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| <title>SCENE IV. Before the walls of Athens. | |
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| <tr><td class="play" align="center">Timon of Athens | |
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| <a href="/Shakespeare">Shakespeare homepage</A> | |
| | <A href="/Shakespeare/timon/">Timon of Athens</A> | |
| | Act 5, Scene 4 | |
| <br> | |
| <a href="timon.5.3.html">Previous scene</A> | |
| </table> | |
| <H3>SCENE IV. Before the walls of Athens.</H3> | |
| <p><blockquote> | |
| <i>Trumpets sound. Enter ALCIBIADES with his powers</i> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech1><b>ALCIBIADES</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=1>Sound to this coward and lascivious town</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=2>Our terrible approach.</A><br> | |
| <p><i>A parley sounded</i></p> | |
| <p><i>Enter Senators on the walls</i></p> | |
| <A NAME=3>Till now you have gone on and fill'd the time</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=4>With all licentious measure, making your wills</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=5>The scope of justice; till now myself and such</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=6>As slept within the shadow of your power</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=7>Hav e wander'd with our traversed arms and breathed</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=8>Our sufferance vainly: now the time is flush,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=9>When crouching marrow in the bearer strong</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=10>Cries of itself 'No more:' now breathless wrong</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=11>Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=12>And pursy insolence shall break his wind</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=13>With fear and horrid flight.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech2><b>First Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=14>Noble and young,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=15>When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=16>Ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=17>We sent to thee, to give thy rages balm,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=18>To wipe out our ingratitude with loves</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=19>Above their quantity.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech3><b>Second Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=20>So did we woo</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=21>Transformed Timon to our city's love</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=22>By humble message and by promised means:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=23>We were not all unkind, nor all deserve</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=24>The common stroke of war.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech4><b>First Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=25>These walls of ours</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=26>Were not erected by their hands from whom</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=27>You have received your griefs; nor are they such</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=28>That these great towers, trophies and schools</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=29>should fall</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=30>For private faults in them.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech5><b>Second Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=31>Nor are they living</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=32>Who were the motives that you first went out;</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=33>Shame that they wanted cunning, in excess</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=34>Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=35>Into our city with thy banners spread:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=36>By decimation, and a tithed death--</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=37>If thy revenges hunger for that food</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=38>Which nature loathes--take thou the destined tenth,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=39>And by the hazard of the spotted die</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=40>Let die the spotted.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech6><b>First Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=41>All have not offended;</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=42>For those that were, it is not square to take</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=43>On those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=44>Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=45>Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=46>Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=47>Which in the bluster of thy wrath must fall</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=48>With those that have offended: like a shepherd,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=49>Approach the fold and cull the infected forth,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=50>But kill not all together.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech7><b>Second Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=51>What thou wilt,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=52>Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=53>Than hew to't with thy sword.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech8><b>First Senator </b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=54>Set but thy foot</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=55>Against our rampired gates, and they shall ope;</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=56>So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=57>To say thou'lt enter friendly.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech9><b>Second Senator</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=58>Throw thy glove,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=59>Or any token of thine honour else,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=60>That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=61>And not as our confusion, all thy powers</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=62>Shall make their harbour in our town, till we</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=63>Have seal'd thy full desire.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech10><b>ALCIBIADES</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=64>Then there's my glove;</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=65>Descend, and open your uncharged ports:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=66>Those enemies of Timon's and mine own</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=67>Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=68>Fall and no more: and, to atone your fears</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=69>With my more noble meaning, not a man</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=70>Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=71>Of regular justice in your city's bounds,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=72>But shall be render'd to your public laws</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=73>At heaviest answer.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech11><b>Both</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=74>'Tis most nobly spoken.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech12><b>ALCIBIADES</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=75>Descend, and keep your words.</A><br> | |
| <p><i>The Senators descend, and open the gates</i></p> | |
| <p><i>Enter Soldier</i></p> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech13><b>Soldier</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=76>My noble general, Timon is dead;</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=77>Entomb'd upon the very hem o' the sea;</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=78>And on his grave-stone this insculpture, which</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=79>With wax I brought away, whose soft impression</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=80>Interprets for my poor ignorance.</A><br> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=speech14><b>ALCIBIADES</b></a> | |
| <blockquote> | |
| <A NAME=81>[Reads the epitaph] 'Here lies a</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=82>wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=83>Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=84>caitiffs left!</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=85>Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=86>Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=87>not here thy gait.'</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=88>These well express in thee thy latter spirits:</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=89>Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=90>Scorn'dst our brain's flow and those our</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=91>droplets which</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=92>From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=93>Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=94>On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=95>Is noble Timon: of whose memory</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=96>Hereafter more. Bring me into your city,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=97>And I will use the olive with my sword,</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=98>Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=99>Prescribe to other as each other's leech.</A><br> | |
| <A NAME=100>Let our drums strike.</A><br> | |
| <p><i>Exeunt</i></p> | |