That feeds and breeds by a composture stol'n [TIMON retires to his cave. 3 Ban. 'Has almost charm'd me from my profession, by persuading me to it. 1 Ban. 'Tis in the malice of mankind that he thus advises us; not to have us thrive in our mystery. 2 Ban. I'll believe him as an enemy, and give over my trade. 1 Ban. Let us first see peace in Athens: there is no time so miserable but a man may be true. Enter the Steward. [Exeunt Banditti. Stew. O you gods! Is yond despised and ruinous man my lord? *What an alteration of honour 56 has desperate want made! *What viler thing upon the Earth than friends *Who can bring noblest minds to basest ends? weather, which she was supposed to govern. The Moon's lachrymose disposition is drawn upon again in King Richard III., ii. 2: That I, being govern'd by the watery Moon, May send forth plenteous tears to drown the world. 56 That is, a change from a state of honour to one of disgrace. *When man was wish'd to love his enemies !57 *Grant I may ever love, and rather woo *Those that would mischief me than those that do! 'Has caught me in his eye: I will present My honest grief to him; and, as my lord, Still serve him with my life. TIMON comes forward from his cave. Tim. Away! what art thou? Stew. My dearest master! Have you forgot me, sir? Tim. Why dost ask that? I have forgot all men ; Then, if thou grant'st thou art a man, I have forgot thee. Stew. An honest poor servant of yours. Tim. Then I know thee not: I ne'er had honest man about me, I; all I kept were knaves, to serve in meat to villains. Stew. The gods are witness, Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief For his undone lord than mine eyes for you. Tim. What, dost thou weep? come nearer: then I love thee, Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'st Flinty mankind; whose eyes do never give But thorough 58 lust and laughter. Pity's sleeping: Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with weeping! Stew. I beg of you to know me, good my lord, T' accept my grief, and, whilst this poor wealth lasts, 57"How admirably does the command to love our enemies accord with the fashion of this time!" The sense is somewhat darkened by the peculiar use of rarely, when, and wish'd. The passage amounts to an apt paraphrase of the proverbial saying, “Defend me from my friends; from my enemies I can defend myself." 58 The indifferent use of thorough and through occurs very often. — "Whose eyes do never give" means whose eyes never shed tears. To entertain me as your steward still. Tim. Had I a steward So true, so just, and now so comfortable?59 Forgive my general and exceptless rashness, you One honest man, — mistake me not, — but one ; How fain would I have hated all mankind ! And thou redeem'st thyself: but all, save thee, Methinks thou art more honest now than wise ; Thou mightst have sooner got another service: A usuring kindness, as rich men deal gifts, Stew. No, my most worthy master; in whose breast You should have fear'd false times when you did feast : Suspect still comes when an estate is least. That which I show, Heaven knows, is merely love, Duty and zeal to your unmatchèd mind, Care of your food and living; and, believe it, 59 Comfortable in the sense of comforting or giving comfort. The use of the passive form with the active sense occurs oftener, I think, in that word than in any other. See vol. v. page 158, note 21. 60 Timon's dangerous nature is his savage wildness, a sort of frenzy superinduced by the baseness and ingratitude of men; a man-hating rapture. My most honour'd lord, For any benefit that points to me, Either in hope or present, I'd exchange it For this one wish, that you had power and wealth Tim. Look thee, 'tis so! -Thou singly honest man, Here, take the gods, out of my misery, Have sent thee treasure. Go, live rich and happy, But let the famish'd flesh slide from the bone, Ere thou relieve the beggar: give to dogs What thou deny'st to men; let prisons swallow 'em, Debts wither 'em to nothing: be men like blasted woods, And may diseases lick up their false bloods! Curses, stay not; fly, whilst thou'rt blest and free: [Exit Steward. TIMON retires to his cave. 61 Meaning apart, sequestered, or remote from human society. Thus condition'd is on these conditions. ACT V. SCENE I.-The Woods. Before TIMON's Cave. Enter Poet and Painter; TIMON watching them from his cave. Pain. As I took note of the place,1 it cannot be far where he abides. Poet. What's to be thought of him? does the rumor hold for true, that he's so full of gold? : Pain. Certain Alcibiades reports it; Phrynia and Timandra had gold of him; he likewise enrich'd poor straggling soldiers with great quantity; 'tis said he gave unto his steward a mighty sum. Poet. Then this breaking of his has been but a try for his friends. Pain. Nothing else: you shall see him a palm in Athens again, and flourish with the highest. Therefore 'tis not amiss we tender our loves to him, in this supposed distress of his : it will show honestly in us; and is very likely to load our purposes with what they travail for, if it be a just and true report that goes of his having. Poet. What have you now to present unto him? 1 This obviously infers that the Painter, having heard the rumour of Timon's new wealth, has before been out, alone, on a tour of exploration, to ascertain his whereabout, and perhaps also to gather more certainty touching his present condition. The Poet appears to have been rather incredulous of the rumour in question; so that he could not be induced to accompany the Painter in his quest, till that strange rumour had been further strengthened by the reports about the Steward and the Banditti who had tried to pass themselves off as "poor soldiers." Of course a period of some days must be supposed to have elapsed since Timon's enrichment of the thieves and the Steward. |