The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1030 page)

We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves;

And spend our flatteries, to drink those men

Upon whose age we void it up again,

With poisonous spite and envy.

Who lives that's not depraved or depraves?

Who dies, that bears not one spurn to their graves

Of their friends' gift?

I should fear those that dance before me now

Would one day stamp upon me: 't has been done;

Men shut their doors against a setting sun.

Hello!

What a parade of frivolity is coming.

All dancing! They are mad women.

Vanity is a madness of this life, so is having

all this food when all you need is a little oil and vegetables.

We make fools of ourselves to keep ourselves occupied,

we flatter to win over men

 whom in old age we reject again,

full of poisonous spite and envy.

Who is there alive who's not either slandered or a slanderer?

Who dies who doesn't carry a single insult to their grave

given to them by a friend?

I would be afraid that those dancing in front of me now

would one day stamp on me. It happens.

Men aren't interested in you when you fall.

The Lords rise from table, with much adoring of TIMON; and to show their loves, each singles out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women, a lofty strain or two to the hautboys, and cease

TIMON

You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies,

Set a fair fashion on our entertainment,

Which was not half so beautiful and kind;

You have added worth unto 't and lustre,

And entertain'd me with mine own device;

I am to thank you for 't.

You've lent much grace to our enjoyment, fair ladies,

given our entertainment such an attractive appearance,

it wasn't half so beautiful and gracious before;

you have added goodness and glamour,

and use my own entertainment to entertain me;

I want to thank you for it.

First Lady

My lord, you take us even at the best.

My lord, you give us our best praise.

APEMANTUS

'Faith, for the worst is filthy; and would not hold

taking, I doubt me.

I swear, you wouldn't want to be given the worst,

it's filthy.

TIMON

Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you:

Please you to dispose yourselves.

Ladies, there's a little banquet waiting for you:

please help yourselves.

All Ladies

Most thankfully, my lord.

Very gratefully, my lord.

Exeunt Cupid and Ladies

TIMON

Flavius.

Flavius.

FLAVIUS

My lord?

My lord?

TIMON

The little casket bring me hither.

Bring the little casket here to me.

FLAVIUS

Yes, my lord. [Aside] More jewels yet!

There is no crossing him in 's humour;

Else I should tell him well, i' faith I should,

When all's spent, he 'ld be cross'd then, an he could.

'Tis pity bounty had not eyes behind,

That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind.

Exit

Yes, my lord. [aside] Still more jewels!

There's no stopping his madness;

otherwise I would tell him firmly, I really would,

that when it's all gone he'll be in debt.

Generosity should have eyes in the back of his head,

so a man could never be ruined by being kind.

First Lord

Where be our men?

Where are our men?

Servant

Here, my lord, in readiness.

Here, my lord, all ready.

Second Lord

Our horses!

Our horses!

Re-enter FLAVIUS, with the casket

TIMON

O my friends,

I have one word to say to you: look you, my good lord,

I must entreat you, honour me so much

As to advance this jewel; accept it and wear it,

Kind my lord.

O my friends,

I just want a word with you: see here, my good lord,

I must beg you, do me the honour

of polishing this jewel by accepting it and wearing it,

my kind lord.

First Lord

I am so far already in your gifts,--

I'm already so indebted to you–

All

So are we all.

So are all of us.

Enter a Servant

Servant

My lord, there are certain nobles of the senate

Newly alighted, and come to visit you.

My lord, there are certain noblemen from the Senate

who have just landed and have come to visit you.

TIMON

They are fairly welcome.

They are most welcome.

FLAVIUS

I beseech your honour,

Vouchsafe me a word; it does concern you near.

I beg your honour,

let me have a word; it concerns you intimately.

TIMON

Near! why then, another time I'll hear thee:

I prithee, let's be provided to show them

entertainment.

Concerns me! Well then, it can wait to another time:

please, let's get on and give them a good

welcome.

FLAVIUS

[Aside] I scarce know how.

I don't know what to do.

Enter a Second Servant

Second Servant

May it please your honour, Lord Lucius,

Out of his free love, hath presented to you

Four milk-white horses, trapp'd in silver.

If you please, your honour, Lord Lucius,

from his love for you, has presented you with

four milk white horses, with silver harnesses.

TIMON

I shall accept them fairly; let the presents

Be worthily entertain'd.

Enter a third Servant

How now! what news?

I shall accept them politely; let the presents

be given the attention they deserve.

Third Servant

Please you, my lord, that honourable

gentleman, Lord Lucullus, entreats your company

to-morrow to hunt with him, and has sent your honour

two brace of greyhounds.

If you please, my lord, that honourable

gentlemen, Lord Lucullus, asks you to go hunting

with him tomorrow, and he has sent your honour

two pairs of greyhounds.

TIMON

I'll hunt with him; and let them be received,

Not without fair reward.

I'll hunt with him; and welcome the dogs,

which will be paid for.

FLAVIUS

[Aside] What will this come to?

He commands us to provide, and give great gifts,

And all out of an empty coffer:

Nor will he know his purse, or yield me this,

To show him what a beggar his heart is,

Being of no power to make his wishes good:

His promises fly so beyond his state

That what he speaks is all in debt; he owes

For every word: he is so kind that he now

Pays interest for 't; his land's put to their books.

Well, would I were gently put out of office

Before I were forced out!

Happier is he that has no friend to feed

Than such that do e'en enemies exceed.

I bleed inwardly for my lord.

Exit

What will this come to?

He tells us to lay on entertainment, and gives great gifts,

and all the time there is no money in the bank:

he doesn't want to know his balance, and won't allow me

to show him that his heart has become a beggar,

which has no power to make up the shortfall:

what he promises is so far beyond what he has

that everything he says puts him in debt; he owes

for every word: he is so kind that he is  now

paying interest for it; his land is all mortgaged.

Well, I would rather quietly leave the job before being forced out!

You're better off having no friends to feed

than having ones that make more demands on you then enemies do.

I suffer in silence for my lord.

TIMON

You do yourselves

Much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits:

Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.

You do yourselves

an injustice, you put your own merits down too much:

here, my lord, a little sign of our friendship.

Second Lord

With more than common thanks I will receive it.

I will take it with great thanks.

Third Lord

O, he's the very soul of bounty!

Oh, he's the very soul of generosity!

TIMON

And now I remember, my lord, you gave

Good words the other day of a bay courser

I rode on: it is yours, because you liked it.

And now I remember, my lord, you said

kind words the other day about a bay hunter

I was riding: it's yours, because you liked it.

Second Lord

O, I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, in that.

Oh, I beg you, you mustn't give me that, my lord.

TIMON

You may take my word, my lord; I know, no man

Can justly praise but what he does affect:

I weigh my friend's affection with mine own;

I'll tell you true. I'll call to you.

You can take me at my word, my lord, I know

men only truly praise what they desire:

my friends’ desires are just as important as my own,

I assure you. I'll call on you.

All Lords

O, none so welcome.

Oh, nobody would be more welcome.

TIMON

I take all and your several visitations

So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give;

Methinks, I could deal kingdoms to my friends,

And ne'er be weary. Alcibiades,

Thou art a soldier, therefore seldom rich;

It comes in charity to thee: for all thy living

Is 'mongst the dead, and all the lands thou hast

Lie in a pitch'd field.

I take so much pleasure from all your

visits, I don't have enough to give;

I think I could give out kingdoms to my friends,

and never get tired of it.  Alcibiades,

you are a soldier, and so rarely rich;

whatever you receive is true charity: because all your