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 thy felf fall in the confufion of men, and remain a beaft with the beafts?

Apem. Ay, Timon.

Tim. A beaftly 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 fufpect thee, when peradventure thou wert accus'd by the afs; if thou wert the afs, thy dulnefs would torment thee; and ftill thou'dft live but as a breakfaft to the wolf. If thou wert the wolf, thy greedinefs would afflict thee; and oft thou shouldit hazard thy life for thy dinner. Wert thou the unicorn, pride and wrath would confound thee, and make thine own self the conqueft of thy fury. + Wert thou a bear, thou wouldst be kill'd by the horse; wert thou a horfe, thou wouldst be feized by the leopard; wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion, and the fpots of thy kindred were jurors on thy life. All thy fafety were remotion, and thy defence abfence. What beaft couldst thou be, that were

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

Tim. On what I hate, I feed not.

Atem. Doft hate a medlar?

Tim. Ay, though it look like thee.

Apem. An th' hadft hated mediers fooner, thou shouldft have loved thy felf better now.

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

Tim. Who without thofe means thou talk'ft of, didft thou ever know beloved?

Apem. My felf.

Tim. I understand thee, thou hadst fome means to keep a dog.
Apem. What things, &c.

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 sticks his horn fait in the tree, and then the Lion falls upon him and kills him. Gefner Hist. Animat,

not

not fubject to a beaft? and what a beast art thou already, and feeft not thy lofs in transformation!

Apem. If thou couldft pleafe me with speaking to me, thou might'ft 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 to curfe.

Tim. All villains that do ftand by thee, are pure.
Apem. There is no leprofie but what thou speak'ft.
Tim. I'd beat thee, but I fhould 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 see thee.

Apem. I would thou wouldst burft!

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

Apem. Beaft!
Tim. Slave!
Apem. Toad!

Tim. Rogue!

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

Then, Timon, prefently prepare thy grave;
Lye 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 fweet 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,
Whofe blufh doth thaw the confecrated fnow,
That lyes on Dian's lap! thou vifible God,
That fouldreft close impoffibilities,

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

Το

To every purpose! Oh, thou touch of hearts!
Think thy flave man rebels, and by thy virtue
Set them into confounding odds, that beafts
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 shortly.

Tim. Throng'd to?

Apem. Ay.

Tim. Thy back, I pr'ythee: live and love thy misery : 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 elfe to do, I'll see thee again.

Tim. When there is nothing living but thee, thou shalt be welcome. I had rather be a beggar's dog than Ape[Exit Apem. SCENE VII. Enter Thieves.

mantus.

1

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

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 supply 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 be?

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 womens fons.

All. We are not thieves, but men that much do want. Tim. Your greateft want is, you want much of men. Why should you want? behold, the earth bath roots;

Within this mile break forth an hundred fprings;
The oaks bear mafts, the briers fcarlet 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 fishes.

Tim. Nor on the beafts themselves, the birds, and fishes,
You must eat men.
Yet thanks I muft you con,
That you are thieves profeft; that you work not
In holier fhapes; for there is boundless theft
In limited profeffions. Rafcals, thieves,

Here's gold. Go, fuck the fubtle blood o'th' grape
'Till the high feaver feeth your blood to froth,
And fo 'fcape hanging. Truft not the physician,
His antidotes are poison, and he slays

More than you rob, takes wealth, and life together.
Do villainy, do, fince you profess to do't,
Like workmen; I'll example you with thievery.
The fun's a thief, and with his great attraction
Robs the vast fea. The moon's an arrant thief,
And her pale fire she snatches from the fun.
The fea's a thief, whofe liquid furge refolves
The mounds into falt tears. The earth's a thief,
That feeds and breeds by a compofture ftoln
From gen'ral excrement: each thing's a thief.
The laws, your curb and whip, in their rough power
Have uncheck'd theft. Love not your felves, away,
Rob one another, there's more gold; cut throats;
All that you meet are thieves: to Athens go,
Break open fhops, for nothing can you fteal

But thieves do lofe it: fteal not lefs for what

I give, and gold confound you howfoever! Amen. [Exit. Thief. H'as almoft charm'd me from my profeffion, by perfwading me to it.

Thief. 'Tis in his malice to mankind, that he thus advises us; not to have us thrive in our mystery.

2 Thief. I'll believe him as an enemy; and give over my trade.

1 Thief. Let us firft fee peace in Athens.

2 Thief.

2 Thief. There is no time fo miferable but a man may

be true.

ACT V.

[Exeunt.

SCENE İ.

The Woods and Timon's Cave.

Enter Flavius to Timon.

H you Gods!

Flav. Is yon defpis'd and ruinous man my Lord?

Full of decay and failing? oh monument

And wonder of good deeds evilly beltow'd!
What change of honour defp'rate want has made!
What viler thing upon the earth, than friends,
Who can bring nobleft minds to baseft ends?
How rarely does it meet with this time's guise,
When man was wifht to love his enemies!
Grant I may ever love and rather woo

Those that would mischief me, than thofe that do.

H'as caught me in his eye, I will present

My honeft grief to him; and, as my Lord,
Still ferve him with my life. My dearest master!
Tim. Away! what art thou?

Flav. Have you forgot me, Sir?

Tim. Why doft afk that? I have forgot all men. Then if thou granteft that thou art a man

I have forgot thee,

Flav. An honeft fervant.

Tim. Then I know thee not:

I ne'er had honeft man about me, all

I kept were knaves, to ferve in meat to villains.
Flav. The Gods are witness,

Ne'er did poor fteward wear a truer grief

For his undone Lord, than mine eyes for you.

Tim. What, doft thou weep? come nearer; then I love

Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'ft

Flinty mankind; whofe eyes do never give,

But or through luft, or laughter. *

Flav, I beg of you to know me, good my Lord,

or laughter. Pity's fleeping;

[thee,

Strange times! that weep with laughing, not with weeping.
Flav, I beg of...

T'accept