Imatges de pàgina
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Tim. Of none but such as you, and you of Timon.

2 Sen. The fenators of Athens greet thee, Timon.

Tim. I thank them, and would fend them back the plague, Could I but catch it for them.

I Sen, O, forget

What we are forry for our felves, in thee:
The fenators, with one confent of love,
Intreat thee back to Athens; who have thought
On fpecial dignities, which vacant lye
For thy beft ufe and wearing.

2 Sen. They confefs

Tow'rd thee forgetfulness, too general, grofs;
And now the publick body (which doth feldom
Play the recanter) feeling in it felf

A lack of Timon's aid, hath fense withal
Of its own fault, reftraining aid to Timon;
And fends forth us to make their forrow's tender,
Together with a recompence more fruitful

Than their offence can weigh down by the dram;
Ay, ev'n fuch heaps and fums of love and wealth,
As fhall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs,
And write in thee the figures of their love,
Ever to read them thine.

Tim. You witch me in it,

Surprize me to the very brink of tears:

Lend me a fool's heart, and a woman's eyes,
And I'll beweep thefe comforts, worthy fenators.
I Sen. Therefore fo please thee to return with us,
And of our Athens, thine and ours, to take
The captainship: thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd with abfolute power, and thy good name
Live with authority: foon we fhall drive back
Of Alcibiades th' approaches wild,

Who, like a boar too favage, doth root up
His country's peace.

2 Sen. And thakes his threatning sword

Against the walls of Athens.

1 Sen. Therefore, Timon

Tim. Well, Sir, I will; therefore I will, Sir, thus

If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,

Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,

That Timon cares not. If he fack fair Athens,
And take our goodly aged men by th' beards,
Giving our holy virgins to the ftain

Of contumelious, beaftly, mad-brain'd war;
Then let him know, and tell him Timon speaks it,
In pity of our aged, and our youth,

I cannot chufe but tell him,-that I care not.
And let him take't at worft; for their knives care not,
While you have throats to answer. For my self,
There's not a whittle in th' unruly camp,

But I do prize it in my love, before

So I leave you

The reverend'ft throat in Athens.
To the protection of the profp'rous Gods,
As thieves to keepers.

Flav. Stay not, all's in vain.

Tim, Why, I was writing of my epitaph,
It will be seen to-morrow. My long fickness
Of health and living now begins to mend,
And nothing brings me all things. Go, live ftill;
Be Alcibiades your plague; you his ;

And laft fo long enough!

1 Sen. We speak in vain.

Tim. But yet I love my country, and am not

One that rejoices in the common wreck,

As common bruit doth put it.

1 Sen. That's well fpoke.

Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen.

1 Sen. These words become your lips, as they pass thro' them.

2 Sen. And enter in our ears like great triumphers

In their applauding gates.

Tim, Commend me to them,

And tell them, that to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hoftile ftrokes, their aches, loffes,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragile veffel doth sustain

In life's uncertain voyage, I will do

F 3

Some

Some kindness to them, teach them to prevent
Wild Alcibiades' wrath.

2 Sen. I like this well.

Tim. I have a tree which grows here in my close,
That mine own ufe invites me to cut down,

And fhortly must I fell it. Tell my friends,
Tell Athens in the frequence of degree,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To ftop affliction, let him take his hafte,
Come hither ere my tree hath felt the ax,
And hang himself.-I pray you, do my greeting.

Flav, Vex him no further, thus you ftill fhall find him.
Tim. Come not to me again, but fay to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting manfion
Upon the beached verge of the falt flood;
Which once a-day with his emboffed froth
The turbulent furge shall Cover: Thither come,
And let my grave-flone be your Oracle.
Lips, let four words go by, and language end:
What is amifs, plague and infection mend!
Graves only be mens works, and death their gain !
Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his reign.

[Exit Timon.

1 Sen. His difcontents are coupled to his nature. 2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead; let us return, And ftrain what other means is left unto us

In our dread peril.

Sen. It requires swift foot.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. The Walls of Athens.
Enter tavo other Senators, with a Messenger.
I Sen. Thou haft painfully discover'd; are his files
As full as they report?

Mef. I have fpoke the leaft.

Befides, his expedition promifes

Prefent approach.

2 Sen. We ftand much hazard, if they bring not Timon. Mef. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend, And, though in general part we were oppos'd, Yet our old love had a particular force,

And made us fpeak like friends. This man was riding

From

From Alcibiades to Timon's cave,

With letters of intreaty, which imported
His fellowship i'th' cause against your city
In part for his fake mov'd.

Enter the other Senators.

1 Sen. Here come our brothers.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.
The enemies drum is heard, and fearful scouring
Doth choak the air with duft. In, and prepare,
Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the fnare,*

SCENE V.

[Exeunt.

Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades with his powers.
Alc. Sound to this coward and lafcivious town
Our terrible approach.

[Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the walls. 'Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious measure, making your wills The scope of juftice. 'Till now my felf, and fuch As flept within the fhadow of your power,

Have wander'd with our traverst arms, and breath'd
Our fufferance vainly. Now the time is flush,
When crouching marrow in the bearer ftrong
Cries, of it felf, No more: now breathlefs wrong
Shall fit and pant in your great chairs of eafe,
And purfy Infolence fhall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.

1 Sen. Noble and young,

When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit,
Ere thou hadst power, or we had caufe to fear;
We fent to thee, to give thy rage its balm,

- our foes the fnare.

[Exeunt.

Enter a Soldier in the Woods, feeking Timon.
Sol. By all defcription this fhould be the place.
Who's here? fpeak, ho..--No anfwer? What is this?---
Timon is dead, who hath out-ftrecht his fpan,

Some beaft read this; there does not live a man.

Dead fure, and this his grave; what's on this tomb?
I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax;

Our captain hath in every figure skill,

An ag'd interpreter, tho' young in days:
Before proud Athens he's fet down by this,
Whofe fall the mark of his ambition is.
SCENE, &c.

[Exit. To

To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
Above its quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble meffage, and by promis'd 'mends:
We were not all unkind, nor all deferve
The common ftroke of war.

1 Sen. These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they fuch
That these great tow'rs, trophies, and schools fhould fall
For private faults in them.

1 Sen. Nor are they living

Who were the motives that you first went out :
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess

Hath broke their hearts. March on, oh noble Lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread;

By decimation and a tithed death,
(If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature loaths) take thou the deftin'd tenth.*
I Sen. We all have not offended:

For those that were, it is not square to take,
On those that are, revenge: crimes, like to lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage;
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin
Which in the blufter of thy wrath must fall
With those that have offended; like a fhepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull th' infected forth,
But kill not all together.

2 Sen. What thou wilt

Thou rather shall enforce it with thy fmile,
Than hew to't with thy fword.

1 Sen. See but thy foot

Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope:
So thou wilt fend thy gentle heart before,

To fay thou'lt enter friendly.

take thou the deftin'd tenth,

And by the hazard of the fpotted die,

Let die the ipotted.

1 Sen. We all have, &c.

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