They froze me into filence. Tim. You gods reward them! I pr'ythee, man, look cheerly. Thefe old fellows Greet him from me; Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd With those five talents. That had, giv't thefe fellows To whom 'tis inftant due. Ne'er fpeak, or think, That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can fink. Sterv. Would, I could not: that thought is bounty's foe; Being free itself, it thinks all others fo. [Exeunt. ACT III. SCENE, Lucullus's houfe in Athens. SER VAN T. I Have told my Lord of you; he is coming down to you. Flam. thank you, Enter Lucullus. Ser. Here's my Lord. hill'd the very ardour of our petition, and froze us into filence. We meet with a compound, exactly formed like this, in K. Jobn, A&t z. where Lady Conftance lays; His grandam's wrong, and not his mother's fhames, 3 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 refpectively 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 fpend less. 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 ufe 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 knoweft well. enough (altho' thou com'ft to me) that this is no time to lend money, especially upon bare friendship without fecurity. G 3 fecurity. Here's three Solidares for thee; good boy, wink Thou difeafe of a friend, and not himself! O! may difeafes only work upon't: And when he's fick to death, let not that part SCENE, a publick Street. Enter Lucius, with three ftrangers. [Exit. Luc. 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 bis bour !] Mr. Pope, in both his editions, without any authority or reafon affign'd, has fubftituted or instead 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 fick nefs, 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 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 must needs confess, I have received fome small kindnefles 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 please your honour, my Lord hath fentLuc. 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; requefting your Lordship to fupply his inftant ufe, with fifty talents. Luc. I know, his Lordship 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 should not urge it half fo faithfully. Luc. Doft thou fpeak feriously, Servilius? Luc. What a wicked beaft was 1, to disfurnish myself against fuch a good time, when I might ha' fhewn myself honourable? how unluckily it hap'ned, that I fhould G 4 purchase purchafe the day before for a little (17) dirt, and undo a great deal of honour? Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do-(the more beaft, I fay)—I was fending to ufe Lord Timon myfelf, thefe gentlemen can witnefs; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had don't now. Commend me bountifully to his good Lordship, and, I hope, his honour will conceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to be kind. And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, that I cannot pleafure fuch an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far, as to use my own words to him? Ser. Yes, Sir, I fhall. [Exit Servilias. Luc. I'll look ye out a good turn, ServiliusTrue, as you faid, Timon is fhrunk, indeed; And he, that's once deny'd, will hardly speed. 1 Stran. Do you obferve this, Hoftilius? 2 Stran. Ay, too well. 1 Stran. Why, this is the world's foul: [Exit. (17) That I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour?] Tho' there is a feeming plaufible Antithefis, in the terms, I am very well affured, they are corrupt at the bottom. For a little part of what? bonour is the only fubftantive that follows in the fentence; but men don't purchafe for honour, tho' fometimes they may turn purchafers out of oftentation. How much is the Antithefis improved by the fenfe which my emendation gives?" That I "fhould be fo unlucky to make this purchase, for the lucre of a little "dirt, and undo a great deal of honour!" This manner of expreffing contemptuously of land, is very frequent with the Poets. So Hamlet, Act 5, fpeaking of Ofrick, -he hath much land and fertile;-'tis a chough; but, as I fay, Spacious in the poffeffion of dirt. So Beaumont and Fletcher in the Scornful Lady, A&t 1. your brother's houfe is big enough; and, to fay truth, he has too much land; hang it, dirt. And again, in the 2d Act; noble boy, the god of gold here has fee'd thee well; take money for thy dirt. And the Elder Brother, A& 3d. Had y' only fhew'd me land, I had deliver'd it, And been a proud man to have parted with it; More authorities would be fuperfluous. 이 |