heart of a
fool."

But the senators were patriots. They believed that this bitter man could
save Athens, and they would not quarrel with him. "Be our captain,"
they said, "and lead Athens against Alcibiades, who threatens to destroy
her."

"Let him destroy the Athenians too, for all I care," said Timon; and
seeing an evil despair in his face, they left him.

The senators returned to Athens, and soon afterwards trumpets were blown
before its walls. Upon the walls they stood and listened to Alcibiades,
who told them that wrong-doers should quake in their easy chairs. They
looked at his confident army, and were convinced that Athens must yield
if he assaulted it, therefore they used the voice that strikes deeper
than arrows.

"These walls of ours were built by the hands of men who never wronged
you, Alcibiades," said the first senator.

"Enter," said the second senator, "and slay every tenth man, if your
revenge needs human flesh."

"Spare the cradle," said the first senator.

"I ask only justice," said Alcibiades. "If you admit my army, I will
inflict the penalty of your own laws upon any soldier who breaks them."

At that moment a soldier approached Alcibiades, and said, "My noble
general, Timon is dead." He handed Alcibiades a sheet of wax, saying,
"He is buried by the sea, on the beach, and over his grave is a stone
with letters on it which I cannot read, and therefore I have impressed
them on wax."

Alcibiades read from the sheet of wax this couplet--

"Here lie I, Timon, who, alive,
all living men did hate.
Pass by and say your worst; but pass,
and stay not here your gait."

"Dead, then, is noble Timon," said Alcibiades; and be entered Athens
with an olive branch instead of a sword.

So it was one of Timon's friends who was generous in a greater matter
than Timon's need; yet are the sorrow and rage of Timon remembered as a
warning lest another ingratitude should arise to turn love into hate.

OTHELLO

Four hundred years ago there lived in Venice an ensign named Iago, who
hated his general, Othello, for not making him a lieutenant. Instead of
Iago, who was strongly recommended, Othello had chosen Michael Cassio,
whose smooth tongue had helped him to win the heart of Desdemona. Iago
had a friend called Roderigo, who supplied him with money and felt he
could not be happy unless Desdemona was his wife.

Othello was a Moor, but of so dark a complexion that his enemies