new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/bench/basic.py
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+from cgi import escape
+import os
+from StringIO import StringIO
+import sys
+import timeit
+
+__all__ = ['clearsilver', 'django', 'kid', 'markup', 'simpletal']
+
+def markup(dirname, verbose=False):
+    from markup.template import Context, TemplateLoader
+    loader = TemplateLoader([dirname], auto_reload=False)
+    template = loader.load('template.html')
+    def render():
+        ctxt = Context(title='Just a test', user='joe',
+                       items=['Number %d' % num for num in range(1, 15)])
+        return template.generate(ctxt).render('html')
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def cheetah(dirname, verbose=False):
+    # FIXME: infinite recursion somewhere... WTF?
+    from Cheetah.Template import Template
+    class MyTemplate(Template):
+        def serverSidePath(self, path): return os.path.join(dirname, path)
+    filename = os.path.join(dirname, 'template.tmpl')
+    template = MyTemplate(file=filename)
+
+    def render():
+        template = MyTemplate(file=filename,
+                              searchList=[{'title': 'Just a test', 'user': 'joe',
+                                           'items': [u'Number %d' % num for num in range(1, 15)]}])
+        return template.respond()
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def clearsilver(dirname, verbose=False):
+    import neo_cgi
+    neo_cgi.update()
+    import neo_util
+    import neo_cs
+    def render():
+        hdf = neo_util.HDF()
+        hdf.setValue('hdf.loadpaths.0', dirname)
+        hdf.setValue('title', escape('Just a test'))
+        hdf.setValue('user', escape('joe'))
+        for num in range(1, 15):
+            hdf.setValue('items.%d' % (num - 1), escape('Number %d' % num))
+        cs = neo_cs.CS(hdf)
+        cs.parseFile('template.cs')
+        return cs.render()
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def django(dirname, verbose=False):
+    from django.conf import settings
+    settings.configure(TEMPLATE_DIRS=[os.path.join(dirname, 'templates')])
+    from django import template, templatetags
+    from django.template import loader
+    templatetags.__path__.append(os.path.join(dirname, 'templatetags'))
+    tmpl = loader.get_template('template.html')
+
+    def render():
+        data = {'title': 'Just a test', 'user': 'joe',
+                'items': ['Number %d' % num for num in range(1, 15)]}
+        return tmpl.render(template.Context(data))
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def kid(dirname, verbose=False):
+    import kid
+    kid.path = kid.TemplatePath([dirname])
+    template = kid.Template(file='template.kid')
+    def render():
+        template = kid.Template(file='template.kid',
+                                title='Just a test', user='joe',
+                                items=['Number %d' % num for num in range(1, 15)])
+        return template.serialize(output='xhtml')
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def nevow(dirname, verbose=False):
+    # FIXME: can't figure out the API
+    from nevow.loaders import xmlfile
+    template = xmlfile('template.xml', templateDir=dirname).load()
+    def render():
+        print template
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def simpletal(dirname, verbose=False):
+    from simpletal import simpleTAL, simpleTALES
+    fileobj = open(os.path.join(dirname, 'base.html'))
+    base = simpleTAL.compileHTMLTemplate(fileobj)
+    fileobj.close()
+    fileobj = open(os.path.join(dirname, 'template.html'))
+    template = simpleTAL.compileHTMLTemplate(fileobj)
+    fileobj.close()
+    def render():
+        ctxt = simpleTALES.Context()
+        ctxt.addGlobal('base', base)
+        ctxt.addGlobal('title', 'Just a test')
+        ctxt.addGlobal('user', 'joe')
+        ctxt.addGlobal('items', ['Number %d' % num for num in range(1, 15)])
+        buf = StringIO()
+        template.expand(ctxt, buf)
+        return buf.getvalue()
+
+    if verbose:
+        print render()
+    return render
+
+def run(engines, verbose=False):
+    basepath = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
+    for engine in engines:
+        dirname = os.path.join(basepath, engine)
+        if verbose:
+            print '%s:' % engine.capitalize()
+            print '--------------------------------------------------------'
+        else:
+            print '%s:' % engine.capitalize(),
+        t = timeit.Timer(setup='from __main__ import %s; render = %s("%s", %s)'
+                               % (engine, engine, dirname, verbose),
+                         stmt='render()')
+        time = t.timeit(number=2000) / 2000
+        if verbose:
+            print '--------------------------------------------------------'
+        print '%.2f ms' % (1000 * time)
+        if verbose:
+            print '--------------------------------------------------------'
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    engines = [arg for arg in sys.argv[1:] if arg[0] != '-']
+    if not engines:
+        engines = __all__
+
+    verbose = '-v' in sys.argv
+
+    if '-p' in sys.argv:
+        import hotshot, hotshot.stats
+        prof = hotshot.Profile("template.prof")
+        benchtime = prof.runcall(run, engines, verbose=verbose)
+        stats = hotshot.stats.load("template.prof")
+        stats.strip_dirs()
+        stats.sort_stats('time', 'calls')
+        stats.print_stats()
+    else:
+        run(engines, verbose=verbose)