The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (book suggestions TXT) 📖

Timon that mean eyes have seen The foot above the head.

 

Trumpets sound. Enter TIMON, addressing himself courteously to every suitor, a MESSENGER from VENTIDIUS talking with him; LUCILIUS and other servants following TIMON. Imprison’d is he, say you?

MESSENGER. Ay, my good lord. Five talents is his debt; His means most short, his creditors most strait.

Your honourable letter he desires

To those have shut him up; which failing, Periods his comfort.

TIMON. Noble Ventidius! Well.

I am not of that feather to shake of

My friend when he must need me. I do know him A gentleman that well deserves a help, Which he shall have. I’ll pay the debt, and free him.

MESSENGER. Your lordship ever binds him.

TIMON. Commend me to him; I will send his ransom; And being enfranchis’d, bid him come to me.

‘Tis not enough to help the feeble up, But to support him after. Fare you well.

MESSENGER. All happiness to your honour! Exit Enter an OLD ATHENIAN

 

OLD ATHENIAN. Lord Timon, hear me speak.

TIMON. Freely, good father.

OLD ATHENIAN. Thou hast a servant nam’d Lucilius.

TIMON. I have so; what of him?

OLD ATHENIAN. Most noble Timon, call the man before thee.

TIMON. Attends he here, or no? Lucilius!

LUCILIUS. Here, at your lordship’s service.

OLD ATHENIAN. This fellow here, Lord Timon, this thy creature, By night frequents my house. I am a man That from my first have been inclin’d to thrift, And my estate deserves an heir more rais’d Than one which holds a trencher.

TIMON. Well; what further?

OLD ATHENIAN. One only daughter have I, no kin else, On whom I may confer what I have got.

The maid is fair, o’ th’ youngest for a bride, And I have bred her at my dearest cost In qualities of the best. This man of thine Attempts her love; I prithee, noble lord, Join with me to forbid him her resort; Myself have spoke in vain.

TIMON. The man is honest.

OLD ATHENIAN. Therefore he will be, Timon.

His honesty rewards him in itself;

It must not bear my daughter.

TIMON. Does she love him?

OLD ATHENIAN. She is young and apt:

Our own precedent passions do instruct us What levity’s in youth.

TIMON. Love you the maid?

LUCILIUS. Ay, my good lord, and she accepts of it.

OLD ATHENIAN. If in her marriage my consent be missing, I call the gods to witness I will choose Mine heir from forth the beggars of the world, And dispossess her all.

TIMON. How shall she be endow’d,

If she be mated with an equal husband?

OLD ATHENIAN. Three talents on the present; in future, all.

TIMON. This gentleman of mine hath serv’d me long;.

To build his fortune I will strain a little, For ‘tis a bond in men. Give him thy daughter: What you bestow, in him I’ll counterpoise, And make him weigh with her.

OLD ATHENIAN. Most noble lord,

Pawn me to this your honour, she is his.

TIMON. My hand to thee; mine honour on my promise.

LUCILIUS. Humbly I thank your lordship. Never may That state or fortune fall into my keeping Which is not owed to you!

Exeunt LUCILIUS and OLD ATHENIAN

POET. [Presenting his poem] Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your lordship!

TIMON. I thank you; you shall hear from me anon; Go not away. What have you there, my friend?

PAINTER. A piece of painting, which I do beseech Your lordship to accept.

TIMON. Painting is welcome.

The painting is almost the natural man; For since dishonour traffics with man’s nature, He is but outside; these pencill’d figures are Even such as they give out. I like your work, And you shall find I like it; wait attendance Till you hear further from me.

PAINTER. The gods preserve ye!

TIMON. Well fare you, gentleman. Give me your hand; We must needs dine together. Sir, your jewel Hath suffered under praise.

JEWELLER. What, my lord! Dispraise?

TIMON. A mere satiety of commendations; If I should pay you for’t as ‘tis extoll’d, It would unclew me quite.

JEWELLER. My lord, ‘tis rated

As those which sell would give; but you well know Things of like value, differing in the owners, Are prized by their masters. Believe’t, dear lord, You mend the jewel by the wearing it.

TIMON. Well mock’d.

 

Enter APEMANTUS

 

MERCHANT. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue, Which all men speak with him.

TIMON. Look who comes here; will you be chid?

JEWELLER. We’ll bear, with your lordship.

MERCHANT. He’ll spare none.

TIMON. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus!

APEMANTUS. Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good morrow; When thou art Timon’s dog, and these knaves honest.

TIMON. Why dost thou call them knaves? Thou know’st them not.

APEMANTUS. Are they not Athenians?

TIMON. Yes.

APEMANTUS. Then I repent not.

JEWELLER. You know me, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. Thou know’st I do; I call’d thee by thy name.

TIMON. Thou art proud, Apemantus.

APEMANTUS. Of nothing so much as that I am not like Timon.

TIMON. Whither art going?

APEMANTUS. To knock out an honest Athenian’s brains.

TIMON. That’s a deed thou’t die for.

APEMANTUS. Right, if doing nothing be death by th’ law.

TIMON. How lik’st thou this picture, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. The best, for the innocence.

TIMON. Wrought he not well that painted it?

APEMANTUS. He wrought better that made the painter; and yet he’s but a filthy piece of work.

PAINTER. Y’are a dog.

APEMANTUS. Thy mother’s of my generation; what’s she, if I be a dog?

TIMON. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. No; I eat not lords.

TIMON. An thou shouldst, thou’dst anger ladies.

APEMANTUS. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies.

TIMON. That’s a lascivious apprehension.

APEMANTUS. So thou apprehend’st it take it for thy labour.

TIMON. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. Not so well as plain dealing, which will not cost a man a doit.

TIMON. What dost thou think ‘tis worth?

APEMANTUS. Not worth my thinking. How now, poet!

POET. How now, philosopher!

APEMANTUS. Thou liest.

POET. Art not one?

APEMANTUS. Yes.

POET. Then I lie not.

APEMANTUS. Art not a poet?

POET. Yes.

APEMANTUS. Then thou liest. Look in thy last work, where thou hast feign’d him a worthy fellow.

POET. That’s not feign’d-he is so.

APEMANTUS. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy labour. He that loves to be flattered is worthy o’ th’ flatterer.

Heavens, that I were a lord!

TIMON. What wouldst do then, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. E’en as Apemantus does now: hate a lord with my heart.

TIMON. What, thyself?

APEMANTUS. Ay.

TIMON. Wherefore?

APEMANTUS. That I had no angry wit to be a lord.- Art not thou a merchant?

MERCHANT. Ay, Apemantus.

APEMANTUS. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not!

MERCHANT. If traffic do it, the gods do it.

APEMANTUS. Traffic’s thy god, and thy god confound thee!

 

Trumpet sounds. Enter a MESSENGER

 

TIMON. What trumpet’s that?

MESSENGER. ‘Tis Alcibiades, and some twenty horse, All of companionship.

TIMON. Pray entertain them; give them guide to us.

Exeunt some attendants You must needs dine with me. Go not you hence Till I have thank’d you. When dinner’s done Show me this piece. I am joyful of your sights.

 

Enter ALCIBIADES, with the rest Most welcome, sir! [They salute]

APEMANTUS. So, so, there!

Aches contract and starve your supple joints!

That there should be small love amongst these sweet knaves, And all this courtesy! The strain of man’s bred out Into baboon and monkey.

ALCIBIADES. Sir, you have sav’d my longing, and I feed Most hungerly on your sight.

TIMON. Right welcome, sir!

Ere we depart we’ll share a bounteous time In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.

Exeunt all but APEMANTUS

 

Enter two LORDS

 

FIRST LORD. What time o’ day is’t, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. Time to be honest.

FIRST LORD. That time serves still.

APEMANTUS. The more accursed thou that still omit’st it.

SECOND LORD. Thou art going to Lord Timon’s feast.

APEMANTUS. Ay; to see meat fill knaves and wine heat fools.

SECOND LORD. Fare thee well, fare thee well.

APEMANTUS. Thou art a fool to bid me farewell twice.

SECOND LORD. Why, Apemantus?

APEMANTUS. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none.

FIRST LORD. Hang thyself.

APEMANTUS. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend.

SECOND LORD. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I’ll spurn thee hence.

APEMANTUS. I will fly, like a dog, the heels o’ th’ ass. Exit FIRST LORD. He’s opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in And taste Lord Timon’s bounty? He outgoes The very heart of kindness.

SECOND LORD. He pours it out: Plutus, the god of gold, Is but his steward; no meed but he repays Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him But breeds the giver a return exceeding All use of quittance.

FIRST LORD. The noblest mind he carries That ever govern’d man.

SECOND LORD. Long may he live in fortunes! shall we in?

FIRST LORD. I’ll keep you company. Exeunt

SCENE II.

A room of state in TIMON’S house

 

Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet serv’d in; FLAVIUS and others attending; and then enter LORD TIMON, the states, the ATHENIAN LORDS, VENTIDIUS, which TIMON redeem’d from prison.

Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly, like himself VENTIDIUS. Most honoured Timon,

It hath pleas’d the gods to remember my father’s age, And call him to long peace.

He is gone happy, and has left me rich.

Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound To your free heart, I do return those talents, Doubled with thanks and service, from whose help I deriv’d liberty.

TIMON. O, by no means,

Honest Ventidius! You mistake my love; I gave it freely ever; and there’s none Can truly say he gives, if he receives.

If our betters play at that game, we must not dare To imitate them: faults that are rich are fair.

VENTIDIUS. A noble spirit!

TIMON. Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devis’d at first To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes, Recanting goodness, sorry ere ‘tis shown; But where there is true friendship there needs none.

Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes Than my fortunes to me. [They sit]

FIRST LORD. My lord, we always have confess’d it.

APEMANTUS. Ho, ho, confess’d it! Hang’d it, have you not?

TIMON. O, Apemantus, you are welcome.

APEMANTUS. No;

You shall not make me welcome.

I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.

TIMON. Fie, th’art a churl; ye have got a humour there Does not become a man; ‘tis much to blame.

They say, my lords, Ira furor brevis est; but yond man is ever angry. Go, let him have a table by himself; for he does neither affect company nor is he fit for’t indeed.

APEMANTUS. Let me stay at thine apperil, Timon.

I come to observe; I give thee warning on’t.

TIMON. I take no heed of thee. Th’art an Athenian, therefore welcome. I myself would have no power; prithee let my meat make thee silent.

APEMANTUS. I scorn thy meat; ‘t’would choke me, for I should ne’er flatter thee. O you gods, what a number of men eats Timon, and he sees ‘em not! It grieves me to see so many dip their meat in one man’s blood; and all the madness is, he cheers them up too.

I wonder men dare trust themselves with men.

Methinks they should invite them without knives: Good for their meat and safer for their lives.

There’s much example for’t; the fellow that sits next him now, parts bread with him, pledges the breath of him in a divided draught, is the readiest man to kill him. ‘T has been proved. If I were a huge man I should fear to