William Shakespeare - The Complete Works

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THE LIFE OF TIMON OF ATHENS Act 2 Scene 2 Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand l1l Flavius No care, no stop; so senseless of expense l2l That he will neither know how to maintain it l3l Nor cease his flow of riot, takes no account l4l How things go from him, nor resumes no care l5l Of what is to continue. Never mind l6l Was to be so unwise to be so kind. l7l What shall be done? He will not hear till feel. (A sound of horns within) l8l I must be round with him, now he comes from hunting. l9l Fie, fie, fie, fie! (Enter Caphis at one door and Servants of Isidore and Varro at another door) l10l Caphis Good even, Varro. What, you come for money? l11l Varro's Servant Is Æt not your business too? l12l Caphis It is; and yours too, Isidore? Isidore's Servant It is so. l13l Caphis Would we were all discharged. Varro's Servant I fear it. Caphis Here comes the lord. (Enter Timon and his train, amongst them Alcibiades, as from hunting) l14l Timon So soon as dinnerÆs done weÆll forth again, l15l My Alcibiades. (Caphis meets Timon) With me? What is your will? l16l Caphis My lord, here is a note of certain dues. l17l Timon Dues? Whence are you? l18l Caphis Of Athens here, my lord. l19l Timon Go to my steward. l20l Caphis Please it your lordship, he hath put me off, l21l To the succession of new days, this month. l22l My master is awaked by great occasion l23l To call upon his own, and humbly prays you l24l That with your other noble parts youÆll suit l25l In giving him his right. Timon Mine honest friend, l26l I prithee but repair to me next morning. l27l Caphis Nay, good my lord. Timon Contain thyself, good friend. l28l Varro's Servant One VarroÆs servant, my good lord. Isidore's Servant (to Timon) l29l From Isidore. He humbly prays your speedy payment. l30l Caphis (to Timon) If you did know, my lord, my masterÆs wantsù Varro's Servant (to Timon) l31l ÆTwas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks and past. Isidore's Servant (to Timon) l32l Your steward puts me off, my lord, and I l33l Am sent expressly to your lordship. Timon Give me breath.ù l34l I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on. l35l IÆll wait upon you instantly. (Exeunt Alcibiades and Timon's train) (To Flavius) Come hither. Pray you, l36l How goes the world, that I am thus encountered l37l With clamorous demands of broken bonds l38l And the detention of long-since-due debts, l39l Against my honour? Flavius (to Servants) Please you, gentlemen, l40l The time is unagreeable to this business; l41l Your importunacy cease till after dinner, l42l That I may make his lordship understand l43l Wherefore you are not paid. Timon (to Servants) Do so, my friends. l44l (To Flavius) See them well entertained. (Exit) Flavius Pray draw near. (Exit) (Enter Apemantus and Fool) l45l Caphis Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus. l46l LetÆs haÆ some sport with Æem. l47l Varro's Servant Hang him, heÆll abuse us. l48l Isidore's Servant A plague upon him, dog! l49l Varro's Servant How dost, fool? l50l Apemantus Dost dialogue with thy shadow? l51l Varro's Servant I speak not to thee. l52l Apemantus No, Ætis to thyself. (To Fool) Come away. l53l Isidore's Servant (to Varro's Servant) ThereÆs the fool l54l hangs on your back already. l55l Apemantus No, thou standÆst single: thouÆrt not on him l56l yet. l57l Caphis (to Isidore's Servant) WhereÆs the fool now? l58l Apemantus He last asked the question. Poor roguesÆ and l59l usurersÆ men, bawds between gold and want. l60l All Servants What are we, Apemantus? l61l Apemantus Asses. l62l All Servants Why? l63l Apemantus That you ask me what you are, and do not l64l know yourselves. Speak to Æem, fool. l65l Fool How do you, gentlemen? l66l All Servants Gramercies, good fool. How does your l67l mistress? l68l Fool SheÆs eÆen setting on water to scald such chickens l69l as you are. Would we could see you at Corinth. l70l Apemantus Good; gramercy. (Enter Page with two letters) l71l Fool Look you, here comes my mistressÆ page. l72l Page Why, how now, captain? What do you in this wise l73l company? How dost thou, Apemantus? l74l Apemantus Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I might l75l answer thee profitably. l76l Page Prithee, Apemantus, read me the superscription of l77l these letters. I know not which is which. l78l Apemantus Canst not read? l79l Page No. l80l Apemantus There will little learning die then that day l81l thou art hanged. This is to Lord Timon, this to l82l Alcibiades. Go, thou wast born a bastard, and thouÆlt l83l die a bawd. l84l Page Thou wast whelped a dog, and thou shalt famish a l85l dogÆs death. Answer not; I am gone. (Exit) l86l Apemantus EÆen so thou outrunnÆst grace. Fool, I will go l87l with you to Lord TimonÆs. l88l Fool Will you leave me there? l89l Apemantus If Timon stay at home. (To Servants) You l90l three serve three usurers? l91l All Servants Ay. Would they served us. l92l Apemantus So would I: as good a trick as ever hangman l93l served thief. l94l Fool Are you three usurersÆ men? l95l All Servants Ay, fool. l96l Fool I think no usurer but has a fool to his servant. My l97l mistress is one, and I am her fool. When men come to l98l borrow of your masters they approach sadly and go l99l away merry, but they enter my mistressÆs house merrily l100l and go away sadly. The reason of this? l101l Varro's Servant I could render one. l102l Apemantus Do it then, that we may account thee a l103l whoremaster and a knave, which notwithstanding thou l104l shalt be no less esteemed. l105l Varro's Servant What is a whoremaster, fool? l106l Fool A fool in good clothes, and something like thee. ÆTis l107l a spirit; sometime Æt appears like a lord, sometime like l108l a lawyer, sometime like a philosopher with two stones l109l more than Æs artificial one. He is very often like a knight; l110l and generally in all shapes that man goes up and down l111l in from fourscore to thirteen, this spirit walks in. l112l Varro's Servant Thou art not altogether a fool. l113l Fool Nor thou altogether a wise man. As much foolery l114l as I have, so much wit thou lackÆst. l115l Apemantus That answer might have become Apemantus. (Enter Timon and Flavius) l116l All Servants Aside, aside, here comes Lord Timon. l117l Apemantus Come with me, fool, come. l118l Fool I do not always follow lover, elder brother, and l119l woman: sometime the philosopher. (Exeunt Apemantus and Fool) l120l Flavius (to Servants) Pray you, walk near. IÆll speak with you anon. (Exeunt Servants) l121l Timon You make me marvel wherefore ere this time l122l Had you not fully laid my state before me, l123l That I might so have rated my expense l124l As I had leave of means. Flavius You would not hear me. l125l At many leisures I proposedù Timon Go to. l126l Perchance some single vantages you took, l127l When my indisposition put you back, l128l And that unaptness made your minister l129l Thus to excuse yourself. Flavius O my good lord, l130l At many times I brought in my accounts, l131l Laid them before you; you would throw them off l132l And say you summed them in mine honesty. l133l When for some trifling present you have bid me l134l Return so much, I have shook my head and wept, l135l Yea, Ægainst thÆ authority of manners prayed you l136l To hold your hand more close. I did endure l137l Not seldom nor no slight checks when I have l138l Prompted you in the ebb of your estate l139l And your great flow of debts. My lovΦd lordù l140l Though you hear now too late, yet nowÆs a timeù l141l The greatest of your having lacks a half l142l To pay your present debts. Timon Let all my land be sold. l143l Flavius ÆTis all engaged, some forfeited and gone, l144l And what remains will hardly stop the mouth l145l Of present dues. The future comes apace. l146l What shall defend the interim, and at length l147l How goes our reckÆning? l148l Timon To Lacedaemon did my land extend. l149l Flavius O my good lord, the world is but a word. l150l Were it all yours to give it in a breath, l151l How quickly were it gone. Timon You tell me true. l152l Flavius If you suspect my husbandry or falsehood, l153l Call me before thÆ exactest auditors l154l And set me on the proof. So the gods bless me, l155l When all our offices have been oppressed l156l With riotous feeders, when our vaults have wept l157l With drunken spilth of wine, when every room l158l Hath blazed with lights and brayed with minstrelsy, l159l I have retired me to a wasteful cock, l160l And set mine eyes at flow. Timon Prithee, no more. l161l Flavius ôHeavens,ö have I said, ôthe bounty of this lord! l162l How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants l163l This night englutted! Who is not TimonÆs? l164l What heart, head, sword, force, means, but is Lord TimonÆs? l165l Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon! l166l Ah, when the means are gone that buy this praise, l167l The breath is gone whereof this praise is made. l168l Feast won, fast lost; one cloud of winter showÆrs, l169l These flies are couched.ö Timon Come, sermon me no further. l170l No villainous bounty yet hath passed my heart. l171l Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given. l172l Why dost thou weep? Canst thou the conscience lack l173l To think I shall lack friends? Secure thy heart. l174l If I would broach the vessels of my love l175l And try the argument of hearts by borrowing, l176l Men and menÆs fortunes could I frankly use l177l As I can bid thee speak. Flavius Assurance bless your thoughts! l178l Timon And in some sort these wants of mine are crowned l179l That I account them blessings, for by these l180l Shall I try friends. You shall perceive how you l181l Mistake my fortunes. I am wealthy in my friends.ù l182l Within there, Flaminius, Servilius! (Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and a Third Servant) l183l All Servants My lord, my lord. Timon I will dispatch you severally, l184l (To Servilius) You to Lord Lucius, (To Flaminius) to Lord Lucullus youù l185l I hunted with his honour todayù (To Third Servant) l186l You to Sempronius. Commend me to their loves, l187l And I am proud, say, that my occasions have l188l Found time to use Æem toward a supply of money. l189l Let the request be fifty talents. l190l Flaminius As you have said, my lord. (Exeunt Servants) l191l Flavius Lord Lucius and Lucullus? Hmh! l192l Timon Go you, sir, to the senators, l193l Of whom, even to the stateÆs best health, I have l194l Deserved this hearing. Bid Æem send oÆ thÆ instant l195l A thousand talents to me. Flavius I have been bold, l196l For that I knew it the most general way, l197l To them, to use your signet and your name; l198l But they do shake their heads, and I am here l199l No richer in return. Timon Is Æt true? Can Æt be? l200l Flavius They answer in a joint and corporate voice l201l That now they are at fall, want treasure, cannot l202l Do what they would, are sorry, you are honourable, l203l But yet they could have wishedùthey know notù l204l Something hath been amissùa noble nature l205l May catch a wrenchùwould all were wellùÆtis pity; l206l And so, intending other serious matters, l207l After distasteful looks and these hard fractions, l208l With certain half-caps and cold moving nods l209l They froze me into silence. Timon You gods reward them! l210l Prithee, man, look cheerly. These old fellows l211l Have their ingratitude in them hereditary. l212l Their blood is caked, Ætis cold, it seldom flows. l213l ÆTis lack of kindly warmth they are not kind; l214l And nature as it grows again toward earth l215l Is fashioned for the journey dull and heavy. l216l Go to Ventidius. Prithee, be not sad. l217l Thou art true and honestùingenuously I speakù l218l No blame belongs to thee. Ventidius lately l219l Buried his father, by whose death heÆs stepped l220l Into a great estate. When he was poor, l221l Imprisoned, and in scarcity of friends, l222l I cleared him with five talents. Greet him from me. l223l Bid him suppose some good necessity l224l Touches his friend, which craves to be remembered l225l With those five talents. That had, give Æt these fellows l226l To whom Ætis instant due. NeÆer speak or think l227l That TimonÆs fortunes Æmong his friends can sink. l228l Flavius I would I could not think it. That thought is bountyÆs foe: l229l Being free itself, it thinks all others so. (Exeunt severally)