Mer. No, my good Lord, he fpeaks the common tongue, Which all men speak with him. Tim. Look, who comes here. SCENE III (3) Enter Apemantus. Will you be chid ? Jew. We'll bear it with your Lordship. (4) Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus ! Apem. 'Till I be gentle, ftay for thy good morrow. When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honeftTim. Why doft thou call them knaves, thou know'st them not? Apem. Are they not Athenians ? Apem. Then I repent not. Jew. You know me, Apemantus. Apem. Thou know'ft I do, I call'd thee by thy name.. Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus Apem. Of nothing fo much, as that I am not like Timan. Tim. Whither art going? Apem. To knock out an honeft Athenian's brains. Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law. (3) Enter Apernantus.] See this character of a Cynic finely drawn by Lucian, in his Auction of the Philofophers; and how well Shakespeare has copied it. (4) Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus! Anem. Till I be gentle, ftay for thy good-morrow; When thou art-Timon's dog, and these knaves koneft.] The first liae of Apemantus's answer is to the purpofe; the second abfurd and nonfenfical; which proceeds from the lofs of a fpeech dropt from be tween them, that fhould be thus reftored. Tim Good-morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus! Apem. 'Till I be gentle, stay for thy good morrow. [Poet. When will that be?] Apem. When thou art Timon's dog, and thefe knaves boneft. WARBURTON. I think my punctuation may clear the paffage without any greater effort. Tim. How lik'ft. thou this Picture, Apemantus ? · Tim. Wrought he not well that painted it? Apem. He wrought better that made the Painter; and yet he's but a filthy piece of work. Pain. Y'are a dog. Apem. Thy mother'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. If thou shouldft thou'dft anger ladies. Apem. O, they eat Lords; fo they come by great bellies. Tim. That's a lafcivious apprehenfion. Apem. So, thou apprehend'ft. Take it for thy la bour. Tim. How doft thou like this jewel, Apemantus? Apem. Not fo well as Plain-dealing, which will not coft a man a doit. Tim. What think'ft thou 'tis worth? Apem. Not worth my thinking. How now, Poet?: Poet. How now, Philofopher?. Apem. Thou lieft. Paet. Art thou not one?: Apem. Yes. Poet. Then I lie not Apem. Art not a Poet? Poet. Yes Apem. Then thou lieft. Look in thy laft work, where thou haft feign'd him a worthy fellow. Poet. That's not feign'd, he is fo.. Apem. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy labour. He, that loves to be flatter'd, is wor thy o' th' flatterer. Heav'ns, that I were a Lord! Tim. What would'ft do then, Apemantus? Apem. Ev'n as Apemantus does. now, hate a Lord! heart. with my Tim. What, thyself? Apem. Ay. Tim. Wherefore? Apem Apem. (5) That I had no angry wit to be a Lord.Art thou not a Merchant ? Mer. Ay, Apemantus. Apem. Traffick confound thee, if the Gods will not! Mer. If Traffick do it, the Gods do it. Apem. Traffick's thy God, and thy God confound thee! Trumpets found. Enter a Meffenger. Tim. What trumpet's that? Mef. 'Tis Alcibiades, and fome twenty horfe Tim. Pray entertain them, give them guide to us. Enter Alcibiades with the reft. I'm joyful of your fights. Moft welcome, Sir ! [Bowing and embracing. Apem. So, fo! Aches contract, and starve your fupple joints! That there fhould be fmall love amongst thefe fweet knaves, and all this courtesy! (6) The ftrain of man's bred out into baboon and monkey. Alc. You have fav'd my longing, and I feed Moft hungerly on your fight. Tim. Right welcome, Sir. (5) That I had NO ANGRY wit, to be a lord.] This reading is abfurd, and unintelligible. But, as I have reftored the text, that I bad fo hungry a wit, to be a lord, it is fatirical enough of confcience, viz. I would hate myself, for having no more wit than to covet fo infignificant a title. In the fame fenfe, Shakespeare uses lean-witted in his Richard II. And thou a lunatick, lean-witted, fool. WARB. The meaning may be, I fhould hate myself for patiently enduring to be a Lord. This is ill enough expreffed. Perhaps some happy change may fet it right. I have tried, and can do nothing, yet I cannot heartily concur with Dr. Warburton. (6) The ftrain of man's bred out into baboon and monkey.] Man is exhausted and degenerated; his ftrain or lineage is worn down into monkey. (7) Eres [Exeunt. (7) Ere we do part, we'll share a bounteous time In different pleafures. Pray you, let us in. SCENE IV. Manet Apemantus. Enter Lucius and Lucullus. Apem. Time to be honeft. Luc. What time a day is't, Apemantus ? Luc. That time ferves ftill. Apem. The most accurfed thou, that ftill omit'ft it. Apem. Ay, to fee meat fill knaves, and wine heat Lucul. Fare thee well. Fare thee well. Apem. Thou art a fool to bid me farewel twice. Lucul. Why, Apemantus? Apem. Thou fhouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none. Lucul. Hang thyfelf. Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend. Lucul. Away, unpeaceable dog, or--I'll fpurn thee hence. Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels o'th'afs. Come, fhall we in, and tafte Lord Timon's bounty? Lucul. He pours it out. Plutus, the God of gold, Luc. The nobleft mind he carries, That ever govern'd man. Lucul. Long may he live in fortunes? Shall we in? Luc. I'll keep you company. [Exeunt. (7) Ere we depart.-] Who depart? Though Alcibiades was to Jeave Timon, Timon was not to depart. Common Senfe favours my Emendation. THEOBALD. (8) All ufe of quittance.] i. e. All the customary returns made in difcharge of obligations. WARBURTON, Arather read, all ufe or quittance, all intereft or requital. SCENE Another Apartment in Timon's House. Hautboys playing loud mufick. A great banquet ferv'd in ; and then enter Timon, Alcibiades, Lucius, Lucullus, Sempronius, and other Athenian Senators, with Ventidius. Then comes dropping, after all, Ape mantus difcontentedly. Ven. OST honour'd Timon, it hath pleas'd the MOST To remember my father's age, And call him to long peace. He is gone happy, and has left me rich. Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound To your free heart, I do return thofe talents, I deriv'd liberty. Tim. O, by no means, Honeft Ventidius. You mistake my love; I gave it freely ever, and there's none Can truly fay he gives, if he receives.. (9) If our Betters play at that game, we must not dares T'imitate them. Faults that are rich, are.fair. Ven. (9) If our Betters play at that game, we must not dare To imitate them. Faults that are rich are fair.] These two lines are abfurdly given to Timon. They fhould be read thus: Tim. If our betters play at that game, we must not. Apem. Dare to imitate them: faults that are rich are fair. This is faid fatirically and in character. It was a fober reflection in Timon; who by our betters meant the Gods, which require to be repaid for benefits received; but it would be impiety in men to expect the fame obfervance for the trifling good they do. Apemantus, agreeably to his character, perverts this fentiment, as if Timon had fpoke of earthly grandees and potentates, who expect largest returns for their favours; and therefore, ironically, replies as above. WARBURTON. I cannot fee that thefe lines are more proper in any other mouth than in Timon's, to whofe character of generosity and condefcenfion they are very fuitable. To fuppofe that by our betters are meant the Gods, is very harsh, becaufe to imitate the Gods has been hitherto xeckoned the highett pitch of human virtue. The whole is a trite and obvious thought, uttered by Timen with a kind of affected mo defty |