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;
And he, that's once denied, will hardly speed.

AGAINST DUELLING.

[Exit.

Your words have took such pains, as if they labour'd

To bring manslaughter into form, set quarrelling
Upon the head of valour; which, indeed,

Is valour misbegot, and came into the world
When sects and factions were but newly born:
He's truly valiant, that can wisely suffer

The worst that man can breathe; and make his wrongs
His outsides; wear them like his raiment, carelessly;
And ne'er prefer his injuries to his heart,
To bring it into danger.

ACT IV.

TO THE COURTEZANS.

CONSUMPTIONS SOW

In hollow bones of man; strike their sharp shins,
And mar men's spurring. Crack the lawyer's voice,
That he may never more false title plead,

Nor sound his quillets* shrilly: hoar the flamen,
That scolds against the quality of flesh,

And not believes himself: down with the nose,
Down with it flat; take the bridge quite away
Of him, that his particular to foresee,

[fians bald;

Smells from the general weal: make curl'd-pate ruf-
And let the unscarr'd braggarts of the war
Derive some pain from you.

* Subtilties.

TIMON'S EXECRATION OF THE ATHENIANS.

SCENE. Without the walls of Athens.

LET me look back upon thee, O thou wall,
That girdlest in those wolves! Dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent;
Obedience fail in children! slaves, and fools,
Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench,
And minister in their steads! to general filths*
Convert o' the instant, green virginity!

Do't in your parents eyes! bankrupts, hold fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,
And cut your truster's throats! bound servants, steal!
Large handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law! maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy mistress is o' the brothel! son of sixteen,
Pluck the lin'd crutch from the old limping sire,
With it beat out his brains! piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestic awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs, and laws,

*Common sewers.

Decline to your confounding contraries *,
And yet confusion live!-Plagues, incident to mer,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap

On Athens, ripe for stroke! thou cold sciatica,
Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners! lust and libertyt
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth;
That 'gainst the stream of virtue they may strive,
And drown themselves in riot! itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bosoms; and their crop
Be general leprosy! breath infect breath;
That their society, as their friendship, may
Be merely poison! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou detestable town!

A FRIEND FORSAKEN.

As we do turn our backs

From our companion, thrown into his grave:
So his familiars to his buried fortunes

Slink all away; leave their false vows with him,
Like empty purses pick'd: and his poor self,
A dedicated beggar to the air,

With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone.

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;
Pluck stout men's pillows from below their heads :
This yellow slave

Will knit and break religions; bless the accurs'd;
Make the hoar leprosy ador'd; place thieves,
And give them title, knee, and approbation,
With senators on the bench: this is it,
That makes the wappen'd widow wed again;
She, whom the spital-house, and ulcerous sores
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices
To the April day againt. Come, damned earth,
Thou common whore of mankind, that putt'st odds
Among the rout of nations, I will make thee
Do thy right nature.

TIMON TO ALCIBIADES.

Go on,-here's gold,-go on;
Be as a planetary plague, when Jove

Will o'er some high-vic'd city hang his poison
In the sick air: Let not thy sword skip one:
Pity not honour'd age for his white beard,
He's an usurer: Strike me the counterfeit matron;
It is her habit only that is honest,

Herself's a bawd: Let not the virgin's cheek
Make soft thy trenchant sword; for those milk-paps,
That through the window-bars bore at men's eyes,
Are not within the leaf of pity writ,

Set them down horrible traitors: Spare not the babe,
Whose dimpled smiles from fools exhaust their mercy;
Think it a bastard §, whom the oracle

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;
A poor unmanly melancholy, sprung

From change of fortune. Why this spade? this place?
This slave-like habit? and these looks of care?
Thy flatterers yet wear silk, drink wine, lie soft;
Hug their diseas'd perfumes §, and have forgot
That ever Timon was. Shame not these woods,
By putting on the cunning of a carper ||,

* Boundless surface.

+ Bent.

The serpent called the blind worm. Si. e. Their diseased perfumed mistresses. i. e. Shame not these woods by finding fault.