The Life of Timon of Athens: ACT V , SCENE IV. Before the walls of Athens.

The Life of Timon of Athens: ACT V


	Introduction

	ACT I

	ACT II

	ACT III

	ACT IV

	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.

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SCENE IV. Before the walls of Athens.

Trumpets sound. Enter ALCIBIADES with his powers

ALCIBIADES

Sound to this coward and lascivious town
Our terrible approach.

A parley sounded

Enter Senators on the walls

      Till now you have gone on and fill'd the time
      With all licentious measure, making your wills
5     The scope of justice; till now myself and such
      As slept within the shadow of your power
      Have wander'd with our traversed arms and breathed
      Our sufferance vainly: now the time is flush,
      When crouching marrow in the bearer strong
10    Cries of itself 'No more:' now breathless wrong
      Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease,
      And pursy insolence shall break his wind
      With fear and horrid flight.

First Senator

      Noble and young,
15    When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
      Ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear,
      We sent to thee, to give thy rages balm,
      To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
      Above their quantity.

Second Senator

20    So did we woo
      Transformed Timon to our city's love
      By humble message and by promised means:
      We were not all unkind, nor all deserve
      The common stroke of war.

First Senator

25    These walls of ours
      Were not erected by their hands from whom
      You have received your griefs; nor are they such
      That these great towers, trophies and schools
      should fall
30    For private faults in them.

Second Senator

      Nor are they living
      Who were the motives that you first went out;
      Shame that they wanted cunning, in excess
      Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
35    Into our city with thy banners spread:
      By decimation, and a tithed death--
      If thy revenges hunger for that food
      Which nature loathes--take thou the destined tenth,
      And by the hazard of the spotted die
40    Let die the spotted.

First Senator

      All have not offended;
      For those that were, it is not square to take
      On those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands,
      Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
45    Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:
      Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin
      Which in the bluster of thy wrath must fall
      With those that have offended: like a shepherd,
      Approach the fold and cull the infected forth,
50    But kill not all together.

Second Senator

      What thou wilt,
      Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile
      Than hew to't with thy sword.

First Senator

      Set but thy foot
55    Against our rampired gates, and they shall ope;
      So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before,
      To say thou'lt enter friendly.

Second Senator

      Throw thy glove,
      Or any token of thine honour else,
60    That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress
      And not as our confusion, all thy powers
      Shall make their harbour in our town, till we
      Have seal'd thy full desire.

ALCIBIADES

      Then there's my glove;
65    Descend, and open your uncharged ports:
      Those enemies of Timon's and mine own
      Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof
      Fall and no more: and, to atone your fears
      With my more noble meaning, not a man
70    Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream
      Of regular justice in your city's bounds,
      But shall be render'd to your public laws
      At heaviest answer.

Both

'Tis most nobly spoken.

ALCIBIADES

75 Descend, and keep your words.

The Senators descend, and open the gates

Enter Soldier

Soldier

      My noble general, Timon is dead;
      Entomb'd upon the very hem o' the sea;
      And on his grave-stone this insculpture, which
      With wax I brought away, whose soft impression
80    Interprets for my poor ignorance.

ALCIBIADES

      (Reads the epitaph) 'Here lies a
      wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft:
      Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked
      caitiffs left!
85    Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate:
      Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay
      not here thy gait.'
      These well express in thee thy latter spirits:
      Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs,
90    Scorn'dst our brain's flow and those our
      droplets which
      From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit
      Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye
      On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
95    Is noble Timon: of whose memory
      Hereafter more. Bring me into your city,
      And I will use the olive with my sword,
      Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each
      Prescribe to other as each other's leech.
100   Let our drums strike.

Exeunt

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