Now to guard sure their master.

And this is all a liberal course allows;

Who cannot keep his wealth must keep his house.

SCENE IV.-The same. A Hall in Timon's House.

[Exit.

Enter Two Servants of VARRO, and the Servant of LUCIUS, meeting TITUS, HORTENSIUS, and other Servants of Timon's Creditors, waiting his coming out.

1 VAR. SERV. Well met; good-morrow, Titus and Hortensius.

TIT. The like to you, kind Varro.

PHI. I wonder on 't; he was wont to shine at seven.

LUC. SERV. Ay, but the days are wax'd shorter with him:

You must consider that a prodigal course

Is like the sun's, but not like his recoverable.

I fear, 't is deepest winter in lord Timon's purse;

That is, one may reach deep enough, and yet

Find little.

PHI. I am of your fear for that.

TIT. I'll show you how to observe a strange event. Your lord sends now for money.

HOR.

Most true, he does.

TIT. And he wears jewels now of Timon's gift,

For which I wait for money.

HOR. It is against my heart.

LUC. SERV.

Mark, how strange it shows,

Timon in this should pay more than he owes:

And e'en as if your lord should wear rich jewels,

And send for money for 'em

HOR. I am weary of this charge, the gods can witness:

I know my lord hath spent of Timon's wealth,

And now ingratitude makes it worse than stealth.

1 VAR. SERV. Yes, mine's three thousand crowns: what's yours? LUC. SERV. Five thousand mine.

1 VAR. SERV. "T is much deep: and it should seem by the sum, Your master's confidence was above mine;

FLAM. No, indeed, he is not.

TIT. We attend his lordship; pray, signify so much.

FLAM. I need not tell him that; he knows you are too diligent.

Enter FLAVIUS, in a cloak, muffled.

[Exit FLAMINIUS.

LUC. SERV. Ha! is not that his steward muffled so?

He goes away in a cloud: call him, call him.

TIT. Do you hear, sir?

1 VAR. SERV. By your leave, sir,

FLAV. What do ye ask of me, my friend?
TIT. We wait for certain money here, sir.

FLAV. Ay, if money were as certain as your waiting, "T were sure enough.

Why then preferr'd you not your sums and bills,
When your false masters ate of my lord's meat?
Then they could smile, and fawn upon his debts,

And take down the interest into their gluttonous maws.
You do yourselves but wrong to stir me up;

Let me pass quietly:

Believe't, my lord and I have made an end;

I have no more to reckon, he to spend.

LUC. SERV. Ay, but this answer will not serve.
FLAV. If 't will not serve, 't is not so base as you;

For you serve knaves.

[Exit.

1 VAR. SERV. How! what does his cashier'd worship mutter? 2 VAR. SERV. No matter what; he's poor, and that's revenge enough. Who can speak broader than he that has no house to put his head in? such may rail against great buildings.

Enter SERVILIUS.

TIT. O, here's Servilius; now we shall know some answer. SER. If I might beseech you, gentlemen, to repair some other hour, I should derive much from it: for, take it of my soul, my lord leans wondrously to discontent. His comfortable temper has forsook him; he's much out of health, and keeps his chamber.

LUC. SERV. Many do keep their chambers are not sick:

And, if it be so far beyond his health,

Methinks he should the sooner pay his debts,

And make a clear way to the gods.

SER.

Good gods!

TIT. We cannot take this for answer, sir.

FLAM. [Without.] Servilius, help!-my lord! my lord!

Enter TIMON, in a rage; FLAMINIUS following.

TIM. What, are my doors oppos'd against my passage?

Have I been ever free, and must my house

Be my retentive enemy, my gaol?

The place which I have feasted, does it now,

Like all mankind, show me an iron heart?
LUC. SERV. Put in now, Titus.

TIT. My lord, here is my bill.

LUC. SERV. Here's mine.

HOR. SERV. And mine, my lord.a

BOTH VAR. SERV. And ours, my lord.

PHI. All our bills.

TIM. Knock me down with 'em : cleave me to the girdle.
LUC. SERV. Alas! my lord,-

TIM. Cut my heart in sums.

TIT. Mine, fifty talents.

TIM. Tell out my

blood.

LUC. SERV. Five thousand crowns, my lord.

TIM. Five thousand drops pays that.

What yours?-and yours?

1 VAR. SERV. My lord,

2 VAR. SERV. My lord,

TIM. Tear me, take me, and the gods fall upon you!

[Exit.

HOR. 'Faith, I perceive our masters may throw their caps at their money; these debts may well be called desperate ones, for a madman owes 'em.

[Exeunt.

Re-enter TIMON and FLAVIUS.

TIM. They have e'en put my breath from me, the slaves.

And mine, my lord.] The old copies assign this speech to 1 Varro. Capell correctly gave it to the servant of Hortensius, because Varro's two servants proffer their bills immediately afterwards.

b

PHI. All our bills.

TIM. Knock me down with 'em :]

Again the inveterate conceit on bill a weapon, and bill a paper!

Lucius, Lucullus, and Sempronius; all:] The folio 1623 has,

and Sempronius Vllorra: All,"

but, as Ullorra is utterly unintelligible, and overloads the line, we adopt the example set by the editor of the second folio, and expunge it from the text.

There is not so much left, to furnish out

A moderate table.

TIM.

Be't not in thy care;

Go, I charge thee; invite them all: let in the tide
Of knaves once more; my cook and I'll provide.

SCENE V.-The same. The Senate-House.

The Senate sitting.

[Exeunt.

1 SEN. My lord, you have my voice to it; the fault's bloody; 't is necessary he should die: nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy. 2 SEN. Most true; the law shall bruise him.*

Enter ALCIBIADES, attended.

ALCIB. Honour, health, and compassion to the senate!

1 SEN. Now, captain?

ALCIB. I am an humble suitor to your virtues ;

For pity is the virtue of the law,

And none but tyrants use it cruelly.

It pleases time and fortune to lie heavy

Upon a friend of mine, who, in hot blood,

Hath stepp'd into the law, which is past depth
To those that, without heed, do plunge into 't.
He is a man, setting his fate aside,

Of comely virtues :

Nor did he soil the fact with cowardice,

(Ant honour in him which buys out his fault,)
But with a noble fury and fair spirit,
Seeing his reputation touch'd to death,
He did oppose his foe:

And with such sober and unnoted passion
He did behave his anger ere 't was spent,
As if he had but prov'd an argument.

1 SEN. You undergo too strict a paradox,b Striving to make an ugly deed look fair:

Your words have took such pains, as if they labour'd
To bring manslaughter into form, and set quarrelling
Upon the head of valour; which, indeed,

Is valour misbegot, and came into the world
When sects and factions were newly born:
He's truly valiant, that can wisely suffer
The worst that man can breathe;
And make his wrongs his outsides,
To wear them like his raiment, carelessly;
And ne'er prefer his injuries to his heart,

(*) Old text, 'em.

(†) Old text, And.

He did behave his anger-] Behave, in its ancient sense of control, was substituted by Rowe, in place of behoove, which is the word in the old copies; but, with Malone, we doubt the text is not yet right.

You undergo too strict a paradox,—] You undertake too harsh a paradox.

To bring it into danger.

If wrongs be evils, and enforce us kill,
What folly 't is to hazard life for ill?
ALCIB. My lord,-

1 SEN.

You cannot make gross sins look clear:

To revenge is no valour, but to bear.

ALCIB. My lords, then, under favour, pardon me,
If I speak like a captain.—

Why do fond men expose themselves to battle,
And not endure all threats? sleep upon it,
And let the foes quietly cut their throats,
Without repugnancy? If there be
Such valour in the bearing, what make we
Abroad? why then, women are more valiant
That stay at home, if bearing carry it;
And the ass more captain than the lion;

The felon loaden with irons wiser than the judge,
If wisdom be in suffering. O my lords,

As you are great, be pitifully good:

Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood?

To kill, I grant, is sin's extremest gust;

But, in defence, by mercy, 't is most just.

To be in anger is impiety;

But who is man that is not angry?
Weigh but the crime with this.

2 SEN. You breathe in vain.
ALCIB.

In vain his service done

At Lacedæmon, and Byzantium,
Were a sufficient briber for his life.

1 SEN. What's that?

ALCIB. Why, It say, my lords, h'as done fair service, And slain in fight many of your enemies:

How full of valour did he bear himself

In the last conflict, and made plenteous wounds!

2 SEN. He has made too much plenty with 'em,‡

He's a sworn rioter; he has a sin that often
Drowns him, and takes his valour prisoner:
If there were no foes, that were enough
To overcome him: in that beastly fury
He has been known to commit outrages,
And cherish factions: 't is inferr'd to us,
His days are foul, and his drink dangerous.
1 SEN. He dies.

ALCIB. Hard fate! he might have died in war.
My lords, if not for any parts in him,

(Though his right arm might purchase his own time, And be in debt to none,) yet, more to move you, Take my deserts to his, and join 'em both:

And for I know your reverend ages love security,

(*) Old text, fellow.

VOL. IV.

(†) First folio omits, I.

(+) First folio, him.

D