University of Virginia Library

ACT V.

Enter Timon and Evandra.
Tim.
Now after all the follies of this life,
Timon has made his everlasting Mansion;
Upon the beached Verge of the Salt Flood;
Where every day the swelling Surge shall wash him;
There he shall rest from all the Villainies,
Betraying smiles, or th'oppressing frowns
Of proud and impotent Man.

Evan.
Speak not of death, I cannot lose thee yet,
Throw off this dire consuming Melancholy.
Oh could'st thou love as I do, thou'd'st not have
Another wish but me. There is no state on Earth
Which I can envy while I've thee within
These Arms—take comfort to thee, think not yet
Of Death—leave not Evandra yet.

Tim.
Thinkst thou in Death we shall not think,
And know, and love, better than we can here?
Oh yes, Evandra! There our Happiness
Will be without a wish—I feel my long sickness
Of health and living now begin to mend,
And nothing will bring me all things: thou Evandra
Art the thing alone on Earth would make me wish
To play my part upon the troublesome Stage,
Where folly, madness, falshood, and cruelty,
Are the only actions represented.

Evan.
That I have lov'd my Timon faithfully
Without one erring thought, the Gods can witness;
And as my life was true my death shall be,
If I one minute after thee survive,
The scorn and infamy of all my Sex
Light on me, and may I live to be
Melissa's Slave.

Tim.
Oh my ador'd Evandra!
Thy kindness covers me with shame and grief,
I have deserv'd so little from thee;
Wer't not for thee I'd wish the World on Fire.
Enter Nicias, Phæax, Isidore, Isander, Cleon, Thrasillus and Ælius.
More Plagues yet!

Nici.
How does the Worthy Timon?
It grieves our hearts to see thy low condition,
And we are come to mend it.

Phæax.
We and the Athenians cannot live without thee,
Cast from thee this sad grief, most noble Timon,
The Senators of Athens greet thee with
Their love, and do with one consenting voice
Intreat thee back to Athens.

Tim.
I thank 'em and would send 'em back the Plague,
Could I but catch it for 'em.

Ælius.
The Gods forbid, they love thee most sincerely.

Tim.
I will return 'em the same love they bear me.

Nic.
Forget, most noble Timon: they are sorry
They shou'd deny thee thy request; they do
Confess their fault; the publick body
Which seldom does recant, confesses it.

Cleon.
And has sent us—

Tim.
A very scurvy sample of that Body.

Phæax.
Oh my good Lord! we have ever lov'd you best
Of all mankind.

Thras.
And equal with our selves.

Isid.
Our hearts and souls were ever fixt upon thee.

Isan.
We would stake our lives for you.

Phæ.
We are all griev'd to think you should
So mis-interpret our best loves.

Cleon.
Which shall continue ever firm to you.

Tim.
Good men, you much surprise me, even to tears;
Lend me a Fools heart and Womens eyes,
And I'll beweep these Comforts, worthy Lords.

Nic.
We beg your honour will interpret fairly.

Phæ.
The Senate has reserv'd some special dignities
Now vacant, to confer on you. They pray
You will return, and be their Captain,
Allow'd with absolute Command.

Nic.
Wild Alcibiades approaches Athens
With all his force; and like a Savage Bear
Roots up his Countries peace; we humbly beg
Thy just assistance.

Phæ.
We all know thou'rt worthy,
And hast oblig'd thy Country heretofore
Beyond return.

Ælius.
Therefore, good noble Lord.

Tim.
I tell you Lords,
If Alcibiades kill my Country-men,
Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,
That Timon cares not: But if he sack fair Athens,
And take our goodly aged men by th' Beards,
Giving up purest Virgins to the stain
Of beastly mad-brain'd War; Then let him know,
In pity of the aged and the young,
I cannot chuse but tell him that I care not,
And let him take't at worst; for their Swords care not
While you have throats to answer: for my self
There's not a Knife in all the unruly Camp,
But I do love and value more than the
Most reverent Throat in Athens, tell 'em so!
Be Alcibiades your Plague, ungrateful Villains.

Phæ.
Oh my good Lord, you think too hardly of us.

Ælius.
Hang him! there's no hopes of him.

Nic.
Hee'll ne'r return; he truly is Misanthropos.

Phæ.
You have gold my Lord, will you not serve
Your Country with some of it?

Tim.
Oh my dear Country! I do recant,
Commend me kindly to the Senate, tell 'em
If they will come all in one Body to me,
And follow my advice, they shall be welcome.

Nic.
I am sure they will, my noble Lord.

Tim.
I will instruct 'em how to ease their griefs;
Their fears of Hostile strokes, their Aches, Losses,
Their covetous pangs, with other incident throes
That Natures fragil Vessels must sustain
In lifes uncertain Voyage.

Phæ.
How my good Lord! this kind care is noble.

Tim.
Why even thus—
I will point out the most convenient Trees
In all this Wood, to hang themselves upon.
And so farewel, ye Covetous fawning Slaves be gone!
Let me not see the face of man more, I
Had rather see a Tiger fasting—

Nic.
He's lost to all our purposes.

Phæ.
Let's send a party out of Athens to him,
To force him to confess his Treasure;
And put him to the torture, if he will not.

Nic.
It will do well, let's away.

[Drums.
Ælius.
What Drums are those?

Phæ.
They must belong to Alcibiades!
To Horse and fly, or we shall chance be taken.

[Exeunt.
Tim.
Go fly, Evandra, to my Cave, or thou
Maist suffer by the rage of lustful Villains.

Enter Alcibiades with Phryne and Thais, two Whores.
Alci.
Command a halt, and send a Messenger
To summon Athens from me!
What art thou there? speak.

Tim.
A two leg'd Beast, as thou art, Cankers gnaw thee
For shewing me the face of man again.

Alci.
Is man so hateful to thee! what art thou?

Tim.
I am Misanthropos! I hate Mankind:
And for thy part, I wish thou wer't a Dog,
That I might love thee something.
But now I think on't, thou art going
Against yon Cursed Town: go on! it is
A worthy cause.

Alci.
Oh Timon! now I know thee, I am sorry
For thy misfortunes; and hope a little time
Will give me occasion to redress 'em.

Tim.
I will not alter my condition
For all you e're shall Conquer; no, go on,
Paint with man's blood the Earth: die it well.
Religious Canons, civil laws are cruel,
What then must War be?

Alcib.
How came the noble Timon by this change?

Tim.
As the Moon does by wanting light to give,
And then renew I could not like the Moon,
There were no Suns to borrow of.

Alcib.
What friendship shall I do thee?

Tim.
Why, promise me friendship and perform none;
If thou wilt not promise, thou art no man:
If thou dost perform, thou art none neither.

Alcib.
I am griev'd to see thy misery.

Tim.
Thou saw'st it when I was rich.

Alcib.
Then was a happy time.

Tim.
As thine is now, abus'd by a brace of Harlots.
What dost thou fight with women by thy side?

Alcib.
No, but after all the toils and hazards of the day
With men, I refresh my self at night with Women.

Tim.
These false Whores of thine have more destruction
In 'em than thy Sword.

Phry.
Thou art a Villain to say so—

Thais.
Is this he, that was the Athenian Minion?
A snarling Rascal.

Tim.
Be Whores still, they love you not that use you;
Employ all your salt hours to ruine youth,
Soften their manners into a Lethargy
Of sense and action.

Phry.
Hang thee Monster; we are not Whores, we
Are Mistresses to Alcibiades.

Tim.
The right name is Whore, do not miscal it,
Ye have been so to many.

Thais.
Out on you Dog.

Alcib.
Pray pardon him;
His wits are lost in his calamities;
I have but little gold, but here's some for thee.

Tim.
Keep it, I cannot eat it.

Alcib.
Wilt thou go 'gainst Athens with me?

Tim.
If ye were Beasts, I'd go with ye:
But I'll not herd with men; yet I love thee
Better than all men, because thou wert born
To ruine thy base Country.

Alcib.
I've sent to summon Athens; if she obeys not,
I'll lay her on a heap.

Tim.
It were a glorious act; go on, go on!
Here's gold for thee; stay, I'll fetch thee more.

Alcib.
What mysterie is this! where shou'd he have this?

Tim.
Here's more Gold and Jewels! go on,
Be a devouring Plague; let not
Thy Sword skip one, spare thou no Sex or Age:
Pity not honour'd Age for his white Beard,
He's an Usurer: strike the counterfeit Matron,
It is her habit only that is honest,
Her self's a Bawd: Let not the Virgins Cheek
Make soft thy Sword, nor Milk-Paps giving suck:
Spare not the Babe, whose dimpled smiles,
From Fools exhaust their mercy; think 'twill be
A Rogue or Whore e're long if thou shouldst spare it.
Put Armour on thy eyes and ears, whose proof,
Nor yells of Mothers, Maids, nor crying Babes,
Nor sight of Priests in Holy Vestments bleeding,
Shall pierce one jot.

Phryn.
Hast thou more gold, good Timon? give us some.

Thais.
What pity 'tis he should be thus Melancholy!
He is a fine person now.

Tim.
Oh flattering Whores! but that I am sure you will
Do store of mischief, I'd not give you any:
Here! be sure you be Whores still,
And who with pious breath seeks to convert ye,
Be strong in Whore, allure and burn him up;
Thatch your thin Sculls with burthens from the dead,
Some that were hang'd, no matter,
Wear them! betray with them, Whore still;
Paint till a Horse may mire upon your faces—
A Pox on Wrinkles, I say.

Thais.
Well, more Gold, say what thou wilt.

Tim.
Sow your Consumptions in the bones of men;
Dry up their Marrows, pain their shins
And shoulders: Crack the Lawyers voice, that he
May never bawl, and plead false title more.
Entice the lustful and dissembling Priests,
That scold against the quality of flesh,
And not believe themselves; I am not well.
Here's more, ye proud, lascivious, rampant Whores.
Do you damn others, and let this damn you;
And Ditches be all your Death-Beds and your Graves.

Phry.
More counsel, and more money, bounteous Timon.

Tim.
More Whore! more mischief first,
I've given you earnest.

Alcib.
We but disturb him! farewel,
If I thrive well, I'll visit thee again.

Tim.
If I thrive well, I ne're shall see thee more:
I feel Death's happy stroak upon me now,
He has laid his Icy hands upon me at length;
He will not let me go again, Farewel.
Confound Athens, and then thy self.
[Ex. Timon.

Alcib.
Now march, sound Trumpets and beat Drums,
And let the terrour of the noise invade
The ungrateful, Cowardly, usurious Senate.

[Exeunt.
Enter Nicias, Ælius, Cleon, Thrasillus, Isidore, Isander, upon the works of Athens.
Nic.
What shall we do to appease his rage?
He has an Army able to devour us.

Phæ.
We must e'en humbly bow our necks, that he
May tread on 'em.

Ælius.
He is a man of easie nature, soon won by soothings.

Nic.
I tremble lest he should revenge our sentence.

Isid.
If we shou'd resist, he'll level Athens.

Isan.
And then woe to our selves,
Our Wives and Daughters.

Nic.
What will become of you and me Phæax?
We have been Enemies to him long. I tremble for it.

Phæ.
Let us appear most forward in delivering up the
Town to him.

Nic.
If we resist, hee'l use a Conquerours Power,
And nothing then will scape the fury of
The Headstrong Souldiers, we must all submit.
See, he approaches. These Drums and Trumpets
Strike terrour in me! Heav'n, help all.

[Enter Herald.
Enter Alcibiades and his Army.
Alcib.
What answer make they to my summons?

Herald.
They are on the works to treat with you.

Alcib.
There's a white Flag! let us approach 'em.
Hoa! you on the works! give me and my Army entrance,
Or I'll let loose the fury of my Souldiers,
And make you all a prey to spoil and rapine;
And such a flame I'll light about your ears,
Shall make Greece tremble.

Nic.
My noble Lord! we mean nothing less.

Phæ.
Only we beg your honour will forgive us.

Nic.
W' have been ungrateful, and are much asham'd on't,
Your Lordship shall tread upon our necks if you think good;
We cannot but condemn our selves;
But we appeal to your known mercy and
Your Generosity.

Phæ.
March noble Lord into our City
With all the Banners spread; we are thy Slaves.

Ælius.
Your footstools.

Isid.
What ever you will make us.

Thras.
Enter our City, noble Alcibiades: but leave
Your rage behind you.

Isan.
Set but your Foot against our Gates, and they
Shall open—so you will enter like a friend.

Alcib.
Open the Gates without Capitulations,
For if I set my battering Rams to work,
You must expect no mercy.

Nic.
We will my good Lord—
[They all come down, Nic. present Alcibiades the Keys upon his Knees.
Our lives and Fortunes now are in thy hands;
But we fly to thy mercy for protection.

Alcib.
You merit as much mercy as you show'd
To Thrasibulus, such monstrous ingratitude
Will make your villainous names grow odious
To all the race of men, but to your selves
To whom vertue is so.

Phæ.
'Twas the whole Senates voice.

Alcib.
A Senate, a Den of Thieves! I little thought
When I wrested the Pow'r from the Rabble,
To give it you, you would be worse than they;
But most of you deserve the Ostracism:
Some of you are such Rogues you'd shame the Gibbet.

Nic.
Good my Lord! tread on our necks, but pardon us.

Phæ.
Wee'l be your Slaves if you'l forgive us.

Alcib.
Can you forgive Thrasibulus when he's dead?
Must we be us'd thus after our frequent hazards, and our
Toils, hard weary marching! watching! fasting!
Such dreadful hardships, lying out such nights
A Beast could not abide without a Covert,
And all for Pursy-lazy-knaves, that snort
In peace at home, and wallow in their bags?
Must we the Bullwarks of our Country be
Thus us'd?

Phæ.
Cease to reproach us, my good Lord.

Ælius.
We are full of shame and guilt.

Cleon.
Pardon us, good Alcibiades.

Thras.
We heartily repent.

Isid.
Wee'l kiss thy feet, good Lord.

Isan.
Do with us what thou wilt.

Alcib.
You six of the foremost here must meet me
In the Ανυξ, where I'll order the ποιμανες
To Assemble all the people—
And on your Knees present your selves
With Halters 'bout your necks!

Phæ.
Oh my good Lord!

Alcib.
Dispute it not, for by the Gods if you
Fail in this point, I'll hang ye all,
Rifle your Houses, and extirpate all
Your race—March on.
Give order that not a man shall break his ranks,
Or shall offend the regular course of Justice,
On penalty of Death—March on—

[Ex. Omnes.
Enter Timon and Evandra coming out of the Cave.
Evan.
Oh my dear Lord! why do you stoop and bend
Like Flowers ore-charg'd with dew, who's yielding stalks
Cannot support 'em? I have a Cordial which
Will much revive thy Spirits.

Tim.
No, sweet Evandra,
I have taken the best Cordial, Death, which now
Kindly begins to work about my Vitals;
I feel him, he comforts me at heart.

Evan.
Oh my dear Timon! must we then part?
That I should live to see this fatal day!
Had death but seiz'd me first, I had been happy.

Tim.
My poor Evandra! lead me to my Grave!
Lest Death o'retake me—he pursues me hard:
He's close upon me. 'Tis the last office thou
Can'st do for Timon.

Evan.
Hard, stubborn Heart,
Wilt thou not break yet? Death, why art thou coy
To me that court thee?

Tim.
Lay me gently down
In my last tenement. Death's the truest Friend,
That will not flatter, but deals plainly with us.
So, now my weary Pilgrimage on Earth
Is almost finisht! Now my best Evandra
I charge thee, by our loves, our mutual loves,
Live! and live happy after me: and if
A thought of Timon comes into thy mind,
And brings a tear from thee, let some diversion
Banish it—quickly, strive to forget me.

Evan.
Oh! Timon! Thinkst thou! I am such a Coward,
I will not keep my word? Death shall not part us.

Tim.
If thou'lt not promise me to live, I cannot
Resign my life in peace, I will be with thee
After my Death; my soul shall follow thee,
And hover still about thee, and guard thee from
All harm.

Evan.
Life is the greatest harm when thou art dead.

Tim.
Can'st thou forgive thy Timon who involv'd
Thee in his sad Calamities?

Evan.
It is a blessing to share any thing
With thee! oh thou look'st pale! thy countenance changes!
Oh whither art thou going?

Tim.
To my last home. I charge thee live, Evandra!
Thou lov'st me not, if thou wilt not obey me;
Thou only! dearest! kind! constant thing on earth,
Farewel.

[Dies.
Evan.
He's gone! he's gone! would all the world were so,
I must make haste, or I shall not o're-take
Him in his flight. Timon, I come, stay for me,
Farewel base World.

[Stabs her self. Dies.
Enter Alcibiades, Phrinias, and Thais, his Officers and Souldiers, and his Train, the Senators. The People by degrees assembling.
Enter Melissa.
Mel.
My Alcibiades, welcome! doubly welcome!
The Joys of Love and Conquest ever bless thee.
Wonder and terrour of Mankind, and Joy
Of Woman-kind: now thy Melissa's happy:
She has liv'd to see the utmost day she wisht for,
Her Alcibiades return with Conquest
O're this ungrateful City; and but that
I every day heard thou wert marching hither,
I had been with thee long e're this.

Alcib.
What gay, vain, prating thing is this?

Mel.
How my Lord! do you question who Melissa is?
And give her such foul Titles?

Alcib.
I know Melissa, and therefore give her such
Titles: for when the Senate banisht me;
She would not see me, tho' upon her knees
Before she had sworn eternal love to me;
I see thy snares too plain to be caught now.

Mel.
I ne'r refus'd to see you, Heav'n can witness!
Who ever told you so, betray'd me basely:
Not see you! sure there's not a sight on earth
I'd chuse before you: You make me astonish'd!

Alcib.
All this you swore to Timon; and next day
Despis'd him—I have been inform'd
Of all your falsehood, and I hate thee for't;
I have Whores, good honest faithful Whores!
Good Antidotes against thy poison—Love;
Thy base false love; and tell me, is not one
Kind, faithful, loving Whore, better than
A thousand base, ill-natur'd honest Women?

Mel.
I never thought I should have liv'd to hear
This from my Alcibiades.

Alcib.
Do not weep,
Since I once lik'd thee, I'll do something for thee:
I have a Corporal that has serv'd me well,
I will prefer you to him.

Mel.
How have I merited this scorn—Farewel,
I'll never see you more.

[Exit.
Alcib.
I hope you will not.
Enter Souldiers with drawn Swords, haling in Apemantus.
How now! what means this violence?

1 Sould.
My Lord! this snarling Villainous Philosopher,
With open mouth rail'd at the Army;
He said the General was a Villain: shall we
Cut his throat?

Alcib.
No! touch him not! unhand him!
Why Apemantus didst thou call me Villain?

Apem
I always speak my thoughts: not all
The Swords o'th' Army bent against my throat
Can fright me from the truth—

Alcib.
Why, dost thou think I am one?

Apem.
'Tis true, this base Town deserves thy scourge,
And all the Terror and the punishment,
Thou can'st inflict upon it: the deed is good,
But yet thou dost it ill; private revenge,
Base passion, headstrong lust, incite thee to it;
Had they not banish'd thee, thou wou'dst have suffer'd
Wrong still to prosper, and th'insulting Tyrants
To thrive, swell and grow fat with their oppression,
And wouldst have join'd in them.

Alcib.
Thou rail'st too much for a Philosopher.

Apem.
Nay frown not, Lord, I fear thee not, nor love thee,
All thy good parts thou drown'st in vice and riot,
In passion, and vain-glory: how proud art thou
Of all thy Conquests—when a poor rabble
Of idle Rogues who else had been in Jails,
Perform'd 'em for thee; How false is Souldiers honour
With Drums and Trumpets, and in the face of day
With daring impudence Men go to murther
Mankind—but in the greatest actions of their Lives
The getting men, they sneak and hide themselves i'th' dark;
I scorn your folly and your madness.

Alcib.
Thou art a snarling Cur.

1 Sould.
Shall I run him through?

Alcib.
Hold.

Apem.
I fear thee not.

Alcib.
My ever honoured Socrates favour'd thee,
And for his sake I spare thee.

Apem.
How much did Socrates lose his pains in thee!
Hadst thou observ'd his principles, thou'd'st been honest.

Enter Nicias, Thrasillus, Phæax, Isidore, Isander, Ælius, and Cleon, with Halters about their necks.
Nicias.
We come my noble Lord at thy Command,
And thus we humbly kneel before thy mercy.

Phæ.
Spare our lives, and wee'l employ 'em in
Thy service, worthy Alcibiades.

Alcib.
Do you acknowledge you are ungrateful Knaves?

All.
We do.

Alcib.
And that you have used me basely.

All.
We have, but we are very sorry.

Alcib.
I should do well to hang you for the Death
Of my brave Officer; but thousand such base lives
As yours would not weigh with his! go, ye have
Your liberty. And now the people are assembled,
I will declare my intentions towards them.
[He ascends the Pulpit.
My Fellow Citizens! I will not now upbraid
You for the unjust sentence past upon me,
In the return of which I have subdu'd
Your Enemies and all revolted places,
Made you Victorious both at Land and Sea,
And have with continual toil and numberless dangers
Stretcht out the bounds of your Dominions far
Above your hopes or expectations.
I will not recount the many enterprises,
No Grecian can be ignorant of. 'Tis enough
You know how I have serv'd you. Now it remains
I farther shou'd declare my self; I come
First to free you good Citizens of Athens
From the most insupportable yoaks
Of your four hundred Tyrants; and then next
To claim my own Estate which has unjustly
By them been kept from me that rais'd them.
I do confess, I in revenge of your decree
Against me, set up them, but never thought
They would have been such Cursed Tyrants to you,
Till now, they have gone on and fill'd the time
With most licentious acts; making their wills,
Their base corrupted wills, the scope of Justice,
While you in vain groan'd under all your suff'rings.
Thus when a few shall Lord it o're the rest,
They govern for themselves and not the People.
They rob and pill from them, from thence t' increase
Their private stores; but when the Government
Is in the Body of the People, they
Will do themselves no harm; therefore henceforth
I do pronounce the Government shall devolve upon the
People, and may Heav'n prosper 'em.

People
shout and cry,

Alcibiades! Alcibiades! Long live
Alcibiades, Liberty, Liberty, &c.

[Alcib. Descends.
Enter Messenger.
Mes.
My noble Lord! I went as you commanded,
And found Lord Timon dead, and his Evandra
Stab'd, and just by him lying in his Tomb,
On which was this Inscription.

Alcib.
I'll read it.
Poor Timon! I once knew thee the most flourishing man
Of all th' Athenians, and thou still hadst been so,
Had not these smiling, flattering Knaves devour'd thee,
And murder'd thee with base ingratitude.
His death pull'd on the poor Evandra's too;
That Miracle of Constancy in Love.
Now all repair of their respective homes,
Their several Trades, their bus'ness and diversions;
And whilst I guard you from your active Foes,
And fight your Battels, be you secure at home.

All the People shout and cry, Alcibiades! Alcibiades! Liberty, Liberty, &c.