l64l		that’s revenge enough. Who can speak broader than
l65l		he that has no house to put his head in? Such may
l66l		rail against great buildings.
		(Enter Servilius)
l67l	Titus' Servant	 O, here’s Servilius. Now we shall know
l68l		some answer.
l69l	Servilius	If I might beseech you, gentlemen, to repair
l70l		some other hour, I should derive much from ’t# for,
l71l		take ’t of my soul, my lord leans wondrously to
l72l		discontent. His comfortable temper has forsook him.
l73l		He’s much out of health, and keeps his chamber.
l74l	Lucius' Servant	 Many do keep their chambers are not sick,
l75l		And if it be so far beyond his health
l76l		Methinks he should the sooner pay his debts
l77l		And make a clear way to the gods.
	Servilius	Good gods!
l78l	Titus' Servant	We cannot take this for an answer, sir.
l79l	Flaminius	(within)
		 Servilius, help! My lord, my lord!
		(Enter Timon in a rage)
l80l	Timon	 What, are my doors opposed against my passage?
l81l		Have I been ever free, and must my house
l82l		Be my retentive enemy, my jail?
l83l		The place which I have feasted, does it now,
l84l		Like all mankind, show me an iron heart?
l85l	Lucius' Servant	Put in now, Titus.
	Titus' Servant	My lord, here is my bill.
l86l	Lucius' Servant	Here’s mine.
	[Hortensius' Servant]	And mine, my lord.
	Varro'S [First And] Second Servants	And ours, my lord.
l87l	Philotus' Servant	All our bills.
l88l	Timon	Knock me down with ’em, cleave me to the girdle.
l89l	Lucius' Servant	Alas, my lord.
l90l	Timon	Cut my heart in sums.
l91l	Titus' Servant	Mine fifty talents.
l92l	Timon	Tell out my blood.
	Lucius' Servant	Five thousand crowns, my lord.
l93l	Timon	Five thousand drops pays that. What yours? And yours?
l94l	Varro'S First Servant	My lord—
l95l	Varro'S Second Servant	My lord—
l96l	Timon	Tear me, take me, and the gods fall upon you.
		(Exit)
l97l	Hortensius' Servant	 Faith, I perceive our masters may
l98l		throw their caps at their money. These debts may well
l99l		be called desperate ones, for a madman owes ’em.
		(Exeunt)