Tim. O blessed breeding sun, draw from the earth[2368]
Rotten humidity; below thy sister's orb
Infect the air! Twinn'd brothers of one womb,
Whose procreation, residence and birth
Scarce is dividant, touch them with several fortunes,[2369] 5
The greater scorns the lesser: not nature,[2370][2371]
To whom all sores lay siege, can bear great fortune[2371]
But by contempt of nature.[2371][2372]
Raise me this beggar and deny 't that lord,[2373]
The senator shall bear contempt hereditary,[2374] 10
The beggar native honour.
It is the pasture lards the rother's sides,[2375]
The want that makes him lean. Who dares, who dares,[2376]
In purity of manhood stand upright,
And say 'This man's a flatterer'? if one be,[2377] 15
So are they all; for every grise of fortune[2378]
Is smooth'd by that below: the learned pate
Ducks to the golden fool: all is oblique;[2379]
There's nothing level in our cursed natures
But direct villany. Therefore be abhorr'd[2380] 20
All feasts, societies and throngs of men!
His semblable, yea, himself, Timon disdains:
Destruction fang mankind! Earth, yield me roots![2381] [Digging.
Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate
With thy most operant poison! What is here? 25
Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, gods,[2382]
I am no idle votarist: roots, you clear heavens![2382][2383]
Thus much of this will make black white, foul fair,[2382]
Wrong right, base noble, old young, coward valiant.[2382][2384]
Ha, you gods! why this? what this, you gods? Why, this[2385] 30
Will lug your priests and servants from your sides,
Pluck stout men's pillows from below their heads:[2386]
This yellow slave
Will knit and break religions; bless the accursed;
Make the hoar leprosy adored; place thieves,[2387] 35
And give them title, knee and approbation
With senators on the bench: this is it[2388]
That makes the wappen'd widow wed again;[2389]
She, whom the spital-house and ulcerous sores[2390][2391]
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices[2391][2392] 40
To the April day again. Come, damned earth,[2393]
Thou common whore of mankind, that put'st odds[2394]
Among the rout of nations, I will make thee
Do thy right nature. [March afar off.] Ha! a drum?
Thou'rt quick,[2395]
But yet I'll bury thee: thou'lt go, strong thief,[2396] 45
When gouty keepers of thee cannot stand:
Nay, stay thou out for earnest. [Keeping some gold.[2397]
Enter Alcibiades, with drum and fife, in warlike manner; Phrynia and Timandra.[A]
Alcib. What art thou there? speak.[2398]
Tim. A beast, as thou art. The canker gnaw thy heart,[2399]
For showing me again the eyes of man!
Alcib. What is thy name? Is man so hateful to thee, 50
That art thyself a man?
Tim. I am misanthropos, and hate mankind.[2400]
For thy part, I do wish thou wert a dog,
That I might love thee something.
Alcib. I know thee well;
But in thy fortunes am unlearn'd and strange. 55
Tim. I know thee too; and more than that I know thee[2401]
I not desire to know. Follow thy drum;
With man's blood paint the ground, gules, gules:[2402]
Religious canons, civil laws are cruel;
Then what should war be? This fell whore of thine 60
Hath in her more destruction than thy sword,
For all her cherubin look.
Phry. Thy lips rot off!
Tim. I will not kiss thee; then the rot returns[2403]
To thine own lips again.