To stop affliction, let him take his Hafte;

Come hither, ere my Tree hath felt the ax,
And hang himself-I pray you, do my Greeting.
Flav. Vex him no further, thus you ftill fhall find
him.

Tim. Come not to me again, but fay to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting manfion
Upon the beached verge of the falt flood;
Which once a-day with his emboffed froth
The turbulent furge fhall cover. Thither come,
And let my grave stone be
stone be your cracle.
Lips, let four words go by, and language end:
What is amifs, plague and infection mend!
Graves only be mens' works, and death their gain!
Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his Reign.
Exit Timon.
1 Sen. His discontents are unremovably coupled to

his nature.

2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead. Let us return, And strain what other means is left unto us

In our dear peril.

1 Sen. It requires swift foot.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

IV.

Changes to the Walls of Athens.

Enter two other Senators, with a Melenger.

1 Sen. HOU haft painfully difcover'd, are his Ales

Sen. THO

As full as thy report?
Mef. I have spoke the leaft.

6 In our dear peril.] So the Folios, and rightly. The Oxford Editor alters dear to dread, not knowing that dear, in the

language of that time, fignified dread, and is so used by ShakeSpear in numberless places.

WARBURTON.

Be

Befides, his expedition promifes

Prefent approach.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon.

Mef. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend; Who, though in general part we were oppos'd, Yet our old love made a particular force,

And made us ipeak like friends.

This man was riding From Alcibiades' to Timon's Cave,

With letters of intreaty, which imported
His fellowship i'th' Cause against your City,
In part for his fake mov'd.

Enter the other Senators.

1 Sen. Here come our Brothers.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect. The enemy's Drum is heard, and fearful Scouring Doth choak the air with duft. In, and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foe's the fnare. [Exeunt.

Sol.

B

Enter a Soldier, feeking Timon.

Y all description this fhould be the place.
Who's here? fpeak, ho.-No answer ?
What is this?.

Timon is dead, who hath out-ftretch'd his span;
7 Some beaft read this; here does not live a man.

7 Some beast read this; here

does not live a man.] Some beaft read what? The foldier had yet only feen the rude pile of earth heap'd up for Timon's grave, and not the Infcription upon it. 4

We should read,

Dead,

Some beast REAR'd this ; . The foldier feeking, by order, for Timon, fees fuch an irregular mole, as he concludes must have been the workmanship of fome

beaft

Dead, fure, and this his grave; what's on this tomb
I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax;
Our Captain hath in every figure skill,
An ag'd interpreter, tho' young in days;
Before proud Athens he's fet down by this,
Who's Fall the mark of his ambition is.

[Exit:

Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades, with his Powers. Alc. OUND to this coward and lafcivious town Our terrible Approach.

Sou

Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the walls. 'Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious measure, making your wills The scope of justice. 'Till now myself and such As flept within the shadow of your Power,

8

Have wander'd with our traverft arms, and breath'd Our fufferance vainly. Now the time is flush,

1

When crouching marrow in the bearer strong

beaft inhabiting the woods; and fuch a cavity, as either must have been fo over-arched, or happened by the cafual falling in of the ground. WARBURTON. Notwithstanding this remark, I believe the old reading to be the right. The foldier had only feen the rude heap of earth. He had evidently feen fomething that told him Timon was dead; and what could tell that but his tomb? The tomb he fees, and the infcription upon it, which not being able to read, and finding none to read it for him, he exclaims peevishly, fome beast read this, for it must be read,

Cries,

Cries, of itfelf, no more; now breathless wrong
Shall fit and pant in your great Chairs of ease,
And purfy Infolence fhall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.

Sek. Noble and young,

When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit,
Ere thou hadft power, or we had cause to fear
We sent to thee, to give thy rages balm,
To wipe out our ingratitude, with loves

2

Above their quantity.

2. Sen. So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble meffage, and by promis'd means,
We were not all unkind, nor all deferve
The common stroke 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 fchools fhould fall

For private faults in them.

2 Seh. Nor are they living,

Who were the motives that you first went out; *Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excefs

Hath

Hath broke their hearts. March on, oh, noble Lord,
Into our city with thy banners fpread;
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 fpotted die,

Let die the fpotted.

1 Sen. All have not offended:

For those that were, it is not fquare to take

On those that are, revenge.

Are not inherited.

Crimes, like to lands,

Then, dear countryman,

Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage;
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and thofe kin,
Which in the blufter of thy wrath must fall
With thofe that have offended. Like a fhepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull th' infected forth,
But kill not altogether.

2 Sen. What thou wilt,

Thou rather fhalt enforce it with thy faile,
Than hew to't with thy fword.

1 Sen. Set but thy foot

Against our rampir'd gates, and they fhall ope,
So thou wilt fend thy gentle heart before,

To fay, thou'lt enter friendly.

Or

2 Sen. Throw thy glove,

"their Hearts." THEOBALD. I have no wish to disturb the manes of Theobald, yet think fome emendation may be offered that will make the conftruction lefs harfh, and the fentence more ferious. I read,

any token of thine Honour elfe, of their Death. For Cunning in Excess must mean this or nothing. O brave Editors! They had heard it faid, 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 eafy and genuine Senfe 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

66

Shame that they wanted coming in excess

Hath broke their hearts.

Shame which they had fo long wanted, at laft coming in its utmost excess.

5-not fquare-] Not regular, not equitable.

That