Caph. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus; let's have some sport with 'em.

Var. Serv. Hang him, he'll abuse us. Isid. Serv. A plague upon him, dog! Var. Serv. How dost, fool? Apem. Dost dialogue with thy shadow? Var. Serv. I speak not to thee. Apem. No; 'tis to thyself.-Come away. [To the Fool. Isid. Serv. [To VARRO's Servant]. There's the fool hangs on your back already.

Apem. No, thou stand'st single; thou art not on him yet.

Caph. Where's the fool now?

Apem. He last asked the question. - Poor rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between gold

and want!

All Servants. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem. There will little learning die then, that day thou art hanged. This is to lord Timon; this to Alcibiades. Go; thou wast born a bastard, and thou 'lt die a bawd.

Page. Thou wast whelped a dog; and thou shalt famish―a dog's death. Answer not, I am gone. [Exit Page.

Apem. Even so thou out-runn'st grace. Fool, I will go with you to lord Timon's.

Fool. Will you leave me there?

Apem. If Timon stay at home.-You three serve three usurers?

All Serv. Ay; 'would they served us!

Apem. So would I,—as good a trick as ever hangman served thief.

Fool. Are you three usurers' men?
All Serv. Ay, fool.

Fool. I think, no usurer but has a fool to his servant my mistress is one, and I am her fool. When men come to borrow of your masters, they approach sadly, and go away merry; but they enter my mistress' house merrily, and go away sadly. The reason of this?

Var. Serv. I could render one.

Apem. Do it, then, that we may account thee a whoremaster and a knave; which, notwithstanding, thou shalt be no less esteemed.

Var. Serv. What is a whoremaster, fool? Fool. A fool in good clothes, and something like thee. "Tis a spirit: sometime it appears like a lord; sometime like a lawyer; sometime like a philosopher, with two stones more than his artificial one: he is very often like a knight; and, gene

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, prayed 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-loved 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,

That I account them blessings; for by these 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 Lucullus? humph!
[Aside.
Tim. Go you, sir [To another Servant], to the

senators

(Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have Deserved this hearing); bid 'em send o' the instant A thousand talents to me.

(For that I knew it the most general way) To them to use your signet and your name;

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 wished-they know not-
Something hath been amiss-a noble nature
May catch a wrench-would all were well-'t is
pity-

And so, intending other serious matters,
After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence.

And nature, as it grows again towards earth, Is fashioned for the journey, dull and heavy.Go to Ventidius [To a Servant]:-Pr'y thee, be not sad; [TO FLAVIUS. Thou art true and honest; ingenuously I speak, No blame belongs to thee :-[To Servant] Ventidius lately

Buried his father; by whose death, he's stepped Into a great estate: when he was poor, Imprisoned, and in scarcity of friends,

I cleared him with five talents: greet him from me;

Bid him suppose some good necessity
Touches his friend, which craves to be remembered
With those five talents:-that had [To FLAVIUS],
give it these fellows

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

is bounty's foe;

Being free itself, it thinks all others so. [Exeunt.

Lucul. [aside]. One of lord Timon's men? a gift, I warrant. Why, this hits right; I dreamt of a silver basin and ewer to-night.-Flaminius, honest Flaminius; you are very respectively welcome, sir.-Fill me some wine.-[Exit Servant. And how does that honourable, complete, freehearted 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, 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: 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 sawest me not. Fare thee well.

Flam. Is't possible the world should so much

differ;

And we alive, that lived? Fly, damnéd baseness, To him that worships thee!

[Throwing the money away.

Lucul. Ha! now I see thou art a fool, and fit for thy master. [Exit LUCULLUS. Flam. May these add to the number that may scald thee!

Let molten coin be thy damnation,
Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,
It turns in less than two nights? O you gods,
I feel my master's passion! This slave
Unto his honour, has my lord's meat in him:
Why should it thrive, and turn to nutriment,
When he is turned to poison?

O, may diseases only work upon't!

And, when he is sick to death, let not that part of nature

Which my lord paid for, be of any power
To expel sickness, but prolong his hour! [Exit.

SCENE II.-The same. A public Place.

Enter LUCIUS, with three Strangers. Luc. Who, the lord Timon? he is my very good friend, and an honourable gentleman.

1st Stran. We know him for no less, though we are but strangers to him. But I can tell you one thing, my lord, and which I hear from common rumours; now lord Timon's happy hours are done and past, and his estate shrinks from him. Luc. Fie, no; do not believe it; he cannot want for money.

2nd Stran. But believe you this, my lord, that, not long ago, one of his men was with the lord Lucullus, to borrow so many talents; nay, urged extremely for 't, and shewed what necessity belonged to 't, and yet was denied.

Luc. How?

2nd Stran. I tell you, denied, my lord. Luc. What a strange case was that? now, before the gods, I am ashamed on 't. Denied that honourable man? there was very little honour shewed in 't. For my own part, I must needs confess I have received some small kindnesses from him, as money, plate, jewels, and such like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet, had he mistook him, and sent to me, I should ne'er have denied his occasion so many talents.

Enter SERVILIUS.

Ser. See, by good hap, yonder 's my lord; I have sweat to see his honour.-My honoured lord,[TO LUCIUS.

Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, sir. Fare thee well commend me to thy honourablevirtuous lord, my very exquisite friend.

Ser. May it please your honour, my lord hath

sent

Luc. Ha! what has he sent? I am so much endeared to that lord; he's ever sending: how shall I thank him, think'st thou? And what has he sent now?

Ser. He has only sent his present occasion now, my lord; requesting your lordship to supply his instant use with so many talents.

Luc. I know his lordship is but merry with me; He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents. Ser. But in the mean time he wants less, my lord.

If his occasion were not virtuous,

I should not urge it half so faithfully.

Luc. Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius?
Ser. Upon my soul, 'tis true, sir.

Luc. What a wicked beast was I, to disfurnish myself against such a good time, when I might have shewn myself honourable! how unluckily it happened, that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour! -Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do't; the more beast, I say. I was sending to use lord Timon myself, these gentleman can witness; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had done it now. Commend me bountifully to his good lordship; and I hope his honour will conceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to be kind. And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, say, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far as to use mine own words to him?

Ser. Yes, sir, I shall.

Luc. I will look you out a good turn, Servilius. [Exit SERVILIUS.

True, as you said, Timon is shrunk, indeed; And he that's once denied, will hardly speed. [Exit LUCIUS.

1st Stran. Do you observe this, Hostilius? 2nd Stran. Ay, too well.

1st Stran. Why this is the world's soul; And just of the same piece

Is every flatterer's spirit: who can call him his friend
That dips in the same dish? for, in my knowing,
Timon has been this lord's father,
And kept his credit with his purse;
Supported his estate; nay, Timon's money
Has paid his men their wages: he ne'er drinks,
But Timon's silver treads upon his lip:
And yet (O, see the monstrousness of man,
When he looks out in an ungrateful shape!)
He does deny him, in respect of his,
What charitable men afford to beggars.
3rd Stran. Religion groans at it.
1st Stran. For mine own part,