To call upon his own; and humbly prays you, Tim. Mine honest friend, I pr'ythee but repair to me next morning. Tim. Contain thyfelf, good friend. Var. One Varro's fervant, my good Lord- ment Cap. If you did know, my Lord, my master's wants-- Var. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my Lord, fix weeks, and paft. Ifid. Your fteward puts me off, my Lord, and I Am fent exprefsly to your Lordship. Tim. Give me breath : I do befeech you, good my Lords, keep on; [Exit Lords. I'll wait upon you inftantly.-Come hither: How goes the world, that I am thus encountered With clamorous claims of debt, of broken bonds, And the detention of long fince due debts, Against my honour? Flav. Please you, gentlemen, The time is unagreeable to this business: Tim. Dofo, my friends; fee them well entertained. Flav. Pray, draw near. [Exit Tim. [Exit Flav. Enter APEMANTUS and Fool. Cap. Stay, ftay, here comes the fool with Ape mantus, let's have fome sport 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 speak not to thee. Apem. No, 'tis to thyfelf. Come away. Ifid. There's the fool hangs on your back already. Apem. No, thou ftandeft fingle, thou art not on him yet. Cap. Where's the fool now? Apem. He laft afked the queftion. Poor rogues and ufurers men! bawds between gold and want! All. What are we, Apemantus? Apem. Afles. 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 mi ftrefs? Fool. She's e'en fetting on water to feald fuch chickens as you are. 'Would we could fee you at Corinth. Apem. Good! gramercy! Enter PAGE. Fool. Look you, here comes my miftrefs'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 answer thee profitably. Page. Pr'ythee, Apemantus, read me the fuperfcription of these letters; I know not which is which. Apem. Canft not read ? Page. No. Apem. There will little learning die then, that day thou art hanged. This is to Lord Timon, this to Alcibiades. Go, thou waft born a bastard, and thou'lt die a bawd. Page. Thou wait whelped a dog, and thou shalt famish, a dog's death. Anfwer not, I am gone. [Exit. Apem. Even fo thou out-runneft grace. Apem. So would I-----as good a trick as ever hangman ferved thief. Fool. Are you three ufurers men? All. Ay, fool. Fool. I think no ufurer but has a fool to his fervant. My mistress is one, and I am her fool; when men come to borrow of your masters, 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 whoremafter, and a knave; which notwithstanding, thou shalt be no less esteemed. Var. What is a whoremaster, 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 shapes that a man goes up and down in, from fourfcore to thirteen, this spirit 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 lackest. Apem. That answer might have become Ape mantus. 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 speak with you anon. [Exeunt Creditors, Apemantus, and Fool. Tim. You make me marvel: wherefore, ere this Had you not fully laid my state before me? [time, That I might fo have rated my expence As I had leave of means. Flav. You would not hear me: At many leifures I propofed. Tim. Go to: Perchance fome fingle vantages you took, Flav. O my good Lord, At many times I brought in my accounts, When, for fome trifling prefent, you have bid me Tim. Let all my land be fold. Flav. 'Tis all engaged, fome forfeited and gone: Tim. To Lacedæmon did my land extend. Tim. You tell me true. Flav. If you fufpect my husbandry or falfhood, And fet me on the proof. So the gods bless me, With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept 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? (14) How goes our reckoning?] Mr Warburton gave me fo ingenious a conjecture on this paffage, that though I have not ventured, 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 master, indeed, might well have asked, How goes our reckoning? But the steward was too well fatisfied in this question; I would read therefore; Hold good our reckoning? If the text, however, fhould be without fault, in this mauner 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 laft? |