Char. In this wild world?-So, fare thee well.] Of eyes again fo royal! Your crown's awry; Enter the Guard, rushing in. 1 Guard. Where is the queen ? Char. Speak foftly, wake her not. [Charmian applies the afp, O, come; apace, difpatch:-I partly feel thee. 1 Guard. Approach, ho! All's not well: Cæfar's Guard. There's Dolabella fent from Cæfar ;-There is a vent of blood, and something blown2: 1 Guard. What work is here?-Charmian, is The like is on her arm. 1 Guard. This is an afpick's trail; and thes fig-leaves Have flime upon them, fuch as the afpick leaves Upon the caves of Nile, Caf. Most probable, That fo fhe dy'd; for her phyfician tells me, Of eafy ways to die.-Take up her bed; And then to Rome.--Come, Dolabella, fce Mr. Steevens conjectures, that our author may have written vild (i, e. vile according to ancieną Spelling) for worthless. 2 i. c. Swoln. TIMON FLAMINIUS, SERVILIUS, } Timon's Servants. HORTENSIUS, VENTIDIUS, one of Timan's Friends. CUPID and Mafkers. Strangers. PHRYNIA, TIMANDRA, } Miftreffes to Alcibiades, Thieves, Senators, Poet, Painter, Jeweller, and Merchant; with Servants and Attendants, ACT I. SCENE I Athens. A Hall in Timon's Houfe. Jew. If he will touch the eftinate 3: But, for that Poet. 41 ́ben we for recompence have prais'd the vile, It fains the glory in that happy verse Enter Poet, Painter, Jeweller, and Merchant, at Which aptly fngs the good. feveral doors. OOD day, fir. Pain. I am glad you are well. Poet. I have not feen you long: How goes the world? Pain. It wears, fir, as it grows. Poet. Ay, that's well known: But what particular rarity? what strange, Pain. I know them both; the other's a jeweller. Jew. Nay, that's most 'fix'd. [it were, Mer. A moft incomparable man; breath'd', as To an untirable and continuate goodness: He paffes 2. few. I have a jewel here. [fir? Mer. O, pray, let's fee't: For the lord Timon, 3 i. e, come up to the price. 1 Breathed is inured by conftant practice; fo trained as not to be wearied. To breathe a 2. e. he exceeds, goes beyond common bounds. horfe is to exercife him for the courfe. 4 We must here fuppofe the poet bufy in reading his own work; and that these three lines are the introduction of the poem addreffed to Timon, which he after5 i. e. according to Dr. Johnson, The figure rifes well wards gives the painter an account of. 6 That is, How the graceful attitude of this figure proclaims from the canvas. "C'est bien relevé. that it stands firm on its centre, or gives evidence in favour of its own fixture. This eye fhoots forth? how big imagination Moves in this lip? to the dumbness of the gefture One might interpret. Pain, It is a pretty mocking of the life. Here is a touch; Is 't good? Poct. I'll fay of it, It tutors nature: artificial ftrife Lives in these touches, livelier than life. Enter certain Senators. Pain. How this lord is follow'd! Poet. The fenators of Athens ;-Happy men! Pain. How fhall I 'understand you? You fee, how all conditions, how all minds, To Apemantus, that few things loves better Pain. I faw them fpeak together. Poet. Sir, I have upon a high and pleasant hill Feign'd Fortune to be thron'd: The base o' the mount Is rank'd with all deferts 7, all kind of natures, That labour on the bofom of this sphere To propagate their states: amongst them all, Whofe eyes are on this fovereign lady fix'd, One do I perfonate of Timon's frame, Whom Fortune with her ivory hand wafts to her; Whofe prefent grace to prefent flaves and fervants Tranflates his rivals. Pain. 'Tis conceiv'd to scope 9. This throne, this Fortune, and this hill, methinks, Poet. When Fortune, in her shift and change of Spurns down her late belov'd, all his dependants, Which labour'd after him to the mountain's top, Even on their knees and hands, let him flip down, A thousand moral paintings I can fhew, Trumpets found. Enter Timon, addressing binjef courteously to every fuitor. Tim. Imprifon'd is he, fay you? [To a Messenger, Mef. Ay, my good lord: five talents is his cebt; His means moft fhort, his creditors moft ftrait : Your honourable letter he defires To those have thut him up; which failing him, Periods his comfort. Tim. Noble Ventidius! Well ; I am not of that feather, to shake off Tim, Commend me to him: I will fend his ran- Mef. All happiness to your honour 14! [Exit. Old Ath. Lord Timon, hear me speak. Old Ath. Thou haft a fervant nam'd Lucillus thee. Old Ath. Moft noble Timon, call the man before Tim. Attends he here, or no?-Lucilius! Enter Lucilius. Luc. Here, at your lordship's fervice. thy creature, By night frequents my houfe. I am a man That from my fut have been inclin'd to thaift ; And my eftate deferves an heir more rais'è, Strife is either the contest or aft with nature. 2 i, e. My defign does not flop at any finele chara&er. 3 Anciently they wrote upon waxen tables with an iron ftile. 4 i. c. I'd once, I'll explain. 6 5 Slippery is fmooth, unrelifting, Meaning, the flatterer who fhows in his owa look, as by reflection, the looks of his patron. 7 i. e. cover'd with ranks of all kinds of mea. i. e. to advance or improve their various conditions of life. 9 i. e. 'Tis properly magra, Condition for art. I That is, calumniate thofe whom Timon hated or envied, or whoie viers were opposite to his own. This offering up, to the perfon flattered, the murdered reparation of others, Shakipeare, with the utmost beauty of thought and expression, calls facrified wolf'ng alluding to the victims offered up to idols. 12 That is, catch his breath in affected fordnes. 13 i. e. inferior fpectators. 14 The common addrefs to a lord in our author's time, was year honour, which was indifferently ufed with your lordship. Than Than one which holds a trencher. Tim Well; what further? Tim. A meer fatiety of commendations. Old Ath. One only daughter have I, no kin elfe, It would unclew me quite 3. On whom I may confer what I have got : Tim. The man is honeft. Old Ath. Therefore he will be, Timon: His honefty rewards him in itself, It must not bear my daughter. Tim. Does the love him? Old Ath. She is young, and apt : Tim. [To Lucil.] Love you the maid ? Luc. Ay, my good lord, and fhe accepts of it. Tim. How fhall fhe be endow'd If the be mated with an equal husband? fall. Old Ath. Three talents on the prefent; in future, Old Ath. Moft noble lord, Pawn me to this your honour, fhe is his. Tim. My hand to thee; mine honour on my promise. Lue. Humbly I thank your lordship: Never That state or fortune fall into my keeping, [Exe. Lacil. and Old Ath. Peet. Vouchfafe my labour, and long live your lordship! Tim. I thank you; you fhall hear from me anon: Tim. Painting is welcome. Pain. The gods preferve you! [hand; Tim. Well fare you, gentleman: Give me your We must needs dine together.-Sir, your jewel Hath fuffer'd under praife. Jew. What, my lord? difpraife? Jew. My lord, 'tis rated As thofe, which fell, would give: But you well Things of like value, differing in the owners, Tim. Well mock'd. Mer. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue, Which all men fpeak with him. Tim. Look, who comes here. Will you be chid? Jew. We will bear, with your lordship. Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus ! morrow; [honeft. When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves Tim. Why doft thou call them knaves? thou know'ft them not. Apem. Are they not Athenians? Tim. Yes. Apem. Then I repent not. Jew. You know me, Apemantus. Tim. Thou art proud, Apemartus. [Timon. Apem. To knock out an honeft Athenian's brains. Tim. That's a deed thou'lt die for. Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law.. Tim. How lik'st thou this picture, Apemantus ? Apem. Thy mhother's of my generation; What's the, if I be a dog? Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus ? Apem. No; I eat not lords. Tim. An thou should'ft, thou'dit anger ladies. Tim. That's a lafcivious apprehenfion. Tim. How doft thou like this jewel, Apemantus ? Apem. Not fo well as plain-dealing, which will not coft a man a doit 4. Tim. What dost thou think 'tis worth? Apem. Not worth my thinking. How now, poet ? 1 Dr. Warburton explains this paffage thus: " If the man be honest, my lord, forthat reafon he will be fo in this; and not endeavour at the injustice of gaining my daughter without my confent." 2 or due. 3. To unclew, is to unwind a hall of thread. To unclew a man, is to draw out the whole mafs of his fortunes. 4 1 his alludes to the proverb: "Plain dealing is a jew. 1, but they that ufe it die beggars." E £f 3 Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding: make thy requests to thy friend. 2 Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spur thee hence. Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. And tafte lord Timon's bounty? he out-goes 2 Lord. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold, I Lord. The nobleft mind he carries, That ever govern'd man. 2 Lord. Long may he live in fortunes! Sha we in? I Lord. I'll keep you company. SCENE II. Another Apartment in Timon's House. Hautboys playing loud mufick. A great banquet "ve`i in; and then enter Timon, Alcibiades, Lacias, Lucullus, Sempronius, and other Athenian Senators, with Ventidius. Then comes, dropping afta all, Apemantus difcontentedly, like bimfeif. Ven. Moft honour'd Timon, it hath pleas'd the gods to remember My father's age, and call him to long peace. To your free heart, I do return those talents, Tim. O, by no means, I Can truly fay, he gives, if he receives : To imitate them; Faults that are rich, are fair. [They all fland ceremoniously looking on Timla Tim. Nay, my lords, ceremony Was but devis'd at first To fet a glofs on faint deeds, hollow welcomes, Recanting goodnefs, forry ere 'tis fhown; But where there is true friendship, there needs The meaning may be, I should hate myself for patiently enduring to be a lord. of man's worn down into monkey. 2 or lineage 3 i. c. part. 4 Meed in this place feems to mean defert. i. c. all the customary returns made in difcharge of obligations. |