Tim. And in some fort these wants of mine are crown'd, That I account them bleffings; 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 dispatch you fev'rally.

You to Lord Lucius-to Lord Lucullus you, I hunted 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 request be fifty talents.

Flam. As you have faid, my Lord. Flav. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? humTim. Go, you, Sir, to the Senators; [To Flavius. Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have Deferv'd 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 gen'ral way)

To them to use 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 treasure, cannot
Do what they would; are forry--You are honourable-
But yet they could have wisht-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 these hard fractions,
With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods, (15)
They

(15) Cold-moving nods,] All the editions exhibit these as two diftinct adjectives, to the prejudice of the author's meaning: but they must be join'd by an hyphen, and make a compound adjective out of a fubftantive and a participle, and then we have the true fenfe of the place; cold-moving, cold-provoking, nods fo difcouraging that they

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chill'd

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 cak'd, 'tis cold, it feldom flows,
'Tis lack of kindly warmth, they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again tow'rd earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull and heavy.
Go to Ventidius-pr'ythee, be not fad,
Thou'rt true, and just; ingenuously I speak,
No blame belongs to thee: Ventidius lately
Bury'd his father, by whofe death he's stepp'd
Into a great eftate; when he was poor,
Imprifon'd, and in scarcity of friends,
I clear'd him with five talents.
Bid him fuppofe, fome good neceffity

Greet him from me;

Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd
With those 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.

I

SCENE, Lucullus's House in Athens.

Flaminius waiting, Enter a Servant to him.

SERVANT.

Have told my Lord of you; he is coming down to you.
Flam. I thank you, Sir.

Enter Lucullus.

Ser. Here's my Lord.

chill'd the very ardour of our petition, and froze us into filence. We meet with a compound, exactly form'd like this, in K. John, Act 2. where Lady Conftance fays;

His grandam's wrong, and not his mother's fhames,
Draws those beav'n-moving pearls from his poor eyes.

Lucul

Lucul. One of Lord Timon's men; a gift, I warrantWhy, this hits right: I dreamt of a filver bafon and ewre to-night. Flaminius, honeft Flaminius, you are very respectively welcome, Sir; fill me fome wine. And how does that honourable, compleat, free-hearted Gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good Lord and mafter?

Flam. His health is well, Sir.

Lucul. 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 Lordship to furnish him, nothing doubting your prefent affiftance 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 houfe. Many a time and often I ha' din'd with him, and told him on't; and come again to fupper to him, on purpose to have him spend 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.

Enter a Servant, with wine.

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

Flam. Your Lordship fpeaks your pleasure.

Lucul. I have obferv'd thee always for a towardly prompt fpirit, give thee thy due: and one that knows what belongs to reafon; and canft use the time well, if the time ufe thee well. Good parts in thee-Get you gone, firrah. [To the Servant, avho goes out]-Draw nearer, honeft Flaminius; thy Lord's a bountiful gentleman, but thou art wife, and thou knowest well enough (altho' thou comeft to me) that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship without fecurity.

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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 should so much differ,
And we alive that liv'd? fly, damned baseness,
To him that worships thee. [Throwing the money away.
Lucul. Ha! now I fee thou art a fool, and fit for thy
master.
[Exit Lucullus.
Flam. May thefe add to the number that may fcald thee:
Let molten coin be thy damnation,

Thou difeafe of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship fuch a faint and milky heart,
It turns in less than two nights? O you gods!
I feel my mafter'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 turn'd to poison?

O may diseases 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.

Luc.

SCENE, a publick Street.

Enter Lucius, with three Strangers.

WHO

WHO, the Lord Timon? he is my very good friend, and an honourable gentleman. 1 Stran. We know him for no lefs, tho' we are but ftrangers to him. But I can tell you one thing, my Lord, and which I hear from common rumours, now Lord Timon's happy hours are done and paft, and his eftate fhrinks from him.

(16) But prolong his bour!] Mr. Pope, in both his editions, without any authority or reafon affign'd, has fubftituted or inftead of but here: by which the fenfe is infeebled; and the fervant only made to say, 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 diseases only work upon that food in him, which my mafter paid for; let it not prove a nutriment able to expel the malady; but on the contrary, the fewel to his distemper, and the means of prolonging his torture!

Luc.

Luc. Fy, no, do not believe it: he cannot want for money.

2 Stran. But believe you this, my Lord, that not long ago one of his men was with the Lord Lucullus, to borrow fifty talents, nay, urg'd extremely for't, and fhewed what neceffity belong'd to't, and yet was deny'd. Luc. How?

2 Stran. I tell you, deny'd, my Lord.

Luc. What a ftrange cafe was that? now, before the gods, I am afham'd on't. Deny'd that honourable man? there was very little honour fhew'd in that. For my own part, I muft needs confefs, I have received fome fmall kindneffes from him, as money, plate, jewels, and fuch like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet had he miftook him, and fent him to me, I fhould ne'er have deny'd his occafion fo many talents.

Enter Servilius.

Ser. See, by good hap, yonder's my Lord, I have fweat to fee his honour.-My honour'd Lord- [To Lucius. Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, Sir. Fare thee well, commend me to thy honourable virtuous Lord, my very exquifite friend."

Ser. May it pleafe your honour, my Lord hath fent-Luc. Ha! what hath he fent? I am fo much endear'd to that Lord; he's ever fending: how fhall I thank him, think't thou? and what has he fent now?

Ser. H'as only fent his prefent occafion now, my Lord; requesting your Lordship to fupply his inftant ufe, with fifty talents.

Luc. I know, his Lordfhip is but merry with me; He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.

Ser. But in the mean time he wants lefs, my Lord. If his occafion were not virtuous,

I fhould not urge it half fo faithfully.

Luc. Doft thou fpeak feriously, Servilius?
Ser. Upon my foul, 'tis true, Sir.

Luc. What a wicked beaft was I, to disfurnish myfelf against fuch a good time, when I might ha' fhewn myself honourable? how unluckily it hapned, that I fhould

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purchase