than the riches of our friends? Oh what a great
comfort it is to have so many sharing each other's
fortunes like brothers. It's a joy that appears (because of tears)
to disappear before it even starts! I don't think I can keep
from weeping. To cover up my faults, I drink your health.
APEMANTUS
Thou weepest to make them drink, Timon.
Your crying makes them drink, Timon.
Second Lord
Joy had the like conception in our eyes
And at that instant like a babe sprung up.
We have the same joy as you,
it's mirrored in our eyes.
APEMANTUS
Ho, ho! I laugh to think that babe a bastard.
Ho, Ho! It makes me laugh to think how insincere you are.
Third Lord
I promise you, my lord, you moved me much.
I promise you, my lord, I found that very moving.
APEMANTUS
Much!
Very!
Tucket, within
TIMON
What means that trump?
Enter a Servant
How now?
What does that trumpet mean?
What's going on?
Servant
Please you, my lord, there are certain
ladies most desirous of admittance.
If you please, my lord, there are certain
ladies who are very keen to see you.
TIMON
Ladies! what are their wills?
Ladies! What do they want?
Servant
There comes with them a forerunner, my lord, which
bears that office, to signify their pleasures.
They have a Herald with them, my lord, who
has that position to tell you what they want.
TIMON
I pray, let them be admitted.
Please, let them in.
Enter Cupid
Cupid
Hail to thee, worthy Timon, and to all
That of his bounties taste! The five best senses
Acknowledge thee their patron; and come freely
To gratulate thy plenteous bosom: th' ear,
Taste, touch and smell, pleased from thy table rise;
They only now come but to feast thine eyes.
Greetings to you, good Timon, and to everyone
sharing his generosity! The five great senses
acknowledge you as their master; they have come
to praise your generosity: hearing,
taste, touch and smell, have been satisfied at your table;
all you need now is a feast for your eyes.
TIMON
They're welcome all; let 'em have kind admittance:
Music, make their welcome!
They are all welcome; let them come in;
play the music to welcome them!
Exit Cupid
First Lord
You see, my lord, how ample you're beloved.
You see, my lord, how much you're loved.
Music. Re-enter Cupid with a mask of Ladies as Amazons, with lutes in their hands, dancing and playing
APEMANTUS
Hoy-day, what a sweep of vanity comes this way!
They dance! they are mad women.
Like madness is the glory of this life.
As this pomp shows to a little oil and root.
We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves;
And spend our flatteries, to drink those men
Upon whose age we void it up again,
With poisonous spite and envy.
Who lives that's not depraved or depraves?
Who dies, that bears not one spurn to their graves
Of their friends' gift?
I should fear those that dance before me now
Would one day stamp upon me: 't has been done;
Men shut their doors against a setting sun.
Hello!
What a parade of frivolity is coming.
All dancing! They are mad women.
Vanity is a madness of this life, so is having
all this food when all you need is a little oil and vegetables.
We make fools of ourselves to keep ourselves occupied,
we flatter to win over men
whom in old age we reject again,
full of poisonous spite and envy.
Who is there alive who's not either slandered or a slanderer?
Who dies who doesn't carry a single insult to their grave
given to them by a friend?
I would be afraid that those dancing in front of me now
would one day stamp on me. It happens.
Men aren't interested in you when you fall.
The Lords rise from table, with much adoring of TIMON; and to show their loves, each singles out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women, a lofty strain or two to the hautboys, and cease
TIMON
You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies,
Set a fair fashion on our entertainment,
Which was not half so beautiful and kind;
You have added worth unto 't and lustre,
And entertain'd me with mine own device;
I am to thank you for 't.
You've lent much grace to our enjoyment, fair ladies,
given our entertainment such an attractive appearance,
it wasn't half so beautiful and gracious before;
you have added goodness and glamour,
and use my own entertainment to entertain me;
I want to thank you for it.
First Lady
My lord, you take us even at the best.
My lord, you give us our best praise.
APEMANTUS
'Faith, for the worst is filthy; and would not hold
taking, I doubt me.
I swear, you wouldn't want to be given the worst,
it's filthy.
TIMON
Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you:
Please you to dispose yourselves.
Ladies, there's a little banquet waiting for you:
please help yourselves.
All Ladies
Most thankfully, my lord.
Very gratefully, my lord.
Exeunt Cupid and Ladies
TIMON
Flavius.
Flavius.
FLAVIUS
My lord?
My lord?
TIMON
The little casket bring me hither.
Bring the little casket here to me.
FLAVIUS
Yes, my lord. [Aside] More jewels yet!
There is no crossing him in 's humour;
Else I should tell him well, i' faith I should,
When all's spent, he 'ld be cross'd then, an he could.
'Tis pity bounty had not eyes behind,
That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind.
Exit
Yes, my lord. [aside] Still more jewels!
There's no stopping his madness;
otherwise I would tell him firmly, I really would,
that when it's all gone he'll be in debt.
Generosity should have eyes in the back of his head,
so a man could never be ruined by being kind.
First Lord
Where be our men?
Where are our men?
Servant
Here, my lord, in readiness.
Here, my lord, all ready.
Second Lord
Our horses!
Our horses!
Re-enter FLAVIUS, with the casket
TIMON
O my friends,
I have one word to say to you: look you, my good lord,
I must entreat you, honour me so much
As to advance this jewel; accept it and wear it,
Kind my lord.
O my friends,
I just want a wo
rd with you: see here, my good lord,
I must beg you, do me the honour
of polishing this jewel by accepting it and wearing it,
my kind lord.
First Lord
I am so far already in your gifts,--
I'm already so indebted to you–
All
So are we all.
So are all of us.
Enter a Servant
Servant
My lord, there are certain nobles of the senate
Newly alighted, and come to visit you.
My lord, there are certain noblemen from the Senate
who have just landed and have come to visit you.
TIMON
They are fairly welcome.
They are most welcome.
FLAVIUS
I beseech your honour,
Vouchsafe me a word; it does concern you near.
I beg your honour,
let me have a word; it concerns you intimately.
TIMON
Near! why then, another time I'll hear thee:
I prithee, let's be provided to show them
entertainment.
Concerns me! Well then, it can wait to another time:
please, let's get on and give them a good
welcome.
FLAVIUS
[Aside] I scarce know how.
I don't know what to do.
Enter a Second Servant
Second Servant
May it please your honour, Lord Lucius,
Out of his free love, hath presented to you
Four milk-white horses, trapp'd in silver.
If you please, your honour, Lord Lucius,
from his love for you, has presented you with
four milk white horses, with silver harnesses.
TIMON
I shall accept them fairly; let the presents
Be worthily entertain'd.
Enter a third Servant
How now! what news?
I shall accept them politely; let the presents
be given the attention they deserve.
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.
If you please, my lord, that honourable
gentlemen, Lord Lucullus, asks you to go hunting
with him tomorrow, and he has sent your honour
two pairs of greyhounds.
TIMON
I'll hunt with him; and let them be received,
Not without fair reward.
I'll hunt with him; and welcome the dogs,
which will be paid for.
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 every 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 forced 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
What will this come to?
He tells us to lay on entertainment, and gives great gifts,
and all the time there is no money in the bank:
he doesn't want to know his balance, and won't allow me
to show him that his heart has become a beggar,
which has no power to make up the shortfall:
what he promises is so far beyond what he has
that everything he says puts him in debt; he owes
for every word: he is so kind that he is now
paying interest for it; his land is all mortgaged.
Well, I would rather quietly leave the job before being forced out!
You're better off having no friends to feed
than having ones that make more demands on you then enemies do.
I suffer in silence for my lord.
TIMON
You do yourselves
Much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits:
Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.
You do yourselves
an injustice, you put your own merits down too much:
here, my lord, a little sign of our friendship.
Second Lord
With more than common thanks I will receive it.
I will take it with great thanks.
Third Lord
O, he's the very soul of bounty!
Oh, he's the very soul of generosity!
TIMON
And now I remember, my lord, you gave
Good words the other day of a bay courser
I rode on: it is yours, because you liked it.
And now I remember, my lord, you said
kind words the other day about a bay hunter
I was riding: it's yours, because you liked it.
Second Lord
O, I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, in that.
Oh, I beg you, you mustn't give me that, my lord.
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.
You can take me at my word, my lord, I know
men only truly praise what they desire:
my friends’ desires are just as important as my own,
I assure you. I'll call on you.
All Lords
O, none so welcome.
Oh, nobody would be more 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.
I take so much pleasure from all your
visits, I don't have enough to give;
I think I could give out kingdoms to my friends,
and never get tired of it. Alcibiades,
you are a soldier, and so rarely rich;
whatever you receive is true charity: because all your
work is among the dead, and all your estates
lie on the battlefield.
ALCIBIADES
Ay, defiled land, my lord.
Yes, defiled land, my lord.
First Lord
We are so virtuously bound--
We are so wonderfully obliged–
TIMON
And so
Am I to you.
And so am I to you.
Second Lord
So infinitely endear'd--
So hugely indebted–
TIMON
All to you. Lights, more lights!
That's all on my side. Lights, more lights!
First Lord
The best of happiness,
Honour and fortunes, keep with you, Lord Timon!
Made the greatest happiness,
honour and fortune, remain with you, Lord Timon!
TIMON
Ready for his friends.
So I can serve my 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 court'sies.
What a farce this is!
All this bowing and scraping!
I doubt their bows are worth the amount
you paid for them. Friendship is full of scum:
I think false hearts should never have good legs,
it makes honest fools give money to anyone who bows to them.
TIMON
Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen, I would be
good to thee.
Now, Apemantus, if you weren't so sullen, I would be
generous to you.
APEMANTUS
No, I'll nothing: for if I should be bribed too,
there would be none left to rail upon thee, and then
thou wouldst sin the faster. Thou givest so long,
Timon, I fear me thou wilt give away thyself in
paper shortly: what need these feasts, pomps and
vain-glories?
No, I'll take nothing: if I should be bribed too,
there would be nobody left to criticise you, and then
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 627