The mouths, the tongues, the eyes, the hearts of men
At duty, more than I could frame employments;
That numberless upon me ftuck, as leaves

Do on the oak; yet with one winter's brush
Fall'n from their boughs, have left me open, bare
For every ftorm that blows; I to bear this,

That never knew but better, is fome burden:

Thy nature did commence in fuff'rance, time

Hath made thee hard in't. Why shouldft thou hate men ?
They never flatter'd thee. What hast thou given?
If thou wilt curfe, thy father that poor rag
Must be thy subject, who in spite put stuff
To fome she beggar, and compounded thee
Poor rogue hereditary. Hence! be gone!
If thou hadft not been born the worft of men,
Thou hadst been knave and flatterer.

Apem. Art thou proud yet
Tim. Ay, that I am not thee.
Apem. I, that I was no prodigal.
Tim. I, that I am one now:

Were all the wealth I have shut up in thee,
I'd give thee leave to hang it. Get thee gone.
That the whole life of Athens were in this!
Thus would I eat it."

[eating a root.

Apem. What wouldft thou have to Athens?
Tim. Thee thither in a whirlwind: if thou wilt,
Tell them there, I have gold; look, so I have.
Apem. Here is no use for gold.

Tim. The best and trueft:

For here it fleeps, and does no hired harm.
Apem. Where ly'ft o' nights, Timon?

Thus would I eat it.

Apem. Here will I mend thy feast.

Tim. First mend my company, take away thyself.

Apem. So I fhall mend my own, by th' lack of thine.
Tim. 'Tis not well mended fo, it is but botch'd;

If not, I would it were.

Apem. What wouldft thou &.

Tim., Under that's above me.

Where feed'ft thou o' days, Apemantus?

Apem. Where

My ftomach finds meat; rather, where I eat it.
Tim. 'Would poison were obedient, knew my mind!
Apem. Where wouldst thou send it then?

Tim. To fauce thy dishes.

Apem. The middle of humanity thou never knewest, but the extremity of both ends. When thou waft in thy gilt, and thy perfume, they mock'd thee for too much courtefy; in thy rags thou knoweft none, but art defpis'd for the contrary. What things in the world canft thou nearest compare to thy flatterers? Tim. Women nearest; but men, men are the things themselves. What wouldst thou do with the world, Apemantus, if it lay in thy power?

Apem. Give it the beafts, to be rid of the men.

Tim. Wouldst thou have thyself fall in the confufion of men, and remain a beaft with the beasts?

Apem. Ay, Timon.

Tim. A beastly ambition, which the gods grant thee t'attain to! If thou wert a lion, the fox would beguile thee; if thou wert the lamb, the fox would eat thee; if thou wert the fox, the lion would suspect thee, when, peradventure, thou wert accus'd by the ass: if thou wert the ass, thy dulness would torment thee ; and ftill thoud'ft live but as a breakfast to the wolf: if thou wert the wolf, thy greediness would afflict thee; and oft thou shouldst hazard thy life for thy dinner: wert thou the unicorn, pride and wrath would confound thee, and make thine ownself the

the contrary. There's a medlar for thee, eat it.

Tim. On what I bate, I feed not.

Apem. Doft hate a medlar?

Tim. Ay, though it look like thee.

Apem. An th' hadft hated medlars fooner, thou fhouldst have loved thyself better now.

What man didft thou ever know unthrift, that was beloved after his means?

Tim. Who, without those means thou talk'st of, didft thou ever know beloved?

Apem. Myfelf.

Tim. I understand thee; thou hadst fome means to keep a dog.

Apem. What things &

conqueft

conqueft of thy fury: wert thou a bear, thou wouldst be kill'd by the horse; wer't thou a horse, thou wouldst be seized by the leopard; wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion, and the spots of thy kindred were jurors on thy life: all thy safety were remotion, and thy defence abfence. What beast couldft thou be, that were not subject to a beast? and what a beast art thou already, and feeft not thy lofs in transformation !

Apem. If thou couldst please me with speaking to me, thou mightst have hit upon it here: the commonwealth of Athens is become a foreft of beafts.

Tim. How has the ass broke the wall, that thou art out of the city?

Apem. Thou art the cap of all the fools alive.

Tim. 'Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon. A plague on thee!

Apem. Thou art too bad too curse.

Tim. All villains that do ftand by thee, are pure.
Apem. There is no leprofy but what thou speak'ft.
Tim. I'd beat thee, but I should infect my hands.
Apem. I would my tongue could rot them off!
Tim. Away, thou iffue of a mangy dog!
Choler does kill me, that thou art alive;
I fwoon to fee thee.

Apem. I would thou wouldst burst.

Tim. Away, thou tedious rogue, I am sorry I Shall lofe a ftone by thee.

Apem. Beast!

Tim. Slave!
Apem. Toad!

Tim. Rogue!

I am fick of this falfe world; and will love nought
But ev'n the mere neceffities upon it.

Then, Timon, presently prepare thy grave;

a The account given of the unicorn is this: that he and the lion being enemies by nature, as foon as the lion fees the unicorn he betakes himself to a tree: the unicorn in his fury and with all the fwiftness of his courfe running at him flicks his horn faft in the tree, and then the lion falls upon him and kills him. Gefner Hift. Animal.

Lie

Lie where the light foam of the sea may beat
Thy grave-ftone daily; make thine epitaph,
That death in me at others' lives may laugh.

O thou sweet king-killer, and dear divorce [looking on the gold. 'Twixt natural fon and fire! thou bright defiler

Of Hymen's pureft bed! thou valiant Mars!

Thou ever young, fresh, lov'd, and delicate wooer,
Whose blush doth thaw the confecrated fnow,

That lies on Dian's lap! thou vifible god,
That folder'st close impoffibilities,

And mak'st them kifs! that speak'ft with every tongue ·

To every purpose! o, thou touch of hearts!

Think, thy flave man rebels; and by thy virtue

Set them into confounding odds, that beasts

May have the world in empire.

Apem. 'Would 'twere fo,

But not 'till I am dead! I'll fay, th' haft gold;

Thou wilt be throng'd to fhortly.

Tim. Throng'd to?

Apem. Ay.

Tim. Thy back, I pr'ythee: live and love thy mifery: Long live fo or fo die, fo I am quit.

Mo things like men? eat, Timon, and abhor them.

[Seeing the Thieves. Apem. The plague of company light upon thee! I will fear to catch it, and give way. When I know not what else to do, I'll fee thee again.

Tim. When there is nothing living but thee, thou shalt be welcome. I had rather be a beggar's dog than Apemantus.

[Exit Ape.

I Thief. Where fhould he have this gold? It is fome poor fragment, fome flender ort of his remainder: the mere want of gold, and the falling off of friends, drove him into this melancholy.

2 Thief.

2 Thief. It is nois'd, he hath a mass of treasure.

3 Thief. Let us make the affay upon him; if he care not for't, he will fupply us eafily: if he covetously reserve it, how fhall's get it?

2 Thief. True; for he bears it not about him: 'tis hid. 1 Thief. Is not this he?

All. Where?

2 Thief. 'Tis his description.
3 Thief. He; I know him.
All. Save thee, Timon!
Tim. Now, thieves?

All. Soldiers; not thieves.

Tim. Both, both, and women's fons.

All. We are not thieves, but men that much do want.
Tim. Your greatest want is, you want much of men.
Why should you want? behold, the earth hath roots;
Within this mile break forth an hundred fprings :
The oaks bear masts, the briers scarlet hips;
The bounteous hufwife nature on each bufh
Lays her full mefs before you. Want? why want?
1 Thief. We cannot live on grafs, on berries, water,
As beafts, and birds, and fifhes.

Tim. Nor on the beasts themselves, the birds, and fishes:
You must eat men. Yet thanks I muft you con,

That you are thieves profess'd; that you work not

In holier shapes: for there is boundless theft

In limited profeffions. Rafcals, thieves,

Here's gold: go, fuck the subtle blood o'th' grape
Till the high fever feeth your blood to froth,
And fo' scape hanging: truft not the physician;
His antidotes are poifon, and he flays

More than you rob, takes wealth, and life together:
Do villany, do, fince you profefs to do't,
Like workmen. I'll example you with thievery :
The fun's a thief, and with his great attraction
Robs the vast sea; the moon's an arrant thief,

And