Enter Timon, and his train.

Tim. So foon as dinner's done, we'll forth again, My Alcibiades.-Well, what's your will?

[They prefent their bills. Cap. My Lord, here is a note of certain dues. Tim. Dues? whence are you?

Cap. Of Athens here, my Lord.
Tim. Go to my Steward.

Cap. Please it your Lordship, he hath put me off
To the fucceffion of new days, this month:
My mafter is awak'd by great occafion,

To call upon his own; and humbly prays you,
That with your other noble parts you'll fuit,
In giving him his right.

Tim. Mine honest friend,

I pr'ythee, but repair to me next morning.
Cap. Nay, good my Lord.

Tim. Contain thy felf, good friend.

Var. One Varro's fervant, my good Lord-
Ifid. From Ifidore, he prays your fpeedy payment-
Cap. If you did know, my Lord, my mafter's wants--
Var. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my Lord, fix weeks, and
past.

Ifid. Your fteward puts me off, my Lord, and I
Am fent exprefsly to your Lordship.

Tim. Give me breath:

I do beseech you, good my Lords, keep on, [Ex. Lords.
I'll wait upon you inftantly.-Come hither:

How goes the world, that I am thus encountred
With clam'rous claims of debt, of broken bonds,
And the detention of long-fince-due debts,
Against my honour?

Flav. Pleafe you, gentlemen,

The time is unagreeable to this bufinefs:
Your importunity ceafe, 'till after dinner;

That I may make his Lordship understand

Wherefore you are not paid.

Tim. Do fo, my friends; fee them well entertain'd.

[Exit Tim.

Flav. Pray, draw near.

Enter Apemantus, and Fool.

[Exit Flav.

Cap. Stay, ftay, here comes the fool with Apemantus, let's have fome fport with 'em.

Var. Hang him, he'll abufe us.

Ifid. A plague upon him, dog.
Var. How doft, fool?

Apem. Doft dialogue with thy fhadow?

Var. I fpeak not to thee.

Apem. No, 'tis to thyself.

Come away.

Ifid. There's the fool hangs on your back already. Apem. No, thou ftand'ft fingle, thou art not on him yet. Cap. Where's the fool now?

Apem. He laft afk'd the queftion.

Poor rogues, and

ufurers men! bawds between gold and want!

All. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem. Affes.

All. Why?

Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves. Speak to 'em, fool.

Fool. How do you, gentlemen?

All. Gramercies, good fool: how does your miftrefs? Fool. She's e'en fetting on water to fcald fuch chickens as you are. 'Would, we could fee you at Corinth.

Apem. Good! gramercy!

Enter Page.

Fool. Look you, here comes my mistress's page. Page. Why how now, captain? what do you in this wife company? how doft thou, Apemantus?

Apem. 'Would, I had a rod in my mouth, that I might anfwer thee profitably.

Page. Pr'ythee, Apemantus, read me the fuperfcription of thefe letters; I know not which is which.

Apem. Canft not read?

Page. No.

Apem. There will little learning die then, that day thou art hang'd. This is to Lord Timon, this to Alcibiades. Go, thou waft born a bastard, and thou'lt die a bawd.

Page.

Page. Thou waft whelpt a dog, and thou fhalt famil, a dog's death. Anfwer not, I am gone.

Apem. Ev'n fo thou out-run'ft grace.
Fool, I will go with you to Lord Timon's.
Fool. Will you leave me there?
Apem. If Timon ftay at home-
You three ferve three ufurers?
All. I would, they ferv'd us.

[Exit.

Apem. So would I-as good a trick as ever hangman ferv'd thief.

Fool Are you three ufurers men?

All. Ay, fool.

Fool. I think, no ufurer but has a fool to his fervant. My miftref is one, and I am her fool; when men come to borrow of your mafters, they approach fadly, and go away merrily; but they enter my miftrefs's houfe merrily, and go away fadly. The reafon of this ? Var. I could render one.

Apem. Do it then, that we may account thee a whorematter, and a knave; which notwithstanding, thou shalt be no lefs eft em'd.

Var. What is a whore-mafter, fool?

Fool. A fool in good clothes, and fomething like thee. 'Tis a fpirit; fometimes it appears like a Lord, fometimes like a lawyer, fometimes like a philofopher, with two ftones more than's artificial one. He is very often like a knight; and generally, in all fhapes that man goes up and down in, from fourfcore to thirteen, this fpirit walks in.

Var. Thou art not altogether a fool.

Fool. Nor thou altogether a wife man ; as much foolery as I have, fo much wit thou lack'ft.

Apem. That anfwer might have become Apemantus. All. Afide, afide, here comes Lord Timon.

Enter Timon and Flavius.

Apem. Come with me, fool, come.

Fool. I do not always follow lover, elder brother, and woman; fometime, the philofopher.

Flav. Pray you walk near, I'll fpeak with you anon. [Exeunt Creditors, Apemantus, and Fool. Tim. You make me marvel; wherefore, ere this time, Had you not fully laid my flate before me?

That I might fo have rated my expence,

As I had leave of means.

Flav. You would not hear me : At many leifures I propos'd.

Tim. Go to:

Perchance, fome fingle vantages you took,
When my indifpofition put you back:
And that unaptnefs made you minifter
Thus to excufe yourself.

Flav. O my good Lord,

At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you; you would throw them off,
And fay, you found them in mine honefty.

When, for fome trifling prefent, you have bid me
Return fo much, I've fhook my head, and wept;
Yea, 'gainst th' authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more clofe: I did endure
Not feldom, nor no flight checks; when I have
Prompted you in the ebb of your eftate,

And your great flow of debts. My dear-lov'd Lord,
Though you hear now too late, yet now's a time;
The greatest of your having lacks a half

To pay your prefent debts.

Tim. Let all my land be fold.

Flav. 'Tis all engag'd, fome forfeited and gone:
And what remains will hardly stop the mouth
Of prefent dues; the future comes apace:
What shall defend the interim, and at length
How goes our reck'ning? (14)

Tim.

(14) How goes our reck'ning?] Mr. Warburton gave me fo ingenious a conjecture on this paffage, that tho' I have not ventur'd, against the authority of all the books, to infert it in the text, I cannot but give it a place here. "This fteward, (fays he) methinks, talks very "wildly. His mafter, indeed, might well have afk'd, How goes our "reck'ning? But the steward was too well fatisfied in this question: "I would read, therefore,

"Hold

Tim. To Lacedæmom did my land extend.

Flav. O my good Lord, the world is but a world; Were it all yours, to give it in a breath,

How quickly were it gone!

Tim. You tell me true.

Flav. If you fufpect my husbandry or falfhood; Call me before th' exactest auditors,

And fet me on the proof.

So the gods blefs me, When all our offices have been oppreft

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept With drunken fpilth of wine; when every room Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy; I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,

And fet mine eyes at flow.

Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.

Flav. Heav'ns! have I faid, the bounty of this Lord! How many prodigal bits have flaves and peafants This night englutted! who now is not Timon's? What heart, head, fword, force, means, but is Lord Timon's? Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon's?

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise, The breath is gone whereof this praise is made: Feaft-won, faft-loft: one cloud of winter showers, Thefe flies are coucht.

Tim. Come, fermon me no further.

No villainous bounty yet hath paft my heart;
Unwifely, not ignobly, have I given.

Why doft thou weep? canft thou the confcience lack,
To think I fhall lack friends? fecure thy heart;
If I would broach the veffels of my love,
And try the arguments of hearts by borrowing,
Men and men's fortunes could I frankly use,
As I can bid thee speak.

Flav. Affurance blefs your thoughts!

"Hold good our reck'ning?"

If the text, however, fhould be without fault, in this manner it must be expounded. Sir, we have not enough left hardly to fatisfy prefent demands; and others are drawing on apace: how fhall we guard against intervening dangers, and what a deplorable reckoning will things come to at last?

Tim.