[_To Flavius_.] Come hither. Pray you, How goes the world, that I am thus encountered With clamorous demands of debt, broken bonds, And the detention of long-since-due debts Against my honour? FLAVIUS. Please you, gentlemen, The time is unagreeable to this business. Your importunacy cease till after dinner, That I may make his lordship understand Wherefore you are not paid. TIMON. Do so, my friends. See them well entertained. [_Exit._] FLAVIUS. Pray, draw near. [_Exit._] Enter Apemantus and Fool. CAPHIS. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus. Let’s ha’ some sport with ’em. VARRO’S SERVANT. Hang him, he’ll abuse us. ISIDORE’S SERVANT. A plague upon him, dog! VARRO’S SERVANT. How dost, fool? APEMANTUS. Dost dialogue with thy shadow? VARRO’S SERVANT. I speak not to thee. APEMANTUS. No, ’tis to thyself. [_To the Fool_.] Come away. ISIDORE’S SERVANT. [_To Varro’s servant_.] There’s the fool hangs on your back already. APEMANTUS. No, thou stand’st single; thou’rt not on him yet. CAPHIS. Where’s the fool now? APEMANTUS. He last asked the question. Poor rogues and usurers’ men, bawds between gold and want. ALL SERVANTS. What are we, Apemantus? APEMANTUS. Asses. ALL SERVANTS. Why? APEMANTUS. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves. Speak to ’em, fool. FOOL. How do you, gentlemen? ALL SERVANTS. Gramercies, good fool. How does your mistress? FOOL. She’s e’en setting on water to scald such chickens as you are. Would we could see you at Corinth! APEMANTUS. Good, gramercy. Enter Page. FOOL. Look you, here comes my mistress’ page. PAGE. [_To the Fool_.] Why, how now, captain? What do you in this wise company? How dost thou, Apemantus? APEMANTUS. Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I might answer thee profitably. PAGE. Prithee, Apemantus, read me the superscription of these letters. I know not which is which. APEMANTUS. Canst not read? PAGE. No. APEMANTUS. There will little learning die, then, that day thou art hanged. This is to Lord Timon, this to Alcibiades. Go, thou wast born a bastard, and thou’lt die a bawd. PAGE. Thou wast whelped a dog, and thou shalt famish a dog’s death. Answer not; I am gone. [_Exit Page._] APEMANTUS. E’en so thou outrunn’st grace. Fool, I will go with you to Lord Timon’s. FOOL. Will you leave me there? APEMANTUS. If Timon stay at home.—You three serve three usurers? ALL SERVANTS. Ay, would they served us! APEMANTUS. So would I—as good a trick as ever hangman served thief. FOOL. Are you three usurers’ men? ALL SERVANTS. Ay, fool. FOOL. I think no usurer but has a fool to his servant. My mistress is one, and I am her fool. When men come to borrow of your masters, they approach sadly and go away merry, but they enter my mistress’s house merrily and go away sadly. The reason of this? VARRO’S SERVANT. I could render one. APEMANTUS. Do it then, that we may account thee a whoremaster and a knave, which notwithstanding, thou shalt be no less esteemed.