Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

Which was not half fo beautiful and kind:
You've added worth unto't, and lively luftre,
And entertain'd me with mine own device.
I am to thank you for it.

Luc. My Lord, you take us even at the best. Apem. Faith, for the worft is filthy, and would not hold taking, I doubt me.

Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you. Please you to difpofe yourselves.

All La. Moft thankfully, my Lord.

Tim. Flavius?

Flav. My Lord.

Tim. The little casket bring me hither.

[Exeunt.

Flav. Yes, my Lord. More jewels yet? there is no croffing him in's humour,

Elfe I fhould tell him-well-i' faith, I fhould, When all's spent, he'd be crofs'd then if he could: (8) 'Tis pity, bounty has not eyes behind;

That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind.

[ocr errors]

Luc. Where be our men ?

(8)---he'd be crofs'd then if he could:] The poet does not mean here, that he would be crefs'd, or thwarted in humour; but that he would have his hand crofs'd, as we say, with money, if he could. He is playing on the word, and alluding to our old filver-penny, used before K. Edward the 1ft his time, which had a cross on the reverfe with a crease, that it might be more eafily broke into halves and quarters, half-pence and farthings. From this penny, and other fubfequent pieces that bore the like imprefs, was our common expreffion deriv'd, I have not a crofs about me; i. e. not a piece of money. I thought, this note might not be unneceffary, because it serves to explain feveral other paffages, where the peet has punn'd on this term. For inftance, in the 2d part of Henry IVth. Falstaffe afking the Lord Chief Juftice to lend him a thousand pounds, he replies;

Not a penny, not a penny; you are too impatient to bear croffes. In Love's Labour loft;

Arm. I love not to be crofs'd.

Moth. He fpeaks the clean contrary:

Croffes love not him.

And in As you like it;

Clown.

Yet I fhould bear no cross, if I did bear you: for,

I think, you have no money in your purfe.

In all which places, 'tis clear, that money is fignified by the word

rofes.

Serv. Here, my Lord, in readiness.

Lucul. Our horfes.

Tim. O my good friends!

I have one word to fay to you; look, my Lord,
I must entreat you, honour me fo much

As to advance this jewel, accept, and wear it,
Kind my Lord!

Luc. I am fo far already in your gifts,-
All. So are we all.

[Ex. Lucius and Lucullus.

Enter a Servant.

Serv. My Lord, there are certain nobles of the fenate newly alighted, and come to vifit you.

Tim. They are fairly welcome.

Re-enter Flavius.

Flav. I befeech your honour, vouchfafe me a word; it does concern you near.

Tim. Near! why then another time I'll hear thee. I pr'ythee, let's be provided to fhew them entertainment. Flav. I fcarce know how..

Enter another Servant.

2 Serv. May it please your honour, Lord Lucius, out of his free love, hath prefented to you four milk-white: horfes trapt in filver.

Tim. I fhall accept them fairly: let the prefents Be worthily entertain'd.

Enter a third Servant..

How now? what news?

3 Serv. Please you, my Lord, that honourable gentleman, Lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him, and has fent your honour two brace of grey-hounds.

Tim. I'll hunt with him; and let them be received, not without fair reward.

Flav. What will this come to? he commands us to provide, and give great gifts, and all out of an empty coffer: Nor will he know his parfe, or yield me this,

Το

To fhew him what a beggar his heart is,

Being of no power to make his wishes good;
His promifes fly fo beyond his ftate,

That what he fpeaks is all in debt; he owes for ev'ry word:
He is fo kind, that he pays intereft 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.

[Exit.

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

I 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 courfer 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 praife, 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 fo welcome.

Tim. I take all, and your feveral 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 seldom rich,
It comes in charity to thee; thy living

Is 'mongst the dead; and all the lands thou haft
Lye in a pitcht field.

Alc. I defy land,

my Lord.

1 Lord. We are fo virtuously bound

Tim. And fo am I to you.

2 Lord. So infinitely endear'd

Tim. All to you. Lights! more lights, more lights, 3 Lord. The beft of happiness, honour and fortunes, Keep with you, Lord Timon

---

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

[Exeunt Lords

Serving of becks and jutting out of bums! (9)
I doubt, whether their legs be worth the fums
That are giv'n for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs;
Methinks, falfe hearts fhould never have found legs.
Thus honeft 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 fhould be brib'd too, there would be none left to rail upon thee, and then thou wouldst fin the fafter. Thou giv'ft fo long Timon, (10) I fear me, thou wilt give away thyfelf in paper

fhortly.

(9) Serving of becks,] I have not ventur'd to alter this phrase, 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 clofe together, to lock one within another; by a metaphor 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 obferv. ng on the ridiculous congees, and complimental motions of the flattering guests in taking their leave. Both conjectures are fubmitted to judgment,

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

-give away thyself in proper fhortly.

i. e. in perfon; thy proper felf. This latter is an expreffion of our author's in the Tempeft;

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

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

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

Sir: our proper felf here ftands for him.

And the other phrafe, thyfelf in proper---without the fubftantive fubjoin'd, I believe, may be juftified by fimular ufage.

B. Jonfon in his Sejanus;

My Lords, this ftrikes at ev'ry Roman's private.

i. e. private property, or interest. And again, in the fame plays Macro, thou art engag'd; and what before

Was publick, now must be thy private.

i. c. thy

fhortly. 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 mufick.

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

fhalt not then.

I'll lock thy heaven from thee:
Oh, that mens ears fhould be
To counfel deaf, but not to flattery!

[Exit.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A CT II.

SCENE, A publick place in the City.

Enter a Senator.

SENATOR.

ND late, five thoufand: to Varro and to Ifidore

befides my former

Which makes it five and twenty. Still in motion

[ocr errors]

i. e. thy private concern. And, to quote one authority from an au❤ thor of more modern date;

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

By tincture, or reflection, they augment

Their fmall peculiar.

i. e. peculiar body, or brightnefs; for it is fpoken of the stars. (11) Thou wilt not bear me now, thou shalt not then.

I'll lock thy heaven from thee.] So, in Cymbeline, Imogen fays; if he fhould write,

And I not have it, 'tis a paper loft

As offer'd mercy is.

i. e. not to be retriev'd, In both thefe paffages our poet is alluding to a theological opinion, that the Holy Spirit by fecret whispers in the mind, the ftill voice, inward fuggeftions, offers its affistance very of ten when it is not attended to: either when men are drag'd away by the violence of the paffions, 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 disregarded, the offender's cafe is look'd upon to be the more defperate.

Mr. Warburton.

of

« ElőzőTovább »