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Enter another SERVANT

SECOND SERVANT.

May it please vour honour, Lord Lucius, out of his

free love, hath presented to you four milk-white horses,

trapp'd in silver.

TIMON.

I shall accept them fairly. Let the presents

Be worthily entertain'd. Exit SERVANT

Enter a third SERVANT

How now! What news?

THIRD SERVANT.

Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman,

Lord

Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him and

has sent your honour two brace of greyhounds.

TIMON.

I'll hunt with him; and let them be receiv'd,

Not without fair reward. Exit SERVANT

FLAVIUS.

[Aside] What will this come to?

He commands us to provide and give great gifts,

And all out of an empty coffer;

Nor will he know his purse, or yield me this,

To show him what a beggar his heart is,

Being of no power to make his wishes good.

His promises fly so beyond his state

That what he speaks is all in debt; he owes

For ev'ry word. He is so kind that he now

Pays interest for't; his land's put to their books.

Well, would I were gently put out of office

Before I were forc'd out!

Happier is he that has no friend to feed

Than such that do e'en enemies exceed.

I bleed inwardly for my lord. Exit

TIMON. You do yourselves much wrong;

You bate too much of your own merits.

Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.

SECOND LORD.

With more than common thanks I will receive it.

THIRD LORD.

O, he's the very soul of bounty!

TIMON.

And now I remember, my lord, you gave good words the other

day of a bay courser I rode on. 'Tis yours because you lik'd it.

THIRD LORD.

O, I beseech you pardon me, my lord, in that.

TIMON.

You may take my word, my lord: I know no man

Can justly praise but what he does affect.

I weigh my friend's affection with mine own.

I'll tell you true; I'll call to you.

ALL LORDS.

O, none so welcome!

TIMON.

I take all and your several visitations

So kind to heart 'tis not enough to give;

Methinks I could deal kingdoms to my friends

And ne'er be weary. Alcibiades,

Thou art a soldier, therefore seldom rich.

It comes in charity to thee; for all thy living

Is 'mongst the dead, and all the lands thou hast

Lie in a pitch'd field.

ALCIBIADES.

Ay, defil'd land, my lord.

FIRST LORD.

We are so virtuously bound-

TIMON.

And so am I to you.

SECOND LORD.

So infinitely endear'd-

TIMON.

All to you. Lights, more lights!

FIRST LORD.

The best of happiness, honour, and fortunes, keep with

you, Lord Timon!

TIMON.

Ready for his friends.

Exeunt all but APEMANTUS and TIMON

APEMANTUS.

What a coil's here!

Serving of becks and jutting-out of bums!

I doubt whether their legs be worth the sums

That are given for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs:

Methinks false hearts should never have sound legs.

Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on curtsies.

TIMON.

Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen

I would be good to thee.

APEMANTUS.

No, I'll nothing; for if I should be brib'd too, there

would be none left to rail upon thee, and then thou wouldst sin

the faster. Thou giv'st so long, Timon, I fear me thou wilt give

away thyself in paper shortly. What needs these feasts,

pomps,

and vain-glories?

TIMON.

Nay, an you begin to rail on society once, I am sworn not to

give regard to you. Farewell; and come with better music.

Exit

APEMANTUS. So. Thou wilt not hear me now: thou shalt not then.

I'll

lock thy heaven from thee.

O that men's ears should be

To counsel deaf, but not to flattery! Exit

ACT II. SCENE I. A SENATOR'S house

Enter A SENATOR, with papers in his hand

SENATOR.

And late, five thousand. To Varro and to Isidore

He owes nine thousand; besides my former sum,

Which makes it five and twenty. Still in motion

Of raging waste? It cannot hold; it will not.

If I want gold, steal but a beggar's dog

And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold.

If I would sell my horse and buy twenty moe

Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon,

Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me straight,

And able horses. No porter at his