he representations of this faithful steward. Money must be had; and
when he ordered Flavius to sell some of his land for that purpose,
Flavius informed him, what he had in vain endeavoured at several times
before to make him listen to, that most of his land was already sold
or forfeited, and that all he possessed at present was not enough
to pay the one half of what he owed. Struck with wonder at this
presentation, Timon hastily replied, "My lands extended from Athens to
Lacedemon." "O my good lord," said Flavius, "the world is but a world,
and has bounds; were it all yours to give in a breath, how quickly
were it gone!" Timon consoled himself that no villainous bounty had
yet come from him, that if he had given his wealth away unwisely it
had not been bestowed to feed his vices, but to cherish his friends;
and he bade the kind-hearted steward (who was weeping) to take comfort
in the assurance that his master could never lack means, while he had
so many noble friends; and this infatuated lord persuaded himself
that he had nothing to do but to send and borrow, to use every man's
fortune (that had ever tasted his bounty) in this extremity, as freely
as his own. Then with a cheerful look, as if confident of the trial,
he severally dispatched messengers to lord Lucius, to lords Lucullus
and Sempronius, men upon whom he had lavished his gifts in past times
without measure or moderation; and to Ventidius, whom he had lately
released out of prison by paying his debts, and who by the death of
his father was now come into the possession of an ample fortune, and
well enabled to requite Timon's courtesy; to request of Ventidius the
return of those five talents which he had paid for him, and of each
of those noble lords the loan of fifty talents: nothing doubting that
their gratitude would supply his wants (if he needed it) to the amount
of five hundred times fifty talents.

Lucullus was the first applied to. This mean lord had been dreaming
over-night of a silver bason and cup, and when Timon's servant was
announced, his sordid mind suggested to him that this was surely a
making out of his dream, and that Timon had sent him such a present:
but when he understood the truth of the matter, and that Timon wanted
money, the quality of his faint and watery friendship shewed itself,
for with many protestations he vowed to the servant that he had long
foreseen the ruin of his master's affairs, and many a time had he come
to dinner, to tel