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But rather one that smiles and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold; no reason
Can found his state in safety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say!

Caph.

Enter Caphis.

Here, sir; what is your pleasure? Sen. Get on your cloak, and haste you to Lord Timon;

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Importune him for my moneys; be not ceased
With slight denial; nor then silenced, when-
'Commend me to your master'—and the cap
Plays in the right hand, thus; but tell him,
My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn.
Out of mine own; his days and times are past,
And my reliances on his fracted dates
Have smit my credit: I love and honor him,
But must not break my back to heal his finger:
Immediate are my needs; and my relief
Must not be toss'd and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone:
Put on a most importunate aspect,

A visage of demand; for, I do fear,
When every feather sticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,

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18. "found his state in safety"; Hanmer's reading; Ff., "sound ."; Capell, "found on safety"; Capell conj. "find

in safety."-I. G.

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22. "fracted dates" are bonds that have run past their date unpaid, and so are broken.-H. N. H.

30. To catch the full sense of this line, the reader should remember that in the Poet's time "his" was continually used for its, as in the English Bible; its not being then a legitimate word.-H. N. H.

Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone.

Caph. I go, sir.

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A hall in Timon's house.

Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand.

Flavius. No care, no stop! so senseless of expense, That he will neither know how to maintain it, Nor cease his flow of riot: takes no account How things go from him; nor resumes no care Of what is to continue: never mind

Was to be so unwise, to be so kind.

What shall be done? he will not hear till feel:

I must be round with him, now he comes from hunting.

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32. "which" for who; referring to Timon, not to gull.-H. N. H. 6. "Was to be"; Heath conj. "Was made to be"; Long MS., "“Was”; Mason conj. "Was formed"; Singer MS., "Was truly"; Collier MS., "Was surely."—I. G.

10. "Varro"; servants were often addressed by the name of their masters.-H. N. H.

Var. Serv.

Is 't not your business too?

Caph. It is: and yours too, Isidore?
Isid. Serv.

It is so.

Caph. Would we were all discharged!

Var. Serv.

Caph. Here comes the lord.

I fear it.

Enter Timon, Alcibiades, Lords, and others.

will?

Tim. So soon as dinner 's done, we 'll forth again,
My Alcibiades. With me? what is your
Caph. My lord, here is a note of certain dues.
Tim. Dues! Whence are you?

Caph.

Tim. Go to my steward.

Of Athens here, my lord.

Caph. Please it your lordship, he hath put me off
To the succession of new days this month: 20
My master is awaked by great occasion
To call upon his own, and humbly prays you
That with your other noble parts you 'll suit
In giving him his right.

Tim.

Mine honest friend,
I prithee but repair to me next morning.
Caph. Nay, good my lord,—

Tim.
Contain thyself, good friend.
Var. Serv. One Varro's servant, my good lord,—

14. "we'll forth again”; that is, to hunting; in our author's time it Iwas the custom to hunt as well after dinner as before. Thus in Tancred and Gismunda, 1592: "He means this evening in the park to hunt." Queen Elizabeth, during her stay at Kenilworth Castle, always hunted in the afternoon.-H. N. H.

20. "To the succession," etc.; to the time of the new moon.-C. H. H.

23. "suit"; accord.-C. H. H.

Isid. Serv. From Isidore; he humbly prays

your speedy payment.

Caph. If you did know, my lord, my master's

wants,

Var. Serv. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord,

six weeks and past.

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Isid. Serv. Your steward puts me off, my lord, and I

Am sent expressly to your lordship.
Tim. Give me breath.

I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on;
I'll wait upon you instantly.

[Exeunt Alcibiades, Lords, &c. [To Flav.] Come hither: pray you, How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd

With clamorous demands of date-broke bonds,
And the detention of long-since-due debts,
Against my honor?

Flav.

Please you, gentlemen,
The time is unagreeable to this business:
Your importunacy cease till after dinner,
That I may make his lordship understand
Wherefore you are not paid.

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Tim. Do so, my friends. See them well enter

tain❜d.

'Flav. Pray, draw near.

Enter Apemantus and Fool.

[Exit. [Exit.

38. The original reads,-"With clamorous demands of debt, broken bonds." The emendation is Malone's. Date-broke bonds agrees well with fracted dates, in the preceding scene. The occurrence of debts in the next line is much in favor of the change.-H. N. H.

Caph. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Ape

mantus: let's ha' some sport with 'em.
Var. Serv. Hang him, he 'll abuse us.
Isid. Serv. A plague upon him, dog!
Var. Serv. How dost, fool?

Apem. Dost dialogue with thy shadow?
Var. Serv. I speak not to thee.

Apem. No, 'tis to thyself. [To the Fool]
Come away.

Isid. Serv. There's the fool hangs on your back
already.

Apem. No, thou stand'st single, thou 'rt not on him yet.

Caph. Where's the fool now?

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Apem. He last asked the question. Poor 60 rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between

gold and want!

All Serv. What are we, Apemantus?

Apem. Asses.

All Serv. Why?

Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves. Speak to 'em, fool. Fool. How do you, gentlemen?

All Serv. Gramercies, good fool: how does your mistress?

Fool. She's e'en setting on water to scald such

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69. "Gramercies"; this word, from the French grand merci, meaning literally great thanks, is commonly used in the singular, as a few lines below.-H. N. H.

71-73. Evidently alluding to the old method of scalding chickens, to get the feathers off. And with this is joined a reference to a certain disease and to the sweating tub used for the curing of it; which tub, according to Randle Holme, persons "were put into, not to boyl up to an heighth, but to parboyl."-The character of the

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