ACT IV. SCENE I. Without the Walls of Athens. Enter TIMON. Tim. 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 trusters' 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, men, Your potent and infectious fevers heap On Athens, ripe for stroke! thou cold sciatica, Take thou that too, with multiplying banns! Timon will to the woods; where he shall find Amen. SCENE II. Athens. A Room in Timon's House. Enter FLAVIUS, with two or three Servants. 1 Serv. Hear you, master steward, where's our master? Are we undone? cast off? nothing remaining? Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous gods, Such a house broke! 2 Serv. 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.-More of our fellows. Enter other Servants. Flav. All broken implements of a ruin'd house. 3 Serv. Yet do our hearts wear Timon's livery, That see I by our faces; we are fellows still, Serving alike in sorrow: Leak'd is our bark; And we, poor mates, stand on the dying deck, Hearing the surges threat: we must all part Into this sea of air. Flav. Good fellows all, The latest of my wealth, I'll share amongst you. Wherever we shall meet, for Timon's sake, Let's yet be fellows; let's shake our heads, and say, As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes, We have seen better days. Let's each take some; [Giving them money. Nay, put out all your hands. Not one word more: Thus part we rich in sorrow, parting poor. To have his pomp, and all what state compounds, For bounty, that makes gods, does still mar men. I'll ever serve his mind with my best will; SCENE III. The Woods. Enter TIMON. Tim. O blessed bleeding sun, draw from the Rotten humidity; below thy sister's orb The greater scorns the lesser. Not nature, But by contempt of nature: Raise me this beggar, and deny't that lord; It is the pasture lards the brother's sides, The want that makes him lean. Who dares, who dares, In purity of manhood stand upright, roots! 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. Ha, you gods! why this? What this, you gods? Why this Will lug your priests and servants from your sides; Pluck stout men's pillows from below their heads: This yellow slave Will kuit 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 again. Come, damned earth, Thou common whore of mankind, that put'st odds Among the rout of nations, I will make thee Do thy right nature. [March afar off.]-Ha! a drum?-Thou'rt quick, But yet I'll bury thee: Thon't go, strong thief, When gouty keepers of thee cannot stand :Nay, stay thou out for earnest. [Keeping some gold. Enter ALCIBIADES, with drum and fife, in warlike manner; PHRYNIA and TIMANDRA. Alcib. Speak. What art thou there? Tim. A beast, as thou art. The canker gnaw thy heart, For showing me again the eyes of man! Alcib. What is thy name? Is man so hateful to thee, That art thyself a man! Tim. I am misanthropos, and hate mankind. For thy part, I do wish thou wert a dog, That I might love thee something. Alcib. I not desire to know. Follow thy drum; Then what should war be? This fell whore of thine Hath in her more destruction than thy sword, For all her cherubin look. Phry. Thy lips rot off! Tim. I will not kiss thee; then the rot returns To thine own lips again. Alcib. How came the noble Timon to this change? Tim. As the moon does, by wanting light to give: But then renew I could not, like the moon; Alcib. What friendship may I do thee? Tim. Maintain my opinion. Alcib. Noble Timon, None, but to What is it, Timon? Tim. Promise me friendship, but perform none: If Thou wilt not promise, the gods plague thee, for Thou art a man! if thou dost perform, confound thee, For thou'rt a man! Alcib. Ihave heard in some sort of thy miseries. |