Tim. Ready for his friends. [Exeunt Lords. Serving of becks and jutting out of bums! (9) Apem. No, I'll nothing; for if I fhould be brib'd too, there would be none left to rail upon thee, and then thou wouldst fin the fafter. Thou giv'ft fo long Timon, (10) I fear me, thou wilt give away thy felf in paper - fhortly. (9) Serving of becks] I have not ventur'd to alter this phrafe, tho' I confefs freely, I don't understand it. It may be made intelligible two ways, with very flight alteration. Mr. Warburton acutely fropos'd to me, Serring of becks, from the French word ferrer, to join clofe together, to lock one within another; by a metaphor taken from the billing of pigeons, who interfert their bills into one another. Or, we might read, Scruing of backs, and jutting out of bums! For Apemantus is obferving on the ridiculous congees, and complimental motions of the flattering guests in taking their leave. Both conjectures are fubmitted to judgment. (10) I fear me, thou wilt give away thyself in paper fhortly.] i, e, be ruined by his fecurities entered into. But this fenfe, as Mr. Warburton obferves, is cold; and relishes very little of that salt which is in Apemantus's other reflections. He propofes, -give away thyself in proper shortly. i. e. in perfon; thy proper felf. This latter is an expreffion of our author's in the Tempeft; And ev'n with fuch like valour men hang and drown And of B. Jonfon in the induction to his Cynthia's Revels; -If you pleafe to confer with our author by attorney, you may, Sir: our proper felf here ftands for him. And the other phrafe, thyself in proper-without the fubftantive fube join'd, I believe, may be justified by fimilar ufage. B. Jonfon in his Sejanus; My Lords, this ftrikes at ev'ry Roman's private. i. e. private property, or intereft. And again, in the fame play ; Macro, thou art engag'd; and what before Was public, now must be thy privase. i. e. thy fhortly. What need these feafts, pomps, and vain-, glories? Tim. Nay, if you begin to rail on fociety once, I am fworn not to give regard to you. Farewel, and come. with better mufick. [Exit. Apem. So (11) thou wilt not hear me now, thou A Enter a Senator. SENATOR. ND late, five thoufand: to Varro and to Ifidore He owes nine thousand, befides my former fum; Which makes it five and twenty.-Still in motion i. e. thy private concern. And, to quote one authority from an author of more modern date; Milton in his Paradife Loft, B. 7. v. 367. By tincture, or reflection, they augment Their fmall peculiar. i. e. peculiar body, or brightnefs; for it is fpoken of the stars. Tlllock thy beaven from thee.] So, in Cymbeline, Imogen fays; As offer'd mercy is. i. e. not to be retrieved. In both thefe paffages our poet is alluding to a theological opinion, that the Holy Spirit by fecret whispers in the mind, the ftill voice, inward fuggeftions, offers its affiftance very often when it is not attended to either when men are drag'd away by the violence of the paffions, or blinded by too great attention to worldly avocations. This by divines is called the lofs of offered mercy: and when it is for a length of time rejected, or difregarded, the offender's cafe is looked upon to be the more defperate. Mr. Warburton. of Of raging wafte? It cannot hold, it will not. Enter Caphis. Cap. Here, Sir, what is your pleasure ? Sen. Get on your cloak, and hafte you to Lord Timon ; Importune him for monies, be not ceaft With flight denial; nor then filenc'd with Commend me to your mafter-and the cap Plays in the right hand, thus:- but tell him, firrah, My ufes cry to me, I must ferve my turn Out of mine own; his days and times are paft, And my reliance on his fracted dates Has fmit my credit. I love and honour him; A visage of demand; for I do fear, (12) Afk nothing, give it him, it foals me ftraight An able borfe.] The stupidity of this corruption will be very obvious, if we take the whole context together. "If I want gold, (fays "the Senator) let me fteal a beggar's dog, and give it to Timon, the "dog coins me gold. If I would fell my horfe, and had a mind to "buy ten better instead of him; why, I need but give my horse to "Timon, to gain this point; and it presently fetches me an borse.” But is that gaining the point proposed? fenfe and reason warrant the reading, that I have restored to the text. The first Folio reads, lefs corruptly than the modern impreffions, -And able horfes. Which reading, join'd to the reasoning of the paffage, gave me the hint for this emendation. When When every feather sticks in his own wing, Sen. I go, Sir-take the bonds along with you, (13) And have the dates in compt.. Cap. I will, Sir. Sen. Go. [Exeunt. SCENE changes to Timon's hall. Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand. Flav. N That he will neither know how to maintain it, O care, no top? fo fenfelefs of expence, Nor ceafe his flow of riot? Takes no account Was to be fo unwife, to be so kind. What shall be done?-he will not hear, 'till feel : Enter Caphis, Ifidore, and Varro. Cap. Good evening, Varro; what you come for money? Var. Is't not your bufinefs too? Cap. It is; and yours too, Ifidore? Ifid. It is fo. Cap. Would we were all discharg❜d. Var. I fear it. Cap. Here comes the Lord. (13) -take the bonds along with you, And have the dates in. Come.] The abfurdity of this paffage is fo glaring, that one cannot help wondering, none of our poet's editors fhould have been fagacious enough to ftumble at it. Certainly, ever fince bonds were given, the date was put in when the bond was enter'd into: And thefe bonds Timon had already given, and the time limited for their payment was laps'd. The Senator's charge to his fervant must be to the tenour as I have amended the text; viz. Take good notice of the dates, for the better computation of the intereft due upon them. Mr. Pope has vouchfafed to acknowledge my emendation, and cry recte to it in the appendix to his last impreffion. 2 Enter ་ Enter Timon, and his train. Tim. So foon as dinner's done, we'll forth again, My Alcibiades.-Well, what's your will? [They prefent their bills. Cap. My Lord, here is a note of certain dues. Cap. Of Athens here, my Lord. Cap. Please it your Lordship, he hath put me off To call upon his own; and humbly prays you, Tim. Mine honeft friend, I pr'ythee, but repair to me next morning. Tim. Contain thyself, good friend. Var. One Varro's fervant, my good Lord Ifid. From Ifidore, he prays your fpeedy payment— Ifid. Your fteward puts me off, my Lord, and I Tim. Give me breath:- I do beseech you, good my Lords, keep on, [Ex. Lords. How goes the world, that I am thus encountred Against my honour ? Flav. Pleafe you, gentlemen, The time is unagreeable to this business: Your importunity ceafe, 'till after dinner; That I may make his Lordship understand Wherefore you are not paid. Tim. Do fo, my friends; fee them well entertain❜d. [Exit Tim, |