As flept within the fhadow of your Power,
Have wander'd with our traverst arms, and breath'd
Our fufferance vainly. Now the time is flush,
When crouching marrow in the bearer strong
Cries, of itself, no more: now breathless wrong
Shall fit and pant in your great Chairs of ease,
And purfy Infolence shall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.

1 Sen. Noble and

young,

When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit,
Ere thou hadst power, or we had cause to fear;
We fent to thee, to give thy rages balm,
To wipe out our ingratitude, with loves
Above their quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo (32) Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble meffage, and by promis'd 'mends:
We were not all unkind, nor all deserve
The common ftroke of war.

1 Sen. These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they fuch,
That these great tow'rs, trophies, and schools fhould fall
For private faults in them.

2 Sen. Nor are they living,

Who were the motives that you first went out:
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess (33)

So did we wooe

(32)-
Transformed Timon to our City's Love

Hath

By humble Meffage, and by promis'd means:] Promis'd Means muft import a Supply of Substance, the recruiting his funk For tunes; but that is not all, in my Mind, that the Poet would aim at. The Senate had wooed him with humble Message, and Promise of general Reparation for their Injuries and Ingratitude. This seems included in the flight Change which f have made and by promis'd 'mends: and this Word, apoftrophe'd, or otherwise, is used in common with Amends. (33) Shame, that they wanted Cunning in Excess, Hath broke their Hearts.] i, e, in other Terms,

-Shame, that they

Hath brake their hearts. March on, oh, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread ;
By decimation and a tithed death,

If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature loaths, take thou the deftin'd tenth :
And by the hazard of the spotted die,
Let die the fpotted.

1 Sen. All have not offended:

For those that were, it is not fquare to take
On thofe that are, revenge: Crimes, like to lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage;
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin,
Which in the blufter of thy wrath muft fall
With those that have offended; like a fhepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull th' infected forth;
But kill not all together.

2 Sen. What thou wilt,

Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy fmile,
Than hew to't with thy fword.

I Sen. Set but thy foot

Againft our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope:
So thou wilt fend thy gentle heart before,
To fay, thou'lt enter friendly.

Or

2 Sen. Throw thy glove,

any token of thine Honour elfe,

That thou wilt ufe the wars as thy redress,

And not as our confufion: all thy Powers
Shall make their harbour in our town, till we
Have feal'd thy full defire.

Alc. Then there's my glove;

they were not the cunning'ft Men alive, bath been the Caufe of their Death. For Cunning in Excefs must mean this or nothing. O brave Editors! They had heard it said, that too much Wit in fome Cafes might be dangerous, and why not an abfolute Want of it? But had they the Skill or Courage to remove one perplexing Comma, the easy and genuine Sense would immediately arife." Shame in Excefs (i. e. Extremity of "Shame) that they wanted Cunning (i. e. that they were not "wife enough not to banish you;) hath broke their Hearts.”

Defcend,

Defcend, and open your uncharged ports;
Those enemies of Timon's, and mine own,
Whom you your felves fhall fet out for reproof,
Fall, and no more; and to atone your fears
With my more noble meaning, not a man
Shall pafs his quarter, or offend the stream
Of regular juftice in your city's bounds;
But fhall be remedied by publick laws
At heaviest answer.

Both. 'Tis moft nobly spoken.

Alc. Defcend, and keep your words.

Enter a Soldier.

Sold. My noble General, Timon is dead;
Entomb'd upon the very hem o'th' fea;
And on the grave-ftone this Infculpture, which
With wax I brought away; whofe soft impreffion
Interpreteth for my poor ignorance.

[Alcibiades reads the epitaph.]

Here lies a wretched coarfe, of wretched foul bereft:
Seek not my name; a plague confume you caitiffs left!
Here lye I Timon, who all living men did hate,
Pafs by, and curfe thy fill, but flay not here thy gaite.

These well exprefs in thee thy latter fpirits:
Tho' thou abhor'dft in us our human griefs,

Scorn'dft our brains' flow, and thofe our droplets, which
From niggard nature fall; yet rich conceit (34)

Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye
On thy low Grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
Is noble Timon, of whofe Memory

Taught

Hereafter more. -] All the Editors, in their Learning and Sagacity, have fuffer'd an unaccountable Abfurdity to pass them in this Paffage. Why was Neptune to weep on Timon's Faults forgiven? Or, indeed, what Faults had Timon committed, except against his own Fortune and happy Situation in Life? But the Corruption of the Text lies only in the bad Pointing, which

Taught thee to make vaft Neptune weep for aye
On thy low grave.. On: faults forgiven.- Dead

Is noble Timon, of whofe memory

Hereafter more- -Bring me into your City,
And I will ufe the Olive with my Sword;

Make War breed Peace; make Peace ftint War; make

each

Prefcribe to other, as each other's Leach.

Let our drums ftrike..

[Exeunt.

I have difengag'd, and refter'd to the true Meaning. Alcibi ades's whole Speech, as the Editors might have obferv'd, is in Breaks, betwixt his Reflexions on Timon's Death, and his Addreffes to the Athenian Senators: and as foon as he has com mented on the Place of Timon's Grave, he bids the Senate set forward; tells 'em, he has forgiven their Faults; and promifes to use them with Mercy.