able 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; AGAINST DUELLING. [Exit. Your words have took such pains, as if they labour'd To bring manslaughter into form, set quarrelling Is valour misbegot, and came into the world The worst that man can breathe; and make his wrongs ACT IV. TO THE COURTEZANS. CONSUMPTIONS SOW In hollow bones of man; strike their sharp shins, Nor sound his quillets* shrilly: hoar the flamen, And not believes himself: down with the nose, [fians bald; Smells from the general weal: make curl'd-pate ruf- * Subtilties. TIMON'S EXECRATION OF THE ATHENIANS. SCENE. Without the walls of Athens. LET me look back upon thee, O thou wall, Do't in your parents eyes! bankrupts, hold fast; *Common sewers. Decline to your confounding contraries *, On Athens, ripe for stroke! thou cold sciatica, A FRIEND FORSAKEN. As we do turn our backs From our companion, thrown into his grave: Slink all away; leave their false vows with him, With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty, ON GOLD. Earth, yield me roots! [Digging. Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate With thy most operant poison! What is here? Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, gods I am no idle votarist. Roots, you clear heavens ! Thus much of this, will make black, white; foul, fair; Wrong, right; base, noble; old, young; coward, valiant. [this Ha, you gods! why this? What this, you gods? Why * i. e. Contrarieties, whose nature it is to waste or destroy each other. + For libertinism. No insincere or inconstant supplicant. Gold will not serve me instead of roots. Will lug your priests and servants from your sides; Will knit and break religions; bless the accurs'd; TIMON TO ALCIBIADES. Go on,-here's gold,-go on; Will o'er some high-vic'd city hang his poison Herself's a bawd: Let not the virgin's cheek Set them down horrible traitors: Spare not the babe, Hath doubtfully pronounc'd thy throat shall cut, And mince it sans remorse: Swear against objects¶; Put armour on thine ears, and on thine eyes; Whose proof, nor yells of mothers, maids, nor babes, Nor sight of priests in holy vestments bleeding, * Sorrowful. ti. e. Gold restores her to all the sweetness and freshness of youth. + Cutting. An allusion to the tale of Edipus. || Without pity. ¶i. e. Against objects of charity and compassion. Shall pierce a jot. There's gold to pay thy soldiers: Make large confusion; and, thy fury spent, Confounded be thyself! Speak not, be gone. HIS REFLECTIONS ON THE EARTH. That nature, being sick of man's unkindness, Should yet be hungry!-Common mother, thou, [Digging. Whose womb unmeasurable, and infinite breast*, Teems, and feeds all; whose self-same mettle, Whereof thy proud child, arrogant man, is puff'd, Engenders the black toad, and adder blue, The gilded newt, and eyeless venom'd worm†, With all the abhorred births below crisp‡ heaven Whereon Hyperion's quickening fire doth shine; Yield him, whom all thy human sons doth hate, From forth thy plenteous bosom one poor root! Ensear thy fertile and conceptious womb, Let it no more bring out ingrateful man! Go great with tigers, dragons, wolves, and bears; Teem with new monsters, whom thy upward face Hath to the marbled mansion all above Never presented!—O, a root,-Dear thanks! Dry up thy marrows, vines, and plough-torn leas; Whereof ingrateful man, with liquorish draughts, And morsels unctuous, greases his pure mind, That from it all consideration slips! HIS DISCOURSE WITH APEMANTUS. Apem. This is in thee a nature but affected; From change of fortune. Why this spade? this place? * Boundless surface. + Bent. The serpent called the blind worm. Si. e. Their diseased perfumed mistresses. i. e. Shame not these woods by finding fault. |