Titus Andronicus & Timon of Athens (35 page)

I am sorry I shall lose a stone by thee.

APEMANTUS
    Beast!

TIMON
    Slave!

APEMANTUS
    Toad!

TIMON
    Rogue, rogue, rogue!

I am sick of this false world, and will love nought

But even
the
mere necessities
³⁹¹
upon’t.

Then, Timon,
presently
³⁹²
prepare thy grave:

Lie where the light foam of the sea may beat

Thy gravestone daily. Make thine epitaph,

That
death
in
³⁹⁵
me at others’ lives may laugh.—

O thou sweet king-killer, and
dear
³⁹⁶
divorce

’Twixt
natural
son and
sire
³⁹⁷
: thou bright defiler

Of
Hymen
’s purest bed, thou valiant
Mars,
³⁹⁸

Thou ever young, fresh, loved and delicate wooer,

Whose blush doth thaw the consecrated snow

That lies on
Dian’s
⁴⁰¹
lap: thou visible god,

That
sold’rest
close
impossibilities
⁴⁰²

And mak’st them kiss; that speak’st
with every tongue,
⁴⁰³

To every purpose! O thou
touch
⁴⁰⁴
of hearts:

Think
⁴⁰⁵
thy slave man rebels, and by thy virtue

Set them into
confounding odds
, that
beasts
⁴⁰⁶

May have the world in empire.

APEMANTUS
    Would ’twere so!

But not till I am dead. I’ll say th’hast gold:

Thou wilt be thronged to shortly.

TIMON
    Thronged to?

APEMANTUS
    Ay.

TIMON
    
Thy back,
⁴¹³
I prithee.

APEMANTUS
    Live, and love thy misery.

TIMON
    Long live so, and so die.— I am
quit.
⁴¹⁵

APEMANTUS
    More things like men! Eat, Timon, and abhor them.

FIRST BANDIT
    Where should he have this gold? It is some poor

fragment, some slender
ort
of his
remainder
: the
mere want
⁴¹⁸

of gold, and the
falling-from
⁴¹⁹
of his friends, drove him into

this melancholy.

SECOND BANDIT
    It is
noised
⁴²¹
he hath a mass of treasure.

THIRD BANDIT
    Let us make the
assay
⁴²²
upon him: if he care not

for’t, he will supply us easily: if he covetously
reserve
⁴²³
it, how

shall’s
⁴²⁴
get it?

SECOND BANDIT
    True, for he bears it not about him: ’tis hid.

FIRST BANDIT
    Is not this he?

OTHER BANDITTI
    Where?

SECOND BANDIT
    ’Tis his description.

THIRD BANDIT
    He, I know him.

ALL BANDITTI
    
Save thee,
⁴³⁰
Timon.

TIMON
    Now, thieves.

BANDITTI
    Soldiers, not thieves.

TIMON
    
Both too
⁴³³
, and women’s sons.

BANDITTI
    We are not thieves, but men that much do
want.
⁴³⁴

TIMON
    Your greatest
want is, you want much of meat.
⁴³⁵

Why should you want? Behold, the earth hath roots:

Within this mile break forth a hundred springs:

The oaks bear
mast
, the briers scarlet
hips.
⁴³⁸

The bounteous housewife nature on each bush

Lays her full
mess
⁴⁴⁰
before you. Want? Why want?

FIRST BANDIT
    We cannot live on grass, on berries, water,

As beasts and birds and fishes.

TIMON
    Nor on the beasts themselves, the birds, and fishes:

You must
eat
men. Yet thanks I must you
con
⁴⁴⁴

That you are thieves
professed
⁴⁴⁵
, that you work not

In holier
shapes
⁴⁴⁶
, for there is boundless theft

In
limited
⁴⁴⁷
professions. Rascal thieves,

Here’s gold. Go,
suck the
subtle
⁴⁴⁸
blood o’th’grape

Till the high fever
seethe
⁴⁴⁹
your blood to froth,

And so
scape hanging
⁴⁵⁰
. Trust not the physician,

His antidotes are poison, and he slays

More than you rob. Take wealth and lives together:

Do, villains, do, since you
protest
⁴⁵³
to do’t,

Like workmen. I’ll
example you
⁴⁵⁴
with thievery.

The sun’s a thief, and with his great
attraction
⁴⁵⁵

Robs the vast sea: the moon’s an
arrant
⁴⁵⁶
thief,

And her pale fire she snatches from the sun:

The sea’s a thief, whose liquid surge
resolves
⁴⁵⁸

The moon into salt tears: the earth’s a thief,

That feeds and breeds by a
composture
⁴⁶⁰
stolen

From gen’ral excrement: each thing’s a thief.

The laws,
your curb and whip
⁴⁶²
, in their rough power

Has unchecked theft
⁴⁶³
. Love not yourselves, away,

Rob one another: there’s more gold. Cut throats:

All that you meet are thieves. To Athens go,

Break open shops: nothing can you steal

But thieves do lose it.
Steal less for this I give you,
⁴⁶⁷

And gold confound you howsoe’er. Amen.

THIRD BANDIT
    
Has
⁴⁶⁹
almost charmed me from my profession by

persuading me to it.

FIRST BANDIT
    ’Tis
in the malice of
⁴⁷¹
mankind that he thus advises

us, not to have us thrive in our
mystery.
⁴⁷²

SECOND BANDIT
    I’ll believe him
as
⁴⁷³
an enemy, and give over my

trade.

FIRST BANDIT
    Let us first see peace in Athens: there is no time so

miserable but a man may be
true.
⁴⁷⁶

FLAVIUS
    O you gods!

Is
yond
despised and
ruinous
⁴⁷⁸
man my lord?

Full of decay and failing? O
monument
⁴⁷⁹

And
wonder
of good deeds
evilly bestowed!
⁴⁸⁰

What an alteration of honour

Has desp’rate want made!

What viler thing upon the earth than friends

Who can bring noblest minds to basest ends!

How
rarely
does it meet with this time’s
guise,
⁴⁸⁵

When man was wished to love his enemies!

Grant I may ever love and rather woo

Those
that would mischief me than those that do!
⁴⁸⁸

Has caught me in his eye:
⁴⁸⁹
I will present

My honest grief unto him; and as my lord

Still
⁴⁹¹
serve him with my life.— My dearest master!

TIMON
    Away! What art thou?

FLAVIUS
    Have you forgot me, sir?

TIMON
    Why dost ask that? I have forgot all men:

Then, if thou grant’st thou’rt a man, I have forgot thee.

FLAVIUS
    An honest poor servant of yours.

TIMON
    Then I know thee not.

I never had honest man about me: ay, all

I kept were
knaves
⁴⁹⁹
to serve in meat to villains.

FLAVIUS
    The gods are witness,

Ne’er did poor steward wear a truer grief

For his
undone
⁵⁰²
lord than mine eyes for you.

TIMON
    What, dost thou weep? Come nearer. Then I love thee

Because thou art a woman, and
disclaim’st
⁵⁰⁴

Flinty
mankind whose eyes do never
give
⁵⁰⁵

But
thorough
⁵⁰⁶
lust and laughter. Pity’s sleeping:

Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with weeping!

FLAVIUS
    I beg of you to
know
⁵⁰⁸
me, good my lord,

T’accept my grief and whilst this poor wealth lasts

To
entertain
⁵¹⁰
me as your steward still.

TIMON
    Had I a steward

So true, so just, and now so
comfortable?
⁵¹²

It almost turns my dangerous nature wild.

Let me behold thy face. Surely, this man

Was born of woman.

Forgive my general and
exceptless
⁵¹⁶
rashness,

You
perpetual sober
⁵¹⁷
gods! I do proclaim

One honest man — mistake me not,
but
⁵¹⁸
one,

No more, I pray — and he’s a steward.

How
fain
⁵²⁰
would I have hated all mankind,

And thou redeem’st thyself. But all save thee

I
fell
⁵²²
with curses.

Methinks thou art more honest now than wise,

For by
oppressing
⁵²⁴
and betraying me

Thou mightst have sooner got another
service:
⁵²⁵

For many so arrive at second masters

Upon their first lord’s neck
⁵²⁷
. But tell me true —

For I must ever doubt,
though ne’er so sure
⁵²⁸
—

Is not thy kindness
subtle
⁵²⁹
, covetous,

If not a
usuring
⁵³⁰
kindness, and, as rich men deal gifts,

Expecting in return twenty for one?

FLAVIUS
    No, my most worthy master, in whose breast

Doubt and
suspect
⁵³³
, alas, are placed too late.

You should have feared false times when you did feast:

Suspect still comes where an estate is least.

That which I show, heaven knows, is
merely
⁵³⁶
love,

Duty and zeal to your
unmatchèd
⁵³⁷
mind,

Care of your food and living, and, believe it,

My most honoured lord,

For
⁵⁴⁰
any benefit that points to me,

Either in
hope
⁵⁴¹
or present, I’d exchange

For this one wish: that you had power and wealth

To
requite
⁵⁴³
me by making rich yourself.

TIMON
    Look thee, ’tis so! Thou
singly
⁵⁴⁴
honest man,

Here, take: the gods out of my misery

Has sent thee treasure. Go, live rich and happy,

But
thus conditioned
: thou shalt build
from
⁵⁴⁷
men,

Hate all, curse all, show charity to none,

But let the famished flesh slide from the bone

Ere thou relieve the beggar. Give to dogs

What thou deniest to men: let prisons swallow ’em,

Debts wither ’em to nothing, be men like
blasted
⁵⁵²
woods,

And may diseases lick up their false bloods.

And so farewell and thrive.

FLAVIUS
    O, let me stay,

And comfort you, my master.

TIMON
    If thou hat’st curses,

Stay not: fly, whilst thou art blessed and free.

Ne’er see thou man, and let me ne’er see thee.

PAINTER
    As I took note of the place, it cannot be far where he

abides.

POET
    What’s to be thought of him? Does the rumour hold

for true that he’s so full of gold?

PAINTER
    Certain. Alcibiades reports it: Phrynia and Timandra

had gold
of
⁶
him. He likewise enriched 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
⁹
for his

friends?

PAINTER
    Nothing else: you shall see him a
palm in Athens
¹¹

again, and flourish with the highest. Therefore ’tis not amiss

we
tender
¹³
our loves to him, in this supposed distress of his:

it will
show honestly in us
, and is very likely to
load
¹⁴
our

purposes with what they
travail
¹⁵
for, if it be a just and true

report that goes of his
having.
¹⁶

POET
    What have you now to present unto him?

PAINTER
    Nothing at this time but my
visitation
¹⁸
: only I will

promise him an excellent piece.

POET
    I must serve him so too, tell him of an
intent
²⁰
that’s

coming toward him.

PAINTER
    
Good as the best
. Promising is the very
air
²²
o’th’time:

it opens the eyes of expectation. Performance is ever the

duller
for his act
, and
but
²⁴
in the plainer and simpler kind of

people
the deed of saying
is quite out of
use
²⁵
. To promise is

most courtly and fashionable:
performance is a kind of will
²⁶

or testament which argues a great sickness in his judgement

that makes it.