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no meat like 'em. I could wish my friend at fuch feaft.

Apem. Would all these flatterers were thine enemies then, that thou might'ft kill 'em, and bid me to 'em!

Luc. Might we but have the happiness, my Lord, that you would once ufe our hearts, whereby we might exprefs fome part of our zeals, we fhould think ourfelves for ever perfect.

Tim. Ok, no doubt, my good friends, but the gods themselves have provided that I fhould have much help from you; how had you been my friends elfe? why have you that charitable title from thoufands, did not you chiefly belong to my heart? I have told more of you to myfelf, than you can with modefty fpeak in your own behalf. And thus far I confirm you. Oh you Gods, think I, what need we have any friends, if we should never have need of 'em? they would most resemble sweet inftruments hung up in cafes, that keep their founds to themfelves. Why, I have oft wifht

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did you not chiefly belong to my heart?] I think it should be inverted thus: did I not chiefly belong to your hearts. Lucius wifes that Timon would give him and the reft an opportunity of expreffing fome part of their zeals. Timon anfwers that, doubtless the Gods have provided that I should have help from you; how else are you my friends? why are you ftiled my friends, if-what? if I do not love you. Such is the prefent reading; but the confequence is not very clear; the proper clofe muft be, if you do not love me, and to this my alteration reftores it.

9 I confirm you.] I fix your characters firmly in my own mind.

myself poorer, that I might come nearer to you. We are born to do benefits. And what better or properer can we call our own, than the riches of our friends? O, what a precious confort 'tis to have fo many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes! O joy, e'en made away ere't can be born; mine eyes cannot hold water. Methinks to forget their faults, I drink to you.

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Apem. Thou weep'ft to make them drink, Timon. Lucul. Joy had the like conception in our eyes, And at that inftant like a babe sprung up.

Apem. Ho! ho! I laugh to think that babe a baf

tard.

3 Lord. I promise you, my Lord, you mov'd me much.

Apem. Much!

Sound Tucket.

Tim. What means that trump? how now?

O jov, e'en made away ere't can be born;] For this Eanmer writes, O joy, e'en made a joy ere't can be born; and is followed by Dr. Warburton. I am always inclinable to think well of that which is approved by fo much learning and fagacity, yet cannot receive this alteration. Tears being the effect both of joy and grief fupplied our authour with an opportunity of conceit which he feldom fails to indulge. Timon weeping with a kind of tender pleasure, cries out, O joy, e'en made away, deftroyed, turned to tears, before it can be born, before it can be fully poffeffed.

8

2 mine eyes, &c.] In the origi al edition the words ftand thus: mine eyes cannot hold out water, methinks. To forget their faults, I drink to you. Perhaps the true reading is this, Mine eyes cannot hold out; they water. Methinks, to forget their faults, I drink to you.

3 to make them drink,] Hanmer reads, to make them drink thee, and is again followed by Dr. Warburton, I think without fufficient reafon. The covert fenfe of Apemantus is, what ibou losest they get.

4 like a babe] That is, a weeping babe.

Enter

Enter Servant.

Serv. Please you, my Lord, there are certain ladies moft defirous of admittance.

Tim. Ladies? What are their wills?

Serv. There comes with them a fore-runner, my Lord, which bears that office to fignify their pleasures. Tim. I pray, let them be admitted.

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Enter Cupid with a Mafque of Ladies, as Amazons, with lutes in their bands, dancing and playing.

Cup. Hail to thee, worthy Timon, and to all That of his bounties tafte! the five beft Senses Acknowledge thee their patron; and do come Freely to gratulate thy plenteous bofom:

5 Th' Ear, Tafte, Touch, Smell, pleas'd from thy Table rife,

They only now come but to feast thine eyes.

Tim. They're welcome all; let 'em have kind ad

mittance.

Let mufick make their welcome.

s In former copies : There tafte, touch, all pleas'd from thy Table rife, They only now-] The five fenfes are talked of by Cupid, but three of them only are made out; and those only in a very heavy unintelligible manner. It is plain therefore we should read,

TH'EAR, tafte, touch, SMELL, pleas'd from thy Table rife, THESE only now, &c. i.e. the five fenfes, Timon, acknowledge thee their patron; four of them, viz. the hearing,

touch, tafte and Smell, are all feafted at thy board; and these ladies come with me to entertain

your fight in a Mafque. Maf-
finger, in his Duke of Millaine,
copied the paffage from Shake-
pear; and, apparently, before
it was thus corrupted; where,
fpeaking of a banquet, he fays,

-All that may be had
To please the eye, the ear, taste,
touch or smell,
Are carefully provided.--
WARBURTON.

Luc.

Luc. You fee, my Lord, how amply you're belov'd.

Apem. Heyday! what a fweep of vanity comes this way!

They dance? They are mad women.

Like madness is the glory of this life;,
As this pomp fhews to a little oil and root.
We make ourselves fools, to difport ourselves;
And spend cur flatteries, to drink those men,
Upon whofe age we void it up again,
With poisonous fpite and envy.

Who lives, that's not depraved, or depraves?
Who dies, that bears not one fpurn to their graves
Of their friends' gift?

I fhould fear, thole, that dance before me now,

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Like madness, is the glory of this life;

As this pomp feerus to a little oyl and root.] This is Apemantus's reflection on the Mafk of Ladies: and, for its obfcurity, would become any pagan philofopher. The first line is a compleat fentence: the fecond is the beginning of a new reflection; and the third, the conclufion of it by a fimilitude. Hence it appears, that fome lines are dropt out and loft from between the fecond and third verfes. I conjecture the fenfe of the whole might be this, The glory of human life is like the madness of this Mafk; it is a falfe aim at happiness, which is to be ob tained only by fobriety and temperance in a private and retired life. But fuperficial judges will always prefer pomp and glory; becaufe in outward appearance

it has fo greatly the advantage; as great as this pompous fupper appears to have above my oil and

root.

This, in my opinion, was the fentiment that connected the fecond and third lines together; which for the future fhould be read with afterisks between them.

WARBURTON,

When I read this paffage I was at firft of the fame opinion with this learned man; but, up. on longer confideration, I grew lefs confident, because I think the prefent reading fufceptible of explanation, with no more violence to language than is frequently found in our authour. The glory of this life is very near to madness, as may be made appear from this pomp exhibited in a place where a philofopher is feeding on oil and roots. When we fee by example how few are the neceffaries of life, we learn what madness there is in fo much fuperfluity.

Would

Would one day ftamp upon me. 'T has been done; Men fhut their doors against the fetting fun.

The Lords rife from table, with much adoring of Timon; each fingling out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women; a lofty ftrain or two to the hautboys,and ceafe.

Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies,

Set a fair fashion on our entertainment,

Which was not half fo beautiful and kind;
You've added worth unto't, and lively luftre,
And entertain'd me with mine own device.
I am to thank you for it.

Luc. My Lord, you take us even at the best. Apem. 'Faith, for the worst is filthy, and would not hold taking, I doubt me.

Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you. Pleafe you to difpofe yourselves.

All Lad. Moft thankfully, my Lord.

Tim. Flavius,

Flav. My Lord.

Tim. The little cafket bring me hither.

[Exeunt.

Flav. Yes, my Lord. More jewels yet? there is

no croffing him in's humour,

[Afide.

Elfe I fhould tell him-well-i'faith, I should,
When all's spent, he'd be crofs'd then if he could:

7 mine own device.] The mafk appears to have been de figned by Timon to furprife his guefts.

My Lord,] This anfwer feems rather to belong to one of the Ladies. It was probably only marked L in the copy.

8 he'd be crofs'd then if he could: The Poet does not mean here, that he would be cros'd in Humour, but that he would have his Hand cro'd with

Money, if he could. He is playing on the Word, and alluding to our old Silver Penny, ufed before K. Edward the firft's, Time, which had a Cross on the Reverfe with a Creafe, that it might be more easily broke into Halves and Quarters, Half-pence and Farthings. From this Penny, and other Pieces, was our com-; mon Expreffon derived, I have. not a Crofs about me; i.e. not a Piece of Money. THEOBALD.

'Tis

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