Which now the publick body, (which doth feldom A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense withal Than their offence can weigh down by the dram; Tim. You witch me in it, Surprize me to the very brink of tears: Lend me a fool's heart, and a woman's eyes, 1 Sex. Therefore so please thee to return with us, Who, like a bear too favage, doth root up 2 Sen. And thakes his threatning fword Against the walls of Athens. 1 Sen. Therefore, Timon Tim. Well, Sir, I will; therefore I will, Sir; thus If Alcibiades kill my countrymen, Let Alcibiades know this of Timon, That Timon cares not. If he fack fair Athens, And take our goodly aged men by th' beards, Of contumelious, beaftly, mad-brain'd war; Then fet him know, and tell him, Timon speaks it; In pity of our aged, and our youth, I cannot chufe but tell him, that I care not. And let him take't at worft; for their knives care not, While you have throats to answer. There's not a whittle in th' unruly camp, But I do prize it at my love, before VOL. VI. 1 For myself, The 'The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave you Flav. Stay not, all's in vain. Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph, And laft fo long enough! 1 Sen. We fpeak in vain. Tim. But yet I love my country, and am not 1 Sen. That's well spoke. Tim. Commend me to my loving countrymen. 1 Sen. These words become your lips, as they pass thro* them. 2 Sen. And enter in our ears, like great triumphers In their applauding gates. Tim. Commend me to them, And tell them, that to eafe them of their griefs, Some kindness to them, teach them to prevent 2 Sen. I like this well, he will return again. Come 138) let him take his tafte;] I dont know, upon what authority Mr Pope in both his editions has given us this reading; I have reftor'd the text from the old books, and, I am perfuaded, as the author wrote. Timon's whole harangue is copied from this paffage of Plutarch in ille life of M. Antony: “Ye men of Athens, in a court yard belonging Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the ax, Lips, let four words go by, and language end: nature. 2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead; let us return, And ftrain what other means is left unto us In our dear peril. (39) 1 Sen. It requires swift foot. [Exeunt. "belonging to my houfe grows a large fig-tree; on which many an " honeft citizen has been pleas'd to hang himfelf: Now, as I have "thoughts of building upon that spot, I could not omit giving you "this publick notice; to the end, that if any more among you have a mind to make the fame use of my tree, they may do it speedily "before it is deftroy'd." And Rabelais, who, in the oldest prologue to his fourth book, has inferted this ftory from Plutarch, thus renders the close of the fentence. Pourtant quiconque de Vous autres, et de toute la ville aura a fe pendre, s'en depefche promptement. (39) In our dead peril.] Thus Mr. Rowe and Mr. Pope have given us this paffage; but is it not ftrange that the Athenians 'peril fhould be dead, because one of their hopes was dead? Such a disappointment muft naturally give fresh life and ftrength to their danger. We must certainly read with the old Folio's; In our dear peril. i, e. dread, deep. So in As you like it ; For my father hated his father dearly, So in Jul. Caf. Would it not grieve thee dearer than thy death, &c. And in Hamlet; Would I had met my dearest foe in heav'n, &c. And in an hundred other paffages, that might be quoted from our author. I 2 SCENE SCENE changes to the Walls of Athens. 1 Sen. Enter two other Senators, with a Messenger. T Hou haft painfully discover'd; are his files Mef. I have spoke the leaft. 2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon. Me. 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 fpeak like friends. This man was riding From Alcibiades to Timon's cave, With letters of intreaty, which imported His fellowship i' th' caufe against your city, Enter the other Senators, Sen. Here come our brothers. 3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.— The enemies drum is heard, and fearful scouring Doth choak the air with duft. In, and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the fnare. [Exeunt. Enter a Soldier in the woods, feeking Timon. 2 Sol. By all defcription this fhould be the place. Who's here? fpeak, ho.- No anfwer? What is this? Timon is dead, who hath out-ftretcht his fpan;- Dead, (40) Some beaft read this: bere does not live a man.] Some beast read what? The foldier had yet only feen the rude pile of earth heap'd up for Timon's grave, and not the inscription upon it. My friend Mr, Warburton ingenioully advis'd me to amend the text, as I have done; and a paffage occurs to me, (from Beaumont and Fletcher's Cupid's revenge) that feems very ftrong in fupport of his conjecture: Comfort was never here; Here is no food, nor beds; nor any boue The Dead, fare, and this his grave; what's on this tomb? [Exit. SCENE, before the Walls of Athens. Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades with his powers. Ound to this coward and lafcivious town Alc. S Our terrible approach. [Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the walls Have wander'd with our traverst arms, and breath’d— 1 Sen. Noble and young, When thy firft griefs were but a mere conceit, Above their quantity. 2 Sen. So did we woo (41) Transformed Timon to our city's love By The foldier, feeking by order for Timon, fees fuch an irregular mole, |