Tim. Mine honeft Friend,

I prethee but repair to me next Morning. +
Cap. Nay, good my Lord-

Tim. Contain thy felf, good Friend.

Var. One Varro's Servant, my good Lord.

Ifid. From Ifidore, he humbly prays your speedy pay

ment

Cap. If

you did know, my Lord, my Mafter's wantsVar. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my Lord, fix Weeks, and

past.

Ifid. Your Steward puts me off, my Lord, and I Am fent exprefly to your Lordship.

Tim. Give me breath:

[To the Lords. I do befeech you, good my Lords, keep on, [Exe. Lords.

I'll wait upon you inftantly. Come hither, pray you
How goes the World that I am thus encountred
With clamorous demands of Debt, broken Bonds,
And the Detention of long fince due Debts,
Againft my Honour ?

Fla. Pleafe you, Gentlemen,

The time is unagreeable to this Business:
Your Importunacy ceafe, 'till after Dinner,
That I may make his Lordship understand

Wherefore you are not paid.

Tim. Do fo, my Friends; fee them well entertain'd.

Stew. Pray draw near.

Enter Apemantus and Fool.

[Exit.

Cap. Stay, ftay, here comes the Fool with Apemantus,

let's have fome fport with 'em.

Ver. Hang him, he'll abufe us.

Ifid. A plague upon him, Dog.

Var. How doft, Fool?

Apem. Doft dialogue with thy Shadow?

Var. I fpeak not to thee.

Apem. No, 'tis to thy felf. Come away.

Ifid. There's the Fool hangs on your Back already.
Apem. No, thou ftandft fingle, thou art not on him yet.

Cap. Where's the Fool now?

Apem. He laft ask'd the Queftion. Poor Rogues and
Ufurers Men, Bawds between Gold and Want.
All. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem.

1

Apem. Alles.

Alt. Why?

Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know your felves. Speak to 'em, Fool.

Fool. How do you, Gentlemen? All. Gramercies, good Fool: How does your Mistress?

Fool. She's e'en fetting on Water to fcald fuch Chickens as you are. Would we could see you at Corinth.

Apem. Good! Gramercy!

Enter Page.

Fool. Look you, here comes my Master's Page.

Page. Why how now, Captain? What do you in this wife company?

How doft thou, Apemantus?

Apem. Would I had a Rod in my Mouth, that I might anfwer thee profitably.

Page. Prethee, Apemantus, read me the Superfcription of thefe Letters, I know not which is which.

Apem. Canft not read?

Page. No.

Apem. There will little Learning die then that day thou art hang'd. This is to Lord Timon, this to Alcibiades. Go, thou waft born a Baftard, and thou'lt die a Bawd.

Page. Thou waft whelpt a Dog, and thou shalt famifh, a Dog's death.

Aufwer not, I am gone.

Apem. E'en fo thou out-run'ft Grace. Fool, I will go with you to Lord Timon's. Fool. Will you leave me there?

Apem. If Timon ftay at home.

You three ferve three Ufurers?
All. I would they ferv'd us.
Apem. So would I

As good a trick as ever Hangman ferv'd Thief.

Fool. Are you three Ufurers Men?

All Ay; Fool.

[Exit.

Fool. I think no Ufurer 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 fadly, and go

away

away merrily; but they enter my Mafter's Houfe merrily, and go away fadly. The reafon of this?

Var. I could render one.

Apem. Do it then, that we may account thee a Whoremafter, and a Knave, which notwithstanding thou shalt be no lefs efteemed.

Var. What is a Whore-mafter, Fool?

Fool. A Fool in good Cloaths, and fomething like thee. 'Tis a Spirit; fometime 't appears like a Lord, fometimes like a Lawyer, fometime like a Philofopher, with two Stones more than's artificial one. He is very often like a Knight; and generally, in all Shapes that Man goes up and down in, from fourfcore to thirteen, this Spirit walks in.

Var. Thou art not altogether a Fool.

Fool. Nor thou altogether a wife Man;

As much foolery as I have, fo much wit thou lack'st.
Apem. That answer might have become Apemantas.
All. Afide, afide, here comes Lord Timon.

Enter Timon and Flavius.

Apem. Come with me, Fool, come.

Fool. I do not always follow Lover, elder Brother, And Woman; fometime the Philofopher.

Fla. Pray you walk near,

I'll fpeak with you anon.

[Exeunt.

Tim. You make me marvel; wherefore, e'er this time,

Had you not fully laid my State before me?

That I might fo have rated my Expence,

As I had leave of means.

Fla. You would not hear me:

At many leisures I propos'd.

Tim. Go to:

Perchance fome fingle Vantages you took,

When my Indifpofition put you

back;

And that unaptnefs made you Minifter

Thus to excufe your felf.

Fla. O my good Lord,

At many times I brought in my Accounts,

Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And fay you found them in mine honesty.

When, for fome trifling Prefent, you have bid me

Return

Return fo much, I have fhook my Head, and wept;
Yea against th' Authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your Hand more clofe. I did endure
Not feldom, nor no flight Checks, when I have
Prompted you in the Ebb of your Eftate,
And your great flow of Debts; my dear lov'd Lord,
Though you hear now, too late, yet now's a time,
The greateft of your having, lacks a half,
To pay your prefent Debts.

Tim. Let all my Land be fold.

Fla. 'Tis all engag'd, fome forfeited and gone,
And what remains will hardly ftop the Mouth
Of prefent dues; the future comes apace:
What shall defend the interim, and at length
How goes our reck'ning?

Tim. To Lacedemon did my Land extend.
Fla. O my good Lord, the World is but a World,
Were it all yours, to give it in a breath,
How quickly were it gone?

Tim. You tell me true?

Fla. If you fufpect my Husbandry or Falfhood,
Call me before the exacteft Auditors,

And fet me on the proof. So the Gods blefs me
When all our Offices have been opprest

With riotous Feeders, when our Vaults have wept
With drunken Spilth of Wine; when every Room
Hath blaz'd with Lights, and braid with Minftrelfie,
I have retir'd me to a wasteful Cock,

And fet mine Eyes at flow.

Tim. Prethee no more.

Fla. Heav'ns! have I faid, the bounty of this Lord! How may prodigal Bits have Slaves and Peafants

This Night englutted! who is not Timon's?

What Heart, Head, Sword, Force, Means, but is Lord Timon's?

Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon's?

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praife,

The breath is gone whereof this praife is made:
Feast won, Falt loft; one Cloud of Winter fhowres,
Thefe flies are coucht.

Tim. Come fermon me no further.
No villanous Bounty yet hath past my Heart;

Unwifely

Unwifely, not ignobly, have I given.

Why dost thou weep, canft thou the Confcience lack,
To think I fhall lack Friends? Secure thy Heart,
If I would broach the Vessels of my Love,
And try the Arguments of Hearts, by borrowing,
Men and Mens Fortunes could I frankly use,
As I can bid thee speak.

Stew. Affurance bless your Thoughts.

Tim. And in fome fort these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them Bleffings: For by these

Shall I try Friends. You fhall perceive

How you

mistake my Fortunes:

I am wealthy in my Friends.

Within there, Flaminius, Servilius?

Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other Servants.

Serv. My Lord, my Lord.

Tim. I will difpatch you feverally.

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, fay, that my Occafi ons have found time to use 'em toward a fupply of Mony; let the request be fifty Talents.

Flam. As you have faid, my Lord.

Fla. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? Humb-
Tim. Go you, Sir, to the Senators;

Of whom, even to the States beft health, I have
Deferv'd this hearing; bid 'em fend o'th' instant
A thousand Talents to me.

Fla. I have been bold,

For that I knew it the moft general way,

To them to use your Signet and your Name,
But they do fhake their Heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Tim. Is't true? Can't be?

[To Flavius.

Fla. They answer in a joint and corporate Voice,
That now they are at fall, want Treafure, cannot
Do what they would, are forry-You are Honourable
But yet they could have wifht -they know not-

Something hath been amifs

a noble Nature

May catch a Wench-would all were well-'tis pity.
And fo intending other ferious Matters,

After