sworn not to give regard to you. with better music.

Farewell; and come

[Exit.

Apem. So ;--thou wilt not hear me now ;–

Thou shalt not then; I'll lock thy heaven from thee.

O, that men's ears should be

To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

[Exit.

ACT II.

SCENE I.-The Same. A Room in a Senator's House.

Enter a Senator, with papers in his hand.

5

Sen. And late, five thousand to Varro; and to Isidore He owes nine thousand, besides my former sum, Which makes it five-and-twenty.—Still in motion Of raging waste? It cannot hold; it will not. If I want gold, steal but a beggar's dog, And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold: If I would sell my horse, and buy twenty more Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon; Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me straight, A stable o' horses. No porter at his gate; But rather one that smiles, and still invites All that pass by. It cannot hold; no reason Can sound his state in safety. Caphis, ho! Caphis, I say!

5 -and buy TWENTY more] Here modern editors alter twenty to ten merely because they think fit to improve Shakespeare's verse. We cannot say too often that our great poet wrote by the ear, not by the hand. Lower down, "A stable o' horses" is from the Corr. fol. 1632.

Caph.

Enter CAPHIS.

Here, sir what is your pleasure?

Sen. Get on your cloak, and haste you to lord Timon ; Importune him for my moneys; be not ceas'd

With slight denial; nor then silenc'd, when—

Commend me to your master-and the cap

Plays in the right hand thus ;-but tell him, sirrah,

My uses cry to me. I must serve my turn

Out of mine own: his days and times are past,

And my reliances on his fracted dates

Have smit my credit. I love and honour him,
But must not break my back to heal his finger:
Immediate are my needs; and my relief
Must not be toss'd and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone:
Put on a most importunate aspect,

A visage of demand; for, I do fear,

When every feather sticks in his own wing,

Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,

Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone.
Caph. I go, sir.

Sen. Ay, go, sir.—Take the bonds along with you,
And have the dates in compt.

Caph.

Sen.

I will, sir.

Go.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The Same. A Hall in Timon's House.

Enter FLAVIUS, with many bills in his hand. Flav. No care, no stop: so senseless of expense,

That he will neither know how to maintain it,
Nor cease his flow of riot! takes no account
How things go from him, no reserves, no care
What shall be done? Never mind

Was to be so unwise, to be so kind.

What shall be done? He will not hear, till feel.

I must be round with him,6 now he comes from hunting. Fie, fie, fie, fie!

Enter CAPHIS and the Servants of ISIDORE and VARRO.

Caph.

You come for money?
Var. Serv.

Good even, Varro. What!

Is 't not your business too?

It is so.

I fear it.

Caph. It is. And yours too, Isidore?
Isid. Serv.

Caph. Would we were all discharg'd!
Var. Serv.

Caph. Here comes the lord.

Enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, Lords, etc.

Tim. So soon as dinner's done, we'll forth again,

My Alcibiades.-With me! what is your will?

Caph. My lord, here is a note of certain dues.

Tim. Dues! Whence are you?

Caph.

Tim. Go to my steward.

Of Athens here, my lord.

Caph. Please it your lordship, he hath put me off To the succession of new days this month:

"I must be ROUND with him,] i. e., blunt or plain with him. We have already had the expression in Twelfth-Night, act ii, sc. 3, p. 34

My master is awak'd by great occasion.

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

Tim.

Mine honest friend,

I pr'ythee but repair to me next morning.

Caph. Nay, good my lord,-
Tim.

Contain thyself, good friend. Var. Serv. One Varro's servant, my good lord,Isid. Serv.

He humbly prays your speedy payment,

From Isidore:

Caph. If you did know, my lord, my master's wants,Var. Serv. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks, and past,

Isid. Serv. Your steward puts me off, my lord;

And I am sent expressly to your lordship.

Tim. Give me breath.—

I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on ;

[Exeunt ALCIBIADES and Lords.

I'll wait upon you instantly.-Come hither: pray you,

[To FLAVIUS.

How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd
With clamorous demands of date-broken bonds,7
And the detention of long-since-due debts,
Against my honour?

Flav.

Please you, gentlemen,

The time is unagreeable to this business :

Your importunacy cease till after dinner,

'-of DATE-broken bonds,] The old copies have "debt-broken bonds"; Malone's emendation.

That I may make his lordship understand

Wherefore you are not paid.

Tim.

See them well entertain'd.

Flav.

Do so, my friends.

[Exit TIMON.

Pray, draw near. [Exit FLAV.

Caph. Stay, stay; here comes the fool with Apemantus:

let's ha' some sport with 'em.

Ver. Serv. Hang him, he'll abuse us.

Isid. Serv. A plague upon him, dog!

Enter APEMANTUS and a Fool.

Var. Serv. How dost, fool?

Apem. Dost dialogue with thy shadow?

Var. Serv. I speak not to thee.

Apem. No; 'tis to thyself.-Come away. [To the Fool. Isid. Serv. [To VAR. Serv.] There's the fool hangs on your back already.

Apem. No, thou stand'st single; thou 'rt not on him yet. Caph. Where's the fool now?

Apem. He last asked the question.-Poor rogues and usurers' men; bawds between gold and want.

All Serv. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem. Asses.

All Serv. Why? ·

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

Fool. How do you, gentlemen?

All Serv. Gramercies, good fool. How does your mistress?

8 GRAMERCIES,] This word, from the Fr. grand merci, is usually employed in the singular, as it is just afterwards The question "How does your mistress" was proverbial.