That nothing but himself, which looks like Man,

Is friendly with him.

1 Sen. Bring us to his Cave.

It is our part and promife to th' Athenians
To fpeak with Timon.

2 Sen. At all times alike

Men are not ftill the fame; 'twas Time and Griefs
That fram'd him thus. Time with his fairer Hand,
Offering the Fortunes of his former Days,

The former Man may make him; bring us to him
And chance it as it may.

Flav. Here is his Cave:

Peace and Content be here, Timon! Timon!
Look out, and speak to Friends: Th' Athenians
By two of their most reverend Senate greet thee;
Speak to them, Noble Timon.

Enter Timon out of his Cave.

Tim. Thou Sun that comfort burn,

Speak and be hang'd:

For each true Word a Blifter, and each false
Be as a Cauterizing to the root o'th' Tongue.
Confuming it with speaking.

I Sen. Worthy Timon.

Tim. Of none but fuch as you,

And you of Timon.

I Sen. The Senators of Athens greet thee, Timon.
Tim. I thank them,

And would fend them back the Plague,

. Could I but catch it for them.

I Sen. O forget

What we are forry for our felves in thee:

The Senators, with one confent of love,
Intreat thee back to Athens, who have thought

On fpecial Dignities, which vacant lye
For thy beft use and wearing.

2 Sen. They confefs

Toward thee, forgetfulness too general grofs,
Which now the publick Body, which doth seldom
Play the Recanter, feeling in it felf

A lack of Timon's Aid, hath Sence withal
Of it's own fall, reftraining Aid to Timon,

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And

And fends forth us to make their forrowed render,
Together with a Recompence more fruitful
Than their Offence can weigh down by the Dram,
Ay, even fuch heaps and fums of Love and Wealth,
As (hall to thee blot out what Wrongs were theirs,
And write in thee the Figures of their Love,
Even to read them thine.

Tim. You witch me in it,

Surprize me to the very brink of Tears;
Lend me a Fool's Heart, and a Woman's Eyes,
And I'll beweep these Comforts, worthy Senators.
1 Sen. Therefore so please thee to return with us,
And of our Athens, thine and ours to take
The Captainfhip, thou fhalt be met with Thanks,
Allowed with abfolute Power, and thy good Name
Live with Authority; fo foon we fhall drive back.
Of Alcibiades the approaches wild,

Who like a Boar too favage, doth root up
His Country's Peace.

2 Sen. And shakes his threatning Sword Against the Walls of Athens.

1 Sen. Therefore, Timon

Tim. Well Sir, I will; therefore I will Sir, thus--

If Alcibiades kill my Countrymen,

Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,

That Timon cares not. But if he fack fair Athens,

And take our goodly aged Men by th' Beards,

Giving our Holy Virgins to the ftain

Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain❜d War;
Then let him know, and tell him Timon speaks it,

In pity of our Aged, and our Youth,

I cannot chufe but tell him that I care not,
And let him take't at worft; for their Knives care not,
While you have Throats to anfwer. For my felf,
There's not a whittle in th' unruly Camp,

But I do prize it at my Love, before

The reverend'ft Throat in Athens. So I leave you To the Protection of the profperous Gods,

As Thieves to Keepers.

Flav. Stay not, aft's in vain.

Tim. Why I was writing of my Epitaph,
It will be feen to Morrow. My long fickness
Of Health and Living, now begins to mend,
And nothing brings me all things. Go, live ftill,
Be Alcibiades your Plague; you his;
And laft fo long enough.

I Sen. We speak in vain.

Tim. But yet I love my Country, and am not One that rejoices in the common wrack,

As common Brute doth put it.

1 Sen. That's well spoke.

Tim. Commend me to my loving Countrymen.

I Sen. These Words become your Lips, as they pafs thro' them.

2 Sen. And enter into our Ears like great Triumphers In their applauding Gates.

Tim. Commend me to them,

And tell them, that to ease them of their Griefs,
Their fears of Hoftile Strokes, their Aches, Loffes,
Their pangs of Love, with other incident throws
That Nature's fragile Veffel doth fuftain

In Life's uncertain Voyage, I will fome kindness do them,
I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades Wrath.
2 Sen. I like this well, he will return again.
Tim. I have a Tree which grows here in my Clofe,
That mine own ufe invites me to cut down,
And shortly muft I fell it. Tell my Friends,
Tell Athens, in the frequence of degree,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To ftop Affliction, let him take his hafte ;
Come hither e'er my Tree hath felt the Ax,
And hang himfelf. I pray you do my greeting.
Flav. Trouble him no further, thus you still shall
Find him.

Tim. Come not to me again, but fay to Athens,
Timon hath made his Everlafting Manfion
Upon the beached Verge of the falt Flood,
Which once a Day with his emboffed Froth
The turbulent Surge fhall cover; thither come,
And let my Grave-ftone be your Oracle :

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Lips,

Lips, let four words go by, and Language end:
What is amifs, Plague and Infection mend.
Graves only be Mens Works, and Death their Gain,
Sun, hide thy Beams, Timon hath done his Reign.

[Exit Timon. Sen. His Difcontents are unremoveably coupled to Nature.

Sen. Our hope in him is dead; let us return,
And ftrain what other means is left unto us
In our dead peril.

I Sen. It requires fwift foot.

Enter two other Senators, with a Meffenger. I Sen. Thou haft painfully discover'd; are his Files As full as they report?

Mef. I have fpoke the leaft.

Befides, his Expedition promifes prefent approach.

[Exeunt.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon, Mef. I met a Courier, one mine ancient Friend, Whom though in general part we were oppos'd,

Yet our old love made a particular force,

This Man was riding

And made us fpeak like Friends.
From Alcibiades to Timon's Cave,
With Letters of Intreaty, which imported
His Fellowship i'th' cause against your City,
In part for his fake mov'd."

Enter the other Senators.

1 Sen. Here come our Brothers.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect, The Enemies Drum is heard, and fearful fcouring Doth choak the Air with Duft; In, and prepare, Ours is the Fall I fear, our Foes the Snare.

[Exeunt. Enter a Soldier in the Woods, feeking Timon. Sol. By all Description this should be the Place.

Who's here? Speak ho.No anfwer?What is this?--Timon is dead, who hath out-ftretcht his Span,

Some Beast read this; there does not live a Man.

Dead fure, and this his Grave, what's on this Tomb?

I cannot read; the Character I'll take with Wax;
Our Captain hath in every Figure skill,
An aged Interpreter, tho' young in Days:

Before

Before proud Athens he's fet down by this,
Whofe Fall the mark of his Ambition is.

[Exit

SCENE II. The Walls of Athens.
Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades with his Powers.

Alc. Sound to this coward and lascivious Town,
Our terrible approach.

[Sound a Parley. The Senators appear upon the Walls. 'Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious Measure, making your Wills The scope of Juftice. Till now my self, and fuch As flept within the fhadow of your Power, Have wander'd with our traverft Arms, and breath'd Our fufferance vainly. Now the time is flush, When crouching Marrow in the bearer ftrong Cries, of it felf, no more: Now breathlefs wrong, Shall fit and pant in your great Chairs of cafe, And purfy Infolence fhall break his Wind With fear and horrid flight.

I Sen. Noble and young;

When thy firft Griefs were but a meer Conceit,
E'er thou hadft Power, or we had cause to fear,
We fent to thee, to give thy Rages Balm,
To wipe out our Ingratitude, with Loves
Above their quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our City's Love
By humble Meffage, and by promis'd Means:
We were not all unkind, nor all deferve
The common ftroke of War.

I Sen. Thefe Walls of ours

Were not erected by their Hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your Grief: Nor are they fuch

That thefe great Towers, Trophies, and Schools should fall
For private Faults in them.

2 Sen. Nor are they living

Who were the Motives that you firft went out,
Shame, that they wanted Cunning in excefs,
Hath broke their Hearts. March, Noble Lord,

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Into