Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs,

Scorn'dst our brain's flow, and those our droplets which
From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit 12
Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye
On thy low grave o'er faults forgiven. Dead
Is noble Timon; of whose memory
Hereafter more. - Bring me into your city,
And I will use the olive with my sword;
Make war breed peace; make peace stint 13
Prescribe to other, as each other's leech.
Let our drums strike.

12 Conceit, as usual, for conception or imagination.

war; make each

[Exeunt.

13 To stint is to stop. - Leech, in the next line, is an old word for physi

cian.

CRITICAL NOTES.

ACT I., SCENE 1.

Page 196. Our poesy is as a gum, which oozes

From whence 'tis nourish'd.- The original reads "as a Gowne, which uses." The first was corrected by Pope; the other, by Johnson.

Provokes itself, and, like the current, flies

Each bound it chafes. The original has chases instead of chafes. The misprint was so easy, that the correction seems hardly worth noting. Corrected by Theobald.

P. 197. Pain. How this lord is follow'd!

Poet. The Senators of Athens. Happy man!- The original has "happy men," which is still retained by some editors. But the context shows plainly that the reference is to Timon, not to the Senators. Corrected by Theobald.

Halts not particularly, but moves itself

In a wide sea of wax. Collier's second folio substitutes verse for wax; and the latter sounds so odd that I cannot help wishing we could fairly get rid of it. As wax was commonly written waxe, it might easily be misprinted for verse. On the other hand, the speaker seems to have in view rather the matter than the form or manner of his workmanship: so that the sense of life or thought would be more fitting. And perhaps, withal, the author meant to throw a dash of affectation into the poetaster's language. See foot-note 11. In the second line after, "But flies an eagle flight," perhaps, as Keightley suggests, we ought to read "Which flies," &c. See, however, foot-note 12.

P. 199. Whose present grace to present slaves and servants

Translates his rivals. - Walker is quite sure that we ought to read "peasant slaves and servants." But I take the meaning to be, "Whose present grace presently," that is, immediately, “translates his rivals to slaves and servants." So that peasant would give a wrong

sense.

P. 199. 'Tis conceived to th' scope. The original has "conceiv'd to scope." Heath observes, justly, I think, that "this reading seems to be neither sense nor English." The correction is Theobald's. See foot-note 17.

P. 200. Even on their knees and hands let him slip down. - The original has hand for hands, and sit for slip. The first was corrected in the second folio; the other by Rowe.

P. 200. That shall demonstrate these quick blows of Fortune
More pregnantly than words. So the second folio.

has "blowes of Fortunes."

The first

P. 200.

Yet you do well

To show Lord Timon that men's eyes have seen

The foot above the head. So Theobald. The original has meane instead of men's. I can gather no fitting sense from mean here. The word, as Heath notes, “ certainly implies a pretty severe reflection of the painter upon the poet; a reflection which, from what had hitherto passed between them, doth not seem likely to have been intended."

P. 200. Your honourable letter he desires

To those have shut him up; which failing him

Periods his comfort. — The original lacks the second him, which is needful alike to sense and verse. The second folio has " failing to him."

P. 200. I am not of that feather to shake off

-

My friend when he most needs me. The original has "when he must neede me." Corrected in the third folio.

P. 201. Tim.

The man is honest.

Old Ath. Therefore he will be Timon's ;

His honesty rewards him in itself; &c. -The original reads "Therefore he will be Timon"; which is commonly printed "Therefore he will be, Timon," and explained "he will continue to be honest.” I think the logic of the passage is decidedly against that explanation. Staunton notes as follows: "We should perhaps read, 'Therefore he will be Timon's,' &c., that is, he will continue to be in the service of so noble a master, and thus his virtue will reward itself: or it is possible the words, 'Therefore he will be,' originally formed part of Timon's speech, and the dialogue have run thus:

Tim. The man is honest, therefore he will be-
Old Ath.

His honesty rewards him in itself.

Timon,

In a text so lamentably imperfect as that of the present play, a more than ordinary license of conjecture is permissible." But the reading here given can hardly be said to involve "a more than ordinary license" ; and it seems to me to yield a very apposite sense.

P. 204. We'll bear it, with your lordship. The original lacks it, which is fairly required both for the sense and for the verse. Inserted by Pope.

P. 205. That I had so wanted wit to be a lord. The original reads "That I had no angry wit to be a Lord"; which seems to me absolutely meaningless. Warburton reads “That I had so hungry a wit to be a lord"; Mason, "That I had an angry wish to be a lord"; Heath, "That I had so wrong'd my wit to be a lord"; Collier's second folio, "That I had so hungry a wish to be a lord"; Singer's second folio, "That I had an empty wit to be a lord." I cannot say that any of these, except, perhaps, Heath's, appears to me much improvement on the original. The change made in the text is indeed something bold, but I am tolerably sure that it conveys at least a fitting sense. See footnote 30.

P. 206. You must needs dine with me.- Go not you hence
When our dinner's done,

Till I have thank'd you.

Show me this piece. - The original lacks our; and the second folio fills up the verse by printing "and when dinner's done." Dyce prints "Till I have thank'd you; you, when dinner's done."

Achès contract and starve your supple joints! &c.—The original gives this speech as prose, and prints "So, so; their Aches contract," &c. Corrected by Capell.

P. 207. The more accursed thou that still omitt'st it. So Hanmer and Collier's second folio. The old text has most instead of more.

original has "In Fortunes," and prints the last speech as part of the preceding. Such contractions as in's for in his are very frequent. Mr. P. A. Daniel suggests "In's fortune."

ACT I., SCENE 2.

P. 209. But yond man is ever angry. The original has verie instead of ever; an obvious error, which was corrected by Rowe.

P. 209. Let me not stay, at thine apperil, Timon. The old text is without not. Both sense and metre require it. The speaker says, a little before, "I come to have thee thrust me out of doors."

P. 209. And all the madness is, he cheers them up to't. burton and Walker. The original has "cheers them up too."

So War

P. 209. The fellow that sits next him now, parts bread with him, and pledges the breath of him in a divided draught, is the readiest man to kill him. So Pope. The old text omits and before pledges. The syntax seems to require it.

P. 211. Would all those flatterers were thine enemies, then, that thou mightst kill 'em. — The original repeats then, thus: "that then thou mightst kill 'em." Doubtless the repetition was by mistake.

P. 211. Why have you not that charitable title from thousands, did you not chiefly belong to my heart? -The original is without not in the first of these clauses. I think the sense clearly requires it; and so thought Heath. See foot-note 12.