Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
Act 3 - Scene 5
The same. The senate-house. The Senate sitting.
First Senator : My lord, you have my voice to it; the fault's
[p]Bloody; 'tis
necessary he should die:
[p]Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy.
Second Senator : Most true; the law shall bruise him.
Alcibiades : Honour, health, and compassion to the senate!
First Senator : Now, captain?
Alcibiades : I am an humble suitor to your virtues;
[p]For pity is the virtue of
the law,
[p]And none but tyrants use it cruelly.
[p]It pleases time
and fortune to lie heavy
[p]Upon a friend of mine, who, in hot
blood,
[p]Hath stepp'd into the law, which is past depth
[p]To those
that, without heed, do plunge into 't.
[p]He is a man, setting his
fate aside,
[p]Of comely virtues:
[p]Nor did he soil the fact with
cowardice--
[p]An honour in him which buys out his fault--
[p]But with
a noble fury and fair spirit,
[p]Seeing his reputation touch'd to
death,
[p]He did oppose his foe:
[p]And with such sober and unnoted
passion
[p]He did behave his anger, ere 'twas spent,
[p]As if he had
but proved an argument.
First Senator : You undergo too strict a paradox,
[p]Striving to make an ugly deed
look fair:
[p]Your words have took such pains as if they
labour'd
[p]To bring manslaughter into form and set
quarrelling
[p]Upon the head of valour; which indeed
[p]Is valour
misbegot and came into the world
[p]When sects and factions were newly
born:
[p]He's truly valiant that can wisely suffer
[p]The worst that
man can breathe, and make his wrongs
[p]His outsides, to wear them
like his raiment,
[p]carelessly,
[p]And ne'er prefer his injuries to
his heart,
[p]To bring it into danger.
[p]If wrongs be evils and
enforce us kill,
[p]What folly 'tis to hazard life for ill!
Alcibiades : My lord,--
First Senator : You cannot make gross sins look clear:
[p]To revenge is no valour, but
to bear.
Alcibiades : My lords, then, under favour, pardon me,
[p]If I speak like a
captain.
[p]Why do fond men expose themselves to battle,
[p]And not
endure all threats? sleep upon't,
[p]And let the foes quietly cut
their throats,
[p]Without repugnancy? If there be
[p]Such valour in
the bearing, what make we
[p]Abroad? why then, women are more
valiant
[p]That stay at home, if bearing carry it,
[p]And the ass more
captain than the lion, the felon
[p]Loaden with irons wiser than the
judge,
[p]If wisdom be in suffering. O my lords,
[p]As you are great,
be pitifully good:
[p]Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood?
[p]To
kill, I grant, is sin's extremest gust;
[p]But, in defence, by mercy,
'tis most just.
[p]To be in anger is impiety;
[p]But who is man that
is not angry?
[p]Weigh but the crime with this.
Second Senator : You breathe in vain.
Alcibiades : In vain! his service done
[p]At Lacedaemon and Byzantium
[p]Were a
sufficient briber for his life.
First Senator : What's that?
Alcibiades : I say, my lords, he has done fair service,
[p]And slain in fight many
of your enemies:
[p]How full of valour did he bear himself
[p]In the
last conflict, and made plenteous wounds!
Second Senator : He has made too much plenty with 'em;
[p]He's a sworn rioter: he has a
sin that often
[p]Drowns him, and takes his valour prisoner:
[p]If
there were no foes, that were enough
[p]To overcome him: in that
beastly fury
[p]He has been known to commit outrages,
[p]And cherish
factions: 'tis inferr'd to us,
[p]His days are foul and his drink
dangerous.
First Senator : He dies.
Alcibiades : Hard fate! he might have died in war.
[p]My lords, if not for any
parts in him--
[p]Though his right arm might purchase his own
time
[p]And be in debt to none--yet, more to move you,
[p]Take my
deserts to his, and join 'em both:
[p]And, for I know your reverend
ages love
[p]Security, I'll pawn my victories, all
[p]My honours to
you, upon his good returns.
[p]If by this crime he owes the law his
life,
[p]Why, let the war receive 't in valiant gore
[p]For law is
strict, and war is nothing more.
First Senator : We are for law: he dies; urge it no more,
[p]On height of our
displeasure: friend or brother,
[p]He forfeits his own blood that
spills another.
Alcibiades : Must it be so? it must not be. My lords,
[p]I do beseech you, know
me.
Second Senator : How!
Alcibiades : Call me to your remembrances.
Third Senator : What!
Alcibiades : I cannot think but your age has forgot me;
[p]It could not else be, I
should prove so base,
[p]To sue, and be denied such common
grace:
[p]My wounds ache at you.
First Senator : Do you dare our anger?
[p]'Tis in few words, but spacious in
effect;
[p]We banish thee for ever.
Alcibiades : Banish me!
[p]Banish your dotage; banish usury,
[p]That makes the
senate ugly.
First Senator : If, after two days' shine, Athens contain thee,
[p]Attend our
weightier judgment. And, not to swell
[p]our spirit,
[p]He shall be
executed presently.
Alcibiades : Now the gods keep you old enough; that you may live
[p]Only in bone,
that none may look on you!
[p]I'm worse than mad: I have kept back
their foes,
[p]While they have told their money and let out
[p]Their
coin upon large interest, I myself
[p]Rich only in large hurts. All
those for this?
[p]Is this the balsam that the usuring senate
[p]Pours
into captains' wounds? Banishment!
[p]It comes not ill; I hate not to
be banish'd;
[p]It is a cause worthy my spleen and fury,
[p]That I may
strike at Athens. I'll cheer up
[p]My discontented troops, and lay for
hearts.
[p]'Tis honour with most lands to be at odds;
[p]Soldiers
should brook as little wrongs as gods.
Previous: Act 3 - Scene 4
Next: Act 3 - Scene 6
