TIMON OF ATHENS 5.4

a word from our sponsors

The First Web Folio Edition of Shakespeare's Works

TIMON OF ATHENS 5.4

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

The scope of justice; till now myself and such 5

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

Cries of itself 'No more:' now breathless wrong 10

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,

When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit, 15

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 So did we woo 20

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 These walls of ours 25

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

For private faults in them. 30

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,

Into our city with thy banners spread: 35

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

Let die the spotted. 40

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,

Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage: 45

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,

But kill not all together. 50

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

Against our rampired gates, and they shall ope; 55

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,

That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress 60

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;

Descend, and open your uncharged ports: 65

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

Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream 70

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 Descend, and keep your words. 75

[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

Interprets for my poor ignorance. 80

ALCIBIADES [Reads the epitaph] 'Here lies a

wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft:

Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked

caitiffs left!

Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate: 85

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,

Scorn'dst our brain's flow and those our 90

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

Is noble Timon: of whose memory 95

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.

Let our drums strike. 100

[Exeunt]

This edition copyright © 2000 Dana Spradley, Publisher, shakespeare.com. Originally derived from the Complete Moby Shakespeare(tm), which is now in the public domain.
'The First Web Folio Edition' is a trademark of Dana Spradley, Publisher, shakespeare.com. All rights reserved.

If you're not reading this on shakespeare.com, you're in the wrong place.

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
	The scope of justice; till now myself and such	5
	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
	Cries of itself 'No more:' now breathless wrong	10
	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,
	When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,	15
	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	So did we woo	20
	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	These walls of ours	25
	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
	For private faults in them.	30

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,
	Into our city with thy banners spread:	35
	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
	Let die the spotted.	40

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,
	Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:	45
	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,
	But kill not all together.	50

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
	Against our rampired gates, and they shall ope;	55
	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,
	That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress	60
	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;
	Descend, and open your uncharged ports:	65
	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
	Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream	70
	Of regular justice in your city's bounds,
	But shall be render'd to your public laws
	At heaviest answer.

	Type or paste text or Web address (beginning with http://) here: http://www.shakespeare.com/FirstFolio/TIMON_OF_ATHENS/5.4.html
	Powered by Systran	Translate from:

ALCIBIADES	Descend, and keep your words.	75
	[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
	Interprets for my poor ignorance.	80

ALCIBIADES	[Reads the epitaph] 'Here lies a
	wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft:
	Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked
	caitiffs left!
	Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate:	85
	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,
	Scorn'dst our brain's flow and those our	90
	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
	Is noble Timon: of whose memory	95
	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.
	Let our drums strike.	100
	[Exeunt]