The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

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The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 482

by William Shakespeare

In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.

  Exeunt all but Apemantus.

  Enter two Lords.

  1 LORD What time o’ day is’t, Apemantus?

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  APEMANTUS Time to be honest.

  1 LORD That time serves still.

  APEMANTUS The most accursed thou that still omitt’st it.

  2 LORD Thou art going to Lord Timon’s feast?

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  APEMANTUS Ay, to see meat fill knaves and wine heat fools.

  2 LORD Fare thee well, fare thee well.

  APEMANTUS Thou art a fool to bid me farewell twice.

  2 LORD Why, Apemantus?

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  APEMANTUS Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I

  mean to give thee none.

  1 LORD Hang thyself!

  APEMANTUS No, I will do nothing at thy bidding. Make

  thy requests to thy friend.

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  2 LORD Away, unpeaceable dog, or I’ll spurn thee hence!

  APEMANTUS I will fly, like a dog, the heels o’th’ ass.

  Exit.

  1 LORD He’s opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in

  And taste Lord Timon’s bounty? He out-goes

  The very heart of kindness.

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  2 LORD He pours it out. Plutus the god of gold

  Is but his steward. No meed but he repays

  Seven-fold above itself: no gift to him

  But breeds the giver a return exceeding

  All use of quittance.

  1 LORD The noblest mind he carries

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  That ever govern’d man.

  2 LORD Long may he live in fortunes. Shall we in?

  I’ll keep you company. Exeunt.

  1.2 Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet serv’d in; and then enter LORD TIMON, Athenian lords and senators; VENTIDIUS which Timon redeem’d from prison; LUCULLUS and ALCIBIADES. Steward and others in attendance. Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly, like himself.

  VENTIDIUS Most honoured Timon,

  It hath pleas’d the gods to remember my father’s age,

  And call him to long peace.

  He is gone happy, and has left me rich.

  Then as in grateful virtue I am bound

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  To your free heart, I do return those talents,

  Doubled with thanks and service, from whose help

  I deriv’d liberty.

  TIMON O by no means,

  Honest Ventidius. You mistake my love;

  I gave it freely ever, and there’s none

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  Can truly say he gives, if he receives.

  If our betters play at that game, we must not dare

  To imitate them; faults that are rich are fair.

  VENTIDIUS A noble spirit!

  TIMON

  Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devis’d at first

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  To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,

  Recanting goodness, sorry ere ’tis shown;

  But where there is true friendship, there needs none.

  Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes

  Than my fortunes to me.

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  1 LORD My lord, we always have confess’d it.

  APEMANTUS

  Ho, ho, confess’d it? Hang’d it, have you not?

  TIMON O Apemantus, you are welcome.

  APEMANTUS No, you shall not make me welcome:

  I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.

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  TIMON Fie, th’art a churl, y’have got a humour there

  Does not become a man; ’tis much to blame.

  They say, my lords, Ira furor brevis est,

  But yond man is very angry.

  Go, let him have a table by himself,

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  For he does neither affect company,

  Nor is he fit for’t, indeed.

  APEMANTUS Let me stay at thine apperil, Timon;

  I come to observe: I give thee warning on’t.

  TIMON I take no heed of thee; th’art an Athenian, there-

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  fore welcome. I myself would have no power; prithee

  let my meat make thee silent.

  APEMANTUS I scorn thy meat; ’twould choke me, for I

  should ne’er flatter thee. O you gods! What a number

  of men eats Timon, and he sees ’em not! It grieves me

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  to see so many dip their meat in one man’s blood; and

  all the madness is, he cheers them up too. I wonder

  men dare trust themselves with men. Methinks they

  should invite them without knives: Good for their

  meat, and safer for their lives. There’s much example

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  for’t; the fellow that sits next him, now parts bread

  with him, pledges the breath of him in a divided

  draught, is the readiest man to kill him. ’T’as been

  proved. If I were a huge man, I should fear to drink at

  meals,

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  Lest they should spy my windpipe’s dangerous notes,

  Great men should drink with harness on their

  throats.

  TIMON My lord, in heart; and let the health go round.

  2 LORD Let it flow this way, my good lord.

  APEMANTUS Flow this way? A brave fellow. He keeps

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  his tides well. Those healths will make thee and thy

  state look ill, Timon.

  Here’s that which is too weak to be a sinner,

  Honest water, which ne’er left man i’th’ mire.

  This and my food are equals, there’s no odds;

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  Feasts are too proud to give thanks to the gods.

  Apemantus’ Grace.

  Immortal gods, I crave no pelf;

  I pray for no man but myself.

  Grant I may never prove so fond,

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  To trust man on his oath or bond;

  Or a harlot for her weeping,

  Or a dog that seems a-sleeping,

  Or a keeper with my freedom,

  Or my friends, if I should need ’em.

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  Amen. So fall to’t:

  Rich men sin, and I eat root.

  [Eats and drinks.]

  Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus.

  TIMON Captain Alcibiades, your heart’s in the field

  now.

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  ALCIBIADES My heart is ever at your service, my lord.

  TIMON You had rather be at a breakfast of enemies than

  a dinner of friends.

  ALCIBIADES So they were bleeding new, my lord, there’s

  no meat like ’em; I could wish my best friend at such

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  a feast.

  APEMANTUS Would all those flatterers were thine

  enemies then, that then thou mightst kill ’em – and

  bid me to ’em.

  1 LORD Might we but have that happiness, my lord,

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  that you would once use our hearts, whereby we

  might express some part of our zeals, we should

  think ourselves for ever perfect.

  TIMON O no doubt, my good friends, but the gods

  themselves have provided that I shall have much help

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  from you: how had you been my friends else? Why

  have you that charitable title from thousands, did

  not you chiefly belong to my heart? I have told more

  of you to myself than you can with modesty speak in

  your own behalf; and thus far I confirm you. O you

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  gods, think I, what need we have any friends, if we

  should ne’er have need of ’em? They were the most

  needless creatures living should we ne’er have use for

  ’em, and would most resemble
sweet instruments

  hung up in cases, that keeps their sounds to

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  themselves. Why, I have often wish’d myself poorer

  that I might come nearer to you. We are born to do

  benefits; and what better or properer can we call our

  own than the riches of our friends? O what a precious

  comfort ’tis to have so many like brothers

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  commanding one another’s fortunes. O joy’s e’en

  made away ere’t can be born! Mine eyes cannot hold

  out water, methinks. To forget their faults, I drink to

  you.

  APEMANTUS Thou weep’st to make them drink,

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  Timon.

  2 LORD Joy had the like conception in our eyes, And at

  that instant like a babe sprung up.

  APEMANTUS

  Ho, ho: I laugh to think that babe a bastard.

  3 LORD I promise you, my lord, you mov’d me much.

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  APEMANTUS Much. [Tucket sounded.]

  TIMON What means that trump? How now?

  Enter Servant.

  SERVANT Please you, my lord, there are certain ladies

  most desirous of admittance.

  TIMON Ladies? What are their wills?

  SERVANT There comes with them a forerunner, my lord,

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  which bears that office to signify their pleasures.

  TIMON I pray let them be admitted.

  Enter CUPID.

  CUPID Hail to thee, worthy Timon, and to all that of his

  bounties taste! The five best senses acknowledge thee

  their patron, and come freely to gratulate thy

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  plenteous bosom.

  There, taste, touch, all, pleas’d from thy table rise;

  They only now come but to feast thine eyes.

  TIMON

  They’re welcome all; let ’em have kind admittance.

  Music, make their welcome! Exit Cupid.

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  LUCULLUS You see, my lord, how ample y’are belov’d.

  Music. Re-enter CUPID, with a masque of ladies as Amazons, with lutes in their hands, dancing and playing.

  APEMANTUS Hoy-day!

  What a sweep of vanity comes this way.

  They dance? They are madwomen.

  Like madness is the glory of this life,

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  As this pomp shows to a little oil and root.

  We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves,

  And spend our flatteries to drink those men

  Upon whose age we void it up again

  With poisonous spite and envy.

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  Who lives that’s not depraved or depraves?

  Who dies that bears not one spurn to their graves

  Of their friends’ gift?

  I should fear those that dance before me now

  Would one day stamp upon me. ’T’as been done.

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  Men shut their doors against a setting sun.

  The Lords rise from table, with much adoring of Timon,

  and to show their loves each single out an Amazon, and

  all dance, men with women, a lofty strain or two to the

  hautboys, and cease.

  TIMON

  You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies,

  Set a fair fashion on our entertainment,

  Which was not half so beautiful and kind;

  You have added worth unto’t and lustre,

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  And entertain’d me with mine own device.

  I am to thank you for’t.

  1 LADY My lord, you take us even at the best.

  APEMANTUS Faith, for the worst is filthy; and would

  not hold taking, I doubt me.

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  TIMON Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you;

  Please you to dispose yourselves.

  ALL LADIES Most thankfully, my lord.

  Exeunt Cupid and Ladies.

  TIMON Flavius!

  STEWARD My lord?

  TIMON The little casket bring me hither.

  STEWARD Yes, my lord. [aside] More jewels yet!

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  There is no crossing him in’s humour,

  Else I should tell him well, i’faith, I should,

  When all’s spent, he’d be cross’d then, and he could.

  ’Tis pity bounty had not eyes behind,

  That man might ne’er be wretched for his mind.

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  Exit.

  1 LORD Where be our men?

  SERVANT Here, my lord, in readiness.

  2 LORD Our horses!

  Re-enter Steward, with the casket.

  TIMON O my friends, I have one word

  To say to you: look you, my good lord,

  I must entreat you honour me so much

 

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