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Tim. Ready for his friends.

Apem. What a coil's here,

[Exeunt Lords.

Serving of becks and jutting out of bums! (y)
I doubt whether their legs be worth the fums
That are given for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs;
Methinks falfe hearts fhould never have found legs.
Thus honeft fools lay out their wealth on courtefies.
Tim. Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not fullen,
I would be good to thee.

Apem. No, I'll nothing; for if I fhould be bribed too, there would be none left to rail upon thee, and then thou wouldst fin the fafter. Thou givest fo long, Timon, (10) I fear me thou wilt give away

(9) Serving of becks,] I have not ventured to alter this phrafe, though I confefs freely I don't understand it. It may be made intelligible two ways, with a very flight alteration. Mr Warburton acutely propofed 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.we might read,

-OF,

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 thy felf 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 falt which is in Apemantus's other reflections. He propofes;

-give away thyself in proper fhortly.

i. e. in person, thy proper felf. This latter is an expression of our Author's in the Tempeft;

And even with such like valour men hang and drown
Their proper felves.

And of Ben Johnfon in the induction to his Cynthia's Revels;

-If you please to confer with our author by attor ney, you may, Sir; our proper felf here ftands for him. And the other phrafe, thyself in proper-without the substan

thyfelf in paper fhortly. What need these feasts, 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 mufic. [Exit. Apem. So--(11) thou wilt not hear me now, thou fhalt not then.

I'll lock thy heaven from thee:

Oh, that men's ears fhould be

To counfel deaf, but not to flattery!

[Exit.

tive fubjoined, I believe, may be justified by fimilar ufage. Ben felinfon in his Sejanus;

My Lords, thus ftrike at every Roman's private.

i. e. private property, or intereft. And again, in the fame play;

Macro, thou art engaged; and what before

Was public, now muft be thy private.

7. 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.

. . peculiar body, or brightness; for it is fpoken of the ftars.

(1) Thou wilt not hear me now, thou shalt not then.

I'll lock thy heaven from thee.] So, in Cymbeline, Imogen fays;

-if he fhould write,

And I not have it, 'tis a paper loft

As offered mercy is.

i. e. not to be retrieved. In both these 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 dragged away by the violence of the paflions, 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.

ANI

A CT II.

SCENE, a public Place in the City.

Enter a Senator.

SENATOR.

ND late, five thousand: to Varro and to Ifi-
dore

He owes nine thousand, befides my former fum;
Which makes it five and twenty.-Still in motion
Of raging wafte? It cannot hold, it will not.
If I want gold, steal but a beggar's dog,
And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold.
If I would fell my horfe and buy ten more
Better than he; why, give my horse to Timon;
Afk nothing, give it him, it foals me straight
Ten able horse. No porter at his gate; (12)
But rather one that smiles, and ftill invites
All that pafs by it. It cannot hold; no reason
Can found his ftate in fafety. Caphis, hoa!
Caphis, I fay.

(12) Afk nothing, give it him, it foals me ftraight

An able horfe.] The ftupidity of this corruption will be very obvious, if we take the whole context together. If I want gold (fays the Senator) let me steal a beggar's dog, and give it to Timon, the dog coins me gold. If I would fell my horse, and had a mind to buy ten better instead of him; why, I need but give my horse to limon, to gain this point; and it presently fetches me an horfe. But is that gaining the point proposed? sense and reason warrant the reading that I have reftored to the text. The first Folio reads lefs corruptedly than the modern impreffions;

And able horses.

Which reading, joined to the reafoning of the paffage, gave me the hint for this emendation.

Enter CAPHIS.

Caph. Here, Sir, what is your pleasure?
Sen. Get on your cloak, and hafte you to Lord
Timon;

Importune him for monies; be not ceas'd

With flight denial; nor then filenced 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 muft ferve my turn
Out of mine own; his days and times are past,
And my reliance on his fracted dates

Has fmit my credit. I love and honour him;
But muft not break my back to heal his finger.
Immediate are my needs, and my relief
Must not be toffed and turned to me in words,
But find fupply immediate. Get you gone.
Put on a molt importunate afpect,
A vifage of demand: for I do fear,
When every feather fticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,
Who flashes now a Phoenix-get you gone.
Cap. I go, Sir.

Sen. I go, Sir?-----take the bonds along with you, (13)

And have the dates in compt.

(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 should have been fagacious enough to ftumble at it. Certainly ever fince bonds were given, the date was put in when the bond was entered into; and thefe bonds Timon had already given, and the time limited for their payment was lapfed. 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 appen dix to his laft impreffion.

Cap. I will, Sir.

Sen. Go.

SCENE changes to Timon's Hall.

[Exeunt

Enter FLAVIUS, with many Bills in his Hand. Flav. No care, no ftop? fo fenfelefs of expence, That he will neither know how to maintain it, Nor ceafe his flow of riot? Takes no account How things go from him, and refumes no care Of what is to continue: never mind

Was to be fo unwise, to be so kind.

What fhall be done?-he will not hear, 'till feel:
I must be round with him, now he comes from
Fy, fy, fy, fy.

[hunting.

Enter CAPHIS, ISIDORE, and VARRO.

Cap. Good evening, Varro; what, you come for money!

Var. Is't not your business too?

Cap. It is; and yours too, Ifidore?
Ifid. It is fo.

Cap. Would we were all discharged.
Var. I fear it.

Cap. Here comes the Lord.

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. Tim. Dues? whence are you?

Cap. Of Athens here, my Lord.

Tim. Go to my steward.

Cap. Please it your Lordship, he hath put me off

To the fucceffion of new days, this month:

My mafter is awaked by great occafion,

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