To shew him what a beggar his heart is,
Being of no power to make his wishes good;
His promises fly fo beyond his state,
That what he speaks is allin debt; he owes for ev'ry word:
He is so kind, that he pays interest for't:

His land's put to their books. Well, would I were
Gently put out of office, ere I were forc'd.
Happier is he that has no friend to feed,.
Than fuch that do e'en enemies exceed.

I bleed inwardly for my Lord.

:

1

[Exit.

Tim. You do yourselves much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits. Here, my Lord, a triffle of our love.

1 Lord. With more than common thanks I will receive it.

3 Lord. He has the very foul of bounty.

Tim. And now I remember, my Lord, you gave good words the other day of a bay courser I rode on. 'Tis yours, because you lik'd it.

2 Lord. Oh, I beseech you, pardon me, my Lord, in that. Tim. You may take my word, my Lord: I know no man can justly praise, but what he does affect. I weigh my friends affection with my own; I'll tell you true, I'll call on you.

All Lords. O, none so welcome.

Tim. I take all, and your several vifitations

So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give;
Methinks, I could deal kingdoms to my friends,
And ne'er be weary. Alcibiades,

Thou art a foldier, therefore feldom rich,

It comes in charity to thee; thy living

Is 'mongst the dead; and all the lands thou hast

Lye in a pitcht field.

Alc. I defy land, my Lord.

I Lord. We are so virtuoufly bound

Tim. And so am I to you.

2 Lord. So infinitely endear'd

i

Tim. All to you. Lights! more lights, more lights. 3 Lord. The best of happiness, honour and fortunes,

Keep with you, Lord Timon

[Exeunt Lords.

Tim. Ready for his friends.
Apem. What a coil's here,

Serving of becks and jutting out of bums! (9)
I doubt, whether their legs be worth the sums
That are giv'n for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs;
Methinks, false hearts should never have found legs.
Thus honest 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 should be brib'd too, there would be none left to rail upon thee, and then thou wouldst sin the faster. Thou giv'st so long Timon, (10) I fear me, thou wilt give away thyself in paper shortly.

(9) Serving of becks,] I have not ventur'd to alter this phrafe, tho' I confefs freely, I don't understand it. It may be made intelligible two ways, with a very flight alteration. Mr. Warburton acutely propos'd to me,

Serring of becks,

from the French word ferrer, to join close together, to lock one within another; by a metathor taken from the billing of pigeons, who interfert their bills into one another. Or, we might read,

Scruing of backs, and jutting out of bums! For Apemantus is observing on the ridiculous congees, and complimental motions of the flattering guests in taking their leave. Both conjectures are submitted to judgment.

(10) I fear me, thou wilt give away thyself in paper shortly.] i. e. be ruin'd by his securities entered into. But this fenfe, as Mr. Warburton observes, is cold; and relishes very little of that falt which is in Apemantus's other reflections. He proposes,

-give away thyself in proper shortly.

i. e. in person; thy proper self. This latter is an expression of our author's in the Tempest;

And ev'n with such like valour men hang and drown
Their proper selves.

And of B. Jonfon in the induction to his Cynthia's Revels;

-If you please to confer with our author by attorney, you may,

Sir: our proper felf here stands for him.

And the other phrase, thyself in proper---without the substantive subjoin'd, I believe, may be justified by fimular usage.

B. Jonfon in his Sejanus;

My Lords, this strikes at ev'ry Roman's private. i. c. private property, or interest. And again, in the same play;

shortly. What need these feafts, pomps, and vainglories?

Tim. Nay, if you begin to rail on fociety once, I am fworn not to give regard to you. Farewel, and come with better musick. [Exit.

Apem. So-(11) thou wilt not hear me now, thou

shalt not then.

I'll lock thy heaven from thee:
Oh, that mens ears should be

To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

ACT II.

[Exit.

SCENE, A publick place in the City.

A

Enter a Senator.

SENATOR.

ND late, five thousand: to Varro and to Ifidore He owes nine thousand, befides my former fum, Which makes it five and twenty. -Still in motion i. e. thy private concern. And, to quote one authority from an author of more modern date;

Milton in his Paradise loft, B. 7. v. 367.

By tincture, or reflection, they augment
Their small peculiar.

i. e. peculiar body, or brightness; for it is spoken of the stars.
(II) Thou wilt not bear me now, thou shalt not then.

I'll lock tby beaven from thee.] So, in Cymbeline, Imogen says;

if he should write,

And I not have it, 'tis a paper loft

As offer'd mercy is.

i. e. not to be retriev'd, In both these passages our poet is alluding to a theological opinion, that the Holy Spirit by fecret whispers in the mind, the still voice, inward suggestions, offers its assistance very often when it is not attended to: either when men are drag'd away by the violence of the passions, or blinded by too great attention to worldly avocations. This by divines is call'd the lofs of offer'd mercy: and when it is for a length of time rejected, or difregarded, the offender's cafe is look'd upon to be the more defperate.

Mr. Warburton.

Of

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 horse, 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 still invites
All that pass by it. It cannot hold; no reason
Can found his state in safety. Caphis, hoa!
Caphis, I fay.

Enter Caphis..

Cap. Here, Sir, what is you pleasure ? Sen. Get on your cloak, and haite you to Lord Timon Importune him for monies, be not ceaft With flight denial; nor then filenc'd with ' Commend me to your mafter-and the cap Plays in the right hand, thus: - but tell him, firrah, My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn Out of mine own; his days and times are past, And my reliance on his fracted dates Has smit my credit. I love and honour him; But must not break my back, to heal his finger. Immediate are my needs, and my relief Must not be tost and turn'd to me in words, But find fupply immediate. Get you gone. Put on a most importunate aspect,

A visage of demand: for I do fear,

(12) Afk nothing, give it him, it foals me straight An able borse,] The stupidity of this corruption will be very obvi ous, 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 horfe, and had a mind to " buy ten better instead of him; why, I need but give my horse to "Timon, to gain this point; and it presently fetches me an borse." But is that gaining the point propos'd? sense and reafon warrant the reading, that I have restor'd to the text. The first folio reads, less corruptly than the modern impreifions,

And able horfes.

Which reading, join'd to the reasoning of the passage, gave me the hint for this emendation.

When

When every feather sticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked Gull,
Who flashes now a Phenix-get you gone.

Cap. I go, Sir.

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

And have the dates in compt.

Cap. I will, Sir.

Sen. Go.

Flav.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Timon's hall.

Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand.

No

O care, no stop? so senseless of expence,
That he will neither knowhow to maintainit,

Nor cease 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 so unwife, 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.
Fie, fie, fie, fie.

Enter Caphis, Ifidore, 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 discharg'd.

Var. I fear it.

Cap. Here comes the Lord.

(13)

take the bonds along with you,

And have the dates in. Come.] The abfurdity of this passage is so glaring, that one cannot help wondering, none of our poet's editors should have been fagacious enough to stumble at it. Certainly, ever fince bonds were given, the date was put in when the bond was enter'd into: And these bonds Timon had already given, and the time limited for their payment was laps'd. The Senator's charge to his servant must be to the tenour as I have amended the text; viz. Take good notice of the dates, for the better computation of the interest due upon them. Mr. Pope has vouchsafed to acknowledge my emendation, and cry recte to it in the appendix to his laft impreffion.

Enter