The Life of Timon of Athens ebook

Contents

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Act I

SCENE I. Athens. A Hall in TIMON'S House

SCENE II. The Same. A room of state in TIMON'S House.

Act II

SCENE I. Athens. A Room in a SENATOR'S House.

SCENE II. The same. A Hall in TIMON'S House.

Act III

Scene I. Athens. A Room in LUCULLUS' House.

SCENE II. A Public Place.

SCENE III. The Same. A Room in SEMPRONIUS' House.

SCENE IV. A hall in TIMON'S House.

SCENE V. The Same. The Senate House. The Senate Sitting.

SCENE VI. A room of State in TIMON'S House.

Act IV

SCENE I. Without the walls of Athens

SCENE II. Athens. A Room in TIMON's House.

SCENE III. Woods and Caves near the Sea-shore.

Act V

SCENE I. The woods. Before TIMON's Cave.

SCENE II. Before the walls of Athens.

SCENE III. The Woods. TIMON's cave, and a rude tomb seen.

SCENE IV. Before the walls of Athens

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

TIMON, a noble Athenian

LUCIUS

LUCULLUS flattering Lords.

SEMPRONIUS

VENTIDIUS, one of Timon’s false Friends.

APEMANTUS, a churlish Philosopher.

ALCIBIADES, an Athenian Captain.

FLAVIUS, Steward to Timon.

FLAMINIUS

LUCILIUS Servants to Timon.

SERVILIUS

CAPHIS

PHILOTUS Servants to Timon’s Creditors.

TITUS

HORTENSIUS

Servants of Ventidius, and of Varro and Isidore (two of Timon’s Creditor’s).

THREE STRANGERS.

AN OLD ATHENIAN.

A PAGE.

A FOOL.

Poet, Painter, Jeweller, and Merchant.

PHRYNIA Mistresses to Alcibiades.

TIMANDRA

Lords, Senators, Officers, Soldiers, Servants, Thieves, and Attendants

CUPID and Amazons in the Masque.

SCENE.–Athens, and the neighbouring Woods.

Act I

SCENE I. Athens. A Hall in TIMON’S House

[Enter Poet, Painter, Jeweller, Merchant, and Others, at several doors.]

POET.

Good day, sir.

PAINTER.

I am glad you’re well.

POET.

I have not seen you long. How goes the world?

PAINTER.

It wears, sir, as it grows.

POET.

Ay, that’s well known;

But what particular rarity? what strange,

Which manifold record not matches? See,

Magic of bounty! all these spirits thy power

Hath conjur’d to attend! I know the merchant.

PAINTER.

I know them both; th’ other’s a jeweller.

MERCHANT.

O, ’tis a worthy lord!

JEWELLER.

Nay, that’s most fix’d.

MERCHANT.

A most incomparable man; breath’d, as it were,

To an untirable and continuate goodness.

He passes.

JEWELLER.

I have a jewel here–

MERCHANT.

O, pray let’s see’t: for the Lord Timon, sir?

JEWELLER.

If he will touch the estimate: but for that–

POET.

When we for recompense have prais’d the vile,

It stains the glory in that happy verse

Which aptly sings the good.

MERCHANT. [Looking at the jewel.]

'Tis a good form.

JEWELLER.

And rich: here is a water, look ye.

PAINTER.

You are rapt, sir, in some work, some dedication

To the great lord.

POET.

A thing slipp’d idly from me.

Our poesy is as a gum, which oozes

From whence ’tis nourish’d: the fire i’ the flint

Shows not till it be struck; our gentle flame

Provokes itself, and like the current flies

Each bound it chafes. What have you there?

PAINTER.

A picture, sir. When comes your book forth?

POET.

Upon the heels of my presentment, sir.

Let’s see your piece.

PAINTER.

'Tis a good piece.

POET.

So ‘tis: this comes off well and excellent.

PAINTER.

Indifferent.

POET.

Admirable! How this grace

Speaks his own standing! what a mental power

This eye shoots forth! how big imagination

Moves in this lip! to the dumbness of the gesture

One might interpret.

PAINTER.

It is a pretty mocking of the life.

Here is a touch; is’t good?

POET.

I’ll say of it,

It tutors nature: artificial strife

Lives in these touches, livelier than life.

[Enter certain SENATORS, who pass over the stage.]

PAINTER.

How this lord is followed!

POET.

The senators of Athens: happy man!

PAINTER.

Look, more!

POET.

You see this confluence, this great flood of visitors.

I have, in this rough work, shap’d out a man

Whom this beneath world doth embrace and hug

With amplest entertainment: my free drift

Halts not particularly, but moves itself

In a wide sea of wax: no levell’d malice

Infects one comma in the course I hold:

But flies an eagle flight, bold and forth on,

Leaving no tract behind.

PAINTER.

How shall I understand you?

POET.

I will unbolt to you.

You see how all conditions, how all minds–

As well of glib and slipp’ry creatures as

Of grave and austere quality–tender down

Their services to Lord Timon: his large fortune,

Upon his good and gracious nature hanging,

Subdues and properties to his love and tendance

All sorts of hearts; yea, from the glass-fac’d flatterer

To Apemantus, that few things loves better

Than to abhor himself: even he drops down

The knee before him, and returns in peace

Most rich in Timon’s nod.

PAINTER.

I saw them speak together.

POET.

Sir, I have upon a high and pleasant hill

Feign’d Fortune to be thron’d: the base o’ the mount

Is rank’d with all deserts, all kind of natures

That labour on the bosom of this sphere

To propagate their states: amongst them all,

Whose eyes are on this sovereign lady fix’d

One do I personate of Lord Timon’s frame,

Whom Fortune with her ivory hand wafts to her;

Whose present grace to present slaves and servants

Translates his rivals.

PAINTER.

'Tis conceiv’d to scope.

This throne, this Fortune, and this hill, methinks,

With one man beckon’d from the rest below,

Bowing his head against the steepy mount

To climb his happiness, would be well express’d

In our condition.

POET.

Nay, sir, but hear me on.

All those which were his fellows but of late,

Some better than his value, on the moment

Follow his strides, his lobbies fill with tendance,

Rain sacrificial whisperings in his ear,

Make sacred even his stirrup, and through him

Drink the free air.

PAINTER.

Ay, marry, what of these?

POET.

When Fortune in her shift and change of mood

Spurns down her late beloved, all his dependants,

Which labour’d after him to the mountain’s top

Even on their knees and hands, let him slip down,

Not one accompanying his declining foot.

PAINTER.

'Tis common:

A thousand moral paintings I can show

That shall demonstrate these quick blows of Fortune’s

More pregnantly than words. Yet you do well

To show Lord Timon that mean eyes have seen

The foot above the head.

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