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Enter Servant.

Ser. Pleafe you, my Lord, there are certain La dies most defirous of admittance.

Tim. Ladies? what are their wills?

Ser, There comes with them a forerunner, my Lord, which bears that office to fignify their pleafures.

Tim. I pray, let them be admitted.

Enter CUPID with a Mafque of Ladies, as Amazons.. Gup. Hail to thee, worthy Timon, and to all That of his bounties tafte! the five beft fenfes Acknowledge thee their patron, and do come Freely to gratulate thy plenteous bofom:

Th' ear, tafte, touch, fmell, pleafed from thy table rife, (7)

Thefe only now come but to feast thine eyes.

Tim. They're welcome all; let 'em have kind admittance.

Let mufic make their welcome.

Luc. You fee, my Lord, how amply you're beloved.

Apem. Hoyday, what a fweep of vanity comes They dance, they are mad women.

[this way!

Like madnefs is the glory of this life;
As this pomp fhews to a little oil and root.

(7) There tafte, touch, all. pleafed from thy table rife They only now] The incomparable emendation, with which the text is here fupplied, I owe to my ingenious friend Mr Warburton. The five fenfes, as he obferves, are talked of by Cupid, but only three of them made out; and thofe in a very heavy, unintelligible manner. But now you. have them all, and the Poet's fenfe compleat, viz. The five fenfes, Timon, acknowledge thee their patron; four of them, the hearing, the touch, the tafte, and fmell, are all regaled at your beard; and thefe ladies come with me to entertain your fight, in prefenting a mafque.

We make ourselves fools, to difport ourselves;
And spend our flatteries, to drink those men,
Upon whofe age we void it up again,
With poisonous fpight and envy

Who lives, that's not depraved, or depraves?
Who dies, that bears not one fpurn to their graves
Of their friend's gift?----

I fhould fear thofe that dance before me now,
Would one day stamp upon me: 't has been done;
Men thut their doors against the setting fun.

[The Lords rife from Table, with much adoring of Timon; each fingling out an Amazon, and all dance, Men with Women; a lofty ftrain or two to the Hautboys, and ceafe.]

Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair Ladies,

Set a fair faflion on our entertainment,

Which was not half fo beautiful and kind:
You've added worth unto't, and lively luftre,
And entertained me with mine own device.
I am to thank you for it.

Luc. My Lord, you take us even at the best. Apem. Faith, for the worst is filthy, and would not hold taking, I doubt me.

Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you. Please you to difpofe yourselves.

All La. Moft thankfully, my Lord.

Tim. Flavius?

Flav. My Lord.

Tim. The little cafket bring me hither.

[Exeunt.

Flav. Yes, my Lord. More jewels yet? there is no croffing him in's humour,

Elfe I fhould tell him-well-i'faith, I fhould, When all's spent, he'd be croffed then if he could: (8)

(8) he'd be croffed then if he could :] The Poet does not mean here, that he would be croffed, or thwarted in humour,

Tis pity bounty has not eyes behind;

That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind.
Luc. Where be our men?

Ser. Here, my Lord, in readiness.
Lucul. Our horfes.

Tim. O my good friends!

I have one word to fay to you; look, my Lord,
I must entreat you, honour me fo much

As to advance this jewel, accept, and wear it,
Kind my Lord!

Luc. I am fo far already in your gifts,

All. So are we all. [Exe. Lucius and Lucullus.
Enter a Servant.

Ser. My Lord, there are certain nobles of the Senate newly alighted, and come to vifit you.

but that he would have his hand craffed, as we say, with money, if he could. He is playing on the word, and alluding to our old filver penny, ufed before King Edward I.'s time, which had a cross on the reverfe, with a creafe, that it might be more eafily broke into halves and quarters, half pence and farthings. From this penny, and other fubfequent pieces that bore the like imprefs, was our common expreffion derived, I have not a cross about me; i, e. not a piece of money. I thought this note might not be unne ceffary, because it ferves to explain feveral other paffages, where the Poet has punned on this term. For inftance, in the fecond part of Henry IV. Falstaff asking the Lord Chief Justice to lend him a thousand pounds, he replies;

Not a penny, not a penny; you are too impatient to bear croffes.

In Love's Labour's lost;

Arm. I love not to be crossed.

Moth. He fpeaks the clean contrary;

Craffes love not him.

And in As you like it;

Clown.

Yet I fhould bear no crofs, if I did bear

you; for I think you have no money in your purse.

In all which places, 'tis clear that money is fignified by the word craffes.

Tim. They are fairly welcome.

Re-enter FLAVIUS.

Flav. I befeech your Honour, vouchfafe me a word; it does concern you near.

Tim. Near! why then another time I'll hear thee: I pr'ythee let's be provided to fhew them enter

tainment.

Flav. I fcarce know how.

Enter another Servant.

2 Ser. May it please your Honour, Lord Lucius, out of his free love, hath prefented to you four milk-white horses trapped in filver.

Tim. I fhall accept them fairly: let the prefents Be worthily entertained.

Enter a third Servant.

How now? what news?

3 Ser. Please you, my Lord, that honourable gentleman, Lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him, and has fent your Honour two brace of grey-hounds.

Tim. I'll hunt with him; and let them be received, not without fair reward.

Flav. What will this come to? he commands us to provide, and give great gifts, and all out of an empty coffer: nor will he know his purfe, or yield me this,

To fhew him what a beggar his heart is,

Being of no power to make his wishes good;
His promifes fly fo beyond his fiate,

That what he speaks is all in debt; he owes for every word:

He is fo kind that he pays interest for't:
His land's
put to their books. Well, would I were
VOL. X.

C

Gently put out of office, ere I were forced.
Happier is he that has no friend to feed,
Than fuch as do e'en enemies exceed.
I bleed inwardly for my Lord.

[Exit.

Tim. You do yourselves much wrong, you baté too much of your own merits.

trifle of our love.

Here, my Lord, a

I Lord. With more than common thanks I will receive it.

3 Lord. He has the very foul of bounty.

Tim. And now I remember, my Lord, you gave good words the other day of a bay courfer I rode 'Tis yours because you liked it.

on.

2 Lord. Oh, I beseech you, pardon me, my Lord,

in that.

Tim. You may take my word, my Lord: I know no man can juftly praise but what he does affect. I weigh my friend's affection with my own; I'll tell you true, I'll call on you.

All Lords. O, none fo welcome.

Tim. I take all, and your several visitations
So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give;
Methinks I could deal kingdoms to my friends,
And ne'er be weary. Alcibiades,

Thou art a foldier, therefore feldom rich,
It comes in charity to thee; thy living

Is amongst the dead; and all the lands thou haft
Ly in a pitched field.

Alc. I defy land, my Lord.

1 Lord. We are fo virtuously bound-
Tim. And fo am I to you.

2 Lord. So infinitely endeared.

Tim. All to you. Lights! more lights! more lights!

3 Lord The beft of happiness, honour and forKeep with you; Lord Timon

[tune's

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