Tim. Well mock'd. Mer. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue, Which all men speak with him. Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus. Apem. Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good morrow; When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honest. Tim. Why dost thou call them knaves? thou know'st them not. Apem. Are they not Athenians? Tim. Yes. Apem. Then I repent not. *Jew. You know me, Apemantus? *Apem. Thou know'st I do; I call'd thee by thy name. *Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus. *Apem. Of nothing so much as that I am not like Timon. *Tim. Whither art going? *Apem. To knock out an honest Atheniar's brains. *Tim. That's a deed thou'lt die for. *Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law. * *Tim. Wrought he not well that painted it? *Apem. He wrought better that made the painter; and yet *he's but a filthy piece of work. *Pain. You're a dog. *Apem. Thy mother's of my generation: what's she, if I *be a dog? *Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus? *Apem. No; I eat not lords. *Tim. An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger ladies. *Apem. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies. *Tim. That's a lascivious apprehension. *Apem. So thou apprehend'st it: take it for thy labour. *Tim. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus? *Apem. Not so well as plain-dealing, which will not cost *a man a doit.29 *Tim. What dost thou think 'tis worth? *Apem. Not worth my thinking. *Poet. How now, philosopher! *Apem. Thou liest. *Poet. Art not one? *Apem. Yes. *Poet. Then I lie not. *Apem. Art not a poet? *Poet. Yes. How now, poet! *Apem. Then thou liest: look in thy last work, where thou *hast feign'd him a worthy fellow. *Poet. That's not feign'd; he is so. *Apem. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy *labour: he that loves to be flattered is worthy o' the flat*terer. Heavens, that I were a lord! *Tim. What wouldst do then, Apemantus? *Apem. E'en as Apemantus does now, hate a lord with *my heart. *Tim. What, thyself? *Apem. Ay. *Tim. Wherefore? *Apem. That I had so wanted wit to be a lord.30. - Art *not thou a merchant? 29 Alluding, perhaps, to the proverb, “ Plain-dealing is a jewel, but they who use it die beggars." 30 "That I had been such a natural want-wit as to be made a lord." *Mer. Ay, Apemantus. *Apem. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not! *Mer. If traffic do it, the gods do it. *Apem. Traffic's thy god; and thy god confound thee! Trumpets sound within. Enter a Servant. Tim. What trumpet's that? Serv. 'Tis Alcibiades, and some twenty Horse, All of companionship. Tim. Pray, entertain them; give them guide to us. You must needs dine with me. [Exeunt some Attendants. Go not you hence Till I have thank'd you. - When our dinner's done, Show me this piece. — I'm joyful of your sights. — Enter ALCIBIADES and the rest, with Attendants. Most welcome, sir! Apem. So, so, there !— Achès 31 contract and starve your supple joints! [They salute. That there should be small love 'mongst these sweet knaves, And all this courtesy! The strain 32 of man's bred out Into baboon and monkey. Alcib. Sir, you have saved my longing, and I feed Most hungerly on your sight. Tim. Right welcome, sir! Ere we depart,33 we'll share a bounteous time Apemantus is giving the reason why he should hate himself if he were a lord; and it is in character for him to assign as his reason, that, in order to be a lord, he must needs have been born a dunce. 31 Aches, the plural of ache, was used as a dissyllable in Shakespeare's time, and was sounded like the letter H. See vol. vii. page 32, note 85.— To starve here means to cripple or stiffen. Rheumatic fevers sometimes so dry the knee-joints as to take the suppleness out of them. See vol. vii. page 91, note 56. 32 Strain is stock or race. Often so. See vol. xiv. page 109, note II. 33 Depart for part; the two being often used interchangeably. See vol. x. page 40, note 58. In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in. [Exeunt all but APEMANTUS. *Enter two Lords. *I Lord. What time o' day is't, Apemantus? *Apem. Time to be honest. *1 Lord. The time serves still. *Apem. The more accursed thou, that still omitt'st it. *2 Lord. Thou art going to Lord Timon's feast? *Apem. Ay, to see meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools. *2 Lord. Fare thee well, fare thee well. * Apem. Thou art a fool to bid me farewell twice. #2 Lord. Why, Apemantus? *Apem. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to *give thee none. *1 Lord. Hang thyself? *Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding: make thy *requests to thy friend. *2 Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence! *Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels o' the ass. [Exit. *1 Lord. He's opposite to humanity.* Come, shall we in, And taste Lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes The very heart of kindness. 2 Lord. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold, Is but his steward: no meed 34 but he repays Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him But breeds the giver a return exceeding 1 Lord. The noblest mind he carries That ever govern'd man. 34 Meed for merit or desert. Repeatedly so. See vol. ix. page 98, note 3. 35" All use of quittance" is all customary requital, all usual returns in discharge of obligations. See vol. xii. page 33, note 2. 2 Lord. Long may he live In's fortunes ! Shall we in? I Lord. I'll keep you company. [Exeunt. *SCENE II. - The Same. A Room of State in TIMON's House. *Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet served in; *the Steward and others attending; then enter TIMON, *ALCIBIADES, Lords, Senators, and VENTIDIUS. Then comes, *dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly. *Ven. Most honour'd Timon, it hath pleased 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 *To your free heart, I do return those talents, love : *Honest Ventidius; you mistake my *I gave it freely ever; and there's none *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.1 *Ven. A noble spirit! *[They all stand ceremoniously looking on TIMON. *Tim. Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devised at first *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. [They sit. 1 The faults of rich persons, and which contribute to the increase of riches, wear a plausible appearance, and, as the world goes, are thought fair, but they are faults notwithstanding.— HEATH. |