Imatges de pàgina
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What heart, head, fword, force, means, but is Lord
Timon's?

Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon's?
Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made:
Feaft-won, faft-loft: one cloud of winter fhowers,
Thefe flies are couch'd.

Tim. Come, fermon me no further.

No villain's bounty yet hath past my heart;
Unwifely, not ignobly, have I given.

Why dost thou weep? canft thou the confcience lack
To think I fhall lack friends? fecure thy heart;
If I would broach the veffels of my love,
And try the arguments of hearts by borrowing,
Men and men's fortunes could I frankly use,
As I can bid thee speak.

Flav. Affurance blefs your thoughts! [crowned,
Tim. And in fome fort thefe wants of mine are
That I account them bleflings; for by these
Shall I try friends. You fhall perceive how you
Mistake my fortunes: in my friends I'm wealthy.
Within there, ho! Flaminius, Servilius!

Enter FLAMINIUS, SERVILIUs, and other Servants. Serv. My Lord, my Lord.

Tim. I will difpatch you feverally,

You to Lord Lucius to Lord Lucullus you, I kunted with his Honour to day-you to Sempronius----commend me to their loves: and I am proud, fay, that my occafions have found time to ufe 'em toward a fupply of money; let the requeft be fifty talents.

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Flam. As you have faid, my Lord.

Flav. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? hum-
Tim. Go you, Sir, to the Senators;

[To Flav,

Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have

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Deferved this hearing: bid 'em fend o' th' inftant A thousand talents to me.

Flav. I've been bold,

(For that I knew it the moft general way)
To them to ufe your fignet and your name;
But they do fhake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

Tim. Is't true? can't be?

Flav. They answer in a joint and corporate voice, That now they are at fall, want treafure, cannot Do what they would, are forry--You are honourable----

But yet they could have wish'd---they know not----
Something hath been amifs----a noble nature
May catch a wrench----would all were well------
'tis pity-

And fo intending other ferious matters,

After diftafteful looks, and thefe hard fractions, With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods, (15) They froze me into filence.

Tim. You gods reward them!

I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly. Thefe old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary:
Their blood is caked, 'tis cold, it feldom flows,
'Tis lack of kindly warmth, they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again toward earth,

(15) Cold-moving nods,] All the editions exhibit thefe as two diftinct adjectives, to the prejudice of the Author's meaning; but they must be joined by a hyphen, and make a compound adjective out of a fubftantive and participle, and then we have the true fenfe of the place; cold-moving, cold-provoking, nods fo difcouraging that they chilled the very ardour of our petition, and froze us into filence. We meet with a compound, exactly formed like this, in King John, act fecond, where Lady Conftance fays;

His grandam's wrong, and not his mother's fhames,

Draws thofe heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes.

Is fashioned for the journey, dull and heavy.
Go to Ventidius-pr'ythee be not fad,
Thou'rt true, and juft; ingenuously I fpeak,
No blame belongs to thee: Ventidius lately
Buried his father, by whofe death he's stepped
Into a great estate; when he was poor,
Imprifoned, and in fcarcity of friends,

I cleared him with five talents. Greet him from me; Bid him fuppofe fome good neceffity

Touches his friend, which craves to be remembered With thofe five talents. That had, give't these fellows

To whom 'tis inftant due. Ne'er fpeak, or think That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can fink. Stew. Would I could not: that thought is bounty's foe;

Being free itself, it thinks all others fo. [Exeunt.

A C T III.

SCENE, Lucullus's Houfe in Athens.

FLAMINIUS waiting, Enter a Servant to him.

SERVANT.

I HAVE told my Lord of you; he is coming down

to you.

Flam. I thank you, Sir.

Enter LUCULLUS.

Serv. Here's my Lord.

Lucul. One of Lord Timon's men: a gift, I war rant- -Why, this hits right: I dream'd of a filver bafon and ewre to-night. Flaminius, honest Flaminius, you are very refpectively welcome, Sir; fill

me fome wine. And how does that honourable, complete, free-hearted Gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good Lord and master?

Flam. His health is well, Sir.

Lacul. I am right glad that his health is well, Sir; and what haft thou there under thy cloak, pretty Flaminius ?

Flam. Faith, nothing but an empty box, Sir, which, in my Lord's behalf, I come to entreat your honour to fupply; who having great and inftant occafion to use fifty talents, hath fent to your Lordhip to furnish him, nothing doubting your present allitance therein.

Lucul. La, la, la, la,---Nothing doubting, fays he? alas, good Lord, a noble gentleman 'tis, if he would not keep fo good a house. Many a time and often I ha' dined with him, and told him on't; and come again to fupper to him, on purpose to have him fpend lefs. And yet he would embrace no counfel, take no warning by my coming; every man hath his fault, and honefty is his. I ha' told him on't, but I could never get him from't.

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Enter a Servant with Wine.

Ser. Pleafe your Lordship, here is the wine. Lucul. Flaminius, I have noted thee always wife. Here's to thee,

Flam. Your Lordship speaks your pleasure.

Lucul. I have obferved thee always for a to-: wardly prompt fpirit, give thee thy due; and one that knows what belongs to reason, and canst use the time well, if the time ufe thee well. Good parts in thee----Get you gone, firrah. [To the Servant, ho goes out.]Draw nearer, honeft Flaminius; thy Lord's a bountiful gentleman, but thou art wife, and thou knoweft well enough (altho' thou’

comeft to me) that this is no time to lend money, efpecially upon bare friendfhip without fecurity. Here's three Solidares for thee; good boy, wink at me, and fay, thou faw'ft me not. Fare thee well.

Flam. Is't poffible the world fhould fo much differ, And we alive that lived? fly, damned bafeness, To him that worships thee.

[Throwing the money away. Lucul. Ha! now I fee thou art a fool, and fit

for thy mafter.

[Exit Lucullus. Flam. May thefe add to the number that may fcald thee:

Let molten coin be thy damnation,

Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,
It turns in lefs that two nights? O you gods!
I feel my master's paffion. This flave
Unto this hour has my Lord's meat in him:
Why fhould it thrive, and turn to nutriment,
When he is turned to poifon?

O may difeafes only work upon't:

And when he's fick to death, let not that part
Of nature, my Lord paid for, be of power

To expel fickness, but prolong his hour! (16) [Exit.

(26) But prolong his hour!] Mr Pope, in both his editions, without any authority or reafon affigned, has fubftituted or instead of but here, by which the fenfe is enfeebled, and the fervant only made to fay, Let my mafter's meat in his belly, when he comes to be fick, neither be of force to expel his fickness, nor to put off the time of his death one hour. Whereas but finely exaggerates the fervant's intended curfe to this effect: Let difeafes only work upon that food in him, which my master paid for; let it not prove a nutriment able to expel the malady; but, on the contrary, the fewel to his diftemper, and the means of prolonging his torture!

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