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Enter TIMON
| TIMON |
Let me look back upon thee. O thou wall,
That girdlest in those wolves, dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent!
Obedience fail in children! slaves and fools,
Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench,
And minister in their steads! to general filths
Convert o' the instant, green virginity,
Do 't in your parents' eyes! bankrupts, hold fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,
And cut your trusters' throats! bound servants, steal!
Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law. Maid, to thy master's bed;
Thy mistress is o' the brothel! Son of sixteen,
pluck the lined crutch from thy old limping sire,
With it beat out his brains! Piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestic awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs, and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries,
And let confusion live! Plagues, incident to men,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap
On Athens, ripe for stroke! Thou cold sciatica,
Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners. Lust and liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,
That 'gainst the stream of virtue they may strive,
And drown themselves in riot! Itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bosoms; and their crop
Be general leprosy! Breath infect breath,
at their society, as their friendship, may
merely poison! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou detestable town!
Take thou that too, with multiplying bans!
Timon will to the woods; where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind.
The gods confound--hear me, you good gods all--
The Athenians both within and out that wall!
And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may grow
To the whole race of mankind, high and low! Amen. |
| |
[Exit] |
Enter FLAVIUS, with two or three
Servants
| First Servant
|
Hear you, master steward, where's our master?
Are we undone? cast off? nothing remaining? |
| FLAVIUS
|
Alack, my fellows, what should I say to you?
Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,
I am as poor as you. |
| First Servant
|
Such a house broke!
So noble a master fall'n! All gone! and not
One friend to take his fortune by the arm,
And go along with him! |
| Second Servant
|
As we do turn our backs
From our companion thrown into his grave,
So his familiars to his buried fortunes
Slink all away, leave their false vows with him,
Like empty purses pick'd; and his poor self,
A dedicated beggar to the air,
With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone. More of our fellows. |
| |
[Enter other Servants]
|
| FLAVIUS
|
All broken implements of a ruin'd house.
|
| Third Servant
|
Yet do our hearts wear Timon's livery;
That see I by our faces; we are fellows still,
Serving alike in sorrow: leak'd is our bark,
And we, poor mates, stand on the dying deck,
Hearing the surges threat: we must all part
Into this sea of air. |
| FLAVIUS
|
Good fellows all,
The latest of my wealth I'll share amongst you.
Wherever we shall meet, for Timon's sake,
Let's yet be fellows; let's shake our heads, and say,
As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes,
'We have seen better days.' Let each take some;
Nay, put out all your hands. Not one word more:
Thus part we rich in sorrow, parting poor. |
| |
[Servants embrace, and part several ways]
|
| |
O, the fierce wretchedness that glory brings us!
Who would not wish to be from wealth exempt,
Since riches point to misery and contempt?
Who would be so mock'd with glory? or to live
But in a dream of friendship?
To have his pomp and all what state compounds
But only painted, like his varnish'd friends?
Poor honest lord, brought low by his own heart,
Undone by goodness! Strange, unusual blood,
When man's worst sin is, he does too much good!
Who, then, dares to be half so kind again?
For bounty, that makes gods, does still mar men.
My dearest lord, bless'd, to be most accursed,
Rich, only to be wretched, thy great fortunes
Are made thy chief afflictions. Alas, kind lord!
He's flung in rage from this ingrateful seat
Of monstrous friends, nor has he with him to
Supply his life, or that which can command it.
I'll follow and inquire him out:
I'll ever serve his mind with my best will;
Whilst I have gold, I'll be his steward still. |
| |
[Exit] |
To see other scenes
from the show:
|
Full
Text |
Act
III, Scene 5 The Senate house. |
|
Act
I, Scene 1 Athens. A hall in Timon's house. |
Act
III, Scene 6 A banqueting room in Timon's house. |
|
Act
I, Scene 2 A banqueting room in Timon's house. |
Act IV, Scene 1 Without the walls of
Athens/Act IV, Scene 2 Athena A room in Timon's hall. |
|
Act
II, Scene 1 A Senator's house/Act II, Scene 2 A hall in Timon's house. |
Act
IV, Scene 3 Woods and Cave near seashore. |
|
Act
III, Scene 1 A room in Lucullus' house. |
Act
V, Scene 1 The woods before the cave. |
|
Act
III, Scene 2 A public place. |
Act
V, Scene 2 Before the walls of Athens/Act V, Scene 3 The woods. |
|
Act
III, Scene 3 A room in Sempronius house./Act III, Scene 4 A hall in
Timon's house. |
Act
V, Scene 4 Before the walls of Athens. |
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of Athens sections:
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Play Text
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