Enter a Senator, with papers. SENATOR
And late five thousand. To Varro and to Isidore
He owes nine thousand, besides my former sum,
Which makes it five-and-twenty. Still in motion
Of raging waste! It cannot hold; it will not.
If I want gold, steal but a beggar’s dog 5
And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold.
If I would sell my horse and buy twenty more
Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon—
Ask nothing; give it him—it foals me straight,
And able horses. No porter at his gate 10
But rather one that smiles and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold. No reason
Can sound his state in safety.—Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say! Enter Caphis. CAPHIS
Here, sir. What is your pleasure? 15 SENATOR
Get on your cloak and haste you to Lord Timon.
Importune him for my moneys. Be not ceased
With slight denial, nor then silenced when
“Commend me to your master” and the cap
Plays in the right hand thus; but tell him 20
My uses cry to me. I must serve my turn
Out of mine own. His days and times are past,
And my reliances on his fracted dates
Have smit my credit. I love and honor him
But must not break my back to heal his finger. 25
Immediate are my needs, and my relief
Must not be tossed and turned to me in words
But find supply immediate. Get you gone.
Put on a most importunate aspect,
A visage of demand, for I do fear 30
When every feather sticks in his own wing
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,
Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone. CAPHIS I go, sir. SENATOR
“I go, sir”? Take the bonds along with you 35
And have the dates in. Come. He hands Caphis papers. CAPHIS
I will, sir. SENATOR
Go. They exit. | It turns out that Timon has borrowed large sums of money to support his extravagant lifestyle. We open Act 2 with a Senator thinking back on how much Timon owes him. The Senator quickly figures out that Timon can't go on borrowing money when he keeps giving such large gifts away. The Senator wants his money back and ASAP, so he sends his servant Caphis over to Timon's to get it. He instructs his servant shout "show me the money!" and not return until he gets it. |