fecurity. Here's three Solidares for thee; good boy, wink
at me, and fay, thou faw'ft me not. Fare thee well.
Flam. Is't poffible the world fhould fo much differ,
And we alive that liv'd? fly, damned baseness,
To him that worships thee. [Throwing the money away.
Lucul. Ha! now I fee thou art a fool, and fit for thy
master.
[Exit Lucullus.
Flam. May thefe add to the number that may fcald thee:
Let molten coin be thy damnation,

Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship fuch a faint and milky heart,
It turns in less than two nights? O you gods!
I feel my mafter's paffion. This flave
Unto this hour has my Lord's meat in him:
Why should it thrive, and turn to nutriment,
When he is turn'd to poison?

O may diseases only work upon't:

And when he's fick to death, let not that part
Of nature, my Lord paid for, be of power
To expel fickness, but prolong his hour! (16) [Exit.

SCENE, a publick Street.

Enter Lucius, with three Strangers.

HO, the Lord Timon? he is my very good
friend, and an honourable gentleman.

Luc.
WHO, the is my

1 Stran. We know him for no lefs, tho' we are but ftrangers to him. But I can tell you one thing, my Lord, and which I hear from common rumours, now Lord Timon's happy hours are done and paft, and his eftate fhrinks from him.

(16) But prolong his hour!] Mr. Pope, in both his editions, without any authority or reafon affign'd, has fubftituted or inftead of but here: by which the fenfe is infeebled; and the fervant only made to fay, let my mafter's meat in his belly, when he comes to be fick, neither be of force to expel his fick nefs, nor to put off the time of his death, one hour. Whereas but finely exaggerates the fervant's intended curfe, to this effect: Let diseases only work upon that food in him, which my mafter paid for; let it not prove a nutriment able to expel the malady; but on the contrary, the fewel to his distemper, and the means of prolonging his torture!

Luc.

Luc. Fy, no, do not believe it: he cannot want for money.

2 Stran. But believe you this, my Lord, that not long ago one of his men was with the Lord Lucullus, to borrow fifty talents, nay, urg'd extremely for't, and fhewed what neceffity belong'd to't, and yet was deny'd. Luc. How?

2 Stran. I tell you, deny'd, my Lord.

Luc. What a ftrange cafe was that? now, before the gods, I am afham'd on't. Deny'd that honourable man? there was very little honour shew'd in that. For my own part, I must needs confefs, I have received fome small kindneffes from him, as money, plate, jewels, and fuch like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet had he miftook him, and fent him to me, 1 fhould ne'er have deny'd his occafion fo many talents.

Enter Servilius.

Ser. See, by good hap, yonder's my Lord, I have fweat to fee his honour.-My honour'd Lord- [To Lucius. Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, Sir. Fare thee well, commend me to thy honourable virtuous Lord, my very exquifite friend."

Ser. May it please your honour, my Lord hath fent-Luc. Ha! what hath he fent? I am fo much endear'd to that Lord; he's ever fending: how fhall I thank him, think't thou? and what has he fent now?

Ser. H'as only fent his prefent occafion now, my Lord; requesting your Lordship to fupply his inftant ufe, with fifty talents.

Luc. I know, his Lordship is but merry with me; He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.

Ser. But in the mean time he wants lefs, my Lord. If his occafion were not virtuous,

I should not urge it half fo faithfully.

Luc. Doft thou fpeak feriously, Servilius?
Ser. Upon my foul, 'tis true, Sir.

Luc, What a wicked beaft was I, to disfurnish myself against fuch a good time, when I might ha' fhewn myself honourable? how unluckily it hapned, that I fhould

G 4

purchase

purchase the day before for a little (17) dirt, and undo a great deal of honour? Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do-(the more beaft, I fay)-I was fending to use Lord Timon myself, thefe gentlemen can -witnefs; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had don't now. Commend me bountifully to his good Lordship, and, I hope, his honour will conceive the faireft of me, because I have no power to be kind. And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, that I cannot pleasure fuch an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me fo far, as to use my own words to him?

Ser. Yes, Sir, I fhall.

[Exit Servilius. Luc. I'll look ye out a good turn, ServiliusTrue, as you faid, Timon is fhrunk, indeed;

And he, that's once deny'd, will hardly fpeed. [Exit. 1 Stran. Do you obferve this, Hoftilius?

2 Stran. Ay, too well.

1 Stran. Why, this is the world's foul;

(17) That I fhould purchase the day before for a little part, and undo great deal of honour ?] Tho' there is a feeming plaufible Antithefis, in the terms, I am very well affur'd, they are corrupt at the bottom. For a little part of what? bonour is the only fubftantive that follows in the fentence; but men don't purchase for honour, tho' fometimes they may turn purchasers out of oftenftation. How much is the Antithefis improv'd by the fenfe which my emendation gives?" That I "fhould be fo unlucky to make this purchase, for the lucre of a little "dirt, and undo a great deal of bonour !" This manner of expreffing contemptuously of land, is very frequent with the Poets. So Hamlet, A&t 5, fpeaking of Ofrick,

he hath much land and fertile;---'tis a chough; but, as I fay, fpacious in the poffeffion of dirt.

So Beaumont and Fletcher in the Scornful Lady, A&t 1.

your brother's house is big enough; and, to fay truth, he has too much land; hang it, dirt.

And again, in the 2d A&t;

-noble boy, the god of gold here has fee'd thee well; take money for thy dirt.

And the Elder Brother, A&t 3d.

Had y' only fhew'd me land, I had deliver'd it,

And been a proud man to have parted with it:

'Tis dirt and labour.

More authorities would be fuperfluous.

Of

Of the fame piece is every flatterer's fpirit: (18)
Who can call him his friend,

That dips in the fame difh? for, in my knowing
Timon has been to this Lord as a father,

And kept his credit with his bounteous purfe:
Supported his eftate; nay, Timon's money
Has paid his men their wages. He ne'er drinks,
But Timon's filver treads upon his lip;

And yet, oh, fee the monftrousness of man,
When he looks out in an ungrateful fhape!
He does deny him (in respect of his)
What charitable men afford to beggars.
3 Stran. Religion groans at it.

1 Stran. For mine own part,

I never tafted Timon in my life;

Nor of his bounties came o'er me,
any

To mark me for his friend. Yet, I proteft,
For his right noble mind, illuftrious virtue,
And honourable carriage,

Had his neceffity made ufe of me,

I would have put my wealth into donation,
And the best half fhould have return'd to him,
So much I love his heart: but I perceive,
Men must learn now with pity to difpence,
For policy fits above confcience.

Enter a third Servant with Sempronius.

[Exeunt.

Sem. Muft he needs trouble me in't? 'bove all others?--

He might have tried Lord Lucius, or Lucullus,

And now Ventidius is wealthy too,

Whom he redeem'd from prison: All these three

Owe their eftates unto him.

Ser. Oh, my Lord,

They've all been touch'd, and all are found bafe metal; For they have all deny'd him.

Sem. How? deny'd him?

Ventidius and Lucullus both deny'd him?

And does he fend to me? three! hum

(18) Is every flatterer's sport. ] This fenfelefs corruption has hitherto run through all the editions; and, as I fuppofe, without fufpicion.

It fhews but little love or judgment in him.
Muft I be his laft refuge? his friends, like physicians, (19)
Thriv'd, give him over? muft I take the cure
On me? h'as much disgrac'd me in't; I'm angry.
He might have known my place; I fee no fenfe for't,
But his occafions might have wooed me first:
For, in my confcience, I was the first man
That e'er received gift from him.

And does he think fo backwardly of me,
That I'll requite it laft? no:

So it may prove an argument of laughter

To th' reft, and 'mongft Lords I be thought a fool:
I'd rather than the worth of thrice the fum,

H'ad fent to me firft, but for my mind's fake:
I'd fuch a courage to have done him good.
But now return,

And with their faint reply this answer join;

Who bates mine honour, fhall not know my coin. [Exit.

Ser. Excellent! your Lordship's a goodly villain. The devil knew not what he did, when he made man politick; he crofs'd himself by't; and I cannot think, but in the end the villanies of man will fet him clear. How fairly this Lord ftrives to appear foul? takes virtuous copies to be wicked: like thofe that under hot, ardent, zeal would fet whole realms on fire. Of fuch a nature is his politick love.

This was my Lord's best hope; now all are fled,
Save the gods only. Now his friends are dead;
Doors, that were ne'er acquainted with their wards

(19) his friends, like phyficians Thriv'd, give him over ?] I have reftor'd this old reading, only amended the pointing which was faulty. Mr. Pope, fufpecting the phrase, has fubftituted three in the room of thriv'd, and fo difarm'd the poet's fatire. Phyficians thriv'd is no more than phyficians grown rich: Only the adjective paffive of this verb, indeed, is not fo common in ufe; and yet it is a familiar expreffion, to this day, to say, fuch a one is well thriven on his trade. This very farcafm of our author is made ufe of by Webfter a contemporary poet in his Dutchess of Malfy, the cloathing only a little varied,

-Phyficians thus,

With their bands full of money, use to give o'er
Their patients.

Many