Poet. Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your lordship! Tim. I thank you; you shall hear from me anon: Go not away. What have you there, my friend? Pain. A piece of painting, which I do beseech Your lordship to accept. Tim. Painting is welcome. Pain. The gods preserve you! Tim. Well fare you, gentlemen: Give me your hand; We must needs dine together.-Sir, your jewel Hath suffer'd under praise. Jew. What, my lord? dispraise? Tim. A mere satiety of commendations. Jew. My lord, 'tis rated As those, which sell, would give: But you well know, Are prized by their masters: believe't, dear lord, Tim. Well mock'd. Mer. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue, Which all men speak with him. Tim. Look, who comes here. Will Will you be chid? henceforth consider any thing that I possess, but as owed or due to you held for your service, and at your disposal. JOHNSON. 5 unclew me quite.] To unclew is to unwind a ball of thread. To unclew a man, is to draw out the whole mass of his fortunes. 6 Are prized by their masters :] are rated according to the esteem in which their possessor is held. JOHNSON. Enter APEMANTUS. Jew. We will bear, with your lordship. Mer. He'll spare none. Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus! Apem. Till I be gentle, stay for thy good-morrow † ; When thou art Timon's dog', and these knaves honest. Tim. Why dost thou call them knaves? thou know'st them not. Apem. Are they not Athenians? Tim. Yes. Apem. Then I repent not. Jew. You know me, Apemantus. Apem. Thou knowest, I do; I call'd thee by thy name. Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus. Apem. Of nothing so much, as that I am not like Timon. Tim. Whither art going? Apem. To knock out an honest Athenian's brains. Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law. Tim. Wrought he not well, that painted it? Apem. He wrought better, that made the painter; and yet he's but a filthy piece of work. Pain. You are a dog. Apem. Thy mother's of my generation; What's she, if I be a dog? "Stay thou for thy good morrow ;"-MALONE. 7 When thou art Timon's dog,] Apemantus means to say, that Timon is not to receive a gentle good morrow from him till that shall happen which never will happen; till Timon is transformed to the shape of his dog, and his knavish followers become honest men. Stay for thy good morrow, says he, till I be gentle, which will happen at the same time when thou art Timon's dog, &c. i. e. never. VOL. VI. D d Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus ? Apem. No; I eat not lords. Tim. An thou should'st, thou'dst anger ladies. Apem. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies. Tim. That's a lascivious apprehension. Apem. So thou apprehend'st it: Take it for thy labour. Tim. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus? Apem. Not so well as plain-dealing, which will not cost a man a doit. Tim. What dost thou think 'tis worth? Apem. Not worth my thinking.-How now, poet? Apem. Thou liest. Poet. Art not one? Apem. Yes. Poet. Then I lie not. Apem. Art not a poet? Poet. Yes. Apem. Then thou liest: look in thy last work, where thou hast feign'd him a worthy fellow. Poet. That's not feign'd, he is so. Apem. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy labour: He that loves to be flattered, is worthy o'the flatterer. Heavens, that I were a lord! Tim. What would'st do then, Apemantus? Apem. Even as Apemantus does now, hate a lord with my heart. Tim. What, thyself? Apem. Ay. Tim. Wherefore? Apem. That I had no angry wit, to be a lord.-Art not thou a merchant? Mer. Ay, Apemantus. 8 Not so well as plain-dealing,] Alluding to the proverb : dealing is a jewel, but they that use it die beggars." Apem. Traffick confound thee, if the gods will not! Mer. If traffick do it, the gods do it. Apem. Traffick's thy god, and thy god confound thee! Trumpets sound. Enter a Servant. Tim. What trumpet's that? Serv. 'Tis Alcibiades, and Some twenty horse, all of companionship. You must needs dine with me:-Go not you hence, Enter ALCIBIADES, with his Company. Most welcome, sir! Apem. So, so; there!— [They salute. Aches contract and starve your supple joints! That there should be small love 'mongst these sweet knaves, And all this court'sy! The strain of man's bred out Alcib. Sir, you have sav'd my longing, and I feed Most hungrily on your sight. Tim. Right welcome, sir; Ere we depart, we'll share a bounteous time In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in. [Exeunt all but APEMANTUS. 9 all of companionship.] This expression does not mean barely that they all belong to one company, but that they are all such as Alcibiades honours with his acquaintance, and sets on a level with himself. 1 The strain of man's bred out Into baboon and monkey.] Man is exhausted and degenerated; his strain or lineage is worn down into a monkey. JOHNSON. Dd 2 Enter Two Lords. 1 Lord. What time a day is't, Apemantus? Apem. Time to be honest. 1 Lord. That time serves still. Apem. The most accursed thou, that still omit'st it. 2 Lord. Thou art going to lord Timon's feast. Apem. Ay; to see meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools. 2 Lord. Fare thee well, fare thee well. Apem. Thou art a fool, to bid me farewell twice. 2 Lord. Why, Apemantus? Apem. Should'st have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none. 1 Lord. Hang thyself. Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend. 2 Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence. Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. [Exit. 1 Lord. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes The very heart of kindness. 2 Lord. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold, Is but his steward: no meed', but he repays Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him, But breeds the giver a return exceeding All use of quittance3. 1 Lord. That ever govern'd man. The noblest mind he carries, 2 no meed,] Meed, which in general signifies reward or recompense, in this place seems to mean desert. 3 All use of quittance.] i. e. all the customary returns made in discharge of obligations. |