ACT III SCENE V

Timon of Athens

ACT III SCENE V	The same. The senate-house. The Senate sitting.
First Senator	My lord, you have my voice to it; the fault’s
	Bloody; ’tis necessary he should die:
	Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy.
Second Senator	Most true; the law shall bruise him.
[Enter ALCIBIADES, with Attendants]
ALCIBIADES	Honour, health, and compassion to the senate!	5
First Senator	Now, captain?
ALCIBIADES	I am an humble suitor to your virtues;
	For pity is the virtue of the law,
	And none but tyrants use it cruelly.
	It pleases time and fortune to lie heavy	10
	Upon a friend of mine, who, in hot blood,
	Hath stepp’d into the law, which is past depth
	To those that, without heed, do plunge into ‘t.
	He is a man, setting his fate aside,
	Of comely virtues:	15
	Nor did he soil the fact with cowardice–
	An honour in him which buys out his fault–
	But with a noble fury and fair spirit,
	Seeing his reputation touch’d to death,
	He did oppose his foe:	20
	And with such sober and unnoted passion
	He did behave his anger, ere ’twas spent,
	As if he had but proved an argument.
First Senator	You undergo too strict a paradox,
	Striving to make an ugly deed look fair:	25
	Your words have took such pains as if they labour’d
	To bring manslaughter into form and set quarrelling
	Upon the head of valour; which indeed
	Is valour misbegot and came into the world
	When sects and factions were newly born:	30
	He’s truly valiant that can wisely suffer
	The worst that man can breathe, and make his wrongs
	His outsides, to wear them like his raiment,
	carelessly,
	And ne’er prefer his injuries to his heart,	35
	To bring it into danger.
	If wrongs be evils and enforce us kill,
	What folly ’tis to hazard life for ill!
ALCIBIADES	My lord,–
First Senator	You cannot make gross sins look clear:	40
	To revenge is no valour, but to bear.
ALCIBIADES	My lords, then, under favour, pardon me,
	If I speak like a captain.
	Why do fond men expose themselves to battle,
	And not endure all threats? sleep upon’t,	45
	And let the foes quietly cut their throats,
	Without repugnancy? If there be
	Such valour in the bearing, what make we
	Abroad? why then, women are more valiant
	That stay at home, if bearing carry it,	50
	And the ass more captain than the lion, the felon
	Loaden with irons wiser than the judge,
	If wisdom be in suffering. O my lords,
	As you are great, be pitifully good:
	Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood?	55
	To kill, I grant, is sin’s extremest gust;
	But, in defence, by mercy, ’tis most just.
	To be in anger is impiety;
	But who is man that is not angry?
	Weigh but the crime with this.	60
Second Senator	You breathe in vain.
ALCIBIADES	In vain! his service done
	At Lacedaemon and Byzantium
	Were a sufficient briber for his life.
First Senator	What’s that?	65
ALCIBIADES	I say, my lords, he has done fair service,
	And slain in fight many of your enemies:
	How full of valour did he bear himself
	In the last conflict, and made plenteous wounds!
Second Senator	He has made too much plenty with ’em;	70
	He’s a sworn rioter: he has a sin that often
	Drowns him, and takes his valour prisoner:
	If there were no foes, that were enough
	To overcome him: in that beastly fury
	He has been known to commit outrages,	75
	And cherish factions: ’tis inferr’d to us,
	His days are foul and his drink dangerous.
First Senator	He dies.
ALCIBIADES	Hard fate! he might have died in war.
	My lords, if not for any parts in him–	80
	Though his right arm might purchase his own time
	And be in debt to none–yet, more to move you,
	Take my deserts to his, and join ’em both:
	And, for I know your reverend ages love
	Security, I’ll pawn my victories, all	85
	My honours to you, upon his good returns.
	If by this crime he owes the law his life,
	Why, let the war receive ‘t in valiant gore
	For law is strict, and war is nothing more.
First Senator	We are for law: he dies; urge it no more,	90
	On height of our displeasure: friend or brother,
	He forfeits his own blood that spills another.
ALCIBIADES	Must it be so? it must not be. My lords,
	I do beseech you, know me.
Second Senator	How!	95
ALCIBIADES	Call me to your remembrances.
Third Senator	What!
ALCIBIADES	I cannot think but your age has forgot me;
	It could not else be, I should prove so base,
	To sue, and be denied such common grace:	100
	My wounds ache at you.
First Senator	Do you dare our anger?
	‘Tis in few words, but spacious in effect;
	We banish thee for ever.
ALCIBIADES	Banish me!	105
	Banish your dotage; banish usury,
	That makes the senate ugly.
First Senator	If, after two days’ shine, Athens contain thee,
	Attend our weightier judgment. And, not to swell
	our spirit,	110
	He shall be executed presently.
[Exeunt Senators]
ALCIBIADES	Now the gods keep you old enough; that you may live
	Only in bone, that none may look on you!
	I’m worse than mad: I have kept back their foes,
	While they have told their money and let out	115
	Their coin upon large interest, I myself
	Rich only in large hurts. All those for this?
	Is this the balsam that the usuring senate
	Pours into captains’ wounds? Banishment!
	It comes not ill; I hate not to be banish’d;	120
	It is a cause worthy my spleen and fury,
	That I may strike at Athens. I’ll cheer up
	My discontented troops, and lay for hearts.
	‘Tis honour with most lands to be at odds;
	Soldiers should brook as little wrongs as gods.	125
[Exit]

Timon of Athens, Act 3, Scene 6