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HANDBOUND 
AT  THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
TORONTO  PRESS 


THE    ARDEN    SHAKESPEARE 
GENERAL  EDITOR :  W.  J.  CRAIG 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS 


THE  WORKS 

OF 

I     SHAKESPEARE 

I  TIMON    OF    ATHENS 

EDITED    BY 
K.    DEIGHTON 


METHUEN  AND  CO. 

36  ESSEX   STREET:   STRAND 
LONDON 


First  Published  in  1905 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 
TIMON  OF  ATHENS 


PAGE 

vii 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  the  folio  of  1623  we  have  the  first  known  edition  of 
our  play.  There  it  is  called  The  Life  of  Tymon  of  At/tens, 
with  the  running  titles,  Timon  of  Athens ;  and  the  circum 
stances,  presently  to  be  noted,  in  which  it  was  inserted  in 
its  particular  place  are  supposed  to  have  a  bearing  upon 
the  question  of  its  authorship.  Though  the  date  of  com 
position  can  only  be  inferred,  the  style,  habit  of  thought, 
and  metrical  indications  alike  point  to  some  date  between 
1606  and  1610.  The  story  of  Timon  was  well  known  in 
Shakespeare's  day,  and  he  himself  in  Love's  Labour  s  Lost 
refers  to  "  critic  Timon."  For  details  he  appears  to  have 
drawn  from  three  sources — Painter's  Palace  of  Pleasure?* 
Plutarch's  Life  of  Marcus  Antonius,  and,  directly  or  in 
directly,  from  Lucian's.  Dialogue  entitled  Timon  or  the 
•Misanthrope.  There  was  also  an  old  play  of  Timon,  cir- 
citer  1600,  which  contains  many  of  the  incidents  used  by 
Shakespeare,  though  none,  I  think,  which  he  could  not  have 
derived  elsewhere,  unless  it  be  the  return  of  the  faithful 
steward  to  join  his  master  in  his  self-imposed  exile.  In 
the  preface  to  his  edition  of  this  drama,  published  by  the 
Shakespeare  Society  in  1842,  Dyce  says,  "  I  leave  to  others 
a  minute  discussion  of  the  question  whether  or  not  Shake 
speare  was  indebted  to  the  present  piece.  I  shall  merely 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

observe,  that  I  entertain  considerable  doubts  of  his  having 
been  acquainted  with  a  drama,  which  was  certainly  never 
performed  in  the  metropolis,  and  which  was  likely  to  have 
been  read  only  by  a  few  of  the  author's  particular  friends 
to  whom  transcripts  of  it  had  been  presented." 

From  an  early  period  suspicions  have  been  expressed  as 
to  the  genuineness  of  Timon  as  we  now  have  it.     The  older 
commentators    accounted    for    its    condition   by  supposing 
the  folio  version  to  be  printed  from  a  manuscript  largely 
mangled  and    interpolated   by  the   actors.       Of   this  sup 
position  I  shall  speak  later  on.     Modern  criticism  is  mainly 
represented    by    two    schools,     one    of    which    holds    that 
Shakespeare  worked  upon  an  earlier  play,  part  whereof  he 
retained  ;  the   other,  that   his   portion,  left  incomplete,  was 
supplemented  by  some  contemporary  dramatist.    The  latter 
of  these  theories  I  take  first  as  more  adequately  satisfying 
the  requirements  of  the  case,  though  I  am  far  from  believing 
that  the  adulteration   is  anything  like  as   extensive  as  its 
extreme    advocates    would    make    out.     To    Verplanck,    I 
believe,  we  owe  the  first  suggestion  of  an  escape  from  the 
difficulties  by  which  we  are  met.      In  the  Introduction  l  to 
his  edition  of  Shakespeare,  published  in  1 842,  this  scholar 
writes  as  follows  : — "  The  hypothesis  which  I  should  offer — 
certainly  with   no  triumphant   confidence  of  its  being  the 
truth,  but  as  more  probable  than  any  other — is  this  :  Shake- 
peare,  at  some  time  during  that  period,  when  his  temper, 
state  of  health,  or  inclination  of  mind,  from  whatever  cause, 
strongly  prompted   him   to   a  severe  judgment  of  human 
nature  and  acrimonious  moral  censure,  adopted  the  canvas 
of  Timoris  story  as   a  fit  vehicle  of  poetic  satire,  in  the 

1  Quoted  by  Rolfe,  pp.  38,  39  of  his  Introduction  to  Timon  of  Athens. 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

highest  sense  of  the  term,  as  distinguished  alike  from  per 
sonal  lampoons  and  from  the  playful  exhibition  of  transient 
follies.  In  this  he  poured  forth  his  soul  in  those  scenes  and 
soliloquies,  the  idea  of  which  had  invited  him  to  the  sub 
ject  ;  while,  as  to  the  rest,  he  contented  himself  with  a  rapid 
and  careless  composition  of  some  scenes,  and  probably  on 
others  (such  as  that  of  Alcibiades  with  the  senate)  con 
tenting  himself  with  simply  sketching  out  the  substance 
of  an  intended  dialogue  to  be  afterwards  elaborated.  In 
this  there  is  no  improbability,  for  literary  history  has  pre 
served  the  evidence  of  such  a  .mode  of  composition  in 
Milton  and  others.  The  absence  of  all  trace  of  the  piece 
from  this  time  till  it  was  printed  in  1623  induces  the  sup 
position  that  in  this  state  the  author  threw  aside  his  un 
finished  work,  perhaps  deterred  by  its  want  of  promise  of 
stage  effect  and  interest,  perhaps  invited  by  some  more  con 
genial  theme.  When,  therefore,  it  was  wanted  by  his  friends 
and  (  fellows,'  Heminge  and  Condell,  after  his  death,  for  the 
press  and  the  stage,  some  literary  artist  like  Heywood  was 
invited  to  fill  up  the  accessory  and  subordinate  parts  of  the 
play  upon  the  author's  own  outline ;  and  this  was  done  or 
attempted  to  be  done,  in  the  manner  of  the  great  original, 
as  far  as  possible,  but  with  little  distinction  of  his  varieties 
of  style. 

"  Upon  this  hypothesis,  I  suppose  the  play  to  be  mainly 
and  substantially  Shakespeare's,  filled  up,  indeed,  by  an 
inferior  hand,  but  not  interpolated  in  the  manner  of  Tate, 
Davenant,  or  Dryden,  with  the  rejection  and  adulteration 
of  parts  of  the  original ;  so  that  its  history  would  be  nearly 
that  of  many  of  the  admired  paintings  of  Rubens  and 
Murillo,  and  other  prolific  artists,  who  often  left  the  details 


INTRODUCTION 


and  accessories  of  their  work  to  be  completed  by  pupils  or 
dependants." 

This  theory  was  between  1868  and  1874  worked  out 
in  great  detail  by  Fleay,  with  whom  Hudson  and  Rolfe  are 
in  general  accord.  The  conclusion  at  which  Fleay  arrived 
is  shown  in  the  subjoined  conspectus  of  the  portions  which 
he  assigns  to  Shakespeare  and  of  the  extent  to  which  the 
two  latter  critics  concur.1 


Rolfe. 

I.  i.  1-185,  249-264,  284- 

293- 

II.  i.  (whole). 

II.  ii.  1-45,  132-242. 


Fleay.2 

Hudson.3 

I.  i.  1-185,  249-264,  284- 

i.  i.  1-185,  249-264,  284- 

293- 

293- 

ii.  i.  (whole). 

II.  i.  (whole). 

II.  ii.  1-45,  132-194,  204- 

ii.  ii.  1-45,  132-194,  204- 

242. 

242. 

III.  vi.  95-115. 

in.  vi.  27-115. 

iv.  i.  (whole). 

iv.  i.  (whole). 

iv.  ii.  1-30. 

IV.   iii.    1-291,    363-398, 

iv.  iii.  1-463,  476-543- 

4*4-453- 

v.  i.  50-231. 

v.  i.  (whole). 

v.  ii.  (whole). 

v.  ii.  (whole). 

V.  iv.  (whole). 

v.  iv.  (whole). 

III.  vi.  95-115. 
iv.  i.  (whole). 

IV.  iii.    1-291, 

414-453- 
v.  i.  58-231. 
v.  ii.  (whole), 
v.  iv.  (whole). 


363-398, 


It  is  impossible  within  any  reasonable  limit  to  follow 
Fleay  through  his  detailed  examination  of  the  play.  I 
shall  therefore  content  myself  with  stating  what  seem  to 
rrie  the  more  important  points  of  his  criticism,  and  with 
explaining  how  far  I  am  able  to  accept  his  conclusions. 

In  II.  ii.,  "  when,"  says  Fleay,  "  Timon  has  demanded  an 
explanation  of  the  steward,  and  the  steward  has  desired  the 
duns  to  cease  their  importunity  till  after  dinner,  he  adds  to 

1  The  lines  are  numbered  as  in  the  Globe  edition. 

3  Fleay's  distribution  as  here  shown  is  taken  from  his  Introduction  to  Shake 
spearian  Study,  pp.  37,  38.  In  his  Manual,  the  distribution  in  Part  I.  differs 
in  some  points  from  that  in  Part  II.,  while  both  Parts  differ  more  or  less  from 
the  Introduction.  Originally  Fleay  rejected  the  whole  of  iv.  iii. 

3  Hudson  stars  those  parts  in  which  he  is  "thoroughly  satisfied  that  the 
lines  have  nothing  of  Shakespeare  in  them.  There  are,  besides,  several  passages 
which  I  am  doubtful  about,  and  therefore  leave  them  unstarred." 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

them,  '  Pray  you,  walk  neere  !  I  'le  speak  with  you  anon  ' ; 
and  straightway  gives  the  explanation  desired ;  but  the 
playwright  who  improved  the  drama  wanted  Apemantus 
to  talk  nonsense  to  the  Page  and  the  Fool  of  a  harlot  (un 
known  in  the  rest  of  the  piece) :  so  he  makes  the  steward 
say,  '  Pray,  draw  neere  ! '  and  go  out  with  Timon,  apparently 
to  have  out  their  explanation.  Caphis  and  Co.  do  not 
draw  neere,  but  stop  to  talk  to  Apemantus.  When  we  Ve 
had  enough  of  that,  in  come  Timon  and  the  steward,  who 
again  says,  '  Pray  you,  walk  neere,'  which  the  creditors  do 
this  time,  and  Timon  and  the  steward  go  on  with  their  talk 
as  if  they  had  never  left  the  stage  to  say  anything  outside." 
Here  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  steward  is  not  again  made 
to  say  "  Pray  you,  walk  near."  His  invitation,  "  Pray, 
draw  near,"  is,  I  contend,  manifestly  addressed  to  Timon, 
for  the  latter's  exit  after  line  44,  due  to  Pope,  is  unknown 
to  the  folio ;  while  the  words,  "  Pray  you,  walk  near,"  are 
not  an  invitation  to  draw  near,  but  a  request  to  the  servants 
to  walk  a  little  way  off,  out  of  earshot.  But  there  is  a 
further  difficulty  which  Fleay's  excision  does  not  remove. 
In  line  49  Timon  says,  "  Do  so,  my  friends.  See  them 
well  entertained."  Now,  the  former  part  of  the  line  is 
addressed  to  the  servants ;  the  latter  to  the  steward.  Yet, 
in  any  hypothesis,  the  steward  pays  no  heed  to  this  injunc 
tion.  To  cut  out  these  words  also,  would  be  to  make 
Timon's  exit l  abrupt  and  discourteous.  Again,  it  helps  us 
nothing  to  suppose,  with  Johnson,  that  a  whole  scene  is 
missing,  since  this  would  involve  an  inordinately  long 
interval  before  Timon  and  the  steward  return  to  the  scene, 

1  In  a  matter  of  so  much  doubt  I  have  left  both  exits  as  usually  printed, 
together  with  the  re-entry  of  Timon  and  the  steward  after  line  118. 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

and  at  the  same  time  leave  the  former's  injunction  disre 
garded.  In  spite  of  the  stage-directions,  I  am  fully  per 
suaded  that  there  is  no  exit  by  Timon  and  the  steward,  but 
that  they  only  walk  about  apart  from  the  servants.  Still, 
to  these,  during  the  steward's  disclosures,  some  dialogue 
must  be  given  whether  it  be  with  Apemantus,  the  Page,  and 
the  Fool,  or  among  themselves ;  for  when  Timon  again 
comes  forward,  his  words,  "  You  make  me  marvel,"  etc., 
show  that  a  revelation  not  to  be  told  in  a  few  sentences  has 
been  made  to  him. 

A  more  important  difficulty,  which  Johnson  was  the 
first  to  point  out,  occurs  in  IV.  iii.,  where  Apemantus  descries 
the  poet  and  the  painter  approaching.  The  talk,  says 
Fleay,  goes  on  "  for  60  lines,  and  then  enter — Banditti ! 
more  talk  with  Banditti  6  3  lines,  and  then  enter — Steward  ! 
more  talk  (80  lines),  and  then  at  last  enter  '  poet  and 
painter ' !  To  avoid  this,  modern  editors  make  the  curtain 
fall  when  the  steward  goes  out ;  but  this  makes  matters 
worse ;  the  poet  and  painter  must  be  '  coming  yonder,' 
not  only  while  that  interminable  talk  goes  on,  but  while 
the  curtain  is  down :  imagine  this  to  be  Shakespeare's 
arrangement !  But  suppose  the  curtain  does  not  fall  ? 
Then  the  poet  and  painter  enter  as  the  steward  goes  out : 
and  one  of  the  first  things  they  tell  us  is  that  '  'tts  said  he 
gave  unto  his  steward  a  mighty  sum.'  No,  as  the  play 
stands,  the  curtain  must  fall  in  the  middle  of  a  scene,  and 
the  poet  and  painter  wait  yonder  all  the  while.  This  point 
alone  settles  the  question  of  the  present  arrangement  being 
Shakespeare's."  No  explanation  of  this  muddle  has  yet 
been  given,  for  Hudson's  substitution  of  the  words  "  a  parcel 
of  soldiers "  for  "  a  poet  and  a  painter "  can  hardly  be 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

accounted  as  such.  Fleay  further  rejects  not  only  the 
steward's  soliloquy,  but  also  his  conversation  with  Timon, 
which,  though  garbled,  appears  to  me  to  have  abundant 
marks  of  Shakespeare's  mind. 

Regarding  the  sums  of  money  mentioned  in  different 
parts  of  the  play,  Fleay  (in  the  second  of  the  two  papers 
in  Part  II.  of  his  Manual}  enters  into  an  elaborate  calcula 
tion,  the  only  result  of  which,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is  to  show 
that  neither  Shakespeare  nor  the  second  author  (supposing 
his  presence)  knew  or  cared  to  remember  the  real  value  of 
a  talent.  In  II.  ii.  197  (admitted  to  be  genuine  Shake 
speare)  Timon  proposes  to  borrow  a  thousand  talents.  This 
would  be  equivalent  to  £245,750,  a  sum  so  outrageous 
that  Fleay  is  driven  to  alter  "  talents  "  into  "  pieces."  That 
"  talent "  was  at  times  used  vaguely  is  shown  by  the 
anonymous  Timon  where  (i.  ii.)  four  or  five  talents  are 
spoken  of  as  equivalent  to  £200,  and  this  in  a  play  which 
from  its  use  of  the  language  of  philosophy  must  have  been 
meant  for  an  academic  audience,  an  audience,  that  is,  much 
more  likely  to  be  accurate  and  critical  on  such  a  point.  The 
difficulty  which,  in  III.  vi.  22,  Fleay  originally  found  as  to 
the  thousand  "  pieces,"  he  has  since  got  rid  of  by  rejecting 
the  prose  part  of  that  scene,  as  he  rejects  II.  ii.  186-191, 
where  the  three  servants  are  being  despatched  to  borrow 
fifty  talents  apiece,  and  the  scenes  in  which  those  servants 
are  presented  asking  for  the  loans.  My  reasons  for  accept 
ing  these  last  scenes  as  genuine  will  be  stated  later  on  ;  and 
as  I  do  not  believe  that  any  definite  value  is  to  be  attached 
to  either  talents  or  pieces,  any  more  than  to  "  solidares,"  the 
sums  mentioned  do  not  cause  me  any  doubts. 

I   have   mentioned   that  circumstances  connected  with 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

the  position  of  our  play  in  the  folio  are  supposed  to  have 
a  bearing   upon   its  authorship.     The  Cambridge  Editors, 
who  hold  that  Shakespeare  worked    upon  an   earlier  play, 
state,   in   their  Preface    to   the   seventh  volume,  originally 
published  in  1866,  that  Timon  "occupies  twenty-one  pages, 
from  80  to  98  inclusive,  81  and  82   being  numbered  twice 
over.     After  98  the  next  page   is  filled  with   The  Actors 
Names,  and  the  following  page  is  blank.     The  next  page, 
the  first  of  Julius  Casar,  is  numbered  109,  and   instead  of 
its  beginning  as  it  should  signature  u,  the  signature  is  kk. 
From   this   it   may  be  inferred  that   for  some   reason  the 
printing   of  Julius   Ccesar  was  commenced   before '  that  of 
Timon  was  finished.     It  may  be   that   the   manuscript  of 
Timon  was  imperfect,  and  that  the  printing  was  stayed  till 
it  could  be  completed  by  some  playwright  engaged  for  the 
purpose.    This  would  account  for  the  manifest  imperfections 
at   the  close  of  the  play.     But  it   is  difficult   to  conceive 
how  the  printer  came  to   miscalculate  so  widely  the  space 
required  to  be  left."     Fleay,  holding  the  opposite  theory, 
presses  the  same  facts   into  his  service.     The   editors,  he 
says,  "  took  the  incomplete  Timon,  put  it  into  a  playwright's 
hands,  and  told  him  to   make  it  up  to  30  pages.     Hence 
the  enormous  amount  of  padding  and  bombast  in  his  part 
of  the  work :  hence  the  printing  of  prose  cut  up  into  short 
lines  as  if  it  were  verse,  which  is  a  very  common  character 
istic  of  spurious  or  otherwise  irregular  editions :  hence  the 
Dumas  style   of  dialogue    so    frequent  in  the  Apemantus 
parts :   hence    the    hurry    that    left    uncorrected    so    many 
contradictions,  and   unfulfilled  so  many  omissions."      But, 
observes    Rolfe,    "  if,    as    Fleay    supposes,    the    incomplete 
manuscript  had  been  put  into  some  playwright's  hands  to 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

be  filled  out  to  30  pages,  it  is  not  likely  that  he  would 
have  come  almost  ten  pages  short  of  the  mark,  doing  little 
more  than  half  the  task  assigned  him.  Surely  he  could 
easily  have  supplied  plenty  more  '  padding '  of  that  in 
ferior  sort,  if  it  had  been  wanted.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  playwright's  work  had  already  been  done,  editor  and 
printer  had  to  spread  the  '  copy '  over  as  many  pages  as  it 
could  be  made  to  cover,  and  skip  the  rest  in  their  pagina 
tion."  In  a  footnote  the  same  critic  adds  :  "  A  little  further 
on,  in  Hamlet,  they  make  a  mistake  of  a  hundred  pages> 
156  being  followed  by  257,  258>  and  so  on  to  the  end. 
In  the  '  Histories,'  the  paging,  after  running  along  regularly 
(except  for  occasional  misprints  of  numbers,  and  the  omis 
sion  of  pages  47  and  48)  to  100,  then  goes  back  to  69, 
70,  71,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  that  division  of  the 
volume.  Of  course  the  little  gap  of  eight  pages  between 
Timon  and  Julius  Ctzsar  would  not  seriously  trouble  such 
printers  and  proof-readers."  This  last  remark  would  clear 
up  the  difficulty  were  it  not  that  the  signatures  show  the 
printers  to  have  expected  more  copy.  To  me  it  seems 
possible  that  the  play  in  the  editors'  hands  was  as  complete 
as  it  now  is,  but  that  portions  were  still  wanting,  and  that, 
in  default  of  their  recovery,  it  was  determined  to  print  the 
manuscript  in  its  imperfect  state. 

Regarding  the  steward  there  is  a  difficulty  not  easily  to 
be  accounted  for.  "  In  Ii.  ii.,"  says  Fleay,  "  there  is  a  servant 
called  Flavius,  who  talks  very  like  the  steward  in  III.  iv., 

IV.  ii.,  and  IV.  Hi.,  though  not  so  like  the  steward  of  II.  ii.  and 

V.  i.      He  has,  however,  been  identified  with  the  steward  by 
the  modern  editors,  and  perhaps  by  the  second  writer ;  but 
if  so,  it  must  have  been  an  afterthought,  as  in   II.  ii.    194, 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

he  is  summoned  by  Timon  '  Within  there !  Flavius ! 
Servilius  ! '  The  editors,  against  all  metre,  but  determined 
to  perform  the  impossible  feat  of  making  the  play,  as  it 
stands,  self-consistent,  alter  Flavius  to  Flaminius.  I  feel 
sure  that  the  third  servant  in  III.  iii.  was  originally  meant 
to  be  Flavius.  The  stage-direction  in  II.  ii.  is  '  Enter  3 
Servants.'  I  fancy  the  original  reading  was  "  Within 
there !  Flavius,  Servilius,  Flaminius  !  "  but  after  the  second 
writer  had  altered  the  Steward  into  Flavius,  he  struck  out 
the  name  in  III.  iii.,  and  meant  to  do  so  in  II.  ii.  but,  in  his 
hurry,  struck  out  the  wrong  name."  Hudson  gets  over  the 
difficulty  by  printing  "  Steward "  throughout.  "In  I.  ii.," 
he  says,  "  which  is  all  Anonymous,  the  Steward,  or  one  who 
performs  the  office  of  Steward,  is  called  Flavius ;  but  in 
the  latter  part  of  II.  ii.,  which  is  certainly  Shakespeare, 
Flavius  is  given  as  the  name  of  one  of  Timon's  servants 
who  is  not  the  Steward.  In  the  Shakespeare  portions,  in 
fact,  the  folio  never  designates  the  Steward  by  his  proper 
name,  but  only  by  that  of  his  office ;  and  so  I  print  it  all 
through  the  play,  though  the  folio  repeatedly  calls  him 
Flavius  in  the  Anonymous  portion  aforesaid." 

In  I.  i.  there  is  a  passage  (lines  275—285)  of  minor 
importance  on  which  Fleay  lays  some  stress,  describing 
it  as  "  clearly  parenthetical."  "  After  Timon,"  he  writes, 
"  has  said,  '  Let  us  in ! '  one  of  the  rest  who  entered  with 
Alcibiades  says, '  Come,  shall  we  in  ?  and  taste  L.  Timon's 
bountie?'  and  after  a  little  conversation,  he  and  his  friend, 
another  of  the  rest,  go  in  together.  So  I  think  Shake 
speare  arranged  it :  his  alterer  empties  the  stage  of  all 
but  Apemantus,  who  stays  in  order  to  '  drop  after  all  dis 
contentedly  like  himself  in  the  next  scene  ;  but  as  there  was 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

a  bit  of  Shakespeare  to  be  used  up  ...  the  alterer  brings 
in  two  extra  Lords  to  talk  with  Apemantus,  so  that,  after 
all,  Apemantus  has  no  opportunity  of  leaving  the  stage 
discontentedly  like  himself.  This  is  too  clumsy  for  Shake 
speare,  whether  doing  his  own  work,  or  vamping  another's." 
These  remarks  Hudson  endorses.  But  it  is  mere  assump 
tion  that  the  First  and  Second  Lords  are  two  of  the  rest 
who  enter  with  Alcibiades ;  the  words  "  Come,  shall  we  in, 
and  taste  Lord  Timon's  bounty"  are  bound  up  with  the 
First  Lord's  remark  about  Apemantus,  "  He 's  opposite  to 
humanity  " ;  it  is  nowhere  said  that  the  cynic  left  the  stage 
"  discontentedly  like  himself,"  but  that  at  the  beginning 
of  the  next  scene  he  "  comes,  dropping  after  all,  discon 
tentedly,  like  himself";  nor  is  this  behaviour  of  his  in 
any  way  necessarily  dependent  upon  his  being  left  on 
the  stage  after  the  others  had  gone  out. 

Into  the  more  general  questions  of  style,  language, 
thought,  metre  (the  character  of  which  last  is  much  compli 
cated  by  the  admittedly  corrupt  state  of  the  text),  want 
of  action,  etc.,  I  shall  not  follow  Fleay.  Of  the  points 
on  which  I  have  so  far  touched,  none  vitally  affect  the 
structure  of  the  play.  But  as  a  result  of  Fleay's  theory 
we  are  deprived  of  the  three  scenes  in  which  the  sincerity 
of  Timon's  friends  is  put  to  the  test :  Alcibiades's  grudge 
against  Athens  remains  entirely  unaccounted  for;  and 
except  for  four  lines  in  I.  i.,  and  his  share  of  the  dialogue 
during  some  ninety  lines  of  IV.  iii.,  Apemantus  is  shouldered 
off  the  stage.  That  he  should  be  reduced  to  this  com 
parative  insignificance  one  might  more  readily  allow  if  his 
prominence  could  be  shown  to  interfere  with  the  action 
of  the  drama,  though  I  believe  that  his  cynicism  was  in- 
b 


> 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

tended  to  be  fully  emphasised  at  the  outset  in  contrast  with 
Timon's  exuberant  large-heartedness,  and  later  on  that  the 
innate  malevolence  of  the  one  was  to  be  set  over  against 
the    misanthropy   of  the    other,    brought    about    by   cruel 
betrayal    of  friendship.       But    the    four   scenes  which    on 
Fleay's   theory  share  the  fate    of  Apemantus  are   to   me 
integral  with  and  essential  to  the  development  of  the  plot. 
As  to  III.  i.,  III.  ii.,  III.  Hi.,  I  cannot  conceive  Shakespeare  as 
a  dramatic  artist   showing   us   Timon   turned    bitter    mis 
anthrope  without  also  showing  in  detail  the  process  which 
caused  the  sudden  revulsion.     These  scenes  are  rejected, 
not  because  they  are  irrelevant,  not  because  they  interfere 
with  the  action  of  the  play  or  cause  any   confusion,   but 
because  in  them  we  have  creditors  and  lords  not  met  with 
in  the  parts  recognised  as  Shakespeare's,  and  the  names  of 
two  of  Timon's   servants  who   are   elsewhere   anonymous ; 
because  the  spelling  of  Ventidius's   name  varies  in   in.  iii. 
from  the  spelling  in  I.  i.  and  II.  ii. ;  because  great  poverty 
of  invention  is  shown  in  III.  ii.  37—39,  which  repeats  in.  i. 
17-22  ;  and  because  there  is  not  in  any  of  them  "a  spark 
of  Shakespeare's  poetry,  not  a  vestige  of  his  style."     These 
objections  seem  to  me  to  be  made  up  of  trivial  details  and 
matters    of   opinion.     As    regards   the   last,   though   there 
is  perhaps  nothing  in  the  verse  that  might  not  have  been 
written  by  an  inferior  poet,  there  is  in  the  prose,  to  my  ear 
and  mind,  a  great  deal  that  has  the  genuine  ring  of  Shake 
speare.     Fleay's    "  poverty    of  invention "   means    nothing 
more  than  that  two  of  Timon's  servants  use  pretty  much  the 
same  language  in  preferring  the  same  request ;  but  as  the 
words  used  by  them  are  almost  identical  with  Timon's  own 
charge,  there  seems  nothing  to  carp  at  in  this.     The  details 


XIX 

of  the  scenes  have  an  air  of  vraisemblance,  there  is  abund 
ance  of  humour  in  the  nature  of  the  excuses  made,  and  the 
character  of  the  sycophants  is  skilfully  discriminated. 

If  ill.  iv.  (also  rejected)  has  nothing  in  it  strikingly 
Shakespearian,  it  shows  no  inconsistency  or  confusion, 
while  the  siege  which  the  servants  of  the  creditors  lay  to 
Timon's  house  helps  to  fan  into  a  flame  the  indignation 
which  is  soon  to  envelop  and  blast  the  faithless  friends. 
But  were  there  need  for  choice,  I  would  infinitely  rather 
give  up  any  of  these  scenes  than  that  in  which  Alcibiades 
appears  before  the  Senate.  Its  language  may  have  been 
tampered  with — it  certainly  is  corrupt  in  several  lines, — 
but  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  absolutely  necessary  as  leading  up 
to  the  concluding  events  of  the  play,  as  contrasting  the 
character  of  the  two  chief  actors,  and  as  showing  the 
Senators  to  be  equally  ungrateful  to  both,  hard-hearted, 
unpatriotic,  and  richly  deserving  the  lofty  contempt  with 
which  Timon  receives  their  refusal  to  help  him.  "  On 
internal  evidence,"  and  as  adding  nothing  to  the  progress 
of  the  play,  Fleay  declares  the  scene  to  be  "  wholly  by  the 
vamper."  To  this  verdict  I  oppose  some  pertinent  remarks 
made  by  Boas  in  his  Shakspere  and  his  Predecessors,  pp. 
502,  503  : — "The  two  plots  are  not  sufficiently  interwoven, 
but  their  mutual  bearing  is  quite  clear,  and  it  is  strange 
that  so  many  critics  should  have  rejected  Act  III.  scene  v., 
where  we  learn  the  reason  of  Alcibiades'  wrath  against  his 
native  city.  One  of  his  friends  has,  in  sudden  rage,  killed 
a  man  who  had  traduced  his  honour,  and  thus  lies  under 
sentence  of  death.  Alcibiades  begs  the  senate  for  mercy, 
and  his  speech  is  an  echo  of  the  solemn  pleadings  of  Portia 
and  Isabella.  Like  them  it  appeals  from  the  merciless 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

written  law  to  that  higher  principle  of  equity  in  which  law 
has  its  true  sanction.     But  the  senators,  a  body  of  cold 
blooded    men  of  the  world,  have  no   spark   of  sympathy 
for   the   pride  of  reputation,  which,  feeling  a  stain  like   a 
wound,  strikes    out    too    vehemently    in    self-defence.     As 
they  had  denied  all  help  to  Timon  when  his  high-souled 
generosity    brought    him  to  ruin,  so  now   they   refuse   all 
mercy  to  the  victim  of  the  chivalrous  principle  of  honour. 
And  in  both  cases   they  are  ungrateful  as   well  as  hard 
hearted,  for,  like  Timon,  the  condemned  man  has  done  the 
state  good  service,  and  Alcibiades  throws  his  own  deserts 
as  an  additional   weight    into  the   scale.     But   to   all   en 
treaties   the   senators   makes   the  icy   rejoinder :    '  We   are 
for   law :    he    dies.'      Then   follows   a   scene   so   strikingly 
parallel  to  the  central  situation  in   Coriolanus  that  its  re 
jection  by  critics  is  incomprehensible.     Alcibiades,  like  the 
Roman   hero,    feels    a    patrician's    and   soldier's   shame    in 
stooping  to  beg  of  his  inferiors,  and  the   rejection   of  his 
suit  stirs   him   to  an  outburst,   which   is   a   mild   echo    of 
Coriolanus'  fury  when  he  is  refused  the  consulship.     The 
way  in  which  he  flings  the  word  '  banish  '  back  into  his  . 
judges'  teeth,  and  his  resolve  to  destroy   his   native   city, 
remind  us  yet  further  of  Coriolanus." 

I  differ,  then,  from  Fleay  in  assigning  to  Shakespeare 
a  very  much  larger  proportion  of  the  play  as  we  now  have 
it,  and  in  holding  with  Verplanck  that  in  almost  all  the 
scenes  he  had  at  least  sketched  out  the  substance  of  the 
dialogue.  But  I  would  not  attribute  the  botching  to  Hey- 
wood  (Verplanck),  or  to  Tourneur  (Fleay),  or  to  Wilkins 
(Eltze),  for  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  these  would 
have  left  such  glaring  inconsistencies  as  deform  II.  ii.,  after 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

line  45,  and  IV.  Hi.,  after  line  352,  or  would  have  foisted  in  a 
scene  like  V.  Hi.,  a  scene  wholly  unnecessary,  involving  con 
tradictions,  and  almost  ludicrous.  To  me  such  work  looks 
more  like  that  of  some  player  to  whom  the  editors,  failing 
to  find  portions  known  once  to  have  existed,  had  entrusted 
the  task  of  putting  together  the  incomplete  material — per 
haps,  as  Ulrici  suggests,  made  up  in  part  from  actors'  copies. 
But  my  differences  with  Fleay  do  not  prevent  my  admiring 
the  thoroughness  of  his  work  and  the  acuteness  of  resource 
with  which  he  builds  up  his  theory. 

To  the  hypothesis  that  Shakespeare  worked  upon  an 
earlier  play,  various  objections  have  been  brought.  By 
some  critics  it  has  been  held  that  Shakespeare  would  not 
have  alloyed  the  gold  of  his  own  portion  with  the  dross 
of  another's.  Thus  Hudson  writes  with  much  emphasis, 
"  This  view  is,  to  my  mind,  nonsuited  by  the  conviction, 
that  Shakespeare's  approved  severity  of  taste  and  strength 
of  judgment  at  that  period  of  his  life,  together  with  his 
fulness  and  quickness  of  resource,  could  hardly  have  en 
dured  to  retain  parts  in  so  crude  and  feeble  a  state  as 
we  find  them.  For  the  parts  supposed  to  be  borrowed 
are  so  grossly  inadequate  in  style  and  spirit  to  those 
acknowledged  to  be  his,  that  it  seems  incredible  that  he 
should  have  suffered  them  to  pass.  Surely,  if  he  had  thus 
undertaken  to  remodel  the  work  of  another,  he  could  hardly 
have  rested  from  the  task,  till  he  had  informed  the  whole 
with  a  larger  measure  of  that  surpassing  energy  aud  wealth 
of  thought  and  diction  which  mark  the  part  of  Timon 
himself;  showing  that  the  Poet's  genius  was  then  in  its 
most  palmy  state."  As  to  me  the  amount  of  inferior 
matter  is  much  smaller  than  is  assumed  by  Hudson,  these 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

objections  do  not  weigh  so  heavily.  I  indeed  reject  the 
theory,  but  rather  on  the  ground  that  of  the  earlier  play 
scarcely  anything  would  remain,  and  in  agreement  with 
objections  which  Verplanck  forcibly  advances.  Pointing  out 
that  the  earlier  play  could  not  have  been  the  anonymous 
Timon,  he  continues, "  We  must  then  presume  the  existence 
of  another  and  more  popular  drama  on  the  same  subject 
of  which  all  other  trace  is  lost,  and  of  a  piece  which,  if 
it  ever  existed,  could  not  have  been  from  any  despicable 
hand ;  for  the  portion  of  the  Shakesperian  drama  ascribed 
to  it,  however  inferior  to  the  glow  and  vigour  of  the  rest, 
are  yet  otherwise,  as  compared  with  the  writings  of  pre 
ceding  dramatists,  written  with  no  little  dramatic  spirit 
and  satiric  humour.  This  is  surely  a  somewhat  unlikely 
presumption.  But  what  weighs  most  with  me  is  this :  that 
great  as  the  discrepancy  of  style  and  execution  may  be, 
yet  in  the  characters,  and  the  whole  plot,  incidents,  and 
adjuncts  required  to  develop  them,  there  is  an  entire  unison 
of  thought,  as  if  proceeding  from  a  single  mind ;  much 
more  so,  for  instance,  than  in  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew, 
where  the  materials  may  be  distinctly  assigned  to  different 
workmen,  as  well  as  the  taste  and  fashion  of  the  de 
coration." 

The  last  supposition  which  I  propose  to  consider  is 
that  the  copy  from  which  the  folio  was  printed  had  been 
mangled  and  interpolated  by  the  players.  To  this  also 
there  are  objections.  In  the  first  place,  no  record  has  come 
down  to  us  of  the  play  having  been  put  upon  the  stage. 
Brinsley  Nicholson  (Transactions  of  the  New  Shakspere 
Society  for  1874,  p.  252)  does  indeed  bring  forward  the 
following  reasons  as  tolerably  decisive  proof  that  Timon 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

as  we  now  have  it  was  an  acted  play :  "In  old  plays  the 
entrance  directions  are  sometimes  in  advance  of  the  real 
entrances,  having  been  thus  placed  in  the  theatre  copy,  that 
the  performers  or  bringers-in  of  stage  properties  might  be 
warned  to  be  in  readiness  to  enter  on  their  cue.  In  Act  I. 
scene  i.  (folio),  is  '  Enter  Apermantus '  opposite  '  Well 
mocked/  though  he  is  only  seen  as  in  the  distance  by 
Timon  after  the  Merchant's  next  words,  and  does  not  enter 
till  after  '  Hee'l  spare  none.'  So  in  the  banquet  there  is 
'  Sound  Tucket.  Enter  the  Maskers,'  etc.,  before  Timon's 
'  What  means  that  trump  ? '  and  '  Enter  Cupid  with  the 
Maske  of  Ladies '  before  Cupid's  forerunning  speech."  It 
may  also  be  doubted  whether  the  editors  of  the  folio  would 
have  included  in  their  volume  a  play  never  put  before  the 
public.  Yet,  granting  the  play  had  been  acted,  we  can 
hardly  suppose  this  to  have  been  of  such  repeated  occasion 
that  the  players  would  have  had  any  particular  reason  for 
mutilating  and  corrupting  it.  Rolfe,  who  holds  that  the 
play  had  been  staged,  writes :  "  It  could  never  become 
popular  as  an  acting  play,  and  was  probably  soon  with 
drawn."  He  then  goes  on  to  support  Fleay's  theory  as  to 
its  insertion  in  the  folio,  except  that  he  attributes  to  the 
editors  the  spreading  out  of  it  to  the  fullest  possible 
extent. 

Of  the  spirit  and  purport  of  the  story  I  shall  not  say 
anything.  Though  not  a  favourite  with  the  general  public, 
the  play  has  from  an  early  date  received  abundance  of 
notice  from  such  commentators  as  Schlegel,  Coleridge, 
Gervinus,  Knight,  Cowden  Clarke,  etc.  etc.,  and  probably 
at*  this  date  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  add  any 
thing  that  did  not  echo  the  views  of  one  or  other  of  these. 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION 

Yet  1  must  allow  myself  the  pleasure  of  quoting  one  extract 
which  seems  to  me  an  appreciation  both  accurate  and 
sufficient  of  the  position  of  Timon  in  the  Shakespearian 
canon.  It  is  from  Verplanck's  Introduction.  Referring  to 
Campbell's  remark  that  "altogether  Timon  of  Athens  is 
a  pillar  in  Shakespeare's  dramatic  fane  that  might  be 
removed  without  endangering  the  edifice,"  that  acute  critic 
writes :  "  Unquestionably  it  might  be  removed  without 
endangering  the  solidity  or  diminishing  the  elevation  of  the 
'  live-long  monument '  of  the  great  poet's  glory,  yet  most 
certainly  not  without  somewhat  diminishing  its  variety  and 
extent.  To  borrow  an  illustration  from  the  often  used 
parallel  between  the  Shakespearian  and  the  Greek  drama, 
and  the  admirable  architectural  works  of  their  respective 
ages,  I  would  say  that  Timon  is  not,  indeed,  like  one  of  the 
massive  yet  graceful  columns  which  give  support  or  solidity, 
as  well  as  beauty  and  proportion,  to  the  classic  portico,  but 
rather  resembles  one  of  those  grand  adjuncts — cloister, 
or  chapel,  or  chapter-house — attached  to  the  magnificent 
cathedrals  of  the  Middle  Ages ;  and,  like  one  of  them, 
might  be  removed  without  impairing  the  solemn  sublimity 
of  the  sacred  edifice,  or  robbing  it  of  many  of  its  daring 
lighter  graces ;  yet  not  without  the  loss  of  the  portion  of 
the  pile,  majestic  and  striking  in  itself,  and  by  its  very 
contrast  adding  to  the  nobler  and  more  impressive  beauty 
of  the  rest  an  effect  of  indefinite  and  apparently  boundless 
grandeur  and  extent." 

To  this  I  will  add  from  Boas's  Shakspere,  etc.,  p.  496, 
a  few  words  dealing  with  the  atmosphere  of  the  play,  a 
subject  which  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  noticed 
elsewhere.  "  Except,"  he  writes,  "  for  a  brief  allusion  to 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

the  '  great  towers,  trophies,  and  schools,'  which   Alcibiades 
is  begged  to  spare,  there  is  not  a  hint  to  show  that  the 
dramatist  had  any  conception  of  the  artistic  and  intellectual 
glories  of  Athens  in  its  prime.      He  was  evidently  as  un 
familiar   with   the    conditions    of   Periclean    Greece    as    of 
Homeric.     We  are  introduced,  it  is  true,  into  a  cultured 
and    wealthy    society,    but    its    features    are    in    no    way 
distinctive,   and    it    might  belong    to    any   age    or   nation 
which  had  advanced  to  a  certain  stage  of  material  refine 
ment.     The  representatives  of  its  art  are  not  sculptors  or 
dramatists,  but  a  painter,  and  a  poet  who  has  allegorized    ^"' 
for  Timon's  benefit  the  commonplace  moral  of  the  fickle 
ness   of  fortune.      The   philosopher   Apemantus   is   not   a 
product  of  the  Hellenic  schools,  but  is  a  specimen  of  the    ^^ 
ubiquitous  curmudgeon   type   that   from    native   perversity 
delights  to  snarl  at  the  heels   of  humanity.     The   young  i 
lords   who   are   Timon's  associates,  with  their  presents   of\ 
four    milk-white    horses    and    two    brace    of    greyhounds,  \ 
remind  us,  like  Theseus  in  A  Midsummer-Nighf s  Dream^J 
of  Tudor  nobles  rather  than  genuine  Athenian  aristocrats." 

Subjoined  is  the  passage  from  Plutarch's  Life  of 
Marcus  Antonius  which  formed  one  of  the  sources  of  the 
play :  "  Antonius,  he  forsook  the  city  and  company  of  his 
friends,  and  built  him  a  house  in  the  sea  by  the  ile  of 
Pharos,  upon  certain  forced  mounts  which  he  caused  to  be 
cast  into  the  sea,  and  dwelt  there  as  a  man  that  banished 
himself  from  all  men's  company :  saying  that  he  would 
lead  Timon's  life,  because  he  had  the  like  wrong  offered 
him,  that  was  before  offered  unto  Timon :  and  that  for  the 
unthankfulness  of  those  he  had  done  good  unto,  and  whom 
he  took  to  be  his  friends,  he  was  angry  with  all  men  and 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

would  trust  to  no  man.  This  Timon  was  a  citizen  of 
Athens,  that  lived  about  the  war  of  Peloponnesus,  as 
appeareth  by  Plato  and  Aristophanes'  comedies :  in  the 
which  they  mocked  him,  calling  him  a  viper  and  malicious 
man  unto  mankind,  to  shun  all  other  men's  companies  but 
the  company  of  young  Alcibiades,  a  bold  and  insolent 
youth,  whom  he  would  gladly  feast  and  make  much  of, 
and  kissed  him  very  gladly.  Apemantus  wondering  at  it, 
asked  him  the  cause  what  he  meant  to  make  so  much  of 
that  young  man  alone,  and  to  hate  all  others :  Timon 
answered  him,  '  I  do  it,'  said  he,  '  because  I  know  that 
one  day  he  shall  do  great  mischief  unto  the  Athenians.' 
This  Timon  sometimes  would  have  Apemantus  in  his 
company,  because  he  was  much  like  of  his  nature  and 
conditions,  and  also  followed  him  in  manner  of  life.  On 
a  time  when  they  solemnly  celebrated  the  feast  called 
Chocs  at  Athens  (to  wit,  the  feasts  of  the  dead  where 
they  make  sprinklings  and  sacrifices  for  the  dead)  and 
that  they  two  then  feasted  together  by  themselves, 
Apemantus  said  to  the  other :  '  Oh,  here  is  a  trim  banquet, 
Timon  ! '  Timon  answered  again  :  '  Yea,'  said  he,  '  so 
thou  wert  not  here.'  It  is  reported  of  him  also,  that  this 
Timon  on  a  time  (the  people  having  assembled  in  the 
market-place  about  dispatch  of  some  affairs)  got  up  into 
the  pulpit  for  orations,  where  the  orators  commonly  use 
to  speak  unto  the  people :  and  silence  being  made,  every 
man  listening  to  hear  what  he  would  say,  because  it  was 
a  wonder  to  see  him  in  that  place,  at  length  he  began 
to  speak  in  this  manner :  '  My  lords  of  Athens,  I  have  a 
little  yard  at  my  house  where  there  groweth  a  fig-tree, 
on  the  which  many  citizens  have  hanged  themselves :  and 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

because  I  mean  to  make  some  building  on  the  place,  I 
thought  good  to  let  you  all  understand  it,  that,  before  the 
fig-tree  be  cut  down,  if  any  of  you  be  desperate,  you  may 
there  in  time  go  hang  yourselves.'  He  died  in  the  city 
of  Hales,  and  was  buried  upon  the  sea-side.  Now  it 
chanced  so,  that  the  sea  getting  in,  it  compassed  his 
tomb  round  about,  that  no  man  could  come  to  it:  and 
upon  the  same  was  written  this  epitaph : 

Here  lies  a  wretched  corse,  of  wretched  soul  bereft : 

Seek  not  my  name  :  a  plague  consume  you  wicked  wretches  left ! 

It  is  reported  that  Timon  himself, .  when  he  lived,  made  this 
epitaph :  for  that  which  is  commonly  rehearsed  was  not  his, 
but  made  by  the  poet  Callimachus : 

Here  lie  I,  Timon,  who  alive  all  living  men  did  hate  : 

Pass  by  and  curse  thy  fill :  but  pass,  and  stay  not  here  thy  gate. 

Many  other  things  could  we  tell  you  of  this  Timon,  but 
this  little  shall  suffice  at  this  present"  (North's  Plutarch^ 
ed.  Skeat,  pp.  215,  216). 

It  has  been  debated  whether  Shakespeare  went  directly 
to  Lucian  for  those  points  in  the  story  which  both  have  in 
common.  By  many  critics  a  negative  is  returned  to  the 
question  because  no  translation  into  English  had  been 
published  in  his  day.  This  assertion,  of  course,  means 
nothing  more  than  that  we  know  of  no  such  work.  But 
there  was  a  Latin  translation  and  one  in  Italian,  to  either  - 
of  which  Shakespeare  may  have  had  access.  And  even 
though  he  had  "  small  Latin  and  less  Greek,"  it  would 
have  been  no  great  feat  of  scholarship  to  read  Lucian. 
The  incidents  common  to  both  are  many.  The  following 
may  be  noted.  Timon  gives  two  talents  to  Philiades  as 
a  dowry  for  his  daughter,  and  frees  Demeas  from  a  debtor's 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

prison  ;  Plutus  is  represented  as  formerly  having  been  in 
his  service  (cp.  I.  i.  278,  279);  he  digs  up  gold,  though  as, 
in  the  play,  having  no  wish  to  use  it  for  his  own  enjoy 
ment  ;  on  his  wealth  being  noised  abroad,  a  poet  comes 
with  a  song  of  the  new-fashioned  dithyrambs  ;  a  senator 
eagerly  hurries  to  offer  congratulations  ;  and  these  and 
others  are  greeted  with  blows  and  stones.  But  it  is  not 
only  in  the  incidents  that  there  is  a  resemblance  indicating 
recourse  to  Lucian  himself  or  to  a  close  translation. 
There  are  echoes  of  Lucian's  language  which  do  not  look 
as  if  they  were  accidental.  Compare  the  passages  sub 
joined  :  — 

(a)  Lucian,  V.  109,  110: 

Ol  TfCliS  V7TOirTTI<T<rOVTfS  KCli  1TpO(rKVVOVVTfS  KUK  TOV  (fJLOV  VfVfJiaTOS 


Timon,  I.  i.  63-65  : 

even  he  drops  down 

The  knee  before  him,  and  returns  in  peace 
Most  rich  in  Timon's  nod. 

(£)  Lucian,  x.  119: 

IK.CUIT)    tv    TO<TOVT<&     KOI    avrrj    ri/iwpia    eorai    avTots,    (I 
TOV  TifjL&va  6p£>criv. 


Timon,  III.  iv.  61,  62  : 

he  's  poor,  and  that  's  revenge  enough. 

(Here  the  wealth  and  the  poverty  are  reversed,  but  the  idea 
is  the  same.) 

(c)  Lucian,  xli.  153: 

carl*  firia~r)ft.ov,  vnepvdpov,  /3a/>v  <al  rf]i>  rrpocr- 


Tiinon,  IV.  iii.  26  : 

Gold?  yellow,  glittering,  precious  gold? 


INTRODUCTION 

(d)  Lucian,  xlvi.  1 60  : 

dXXa  cm  ye  iravras  TO  rpau/xa  mcrai  funpov  fTTiirdcras  TOV  \pvcriov' 
8eivS>s  yap  *(rxcup,6v  e'cm  ri  (pdp/jLaxov. 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  28,  29: 

Thus  much  of  this  will  make  black  white,  foul  fair, 
Wrong  right,  base  noble,  old  young,  coward  valiant. 

(e)  Lucian,  xliii.  155: 

fjv  TWO  t§6>  povov,  diro<f>pas  17  ^e/ja. 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  48,  49  : 

The  canker  gnaw  thy  heart 
For  showing  me  again  the  eyes  of  man  ! 

(/")  Lucian,  xliv.  156: 

ovofjM    fiev    ecrro)    6    Micravdpcorroe    fjSicrrov,    TOV    Tpoirov    8e 
yvatpicr/j-aTa  8va~Ko\ia  KOI  .  .  .  dnavdpania. 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  5  2  : 

I  am  misanthropes,  and  hate  mankind. 
(g)  Lucian,  xxxvi.  148: 

on    KOI    TraXat    /Jivpiav   /Ltoi    KUKtav   OLTIOS  ovros   KOTe'crr^    .    .    . 
rjdwrradflq  dia<p6flpas> 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  76,  77 : 

Alcib.  I  have  heard  in  some  sort  of  thy  miseries. 
Tim.  Thou  saw'st  them  when  I  had  prosperity. 

(K)  Lucian,  xli.  154: 

TIS  yap  OVK  av  irapdevos  dvaTTfTTTafifVois  TOIS  KoXirois  VTreSe^oro 
OVTCO  KaXov  epa<rrr)v  8ia  TOV  Teyovs  KaTappeovra; 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  133,  134: 

Hold  up,  you  sluts, 
Your  aprons  mountant. 

(The  allusion  in  Lucian  is,  of  course,  to  Danae,  but  I  think 
the  story  suggested  to  Shakespeare  the  somewhat  strange 
phrase  he  uses.) 


xxx  INTRODUCTION 

(i)  Lucian,  xviii.  129: 

ware  (s  TOV  rStv  AaiWScoy  irldov  \)bpo<fropr](T(iv  fjioi  SOKW  KOL 
fjMTTjv  €irai>T\T](r(iv,  TOV  KVTOVS  pf)  crreyovTos,  dXXa  irpiv 
(io-pvfjvai  <r^e8ov  fK.\v6r)(Tonfvov  TOV  firipptovTos. 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  243  : 

The  one  is  filling  still,  never  complete. 

(/)  Lucian,  xxxii.  145  : 

iva  avBts  6  IlXovros  TrapaKaftaiv  avrov  .   .  .  arroSa)  rraXiv  e/xoT 


Timon,  IV.  iii.  270: 

thy  father,  that  poor  rag. 

(£)  Lucian,  xlii.  155: 

ro  olKTlpai  8a<pvovTa  r)   (iriKOvp^(rcu    Siopeva)   •nctpavop.ia.   KOI 
Kard\vcris  T£>V  (6£>v. 

Timon,  IV.  iii.  $31-533: 

Hate  all,  curse  all,  show  charity  to  none, 
But  let  the  famish'd  flesh  slide  from  the  bone 
Ere  thou  relieve  the  beggar. 

(/)  Lucian,  Ivii.  175  : 

oi   TTJV 


(Said  to  the  philosopher  who  had  modestly  asked  Timon  to 
measure  out  something  less  than  two  medimni  of  gold  into 
his  wallet.) 

Timon,  V.  i.  1  16-1  18  : 

You  have  work  for  me,  there's  payment:  hence! 

You  are  an  alchemist,  make  gold  of  that  : 

Out  rascal  dogs  !    [Beats  them  out,  and  then  retires  into  the  cave. 

Diogenes  in  Lucian's  amusing  Vitarum  Auctio  might 
stand  for  Shakespeare's  Apemantus,  but  I  do  not  find  any 
such  likeness  of  language  as  would  necessarily  infer  that 
the  poet  drew  from  this  source. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxi 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  Daniel's  Time-Analysis 
of  the  Play  :— 

Day  i.  Act  I.  sc.  i.  and  ii. 
„     2.  Act  II.  sc.  i.  and  ii.,  Act  III.  sc.  i.-iii. 
„      3.  Act  in.  sc.  iv.-vi.,  Act  IV.  sc.  i.  and  ii. 

Interval. 

„     4.  Act  IV.  sc.  iii. 
„      5.  Act  V.  sc.  i.  and  ii. 
„     6.  Act  V.  sc.  iii.  and  iv. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS 


DRAMATIS 

TIMON,  a  noble  Athenian. 

Lucius,          ] 

LUCULLUS,      J-  flattering  Lords. 

SEMPRONIUS,  J 

VENTIDIUS,  one  of  Timoris  false  Friends. 

ALCIBIADES,  an  Athenian  Captain. 

APEMANTUS,  a  churlish  Philosopher. 

FLA vi us,  Steward  to  Timon. 

FLAMINIUS,  1 

LUCILIUS,      J-  Servants  to  Timon. 

SERVILIUS, 

CAPHIS, 

PHILOTUS, 


TITUS, 


Servants  to  Ttmon's  Creditors. 


Lucius, 

HORTENSIUS, 

Poet,  Painter,  Jeweller,  and  Merchant. 

An  Old  Athenian. 

Servants  to  Varro  and  Isidore,  two  of  Ttmon's  Creditors. 

Three  Strangers- 

A  Page. 

A  Fool. 

PHRYNIA,     >  Mistresses  to  Alcibiades. 

TlMANDRA,    ) 

Lords,  Senators,  Officers,  Soldiers,  Thieves,  and  Attendants. 
Cupid  and  Amazons  in  the  Masque. 

SCENE  :  Athens,  and  the  neighbouring  Woods. 

1  "DRAMATIS  PERSONS. — In  the  list  given  in  theiFolio,PHRYNiA,TiMANDRA, 
and  others  are  omitted.  '  Timon's  creditors '  are  termed  '  usurers.'  VENTIDIUS 
is  called  VENTIGIUS  ;  PHILOTUS,  PHILO  ;  and  HORTENSIUS,  HORTENSIS. 
VARRO  and  Lucius  occur  among  the  names  of  the  servants,  and  the  latter  has 
been  retained  by  all  editors  except  Mr.  Dyce  in  his  second  edition.  In  the  play 
the  servants  address  each  other  by  the  names  of  their  respective  masters  :  hence 
the  confusion.  Perhaps  all  the  names  assigned  to  the  servants  should  be  con 
sidered  as  the  names  of  their  masters.  '  Hortensius,'  for  instance,  has  not  a 
servile  sound.  Flaminius  and  Servilius  may  be  regarded  rather  as  gentlemen  in 
waiting  than  menials. 

"  Sidney  Walker  suggests  that  CAPHIS  should  be  CAPYS. 

"The  list  as  giv|^by  modern  editors  contains  successive  additions  and  altera 
tions  made  by  Rowe,  Johnson,  and  Capell,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  specify  further. 

"With  the  exception  of  Actus  Primus,  Scana  Prima  at  the  beginning,  there 
is  in  the  Folios  no  indication  of  a  division  into  Act  or  Scene  throughout  the  play  '  " 
(The  Cambridge  Editors). 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS 

ACT   I 
SCENE  I. — Athens.     A  Hall  in  Timoris  House. 

Enter  Poet,  Painter,  Jeweller,  Merchant,  and  Others, 
at  several  doors. 

Poet.  Good  day,  sir. 

Pain.  I  am  glad  you  're  well. 

Poet.  I  have  not  seen  you  long.      How  goes  the  world  ? 

Pain.  It  wears,  sir,  as  it  grows. 

Poet.  Ay,  that 's  well  known  ; 

But  what  particular  rarity  ?  what  strange, 
Which  manifold  record  not  matches  ?     See,  5 

Magic  of  bounty  !  all  these  spirits  thy  power 
Hath  conjur'd  to  attend.      I  know  the  merchant. 

Pain.   I  know  them  both ;  th'  other 's  a  jeweller. 

Mer.   O  !  'tis  a  worthy  lord. 

Jew.  Nay,  that 's  most  fix'd. 

3.  It  wears,  .   .  .  grows}  it   wastes         6.  Magic  of  bounty  !}  an  apostrophe 
as  it  grows  older.     Cp.  1  Henry  IV.     to  Timon. 

II.  iv.  441,  "for  though  the  camomile,  7.  conjur'd]  whether  in  the  sense  of 

the  more  it  is  trodden  on  the  faster  it  influencing  by  magic,  or   that   of  so- 

grows,  yet  youth,  the  more  it  is  wasted  lemnly  calling  upon,  is  in  Shakespeare 

the  sooner  it  wears."  more  commonly  accented  upon  the  first 

4.  what  strange}  sc.  rarity.  syllable. 

5.  record}   as    a    substantive,   indis-  9.  'tis]    "it,"    used    for    "he"    or 
criminately    accented    "record"    and  "she"    before    "is,"    is    frequent    in 
"record"  in  Shakespeare.  Shakespeare,  and  more  usually  has  a 

3 


TIMON    OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


Mer.  A  most  incomparable  man,  breath'd,  as  it  were,        10 

To  an  untirable  and  continuate  goodness : 

He  passes. 

Jew.  I  have  a  jewel  here — 

Mer.  O  !  pray,  let 's  see 't :  for  the  Lord  Timon,  sir  ? 
Jew.  If  he  will  touch  the  estimate  :  but,  for  that —  i  5 

Poet.    When  we  for  recompense  have  prats' d  the  vile, 

It  stains  the  glory  in  that  happy  verse 

Which  aptly  sings  the  good. 
Mer.  \Looking  at  the  jew eQ  'Tis  a  good  form. 
Jew.  And  rich :  here  is  a  water,  look  ye.  20 


contemptuous     or     belittling     sense  : 
"fix'd/'  certain. 

IO,  II.  breatKd .  .  .  goodness]  trained 
by  constant  exercise  to  a  course  of 
goodness  which  nothing  can  weary,  and 
which  flows  on  in  an  unbroken  current. 
"To"  perhaps  marks  the  limit  up  to 
which  rather  than  the  object  with  which 
the  exercise  is  pursued.  In  "  con 
tinuate"  the  idea  is  that  of  surface, 
extension,  etc.,  in  which  there  are  no 
breaks  or  intervals.  Cp.  Chapman, 
Byron's  Conspiracy,  I.  i. : 

' '  To  leave  a  sure  pace  on  conttnuate 

earth 
And  force  a  gate  (i.e.  a  going)  in 

jumps  from  tower  to  tower, 
As  they  do  that  aspire  from  height 

to  height." 

The  word  is  once  again  used  by  Shake 
speare,  Othello,  in.  iv.  178: 

"  I    have    this    while    with    leaden 

thoughts  been  press'd ; 
But  I  shall  in  a  more  continuate 

time 

Strike  off  this  score  of  absence  "  ; 
i.e.  a  space  of  time  which  is  not  broken 
into  by  the  presence  of  these  gloomy 
thoughts.  Burton,  Anatomy  of  Melan 
choly,  i.  i.  I.  5  (quoted  in  the  New 
English  Dictionary},  has  "  A  Chronick 
or  continuate  disease,  a  settled  humor." 
Steevens  quotes  Chapman's  Odyssey, 
Book  iv. : 


"Her   handmaids   join'd  in  a  con 
tinuate  yell," 
and  Book  x. : 

"  environ'd  round 
With  one  continuate  rock." 
For     "  breathe,"     in     this     technical 
sense,  cp.  Airs   Well,   I.  ii.    17 ;   As 
You  Like  It,  I.  ii.  230;   The  Taming 
of  the  Shrew,  Induction,  ii.  50,  where 
"  breath'd  "  = having  got  their  second 
wind. 

12.  passes']  excels,  transcends,  all 
estimate  ;  more  commonly  in  the  parti 
ciple  used  adverbially. 

15.  If  .  .  .  estimate]  if  his  offer 
should  come  up  to,  if  he  is  prepared  to 
give,  the  price  I  put  upon  it.  Cp.  A 
Midsummer  -  Nighf  s  Dream,  II.  ii. 
119. 

1 7.  happy]  perhaps  with  the  double 
sense  of  felicitous  and  of  fortunate  in 
having  such  a  theme. 

1 8.  aptly]  fitly,  adequately  :  "a  good 
form,"  a  well -cut  stone. 

20.  -water]  lustre,  transparency.  Cp. 
Pericles,  III.  ii.  102  ;  Jonson,  The  Devil 
is  an  Ass,  III.  i. : 

"Upon   my  faith,   sir,   of  the  right 

black  water, 
And  very  deep  !  he 's  set  without  a 

foil  too. 

Here's  one  of  the  yellow  water 
I  '11  sell  cheap." 


SC.  I.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


Pain.  You  are  rapt,  sir,  in  some  work,  some  dedication 
To  the  great  lord. 

Poet.  A  thing  slipp'd  idly  from  me. 

Our  poesy  is  as  a  gum,  which  oozes 
From  whence  'tis  nourish'd :  the  fire  i'  the  flint 
Shows  not  till  it  be  struck ;  our  gentle  flame 
Provokes  itself,  and  like  the  current  flies 
Each  bound  it  chafes.     What  have  you  there  ? 

Pain.  A  picture,  sir.     When  comes  your  book  forth  ? 

Poet.  Upon  the  heels  of  my  presentment,  sir. 
Let 's  see  your  piece. 

Pain.  Tis  a  good  piece. 

Poet.  So  'tis :  this  comes  off  well  and  excellent. 

Pain.   Indifferent. 


27.  chafes]  Theobald,  chases  Ff. 

21.  rapt]  engrossed,  wholly  ab 
sorbed  ;  the  past  participle  of  the  old 
verb  to  "rap";  "  M.  E.  rapen,  to 
hasten,  act  hastily;  thence  to  'snatch,' 
'  seize  hastily. '  The  past  participle 
rapt  later  became  confused  with  the 
Lat.  raptus,  and  very  soon  the  Latin 
word,  being  better  known,  caused  the 
English  word  to  be  entirely  lost  sight 
of,  so  that  it  is  now  obsolete  "  (Skeat, 
Ety.  Diet.).  The  present  "rap"  and 
the  participle  "rapt"  are  frequent  in 
the  dramatists. 

23.  glim,  which  oozes"}  The  folios 
give  " gowne  (or gown)  which  uses"; 
Pope  corrected  the  former  word  ;  John 
son,  the  latter. 

26.  Provokes  itself]  has  no  need  of 
exterior  force  to  call  it  forth. 

27.  Each    .    .    .    chafes]    everything 
that  would  bound  it  and  against  which 
it  chafes    in    its    flow.     In    "chafes" 
there  is  the  idea  of  the  irritation  caused 
by  an  obstacle  ;  cp.  Julius  Caesar,  \. 
ii.  101  : 

"  The  troubled  Tiber    chafing  with 
her  shores," 


whence  Schmidt  suggests  that  "with" 
should  be  added  here.  For  "bound," 
cp.  King  John,  n.  i.  444. 

29.  Upon  .  .  .  presentment]  imme 
diately  upon  my  presentation  of  it  to 
Timon.  In  Shakespeare's  day,  and 
much  later,  the  publication  of  a  book 
often  depended  upon  the  goodwill  of 
the  patron  to  whom  it  was  presented 
or  dedicated. 

31.  '  Tis  .  .  .  piece]  said  with  affected 
modesty,  "it's  not  so  bad"  ;  "piece," 
a  work  of  art ;  cp.  The  Winter's  Tale, 
v.  ii.    104,  v.   iii.   38.     We  still  speak 
of  "a  piece  of  painting,"  "a  piece  of 
music,    but  we  should  hardly  use  "a 
"  piece  "  for  "  a  picture." 

32.  comes  off  well]  shows  skilful  exe 
cution  ;   cp.  Measure  for  Measure,  n. 
i.    57,   for  the   phrase   used   ironically 
as  =  this  is  a  pretty  issue. 

32.  excellent]  for  the   ellipsis  of  the 
adverbial  inflection  in  the  case  of  two 
adverbs  joined   together,    see   Abbott, 
Shakespearian  Grammar,  §  397. 

33.  Indifferent]    another     piece     of 
affected  modesty. 


6 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


Poet.  Admirable  !  how  this  grace 

Speaks  his  own  standing  !  what  a  mental  power 
This  eye  shoots  forth !   how  big  imagination 
Moves  in  this  lip  !  to  the  dumbness  of  the  gesture. 
One  might  interpret. 

Pain.  It  is  a  pretty  mocking  of  the  life. 
Here  is  a  touch ;  is  't  good  ? 

Poet.  I  will  say  of  it, 

It  tutors  nature :  artificial  strife 
Lives  in  these  touches,  livelier  than  life. 

Enter  certain  Senators ',  who  pass  over  the  stage. 

Pain.  How  this  lord  is  followed  ! 

Poet.  The  senators  of  Athens  :  happy  man  ! 


35 


40 


33,  34.  how  this  .  .  .  standing]  how 
eloquently  the  grace  imparted  by  your 
skill  gives  meaning  to  the  posture  (of 
the  figure  designed) !  Clarke  explains, 
"  How  true  to  the  life  of  the  original 
is  this  graceful  attitude  !  "  Hudson, 
"  How  the  graceful  attitude  of  this 
figure  expresses  its  firmness  of  char 
acter  ! "  The  former  of  these  explana 
tions  implies  that  there  was  some 
known  original,  who  could  only  be 
Timon.  But  the  whole  of  the  speech 
is  opposed  to  the  idea  that  he  is  por 
trayed  ;  for  grace,  mental  power,  and 
imagination  are  not  the  characteristics 
that  would  be  especially  ascribed  to 
him.  In  the  latter  explanation  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  firmness  is  unduly  em 
phasised.  The  versions  given  by  War- 
burton  and  Steevens  are  by  no  means 
happy.  Johnson  conjectured  ' '  Speaks 
under sta  tiding. " 

35,  36.  how   big  .  .  .  lip  !]  not,    I 
think,    how   powerful   an  imagination, 
but  how  powerfully  imagination,  etc., 
the  idea  being  that  of  pregnancy,  as  in 
Julius  Casar,  in.  i.  282,  "Thy  heart 
is  big,  get  thee  apart  and  weep. " 

36,  37.  to  the  dumbness  .  .  .  inter 


pret]  It  would  be  easy  enough  to  give 
words  to  this  dumb  gesture.  The 
allusion,  as  Malone  points  out,  is  to 
the  interpreter  in  the  puppet-shows  or 
' '  motions  "  of  the  time.  Cp.  Hamlet, 
III.  ii.  256 ;  The  Two  Gentlemen  of 
Verona,  n.  i.  101. 

38.  a  pretty  .  .  .  life]  not  a  bad 
counterfeit  of  the  living  and  breathing 
man  ;  cp.  The  Winter's  Tale,  v.  iii. 
19,  20. 

40,  41.  artificial  .  .  .  life]  here,  in 
these  touches,  art  outvies  nature  in  life 
like  personation.  Malone  compares 
Venus  and  Adonis,  289-292,  and  Dray- 
ton,  The  Barons'  Wars : 

"Done  for  the   last   with  such  ex 
ceeding  life, 
As   art  therein   with   nature  were 

at  strife." 

Cp.  also  Cymbeline,  11.  iv.  82-85,  and 
The  Advancement  of  Learning,  11. 
viii.  3,  "  which  kalendar  will  be  the 
more  artificial  and  serviceable,  if," 
etc. 

43.  happy  man!]  The  folios  give 
"  men,"  corrected  by  Theobald.  There 
would  be  no  particular  happiness  in 
their  being  allowed  to  approach  Timon, 


SC.  I.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


Pain.  Look,  moe ! 

Poet.  You  see  this  confluence,  this  great  flood  of  visitors,    45 
I  have,  in  this  rough  work,  shaped  out  a  man, 
Whom  this  beneath  world  doth  embrace  and  hug 
With  amplest  entertainment :  my  free  drift 
Halts  not  particularly,  but  moves  itself 
In  a  wide  sea  of  wax :  no  levell'd  malice  50 

Infects  one  comma  in  the  course  I  hold ; 


for  high  and  low  alike  had  that  privi 
lege  ;  but  Timon  is  by  the  sycophant 
Poet  deemed  happy  in  being  visited 
by  men  of  the  highest  rank. 

44.  moe!}  according  to   Skeat,   the 
distinction  between  "mo,"  or  "moe," 
and  ' '  more  "  (for  which  we  have  now 
only  the  single  form  "more")  is  that 
"mo"  referred  to  number,  "more"  to 
size.      This  is  denied  by  other  gram 
marians,     according    to     whom     both 
"mo"    and    "more"    were    used    as 
comparatives  of  "many."     Wright,  As 
You  Like  It,  ill.  ii.  243  [278],  says  the 
distinction  appears  to  be   that  "mo," 
or  "moe,"  is  used  only  with  the  plural, 
or    words    involving    a    plural    sense, 
"  more"  with  both  singular  and  plural. 

45.  You  see  .  .   .  visitors}  The  Poet 
points  to  this  "  confluence  "  as  so  well 
illustrating  the  aptness  of  the   picture 
he  has  drawn  in  his  poem. 

47.  this  beneath  world}  so  in  Lear, 
ii.  ii.  170,  "this  under  globe." 

48.  entertainment}  here  probably  in 
a  neutral  sense,  reception,  though  fre 
quently  in  Shakespeare  of  hospitality, 
kind  treatment,  etc. 

48,  49.  my  free  .  .  .  particularly} 
my  theme  drives  freely  and  does  not 
pause  to  mark  any  one  in  particular ; 
cp.  Coriolanus,  IV.  v.  72. 

50.  In  a  -wide  sea  of  wax}  The 
earliest  explanation  of  these  words  was 
that  in  them  we  have  an  allusion  to 
the  ancient  practice  of  writing  with  a 
style  on  tablets  coated  with  wax — an 
explanation  which  well  merits  the  scorn 
that  Ingleby,  The  Still  Lion,  p.  84, 


pours  upon  it.  But  that  scholar's  own 
view  that  we  have  here  "merely  an 
affected  and  pedantic  mode  of  indi 
cating  a  sea  that  widens  with  the  flood," 
seems  scarcely  more  tenable.  This 
view  he  bases  on  "  the  certain  fact 
that  the  substantive,  wax,  occurs"  in 
2  Henry  IV.  I.  ii.  180,  "A  wassail 
candle,  my  lord  ;  all  tallow  :  if  I  did 
say  of  wax,  my  growth  would  approve 
the  truth."  But  if  "a  sea  of  wax " 
may  mean,  as  he  says  a  little  further 
on,  "  a  waxing  sea,"  then  it  seems  to 
me  that  we  need  have  no  difficulty  in 
explaining  anything.  Collier,  ed.  2, 
gives  "  verse  ";  Cartwright  conjectures 
"vice";  Staunton,  "tax";  Kinnear, 
"man."  I  believe  we  should  read 
"or  wast"  (i.e.  waste),  as  the  substan 
tive  is  spelt  in  the  three  best  quartos 
and  the  first  folio  of  Hamlet,  I.  ii.  198, 
"In  the  dead  wast  and  middle  of 
the  night " ;  while  in  The  Winter's 
Tale,  I.  i.  33,  and  Pericles,  iii.  I.  i,  we 
have  the  form  "vast."  It  was  Tenny 
son,  I  believe,  who  said  that  Jonson 
moved  "in  a  wide  sea  of  glue,"  and 
perhaps  we  are  here  in  that  same  case. 
50,  51.  no  leveled  .  .  .  hold]  Here 
again  there  is  a  considerable  difficulty. 
The  interpretation  turns  mainly  upon 
the  sense  to  be  given  to  the  word 
"comma."  Literally  meaning  "a 
piece  cut  off,"  it  was  in  Shakespeare's 
day  used  in  three  different  senses — 
(i)  a  short  member  of  a  sentence,  a 
clau-e  ;  (2)  as  a  punctuation  mark  used 
to  separate  the  smallest  member  of  a 
sentence  ;  (3)  as  a  musical  term  =  a 


8 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


But  flies  an  eagle  flight,  bold  and  forth  on, 
Leaving  no  tract  behind. 

Pain.  How  shall  I  understand  you? 

Poet.  I  will  unbolt  to  you. 

You  see  how  all  conditions,  how  all  minds,  5  5 

As  well  of  glib  and  slippery  creatures  as 
Of  grave  and  austere  quality,  tender  down 
Their  services  to  Lord  Timon :  his  large  fortune, 
Upon  his  good  and  gracious  nature  hanging, 
Subdues  and  properties  to  his  love  and  tendance      60 
All  sorts  of  hearts ;  yea,  from  the  glass-faced  flatterer 


minute  "interval,"  or  difference  of 
pitch.  If  we  here  take  the  word  in  the 
first  of  these  senses,  the  meaning  of 
"no  levell'd  .  .  .  hold"  is  in  itself 
good  enough,  namely,  not  even  the 
shortest  portion  of  my  course  is  in 
fected  by  set  malice.  Then,  however, 
we  lose  the  force  of  the  emphatic  anti 
thesis,  "But  flies  an  eagle  flight,  bold 
and  forth  on,  Leaving  no  tract  behind" 
which  clearly  means  that  the  course 
is  not  impeded  in  any  way.  The 
word  "comma"  is  found  in  only  one 
other  passage  in  Shakespeare,  namely, 
Hamlet,  v.  ii.  42,  and  there,  too,  the 
sense  is  doubtful.  To  me  it  seems 
here  to  mean  a  mark  of  punctuation 
indicating  separation  ;  but  for  ' '  In 
fects"  I  suggest  "Inserts,"  which  with 
the  long  "s"  would  hardly  be  dis 
tinguishable  from  "  Infects."  If 
"comma"  here  meant  "clause,"  we 
should  rather  have  had  "of"  instead 
of  "in."  In  "levell'd"  the  metaphor 
is  from  the  levelling  or  pointing  of  a 
gun,  etc.  For  the  thought,  cp.  Dekker, 
The  Honest  Whore,  Pt.  I.  vol.  ii.  p. 
144,  Pearson's  Reprint : 

"The  heat   no  more  remains    than 

where  ships  went, 
Or   where    birds  cut   the    air   the 
print  remains." 

52.  But  flies']    i.e.    but  it  (sc.    the 
course)  flies. 


53.  tract}  here  =  "  trace,"  with  which 
the    word    is  connected,    both    being 
ultimately  of  Latin   origin;    "track," 
on  the  other  hand,   though  often  con 
founded  with  both  "trace"  and  "tract," 
has    no   etymological   connection   with 
either. 

54.  How  shall  .  .  .  you  ?]  This  has 
been  thought  to  be  a  hit  at  the  Poet's 
affectation  of  language.     It  may  mean 
merely,  "I  don't  quite  see  your  drift." 

54.  unbolt}  lay  open,  make  plain. 

55.  conditions']   The  two   next   lines 
show,    I    think,    that    the   word    here 
means       "dispositions,"       "tempera 
ments,"     rather     than     "ranks,       as 
Schmidt  explains. 

56.  glib']  smooth,  slippery  ;  cp.  Lear, 
I.  i.  227.     The  ugly  word  "glibbery," 
of  which  Marston  is  so  fond,  and  the 
use   of  which  is  satirised   in  Jonson's 
Poetaster,  v.  i.,  appears  to  have  been 
coined  from  "glib'  and  "slippery." 

57.  tender  down]   lay   down    as  an 
offering.     Shakespeare  has  two   verbs 
of  the    same    form,    "tender"   (Lat. 
teneo],   offer;  "tender"   (Lat.    tener), 
hold  dear,  and  in  Hamlet,  I.  iii.   107, 
109,  he  plays  upon  the  two  senses. 

58-61.  his  large  .  .  .  hearts']  his 
ample  wealth,  made  to  follow  the  dic 
tates  of  his  gracious  nature,  by  gentle 
violence  compels  the  hearts  of  men  of 
every  kind  and  degree  to  own  allegi- 


SO.  1.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


To  Apemantus,  that  few  things  loves  better 
Than  to  abhor  himself:  even  he  drops  down 
The  knee  before  him  and  returns  in  peace 
Most  rich  in  Timon's  nod. 

Pain.  I  saw  them  speak  together.     65 

Poet.  Sir,  I  have  upon  a  high  and  pleasant  hill 

Feign'd    Fortune    to    be    thron'd:     the   base    o'    the 

mount 

Is  rank'd  with  all  deserts,  all  kinds  of  natures, 
That  labour  on  the  bosom  of  this  sphere 
To  propagate  their  states  :  amongst  them  all,  70 

Whose  eyes  are  on  this  sovereign  lady  fix'd, 
One  do  I  personate  of  Lord  Timon's  frame, 
Whom     Fortune    with     her     ivory    hand     wafts     to 
her; 


ance  to  his  fostering  love ;  for  "  pro 
perties  "  —  makes  his  own,  cp.  King 
John,  v.  ii.  79>  "  I  am  too  high-born  to 
be  propertied,"  though  there  the  word 
is  used  in  a  sinister  sense  ;  for  "  tend 
ance,"  cp.  Cymbeline,  v.  v.  53  : 

"  in  which  time  she  purposed, 
By  watching,  weeping,    tendance, 

kissing  to 

O'ercome  you  with  her  show." 
Here  "sorts"  seems   to   embrace   not 
merely    "kind,"    "species,"   but   also 
"rank,"  "quality." 

61.  glass-faced]  reflecting  as  in  a 
mirror  every  look  of  his. 

63.  to  abhor  himself}  to  loathe,  and 
to  express  that  loathing  of  himself. 
See  his  speeches  below,  lines  230-235. 
Rolfe  suggests  that  ' '  here  the  idea 
may  be  that  Apemantus  makes  himself 
abhorrent  to  others  instead  of  trying 
to  please  or  flatter  them."  There 
seems  no  ground  for  this  sense. 

65.  in  Timon's  nod]  in  having  been 
welcomed  by  Timon  with  so  much  as  a 
bend  of  the  head.  To  the  remark  by 
Steevens  that  in  the  ensuing  scenes 


the  behaviour  of  Apemantus  is  as 
cynical  to  Timon  as  to  his  followers, 
Ritson  replies  that  the  Poet,  seeing 
that  Apemantus  paid  frequent  visits  to 
Timon,  naturally  concluded  that  he 
was  equally  courteous  with  his  other 
guests. 

68.  Is    rank'd    .     .     .     deserts']    is 
lined   with    ranks    of    men    of  various 
merit. 

69.  this  sphere]  this  globe  of  earth, 
since  Fortune  was  often  represented  as 
sitting  on  one.     Cp.  Henry  V.  ill.  vi. 

3i»  38,  39- 

70.  To   propagate    their    states}    to 
amplify   their   fortunes.      Cp.  Jonson, 
Sejanus,  V.  x.  15  : 

' '  The  readier  we  seem 
To  propagate  his  honours,  will  more 

bind 

His  thoughts  to  ours  "  ; 
Massinger,  Believe  as  you  List,  II.  i.  : 

"  to  preserve 

And  propagate  her  empire  "  ; 
and  The  Roman  Actor,  I.  iii.  5. 

72.  frame}  mould,  figuratively. 

73.  ivory]  white ;    cp.    The  Rape  of 


10 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


Whose  present  grace  to  present  slaves  and  servants 
Translates  his  rivals. 

Pain.  'Tis  conceiv'd  to  scope.  75 

This  throne,  this  Fortune,  and  this  hill,  methinks, 
With  one  man  beckon'd  from  the  rest  below, 
Bowing  his  head  against  the  steepy  mount 
To  climb  his  happiness,  would  be  well  express'd 
In  our  condition. 

Poet.  Nay,  sir,  but  hear  me  on.  80 

All  those  which  were  his  fellows  but  of  late, 
Some,  better  than  his  value,  on  the  moment 
Follow  his  strides,  his  lobbies  fill  with  tendance, 
Rain  sacrificial  whisperings  in  his  ear, 


Lucrece,  464,  "  ivory  wall,"  of  Lucrece's 
breast. 

74.  present  slaves']    Walker  conjec 
tured     "peasant     slaves."       Hudson, 
however,    rightly,     I    think,    explains, 
"Whose  present  grace  presently,  that 
is,  immediately,  translates  his  rivals  to 
slaves  and  servants." 

75.  to    scope'}  Clarke   remarks    that 
"this  includes  the   duplicate  meaning 
of  '  it   is  conceived  jwith   large   scope 
or   compass   of  imagination,'   and    '  it 
is  conceived  with  apt  fulfilment  of  its 
purposed  scope   or  drift ' ;  for  Shake 
speare  elsewhere  uses  '  scope '  in  both 
senses."      I    doubt    the    largeness    of 
scope  being  involved.     Theobald  gave 
"  to  tK  scope."     For  the  omission  of 
the  definite  article  after  prepositions  in 
adverbial  phrases,  see  Abbott,  S.   G., 
§90. 

78,  79.  Bowing  .  .  .  happiness} 
bending  forward  in  his  effort  to  reach 
the  summit  on  which  happiness  awaits 
him. 

78.  against]  towards. 

80.  condition]  profession.  That  the 
word  is  here  used  in  this  technical 
sense,  as  so  frequently  "  quality," 
there  can,  I  think,  be  no  doubt.  Cp. 


Heywood,  Fortune  by  Land  and  Sea, 
IV.  i. ,  where  the  pirate  says  : 

' '  men  of  our  known  condition 
Must   cast  behind   our    backs    all 

such  respects  ; 
We  left  our  consciences  upon  the 

land 
When  we  began  to  rob  upon  the 

sea." 

Schmidt  explains,  "  would  find  a  strik 
ing  parallel  in  our  state,"  a  sense  which 
seems  to  me  wholly  inadequate. 
80.  on]  further. 

82.  Some    .    .    .    value]    some    his 
superiors. 

83.  his  lobbies  .  .  .  tendance]  throng 
the  courts  of  his  house  in  sycophantic 
numbers. 

84.  Rain    .    .     .    ear]    with    bated 
breath  pour  incense  into  his  ears.     For 
"  Rain,"    Delius  gives   "  Round,"  the 
later  form  of  the  old  verb  to  "  roun," 
whisper,  from  the  substantive  "run," 
a  mystery,  secret.     So,  "rounding"  in 
The    Winters    Tale,    I.    ii.   217.     Cp. 
Jonson,    Sejanus,    \.    i.,    "sacrifice  or 
knees,  of  crooks,  and  cringes  "  ;  and  our 
liturgy  in  the  prayer  For  restoring  Pub- 
lick  Peace  at  Home,  "our  sacrifice  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving." 


SC.  I.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


11 


Make  sacred  even  his  stirrup,  and  through  him         85 

Drink  the  free  air. 

Pain.  Ay,  marry,  what  of  these  ? 

Poet.  When  Fortune  in  her  shift  and  change  of  mood 

Spurns  down  her  late  beloved,  all  his  dependants 

Which  labour'd  after  him  to  the  mountain's  top. 

Even     on     their    knees     and     hands,    let    him    slip 
down,  90 

Not  one  accompanying  his  declining  foot. 
Pain.  'Tis  common : 

A  thousand  moral  paintings  I  .can  show 

That   shall   demonstrate  these   quick    blows   of   For 
tune's 

More  pregnantly  than  words.     Yet  you  do  well        95 

To  show  Lord  Timon  that  mean  eyes  have  seen 

The  foot  above  the  head. 


85.  Make  .  .  .  stirrup]  an  allusion 
to  the  holding  of  a  great  man's  stirrup 
for  him  to  mount,  an  obeisance  which 
they  make  as  if  even  that  were  some 
thing  sacred  —  of  course  merely  a 
hyperbole  for  pay  him  extravagant 
court. 

85.  86.  and  through  .  .   .  air]  and 
would  make  him  believe  that  only  by 
his  favour  do   they   draw   in   that   air 
which   God   has   made    a  free  gift   to 
all. 

86.  marry]  a  sophistication  of  "by 
Mary"    (sc.    the   Virgin)   in   order    to 
evade   the   statute  against  the  profane 
use  of  sacred  names.     Heywood  varies 
the  form  of  asseveration  by   "  Marry  a 
God,"  "By  God's  marry  dear,"  "By 
the  many-yoA." 

87.  in  her  .  .   .  mood]  both  "shift" 
and    "change"   belong   to    "mood"; 
"shift,"     here     only    in    Shakespeare 
as    a    substantive  —  change,      though 
he   has    the    verb    frequently   in    that 


90.  slip]  Rowe's  correction  of  "sit," 
the  reading  of  the  folios.  Delius  con 
jectures  "sink." 

93.  moral  paintings]  paintings  sym 
bolical  of  this  truth. 

94,  95.  That  shall .  .  .  words]  Here 
"quick"  may  mean  merely  the  sudden 
changes  of    Fortune's  mood,    yet   the 
word  coupled  so  closely  with   ' '  preg 
nantly  "   suggests  the   sense    that   the 
paintings    show   these  blows   of    For 
tune  with  a  more  lively  and  vivid  force 
than  is  possible  to  words.      There  is 
apparently  the   same    combination    of 
senses  in  2  Henry  IV.  I.  ii.  192,  "preg 
nancy  is  made  a     tapster  and  has  his 
quick   wit    wasted   in    giving    reckon 
ings."    . 

96.  mean  eyes]    even   the  humblest 
men.     Theobald    conjectured    "  men's 
eyes,"  and  has  been  followed  by  some 
editors. 

97.  The  foot    .    .     .    head]     "the 
highest     and     the     lowest     changing 
places"  (Rolfe). 


12  T1MON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

Trumpets  sound.  Enter  LORD  TlMON,  addressing  himself 
courteously  to  every  suitor ;  a  Messenger  from  VEN- 
TIDIUS  talking  with  him.  LUCILIUS  and  other  ser 
vants  following. 

Tim.  Imprison'd  is  he,  say  you  ? 

Mess.  Ay,  my  good  lord :  five  talents  is  his  debt ; 

His  means  most  short,  his  creditors  most  strait : 
Your  honourable  letter  he  desires  100 

To  those  have  shut  him  up ;  which  failing, 
Periods  his  comfort. 

Tim.  Noble  Ventidius  !     Well ; 

I  am  not  of  that  feather  to  shake  off 
My    friend    when    he    must    need    me.     I    do    know 

him 

A  gentleman  that  well  deserves  a  help,  105 

Which   he   shall   have :    I  '11   pay   the  debt    and    free 
him. 

Mess.  Your  lordship  ever  binds  him. 

Tim.  Commend  me  to  him :   I  will  send  his  ransom  ; 
And  being  enfranchis'd,  bid  him  come  to  me : 

98.  talents}  The  value  of  the  Attic  "How  easy  could  lperioda\\  my  care, 
talent  was  about  ,£240.  Could  I  her  kill." 

99.  strait']     vigorous,     strict ;     cp.  104.  -when   he  must  need  me}  when 
"  strait  decrees,"    1    Henry  IV.    IV.  he  cannot  help  but  need   me.     Many 
iii.  79.  editors  prefer  the  reading  of  the  third 

100.  honourable  letter}  letter  certain     and  fourth  folios,  "most  needs,"  tome 
to  be  hononred  by  compliance.  a  less  forcible  and  less  Shakespearian 

101.  those  have]    those   who   have  ;     expression. 

a  frequent  ellipsis.  108.  Commend  .  .  .  him"}  give  him 
101,  102.  which.  .  .  comfort]  failure  the  assurance  of  my  regard;  "  corn- 
to  obtain,  which  means  an  end  of  all  mend,"  Lat.  commendare,  com-,  in- 
hope.  Steevens  believes  that  to  tensive,  and  mandare,  to  commit  into 
"period"  is  a  verb  of  Shakespeare's  one's  hand  or  charge;  hence  to  re- 
introduction  into  the  language.  He  commend  to  kindly  remembrance, 
quotes  Heywood,  A  Maidenhead  Well  Though  from  the  same  source  as 
Lost,  ii.  vol.  iv.  p.  120,  Pearson's  "  command,"  the  word  always  has  the 
Reprint :  sense  of  a  pleasant  injunction. 


sc.i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  13 

Tis  not  enough  to  help  the  feeble  up,  I IO 

But  to  support  him  after.     Fare  you  well. 
Mess.  All  happiness  to  your  honour  !  [Exit. 

Enter  an  Old  Athenian. 

Old  Ath.  Lord  Timon,  hear  me  speak. 

Tim.  Freely,  good  father. 

Old  Ath.  Thou  hast  a  servant  named  Lucilius. 

Tim.   I  have  so :  what  of  him  ?  115 

Old    Ath.     Most    noble     Timon,     call    the    man     before 
thee. 

Tim.  Attends  he  here  or  no  ?     Lucilius  ! 

Luc.   Here,  at  your  lordship's  service. 

Old    Ath.     This     fellow    here,     Lord     Timon,    this    thy 

creature, 

By  night  frequents  my  house.      I  am  a  man  120 

That  from  my  first  have  been  inclin'd  to  thrift, 
And  my  estate  deserves  an  heir  more  raised 
Than  one  which  holds  a  trencher. 

Tim.  Well ;  what  further  ? 

Old  Ath.  One  only  daughter  have  I,  no  kin  else, 

On  whom  I  may  confer  what  I  have  got :  125 

The  maid  is  fair,  o'  the  youngest  for  a  bride, 
And  I  have  bred  her  at  my  dearest  cost 

111.  But  .  .  .  after}   but   it   is   in-  e.g.,     Bacon,    Essays,     "Of    Truth," 
cumbent  upon  one  to,  etc.  "The    first  creature   of    God    in    the 

112.  your  honour}  frequent  in  Shake-  works  of  the  days  was  the  light  of  the 
speare  as  a  title  given  to  lords.  sense. " 

113.  father}  often  used  in  addressing  123.  one    .    .    .    trencher}  a   menial 
old    men,    as    "gaffer"    (grandfather)  servant. 

and  "gammer"  (grandmother)  among  125.  have  got}  have  earned  and  put 

rustics.  by. 

119.  creature"}    dependant,    with    a  126.  c?  the  youngest  .  .  .  bride]  full 

contemptuous    inference.      The    word  young  to  marry ;  among  the  youngest 

was  of  old  used  for  things   inanimate  of  those  allowed  to  marry, 

as  well  as  animate,  anything  created  ;  127,  128.  And  I  .    .    .   besf}  and  I 


14  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

In  qualities  of  the  best.     This  man  of  thine 

Attempts  her  love :  I  prithee,  noble  lord, 

Join  with  me  to  forbid  him  her  resort ;  1 30 

Myself  have  spoke  in  vain. 

Tim.  The  man  is  honest. 

Old  Ath.  Therefore  let  well  be ;  Timon,  his  honesty 

Rewards  him  in  itself;  it  must  not  bear 

My  daughter. 

Tim.  Does  she  love  him  ? 

Old  Ath.  She 's  young  and  apt : 

Our  own  precedent  passions  do  instruct  us  135 

What  levity 's  in  youth. 
Tim.  \To  Lucilius.]  Love  you  the  maid? 

131-134.   The  man  .  .  .  apf\  Ed. 

Tim.  The  man  is  honest. 

Old  Ath.  Therefore  he  will  be,  Timon. 

His  honesty  rewards  him  in  itself ; 

It  must  not  bear  my  daughter. 

Tim.  Does  she  love  him  ? 

Old  Ath.  She  is  young  and  apt :  Ff. 

have  spared  no  cost  to  have  her  edu-  Therefore  he  will  be    always  honest, 

cated   in    every   feminine    accomplish-  Timon   (Collier) :     Therefore    he    -will 

ment.  be  rewarded,   Timon  (Singer) :    There- 

130.  her  resort}  the  paying  of  visits  fore    he   will   be    blest,    Lord    Timon 

to  her.    In  Hamlet,  II.  ii.  143,  we  have  (Keightley)  :     Therefore    he    will    be 

"his   resort,"  the   phrase  there  being  trusted,  Timon  (Bailey).     The  reading 

subjective,  here  objective.  I   have   ventured    to    give   will    mean 

132-134.    Therefore  .  .  .  apt}  In  the  "Let  well  alone,  let  that  suffice  him 

first  line  here  as  given  by  Ff  I,  2,  3  (see  without  the  addition  of  my  daughter's 

cr.   n.),  Theobald  put  a  comma  after  hand."      I  have   also   rearranged    the 

"be  "and  a   full  stop  after"  Timon."  lines. 

For   this   last    most    editors  substitute         133.    bear]   win,   achieve ;    cp.    The 

a    colon,    with   the   sense    "therefore  Comedy  of  Errors,  v.  i.  8. 
he    will    continue    to    be   honest" — a         134.  apt]  prompt  to  learn  the  lesson 

very   inadequate   conclusion,    it  seems  of  love. 

to  me.     The  Cambridge  Editors  record         135.  precedent}  as   an   adjective,    is 

a  large  variety  of  emendations.      Such  always  in  Shakespeare  accented  on  the 

are,    The  man  .  .  .    Therefore  well  be  penultimate.    Cp.  The  Advancement  of 

him,    Timon.      His    (Johnson):     The  Learning,  n.  xxii.  15,  "he  is  invested 

man  .  .  .   Therefore  he  will  be —     Old  of  a  precedent  disposition  to   conform 

Athen.        Timon,      His     (Staunton)  :  himself  thereunto." 
Therefore  he '//  be  my  son  (Theobald) : 


sc.i.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  15 

Luc.  Ay,  my  good  lord,  and  she  accepts  of  it. 

Old  Ath.  If  in  her  marriage  my  consent  be  missing, 

I  call  the  gods  to  witness,  I  will  choose 

Mine  heir  from  forth  the  beggars  of  the  world,        140 

And  dispossess  her  all. 
Tim.  How  shall  she  be  endow'd 

If  she  be  mated  with  an  equal  husband  ? 
Old  Ath.     Three    talents     on     the    present ;     in     future, 

all. 
Tim.  This  gentleman  of  mine  hath  serv'd  me  long : 

To  build  his  fortune  I  will  strain  a  little,  145 

For  'tis  a  bond  in  men.     Give  him  thy  daughter ; 

What  you  bestow,  in  him  I  '11  counterpoise, 

And  make  him  weigh  with  her. 
Old  Ath.  Most  noble  lord, 

Pawn  me  to  this  your  honour,  she  is  his. 
Tim.  My    hand     to    thee ;     mine    honour    on    my    pro 
mise.  150 
Luc.   Humbly  I  thank  your  lordship :  never  may 

That  state  or  fortune  fall  into  my  keeping 

138.  missing'}  wanting,  lacking;  cp.         146.  For  'tis  .   .   .   men]  for  one  is 

All's    Well,    I.    iii.    262  ;   Romeo   and  bound  to  make  such  an  effort. 
Juliet,  Pro.  14.  150.  My  hand  .  .   .  promise]  here  is 

140.  the  beggars    .    .    .    world]   the  my  hand  in  pledge  of  what  I  promise, 
greatest  beggars  the  world  can  show ;  and   my  honour  as   assurance  to  that 
not    merely     ' '  from    among    all    the  promise. 

beggars  in  the  world  ";  cp.  Antony  and        151-153.   never  may  .  .  .you!]  may 

Cleopatra,  iv.  vi.  30,  "  I  am  alone  the  no  good  fortune  ever  befall  me  which  I 

villain  of  the  earth."  shall  not  regard  as  due  to  you  and  as 

141.  all]  wholly ;  adverb.  a  trust  to  be  held  for  you  !  the  "state 
141,  142.  How  shall .  .  .  husband?]  or   fortune"   (almost   a  hendiadys   for 

what  dowry  will  you  give  her  if  she  be  "fortunate   state")  is  to  be  regarded 

wedded  to  one  who  shall  bring  to  the  not  as  something  belonging  to  him,  but 

marriage    an    equal    share   of  worldly  as  something  in  his  keeping  only.     For 

goods?     What  wealth  must  a  husband  "state,"   cp. ,   e.g.,    The   Merchant  of 

bring  to  the  union  in  order  to  be  on  a  Venice,  III.  ii.  262. 
par  with  her  ? 


16  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACT  i. 

Which  is  not  owed  to  you ! 

[Exeunt  Lucilius  and  Old  Athenian. 

Poet.  Vouchsafe    my    labour,    and    long    live    your    lord 
ship  ! 
Tim.  I  thank  you  ;  you  shall  hear  from  me  anon :  155 

Go  not  away.     What  have  you  there,  my  friend  ? 
Pain.  A  piece  of  painting,  which  I  do  beseech 

Your  lordship  to  accept. 
Tim.  Painting  is  welcome. 

The  painting  is  almost  the  natural  man ; 

For  since  dishonour  traffics  with  man's  nature,        1 60 

He  is  but  outside :  these  pencill'd  figures  are 

Even  such  as  they  give  out.      I  like  your  work ; 

And  you  shall  find  I  like  it :  wait  attendance 

Till  you  hear  further  from  me. 

Pain.  The  gods  preserve  you  ! 

Tim.  Well  fare  you,  gentleman  :  give  me  your  hand  ;      165 

We  must  needs  dine  together.     Sir,  your  jewel 

Hath  suffer'd  under  praise. 

Jew.  What,  my  lord  !  dispraise  ? 

Tim.  A  mere  satiety  of  commendations. 

If  I  should  pay  you  for 't  as  'tis  extoll'd, 

154.  Vouchsafe  my  labour]  deign  to         160-162.    For  since  .   .    .    out]  for, 
accept   this   work   of    my   labour ;    to  since    dishonesty    and    human    nature 
"vouchsafe"  is   literally  to   vouch  or  have  dealings  with   each   other,   what 
warrant  safe,  the  two  words  being  run  we  see  of  him  presented  to  us  gives 
into  one.  no  assurance  as  to  the  inward  man ; 

155,  156.   you  shall    .     .     .    away]  pictures,  on  the  other  hand,  are  what 
These  words  are  apparently  addressed  they  profess  to  be  and  nothing  more. 

to  the  old  Athenian   and  Lucilius  as         166.  needs]    of   necessity;    the    old 

they  are  going  away,  and  Timon  then  genitive  used  adverbially, 
turns  to  the  Painter.  167.  Hath  .   .  .  praise]  has  been  so 

159.    The  painting  .  .  .  man]  paint-  cried  up  as  to  injure  your  prospect  of 

ing  is  almost  the  real  man,  not  man  selling  it.     From  the  word  "suffer'd," 

"sophisticated"  (Lear,  in.  iv.  no)  by  the  Jeweller  takes  "under  praise"  for 

any  assumed  disguise.  "  underpraise. " 


SC.  I.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


17 


It  would  unclew  me  quite. 

Jew.  My  lord,  'tis  rated       170 

As  those  which  sell  would  give :  but  you  well  know, 
Things  of  like  value,  differing  in  the  owners, 
Are  prized  by  their  masters.     Believe 't,  dear  lord, 
You  mend  the  jewel  by  the  wearing  it. 
Tim.  Well  mock'd.  175 

Mer.  No,  my  good  lord ;  he  speaks  the  common  tongue, 

Which  all  men  speak  with  him. 
Tim.  Look,  who  comes  here :  will  you  be  chid  ? 

Enter  APEMANTUS. 
Jew.  We  '11  bear,  with  your  lordship. 
Mer.  He  '11  spare  none. 

Tim.  Good  morrow  to  thee,  gentle  Apemantus  !  1 80 

Apem.  Till  I  be  gentle,  stay  thou  for  thy  good  morrow ; 

When     thou    art    Timon's    dog,    and     these    knaves 
honest. 


170.  unclew]  unwind  to  the  very 
bottom  of  the  ball,  i.e.  strip  me  bare, 
undo  me.  Steevens  compares  The 
Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,  ill.  ii. 

52: 

"  Therefore,  as  you  unwind  her  love 

from  him  .  .  . 
You   must   provide    to   bottom   it 

on  me  " ; 

for  the  converse  idea,  cp.   Massinger, 
The  Virgin  Martyr,  v.  i.  38  : 

"  I  before  the  Destinies 
My   bottom  did  wind  tip,   would 

flesh  myself 

Once    more    upon   some    one   re 
markable 
Above  all  these." 

170,  171.  'tis  rated  .  .  .  give}  it  has 
been  priced  at  a  sum  which  those  who 
sell  would  readily  give  for  its  purchase  ; 
in  mercantile  phrase,  it  is  offered  to  you 
at  cost  price. 


173.  Are  prized  .  .  .  masters]  are 
valued  according  to  the  honour  in 
which  their  owners  are  held  ;  for  "  by," 
in  this  sense,  cp.  All's  Well,  \\.  iii. 
137,  HI.  i.  13. 

178.  will  you  be  chid?~\atz  you  pre 
pared  to  be  chidden,  as  you  surely  will 
be,  now  that  Apemantus  approaches  ? 

179.  We'll  .    .    .    lordship]  we  are 
willing  to  fare  like  your  lordship. 

182.  When  thou  .  .  .  honest]  Malone 
says,  "Apemantus,  I  think,  means  to 
say,  that  Timon  is  not  to  receive  a 
gentle  good  morrow  from  him  till  that 
shall  happen  which  never  will  happen  ; 
till  Timon  is  transformed  to  the  shape 
of  his  dog,  and  his  knavish  followers 
become  honest  men."  Steevens  agrees 
with  Malone,  and  quotes  as  analogous 
Troilus  and  Cressida,  IV.  v.  50, 
"When  Helen  is  a  maid  again  and 
his."  Possibly  we  should  punctuate 


18  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

Tim.  Why    dost    thou    call    them    knaves?    thou    know'st 

them  not. 

Apem.  Are  they  not  Athenians  ? 

Tim.  Yes.  185 

Apem.  Then  I  repent  not. 
Jew.  You  know  me,  Apemantus? 
Apem.  Thou  know'st  I  do ;  I  call'd  thee  by  thy  name. 
Tim.  Thou  art  proud,  Apemantus. 
Apem.  Of  nothing   so  much  as   that   I    am   not  like   190 

Timon. 

Tim.  Whither  art  going? 

Apem.  To  knock  out  an  honest  Athenian's  brains. 
Tim.  That 's  a  deed  thou  'It  die  for. 

Apem.  Right,  if  doing  nothing  be  death  by  the  law.        195 
Tim.  How  likest  thou  this  picture,  Apemantus? 
Apem.  The  best,  for  the  innocence. 
Tim.  Wrought  he  not  well  that  painted  it  ? 
Apem.  He  wrought  better  that  made  the  painter ;  and 

yet  he  's  but  a  filthy  piece  of  work.  200 

Pain.  You  're  a  dog. 
Apem.  Thy  mother 's  of  my  generation  :  what 's  she, 

if  I  be  a  dog  ? 

Tim.  Wilt  dine  with  me,  Apemantus  ? 

Apem.  No ;  I  eat  not  lords.  205 

Tim.  An  thou  should'st,  thou'dst  anger  ladies. 

thus:  "When  thou  art,  Timon's  dog,  necessary  to  give  line  180,  "Good  .  .  . 

and  these  men  honest,"  i.e.  when  you,  Apemantus,"  to  the  Jeweller. 

who  cringe  and  fawn  upon  Timon  like  197.    The  best   .    .    .    innocence]  for 

a  dog,  and  these  knaves,  are  honest,  nothing   so   much   as   its   want   of   all 

Inline  188  Apemantus  says,  "I  call'd  significance,   its  harmless  inefficiency; 

thee  by  thy  name,"  and  unless   it  be  in  cp.  Much  A  Jo,  v.  ii.  38;   All's  Well, 

calling  him  "  Timon's  dog,"  he  has  not  iv.  iii.  213. 

yet  addressed  the  Jeweller.     With  this  202.  of  my  generation]  of  the  same 

change    of    punctuation,   it   would   be  species  as  that  you  ascribe  to  me. 


sc.i.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  19 

Apem.  O !   they  eat    lords ;    so   they  come   by  great 

bellies. 

Tim.  That 's  a  lascivious  apprehension. 
Apem.  So  thou  apprehendest  it,  take  it  for  thy  labour.  210 
Tim.  How  dost  thou  like  this  jewel,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  Not  so  well   as  plain-dealing,  which  will  not 

cost  a  man  a  doit. 

Tim.  What  dost  thou  think  'tis  worth? 
Apem.  Not  worth  my  thinking.     How  now,  poet !  215 

Poet.  How,  now,  philosopher  ! 
Apem.  Thou  liest. 
Poet.  Art  not  one  ? 
Apem.  Yes. 

Poet.  Then  I  lie  not.  220 

Apem.  Art  not  a  poet  ? 
Poet.  Yes. 
Apem.  Then  thou  liest :  look  in  thy  last  work,  where 

thou  hast  feigned  him  a  worthy  fellow. 
Poet.  That 's  not  feigned  ;  he  is  so.  225 

Apem.  Yes,  he  is  worthy  of  thee,  and  to  pay  thee  for 

thy    labour:    he    that   loves    to    be    flattered    is 

worthy  o'  the  flatterer.   Heavens,  that  I  were  a  lord ! 
Tim.  What  would'st  do  then,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  E'en  as  Apemantus  does  now;  hate  a  lord  with   230 

my  heart. 

207.  come  by\  acquire.  213.  a   doif\    a    small    Dutch    coin 

210.  So  thou  .  .   .  labour]  since  you  formerly  in  use,  the  eighth  part  of  a 

put   that   interpretation  on  my  words,  stiver,  or  the  half  of  an  English  farthing; 

you  are  welcome  to  it  for  your  pains,  hence  anything  of  the  smallest  value. 

I  follow  Staunton  in  placing  a  comma  Cp.    Coriolanus,  I.  v.   7,    "irons  of  a 

only  after  "  it,"  instead  of  a  full  stop  as  doit"  i.e.   worth  a  doit;    iv.   iv.    17, 

in  the  folios.     Delius  points  out  that  "dissensions  of  a.  doit":  in  Marston's 

there  is  a  play  upon  the  physical  and  What     You    Will,    the    name     of    a 

the  mental  senses  of  "apprehend."  page. 


20  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

Tim.  What,  thyself? 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  Wherefore  ? 

Apem.  That  I  had  my  angry  will  to  be  a  lord.     Art   235 

not  thou  a  merchant? 
Mer.  Ay,  Apemantus. 

Apem.  Traffic  confound  thee,  if  the  gods  will  not ! 
Mer.   If  traffic  do  it,  the  gods  do  it. 
Apem.  Traffic 's  thy  god,  and  thy  god  confound  thee  !    240 

Trumpets  sound.     Enter  a  Servant. 

Tim.  What  trumpet 's  that  ? 

Serv.  'Tis  Alcibiades,  and  some  twenty  horse, 

All  of  companionship. 
Tim.  Pray,  entertain  them ;  give  them  guide  to  us. 

\Exeunt  some  Attendants. 

You     must    needs    dine    with    me.       Go    not    you 
hence  245 

Till  I  have  thank'd  you ;  and,  when  dinner 's  done, 
Show  me  this  piece.     I  am  joyful  of  your  sights. 

235.  my  angry  will]  Ed.,  no  angry  -wit  Ff. 

235.   That  I  had  .    .    .    lord]   The  wood,    The  Wise   Woman  of  Hogsdon, 

folios  give  "no  angry  -wit"  in  which  vol.  v.  p.  299,  Pearson's  Reprint: 

it   has   been   attempted    to   find   some  "  Sir  Har.  Have  you  my  daughters, 

sense.      Conjectures  abound,  e.g.   "so  that  you  covet  mine ? 

hungry    a    wit"    (Warburton) :    "an  Senc.  No,  sir,  but  I  hope  in  time 

angry    wish"    (Mason):     "an    empty  I  shall  have," 

wit"  (Singer):    "so  hungry  a  -wish"  where  it  is  obvious  that  we  should  read 

(Collier):     "an     angry    fit"     (Grant  "no "for  "my." 

White):    "no  angry   wit,"    (Delius) :  242.  horse']  the  collective  plural. 

"so   green    a    wit"   (Kinnear) :    "no  243.  Allofcompanionship]a\\\)z\Q'ng- 

mangey  wit "  (Gould),  etc.  etc.      The  ing  to  one  and  the  same  party, 

conjecture    I    have    edited    means    of  245-247.     You    must    .    .    .   piece] 

course  "that  my  petulant  desire  to  be  Addressed  to  the  Painter,  the  remainder 

a  lord  had  been  gratified."     The  inter-  of  the   last   line    to    the    company   in 

change  of   "no"   and   "my"  is  not  general, 
uncommon.    Here  is  an  instance.    Hey- 


sc.i.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  21 

Enter  ALCIBIADES,  with  his  Company. 
Most  welcome,  sir ! 
Apem.  So,  so ;  there  ! 

Aches  contract  and  starve  your  supple  joints ! 
That  there  should  be  small  love  'mongst  these  sweet 
knaves,  250 

And  all  this  courtesy  !     The  strain  of  man 's  bred  out 
Into  baboon  and  monkey. 
Alcib.  Sir,  you  have  sav'd  my  longing,  and  I  feed 

Most  hungerly  on  your  sight. 
Tim.  Right  welcome,  sir ! 

Ere  we  depart,  we  '11  share  a  bounteous  time  255 

In  different  pleasures.     Pray  you,  let  us  in. 

[Exeunt  all  but  Apemantus. 

Enter  two  Lords. 

First  Lord.  What  time  o'  day  is 't,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  Time  to  be  honest. 

248,249.  there!    Aches}  Capell,  their  Aches  Ff. 

248.  So,  so,  there  /]  a  snarl   of  ex-  the  stock  of  man  has  degenerated  into 
ultant  spite.  that  of  brute   beasts  like  apes.      For 

249.  Aches\  a  dissyllable,  the  singular  "bred  out,"  cp.  Henry  V.  ill.  v.  59, 
being  pronounced  as  the  letter  H.    Cp.  though  there  the  phrase  means  simply 
The   Tempest,    I.   ii.    370,   and  below,  "exhausted";  and  for  "strain,"  with 
V.  i.  202.  "bred  out  "= derived,  the  same  play, 

249.  starve]    originally    intransitive     II.  iv.  51. 

and     used    in    the    general    sense    of  253.  you   have    .    .    .    longing]   my 

"to    die,"    without    reference  to  the  craving  to  see  you  is  now  appeased, 

manner.  254.  hungerly'}  Cp.   Othello,  III.  iv. 

250,  251.    That  there  .  .  .  courtesy  I]  105,  "  They  eat  us  hungerly. " 

To  think  that  there  should  be  all  this  255.  depart}  separate ;  cp.  Cymbelinc, 

show  of  love  between  those  in  whom  I.  i.  108,  and  (transitively)  the  Marriage 

there  is  no  reality  of  it !  Service,  as  it  originally  ran,  "  till  death 

250.  sweet]  an  intensive  marking  their  us  depart,"  the  ordinary  language  of 

hypocrisy.  the  time. 

251,252.    The  strain  .   .   .   monkey}        256.  different]  diverse   varied. 


22  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

First  Lord.  That  time  serves  still. 

Apem.  The  more  accursed  them,  that  still  omitt'st  it.       260 

Second  Lord.  Thou  are  going  to  Lord  Jimon's  feast  ? 

Apem.  Ay ;  to  see  meat  fill  knaves  and  wine  heat  fools. 

Second  Lord.  Fare  thee  well,  fare  thee  well. 

Apem.  Thou  art  a  fool  to  bid  me  farewell  twice. 

Second  Lord.  Why,  Apemantus?  265 

Apem.  Should'st  have  kept  one  to  thyself,  for  I  mean 

to  give  thee  none. 
First  Lord.  Hang  thyself ! 
Apem.  No,  I  will  do  nothing  at  thy  bidding:  make 

thy  request  to  thy  friend.  270 

Second  Lord.  Away,  unpeaceable  dog !   or  I  '11  spurn 

thee  hence. 

Apem.   I  will  fly,  like  a  dog,  the  heels  o'  the  ass.  [Exit. 

First  Lord.  He's    opposite    to    humanity.       Come,    shall 
we  in 

And  taste  Lord  Timon's  bounty  ?  he  outgoes          275 

The  very  heart  of  kindness. 
Second  Lord.  He  pours  it  out ;  Plutus,  the  god  of  gold, 

Is  but  his  steward :  no  meed  but  he  repays 

Sevenfold  above  itself;  no  gift  to  him 

260.  still  omiffsf]  ever  let  it  pass,  demonstrative  used  with  comparatives 

always   fail   to   take  advantage  of  it  ;  to  signify  the  measure  of  excess  or  of 

probably  with   allusion   to   the   repre-  defect). 

sentation  of  Time  as  being  bald  behind,  271.    unpeaceable}     whose     snarling 

to  which  the  dramatists  so  constantly  nothing   can   quiet ;    not  elsewhere  in 

refer.     Many  editors  follow  Hanmer  in  Shakespeare. 

giving    "more   accursed."      Staunton,  274.  He's  .  .  .  humanity}  he  is  not 

Delius,    Clarke,    and    the    Cambridge  merely  a  stranger,  but  an  active  foe,  to 

Editors  retain  the  reading  of  the  folios,  all  human  feeling. 

It  may  perhaps  be  defended  as  a  con-  277.  pours  it  out]  Here,  as  so  often, 

fusion   between    "The   most  accursed  "it"  is  indefinite;  see  Abbott,  S.  G., 

man  are  you"  (where   "The"  is  the  §226. 

definite  article  in  the  nominative  case),  278.    meed]    merit  ;     a     sense    less 

and    "The   more    accursed   are  you"  common  in  Shakespeare  than  that  of 

(where  "The"  is  the  ablative  of  the  recompense,  its  original  meaning. 


sc.  ii.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  23 

But  breeds  the  giver  a  return  exceeding  280 

All  use  of  quittance. 
First  Lord.  The  noblest  mind  he  carries 

That  ever  govern'd  man 
Second  Lord.   Long    may    he    live   in 's    fortunes !       Shall 

we  in? 
First  Lord.  I  '11  keep  you  company.  \Exeunt. 


SCENE   II. —  The  Same.     A  Room  of  State  in 
Timoris  House. 

Hautboys  playing  loud  music.  A  great  banquet  served  in  ; 
FLAVIUS  and  others  attending:  then  enter  LORD 
TIMON,  ALCIBIADES,  Lords,  Senators,  and  VENTIDIUS. 
Then  comes,  dropping  after  all,  APEMANTUS,  discon 
tentedly,  like  himself. 

Ven.  Most  honour'd  Timon, 

It  hath  pleas'd  the  gods  to  remember  my  father's  age, 
And  call  him  to  long  peace. 

280.  breeds]  for  the  metaphor  (com-     Also   Measure  for  Measure,   I.   i.   41, 
mon  in  Greek  also),  cp.  The  Merchant     "  Both  thanks  and  use" 

of  Venice,  I.  iii.  97.  283.    in 's  fortune"}   in  his  fortune  ; 

281.  All   .    .    .    quittance]    usually  Daniel's    conjecture.       Hudson,    who 
explained    as    "customary    requital."  reads  "  in 's  fortunes,"  is  probably  right 
But  surely  "  use "  and  "  breeds  'show  in    ending    the    lines    "live"    .    .    . 
that  interest  upon  outlay  is  here  meant,  "company  "  ;  in  fortunes,  Ff. 

and  that  Timon's  "  return  "  exceeds  not  ~ 
only  customary  requital,  but  the  highest 

interest  ever  paid  in  liquidation  of  a  Stage-direction.   Hautboys]  a  wooden 

loan.     In  fact,  the  expression  is  almost  double-reed    wind   instrument  of  high 

equivalent  to  "all  usurious  repayment."  compass.      Fr.   haut,   high,    and   dots, 

Cp.  Heywood,    The  Royal  King,  etc.,  wood.     The  word  is  used  figuratively 

vol.  vi.  p.  7,  Pearson's  Reprint :  in  Chapman's  The  Widow's  Tears,  II. 

"neither  could  we  yet  ii.,  "A  humour,  an  impostume,  he  is, 

Fasten  that  love   on   thee  which  madam  ;  a  very  haut-boy,  a  bagpipe,  in 

came  not  home  whom  there  is  nothing  but  wind." 

With  double  use  and  ample  recom-  1-3.  Most  .  .   .  peace]  Various  un- 

pence."  satisfactory  attempts  have  been  made 


24 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


He  is  gone  happy,  and  has  left  me  rich  : 
Then,  as  in  grateful  virtue  I  am  bound  5 

To  your  free  heart,  I  do  return  those  talents, 
Doubled  with  thanks  and  service,  from  whose  help 
I  deriv'd  liberty. 

Tim.  O !  by  no  means, 

Honest  Ventidius ;  you  mistake  my  love ; 

I  gave  it  freely  ever ;  and  there 's  none  I  o 

Can  truly  say  he  gives,  if  he  receives : 

x*1^1  If  our  betters  play  at  that  game,  we  must  not  dare 
To  imitate  them  ;  faults  that  are  rich  are  fair. 

Ven.  A  noble  spirit ! 

[  They  all  stand  ceremoniously  looking  on  Timon. 

Tim.  Nay,  my  lords,  ceremony  was  but  devis'd  at  first      I  5 
To  set  a  gloss  on  faint  deeds,  hollow  welcomes, 
Recanting  goodness,  sorry  ere  'tis  shown  ; 
But  where  there  is  true  friendship,  there  needs  none. 
Pray,  sit ;  more  welcome  are  ye  to  my  fortunes 
Than  my  fortunes  to  me.  ,  \They  sit.      20 

First  Lord.  My  lord,  we  always  have  confess'd  it. 

Apem.   Ho,  ho !  confess'd  it ;  hang'd  it,  have  you  not  ? 

Tim.  O  !  Apemantus,  you  are  welcome. 

Apem.  No ; 


to  cure  the  metre  of  these  obviously 
corrupt  lines  ;  but  there  is  nothing 
wanting  in  point  of  sense,  and  it  is 
better  therefore  to  leave  them  as  they 
stand. 

5,  6.  as  in  .  .  .  heart}  as  in  grati 
tude  I  am  bound  to  you  who  so  freely 
helped  me  ;  the  antithesis  between 
"bound"  and  "free"  (i.e.  generous) 
can  hardly  be  kept  up  in  paraphrase. 

10.  /  gave  .  .  .  ever}  it  has  ever 
been  my  wont  to  give  my  love  without 
thought  of  obligation. 


12.  If  our  .  .  .  dare]  For  the  sake 
of  the    metre,   Johnson    would    read, 
' '  Our  betters  play  that  game  ;  we  must 
not  dare  T"  imitate  them." 

13.  faults  .  .   .  fair]  what  in  others 
would   seem    faulty,     in    the    wealthy 
looks  fair. 

1 6.  faint  deeds}  deeds  that  show  but 
dully,  have  no  gloss  of  their  own. 

22.  Ho,  ho  .  .  .  not?]  An  allusion, 
as  Malone  points  out,  to  a  familiar 
proverbial  saying,  "  Confess  and  be 
hanged  ! "  Cp.  Othello,  IV.  i.  38. 


sc.li.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  25 

You  shall  not  make  me  welcome : 
I  come  to  have  thee  thrust  me  out  of  doors.  2  5 

Tint.  Fie !  thou  'rt  a  churl ;  ye  Ve  got  a  humour  there 
Does  not  become  a  man ;  'tis  much  to  blame. 
They  say,  my  lords,  Ira  furor  brevis  est, 
But  yond  man  is  ever  angry. 

Go,  let  him  have  a  table  by  himself,  30 

For  he  does  neither  affect  company, 
Nor  is  he  fit  for  it,  indeed. 
Apem.  Let  me  stay  at  thine  apperil,  Timon : 

I  come  to  observe ;  I  give  thee  warning  on  't. 
Tim.  I  take  no  heed  of  thee ;  thou  'rt  an  Athenian  ;      3  5 
therefore   welcome.     I    myself   would    have    no 
power ;  prithee,  let  my  meat  make  thee  silent. 
'    Apem.   I  scorn  thy  meat ;  'twould  choke  me,  for  I  should 
Ne'er  flatter  thee.     O  you  gods  !  what  a  number 

29.  ever  cmgry~\  Rowe  ;  verie  angrie  F  I  ;  -very  angry  Ff  2,  3,  4.         38-43.  / 
scorn  .   .  .  too]  Capell ;  prose  in  Ff. 

25.  /  come  .  .   .  doors\  I  come  only  or    possibly    can    be    produced."      It 

in  order  to  provoke  you  to  thrust  me  occurs    again    in    Jonson's    Magnetic 

out  of  doors,   not  because  I  bear  you  Lady,  v.  vi.  and  in  A  Tale  of  a  Tub, 

any    goodwill,    as    these    pretend,    or  n.  i.  ;  Middleton  has  it  in  Michaelmas 

because  I  desire  to  eat  of  your  food,  as  Term,  I.  i.  218,  "Is  there  no  law  for 

these  really  do.  a   woman   that   will   still  run  upon   a 

33,  34.  Let  me  .  .  .  on^f}  it  would  man  at  her  own  apperill"   and  Hey- 

be  much  more  prudent  in  you  to  have  wood  in   The  English   Traveller,  vol. 

me  thrust  out,  for  I  warn  you  that  I  iv.  p.  83,    Pearson's   Reprint,    "upon 

have    come    to    take   notes    of    what  his  displeasure  and  your  own  apperils." 

goes  on  in  order  to  find  scope  for  that  36,  37.  1 myself .  .  .  power]  no  words 

bitter  humour  which  you  denounce.  or  courtesy  of  mine  would  be  able  to 

33-  apperif]  peril.     Gifford,  on   The  silence  that  bitter  tongue ;  I  can  only 

Devil  is  an  A  ss,  v.  iii.,  "Sir,  I  will  bail  hope   that    my    meat    may    be    more 

you  at  mine  own  apperil,"  makes  merry  effective  to  that  end. 

over  the  ignorance  of  the  older  Shake-  38,  39.  "'twould  .  .  .  thee]  Johnson 

spearian  commentators.     Malone,  who  explains,    "I   could   not   swallow   thy 

could    not     find     the     word     in     any  meat,  for  I  could  not  pay  for  it  with 

dictionary,    and   declared   that  it   was  flattery  ;  and  what  was  given  me  with 

not  "reconcileable  to  etymology,"  had  an  ill  will  would  stick  in  my  throat." 

adopted  Steevens'  conjecture,  "peril,"  Heath  seems  nearer  the  mark  :  "  I  scorn 

while  Ritson  had  gone  so  far  as  to  say  thy  meat,  which  I  see  is  prepared  on 

that  "no  other  instance  of  it  has  been,  purpose  to  feed  flatterers  ;   and  there- 


26 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


£ 


1   Of  men  eat  Timon,  and  he  sees  'em  not.  40 

It  grieves  me  to  see  so  many  dip  their  meat 

s«  In  one  man's  blood ;  and  all  the  madness  is, 
He  cheers  them  up  too. 

'*  I  wonder  men  dare  trust  themselves  with  men  : 

Methinks  they  should  invite  them  without  knives;    45 
Good  for  their  meat,  and  safer  for  their  lives. 
There 's  much  example  for 't ;  the  fellow  that  sits 
next  him  now,  parts  bread  with  him,  and  pledges 
the  breadth  of  him  in  a  divided  draught,  is  the 
readiest  man  to  kill  him  :  it  has  been  proved.     If  I      50 
were  a  huge  man,  I  should  fear  to  drink  at  meals 
Lest  they  should  spy  my  windpipe's  dangerous  notes : 


fore  it  certainly  would  choke  me, 
who  am  none."  Perhaps  there  is  a 
somewhat  confused  idea  that  the  flattery 
with  which  a  guest  would  be  expected 
to  tickle  Timon's  palate  could  not  in 
Apemantus's  case  sauce  digestion  with 
the  consciousness  that  the  meat  had 
been  paid  for  in  the  coin  which  Timon 
most  valued. 

42.  In  one  man's  blood}  as  though  it 
were  a  dish  in  front  of  them.  Cp. 
below,  in.  ii.  65  :  v 

"  who  can  call  him 
His  friend  that  dips  in  the  same 

dish?" 

and  Matthew  xxvi.  23,  "  He  that 
dippeth  his  hand  with  me  in  the  dish, 
the  same  shall  betray  me." 

42,  43.  and  all .  .  .  too}  and  the  worst 
of  the  madness  is  that  he  not  only 
allows  them  to  do  so,  but  actually 
encourages  them  in  the  practice. 

45.  knives}  which  at  the  period  it 
was  customary  to  bring  with  them. 
Cp.  Westward  Ho!  vol.  ii.  p.  316, 
Pearson's  Reprint,  "I'll  get  me  two 
gauntlets,  for  fear  I  lose  my  fingers  in 
the  dishes ;  there  be  excellent  shavers, 
I  hear,  in  most  of  your  under  offices. 
I  protest  I  have  often  come  thither,  sat 
down,  drawn  my  knife,  and  ere  I 


would  say  grace,  all  the  meat  had  been 
gone."  Forks  were  not  brought  into 
general  use  till  about  the  beginning 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  Cp.  Jonson, 
The  Devil  is  an  Ass,  v.  iii.  : 

' '  The  laudable  use  of  forks, 
Brought  into  custom  here,  as  they 

are  in  Italy." 

46.  Good  .  .  .  lives}  in  that  they 
would  eat  less,  and  not  be  able  to  cut 
throats  if  they  should  grow  to  a 
quarrel. 

49.  a  divided  draught]  a  cup  of  wine 
which  they  shared  together. 

51.  huge]  in  the  figurative  sense  of 
"great,"   was   in  frequent    use.      Cp. 
Jonson,  Sejanus,  v.  viii.  3  : 

"  To  tender  your   All    Hail  in  the 

wide  hall 

Of  huge  Sejanus  "  ; 
Marston,  The  Malcontent,  I.  i.  322  : 
"  No  king  so  huge  but  'fore  he  die 

may  fall "  ; 

Chapman,  The  Widow's  Tears,  I.  i., 
' '  Cupid  hath  one  dart  in  store  for  her 
great  ladyship,  as  well  as  for  any  other 
huge  lady." 

52.  my   windpipe's  .  .   .  notes}    No 
satisfactory  explanation  of  this  line  is 
known   to   me.       Hudson   says,    "the 
sounds  or  motions  made  by  the  throat 


sc.ii.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  27 


men    should     drink     with     harness    on    their 
throats. 

Tim.  My  lord,  in  heart  ;  and  let  the  health  go  round. 
Second  Lord.  Let  it  flow  this  way,  my  good  lord.  5  5 

Apem.   Flow  this  way  !     A  brave  fellow  !  he  keeps  his 
tides  well.     Those  healths   will   make  thee  and 
thy  state  look  ill,  Timon. 
Here's  that  which  is  too  weak  to  be  a  sinner 
Honest  water  which  ne'er  left  man  i'  the  mire  :          60 
This  and  my  food  are  equals,  there  's  no  odds, 
Feasts  are  too  proud  to  give  thanks  to  the  gods. 

Immortal  gods,  I  crave  no  pelf; 

I  pray  for  no  man  but  myself: 

Grant  I  may  never  prove  so  fond,  65 

To  trust  man  on  his  oath  or  bond  ; 

in   drinking."     But   "sounds"    could  the  cup   should   come   round   to  him 

not  be  "spied."     Since  in  drinking  the  in    turn,    and    also    with    a    pun    on 

weasand  moves  up  and  down,  there  is  "flow." 

perhaps  a  comparison  to  the  movement         59.  sinner]    has  been    explained  as 

of  notes  on  the  keyboard  of  a  virginal,  "a   cause   of   sin"   (Rolfe),    on   what 

and   the    helplesness    of    the    drinker  analogy  I  do  not  know.     For  '  '  weak 

at   the    moment    invites   the   knife    of  ...    sinner,"    Staunton     conjectures 

the  would-be  assassin  :  "  dangerous  "of  "  weak  to  set  a  fire  "  ;  Kinnear,  "  clear 

course  to  the  drinker.     As  Steevens  re-  to  be  a  liar";    Gould,    "weak  to  be 

marks,    there   is   no    doubt  a  quibble  a   sire";    for  "sinner,"   Collier  gives 

here   on    "windpipe"    and    "notes."  "fire";  Keightley,   "liar."      Possibly 

So,  Dekker,    The  Gentle  Craft,  vol.  i.  "  flier,"  with  a  further  pun  on  "flow"; 

p.   50,  Pearson's  Reprint,  "  my  organ  for   with   Capell  and    Sidney   Walker 

pipe  squeaks  this  morning  for  want  of  I  believe  that  the  whole  passage,  from 

liquoring.'"  "  My  Lord,"  was  originally  verse. 

53.  harness]  armour,  gorgets.  61.    This  and  .  .   .  odds]  water  and 

54.  in  heart]  I  drink  to  you  with  all  roots   go    well    together,   each    being 
heartiness.  equally  wholesome  and  humble  fare. 

55.  Let  it  .  .  .  way]   let    the   toast         62.  Feasts]  i.e.  the  givers  of  feasts  ; 
come   round.     Apparently  a  common  water  and   fire   having  in   the  former 
phrase  at  a  banquet.     Cp.  Middleton,  line    been    personified    by    the    word 
Afichaelmas   Term,   in.   i.   216,    "Let  "equals,"  the   same  figure  is  used  in 
it  flow  this  way,    dear   master  Blast-  regard  to  "  Feasts." 

field."  65.  fond]  foolish  ;  originally  the  past 

56.  57.  he  keeps  .  .  .  well]  he  keeps    participle  of  M.  E.   "  fonnen,"  to   act 
time  and    season,  sc.  in  desiring  that    foolishly. 


28  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

Or  a  harlot  for  her  weeping ; 

Or  a  dog  that  seems  a-sleeping ; 

Or  a  keeper  with  my  freedom ; 

Or  my  friends,  if  I  should  need  'em.  70 

Amen.     So  fall  to 't : 

Rich  men  sin,  and  I  eat  root.      \Eats  and  drinks. 

Much  good  dich  thy  good  heart,  Apemantus ! 
Tim.  Captain   Alcibiades,  your  heart's  in  the  field 

now.  7  5 

Alcib.   My     heart     is     ever     at     your     service,     my 

lord. 
Tim.  You  had  rather  be   at  a  breakfast  of  enemies 

than  a  dinner  of  friends. 
Alcib.  So  they  were  bleeding-new,  my  lord,  there  's  no     80 

meat  like  'em :  I  could  wish  my  best  friend  at 

such  a  feast. 
Apem.  Would  all  those  flatterers  were  thine  enemies 

then,  that  then  thou  might'st  kill  'em  and  bid 

me  to  'em  !  8  5 

First  Lord.  Might  we  but  have  that  happiness,   my 

lord,  that  you  would  once  use  our  hearts,  whereby 

we   might  express   some   part  of  our  zeals,  we 

should  think  ourselves  for  ever  perfect. 
Tim.  O  !  no  doubt,  my  good   friends,  but  the  gods     90 

72.  sin]  Farmer  proposed  "sing"  ;     the  preposition  in  the  former  case  being 
Singer,  "dine."  equivalent  to  "upon,"  in  the  latter  to 

73.  dich~\   For   this   word   the    New     "  with "  or  "among." 

English   Dictionary  quotes   R.    John-  84,  85.  bid  .   .  .  'em  /]  i.e.  to  a  feast 

son's    Kingdom    and    Commonwealth,  upon  them. 

87,  "So  mich  God  dich  you  with  your  87.  use  our  hearts}  make  trial  of  our 

sustenanceless    sauce."      S  pence    con-  love. 

jectures  "rich,"  i.e.  enrich.  88,  89.  we   should  .  .  .  perfect}  we 

76.  service}  with  a  play  upon  service  should  feel  that  we  had  arrived  at  com- 

in  the  field.  plete  and  perfect  happiness. 

78,  79.  of  enemies  .  .   .  of  friends} 


sc.  IT.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  29 

themselves  have  provided  that  I  shall  have  much 
help  from  you  :  how  had  you  been  my  friends 
else?  why  have  you   that   charitable  title  from 
thousands,  did   not   you   chiefly    belong    to    my 
heart?     I  have  told  more  of  you  to  myself  than     95 
you  can  with  modesty  speak  in  your  own  behalf; 
and  thus  far  I  confirm  you.     O  you  gods  !  think 
I,  what  need  we  have  any  friends,  if  we  should 
ne'er  have  need    of   'em !    they   were  the   most 
needless  creatures  living   should   we   ne'er  have   100 
use  for   'em,    and    would    most   resemble   sweet 
instruments  hung  up   in   cases,  that  keep  their 
sounds  to  themselves.    Why,  I  have  often  wished 
myself  poorer  that  I  might  come  nearer  to  you. 
We  are  born  to  do  benefits;  and  what  better  or   105 
properer  can  we  call  our  own  than  the  riches 
of  our  friends  ?     O  !  what  a  precious  comfort  'tis, 
to  have  so  many,  like  brothers,  commanding  one 
another's  fortunes.     O  joy  !  e'en  made  away  ere 't 
can  be  born  !     Mine  eyes  cannot  hold  out  water,   no 
methinks :  to  forget  their  faults,  I  drink  to  you. 
Apem.  Thou  weepest  to  make  them  drink,  Timon. 

92,  93.  how  had  .  .  .  else  ?}  if  it  were         109,  no.  made  .  .  .  born  /]  that  dies 
not  that  you  might  help  me  at  need,  how     (in  tears)  even  before  it  can  be  brought 
could  you  call  yourselves  my  friends  ?         to  the  birth  ;  is  so  exquisite  that,  before 

93.  charitable}  loving.  it  can  show  itself,  it  co*»erts  to  tears ; 
93.  from]  apart  from.  cp.  Much  Ado,  I.  i.  21-29. 

97.  and  thus  .  .   .  you]  and  in  thus  I IO.  Mine  eyes  .   .  .   water]  with  a 

telling  myself,  I  confirm  all  that  you  reference  to  boots  keeping  out   water 

may  have   told   yourselves  as   to    the  from  soaking  into  the  feet ;  cp.  1  Henry 

sincerity  of  your  love.  IV.    II.    i.  93,   "What,  the  common- 

104.  that  I  might  .   .  .  you]  that  by  wealth  their  boots  ?    will  she  hold  out 

making  trial  of  your  love,  I  might  knit  water  in  foul  way  ?  " 

myself  more  closely  to  you.  in.  to  forget  their  faults'}  to   hide 

106.  properer\  with  what  more  pecu-  those  tears  which  should  be  ashamed  to 

liar  title  of  ownership  ;  Lat.  froprius,  show  themselves, 

own.  112.    Thou  weepest  .  .  .  drink]  you 


30  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

Second  Lord.  Joy  had  the  like  conception  in  our  eyes, 

And,  at  that  instant,  like  a  babe,  sprung  up. 
Apem.   Ho,  ho  !  I  laugh  to  think  that  babe  a  bastard.      115 
Third  Lord.   I  promise  you,  my  lord,  you  mov'd  me  much. 
Apem.  Much!  \Tucketsounded. 

Tim.  What  means  that  trump? 

Enter  a  Servant. 

How  now ! 
Serv.  Please  you,  my  lord,  there   are  certain    ladies 

most  desirous  of  admittance.  1 20 

Tim.  Ladies  !     What  are  their  wills  ? 
Serv.  There  comes  with  them  a  forerunner,  my  lord, 
which  bears  that  office  to  signify  their  pleasures. 
Tim.  I  pray,  let  them  be  admitted. 

Enter  CUPID. 

Cup.  Hail  to  thee,  worthy  Timon  ;  and  to  all  1 2  5 

That  of  his  bounties  taste!     The  five  best  senses 
Acknowledge  thee  their  patron  ;  and  come  freely 
To  gratulate  thy  plenteous  bosom  :  th'  ear, 
Taste,  touch,  and  smell,  pleas'd  from  thy  table  rise ; 

125-130.  Haile  to  thee  worthy  Timon  and  to  all  that  of  his  Bounties  taste : 
the  fiue  best  Sences  acknowledge  thee  their  Patron,  and  come  freely  to  gratulate 
thy  plentious  bosome. 

There  tast,  touch  all,  pleas'd  from  thy  Table  rise  : 
They  onely  now  come  but  to  Feast  thine  eies.]  F  I. 

pretend  to  weep  merely  in   order   to  allusion   to    "  looking    babies    in    the 

provoke  these  to  drown  grief  in   the  eyes,"  which    Steevens    sees,   is    very 

cup.  doubtful. 

113,  114.    Joy  had  .  .  .  up~\  with  us         117.  Much!}  ironically,  as  so  often 

too  at  the  same  instant  joy  mixed  with  in  the  dramatists. 

tears  came  forth  like  a  new-born  babe.         123.  their  pleasures}  what  they   de- 
That    a    weeping    babe,    as    Johnson  sire  to  have  said  in  their  behalf, 
understands,    is  meant,  seems   proved         125-129.  Hail  .  .  .  rise]  The  read- 
by  the  words,    "  the  like  conception,"  ing    of   the    first    folio,    substantially 
and  by  the  third  Lord's  speech.     The  followed  by  the  rest,   is  given  in  the 


SC.  II.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


31 


These  only  now  come  but  to  feast  thine  eyes.  1 30 
Tim.  They  're  welcome  all ;  let  'em  have  kind  admittance  : 

Music,  make  their  welcome  !  {Exit  Cupid. 

First  Lord.  You  see,  my  lord,  how  ample  you  're  belov'd.  A^-T>V 

Music.  Re-enter  CUPID,  with  a  masque  of  Ladies  as 
Amazons,  with  lutes  in  their  hands,  dancing  and 
playing. 

Apem.  Hoy-day !  what  a  sweep  of  vanity  come  this  way : 
They  dance!  they  are  mad  women.  135 

Like  madness  is  the  glory  of  this  life, 
As  this  pomp  shows  to  a  little  oil  and  root. 
We  make  ourselves  fools  to  disport  ourselves ; 


critical  note.  Theobald,  following 
Warburton's  conjecture,  "th'  ear, 
Taste,  touch,  smell,"  first  arranged  the 
passage  as  verse,  ending  lines  127,  128 
with  "do  come"  .  .  .  "bosom,"  and 
for  "They,"  line  130,  substituting 
"These,"  which  seems  to  me  neces 
sary,  since  Cupid  is  contrasting  the 
pleasure  of  the  eye,  alone  to  be  grati 
fied  by  the  masque,  with  that  of  the 
four  other  senses  as  ministered  to  by 
the  bounty  of  Timon's  table.  Rann 
placed  "th'ear"  at  the  end  of  line  128. 
Any  doubt  as  to  this  emendation  would 
be  set  at  rest  by  comparing  Massinger, 
The  Duke  of  Milan,  I.  iii.  4  : 

"  All  that  may  be  had 

To  please  the  eye,  the  ear,  taste, 
touch  or  smell 

Are  carefully  provided  " ; 
where  Massinger  seems  to  have  "con 
veyed  "  this  passage  almost  literatim. 
For  "best,"  line  126,  Capell  proposed 
"blest,"  but  "best"  may  be  taken  as 
a  positive,  excellent. 

134.  Hoy -day}  written  in  various 
forms,  "hoida,"  "hoyda"  "heyday," 
etc.  The  termination — "  day  " — has 
nothing  more  to  do  with  "day,"  a 
measure  of  time,  than  it  has  in  "  well- 


a-day  "  (written  by  Dekker  "  wellada"), 
which  is  a  corruption  of  "walawa,"  an 
interjection  (itself  made  up  of  two  in 
terjections,  "wa"  and  "la")  gradually 
modified  into  the  feebler  "well-away, 
and  then  into  "  well-a-day. " 

134.  sweep  of  vanity}  troop  of  vain, 
frivolous  women  sweeping  along. 

135.  mad  women}   Steevens    thinks 
that  the  idea  was  borrowed  from  the 
puritanical    writers    of    Shakespeare's 
day,  and  quotes  Stubbes's  Anatomic  of 
Abuses,    1583,    "  Dauncers  thought  to 
be  mad  men" 

136.  137.  Like   .    .    .    roof]    "The 
word  like  in  this  place  does  not  express 
resemblance,  but  equality.     Apemantus 
does  not  mean  to  say  that  the  glory  of 
this  life  was  like  madness,  but  it  was 

just  as  much  madness  in  the  eye  of 
reason,  as  the  pomp  appeared  to  be, 
when  compared  to  the  frugal  repast  of 
a  philosopher"  (Mason).  There  is 
perhaps  a  confusion  of  thought  be 
tween  "  the  glory  of  this  life  is  as  like 
madness  as  this  pomp  when  compared 
with  a  little  oil  and  root,"  and  "the 
glory  of  this  life  is  a  madness  like  to 
this  pomp  when  compared  with  a  little 
oil  and  root." 


32  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  [ACTI. 

And  spend  our  flatteries  to  drink  those  men 

Upon  whose  age  we  void  it  up  again,  140 

With  poisonous  spite  and  envy. 

Who  lives  that 's  not  depraved  or  depraves  ? 

Who  dies  that  bears  not  one  spurn  to  their  graves 

Of  their  friends'  gift  ? 

I  should  fear  those  that  dance  before  me  now          145 

Would  one  day  stamp  upon  me :  't  has  been  done ; 

Men  shut  their  doors  against  a  setting  sun. 
i 

The  Lords  rise  from  table,  with  much  adoring  of  TlMON ; 
and  to  show  their  loves  each  singles  out  an  Amazon, 
and  all  dance,  men  with  women,  a  lofty  strain  or  two 
to  the  hautboys,  and  cease. 

Tim.  You  have  done  our  pleasures  much  grace,  fair  ladies, 
Set  a  fair  fashion  on  our  entertainment, 
Which  was  not  half  so  beautiful  and  kind ;  150 

You  have  added  worth  unto't  and  lustre, 
And  entertain'd  me  with  mine  own  device; 

139-141.  And  spend  .  .  .  envy]  and  purpose  to  deprave  her  ";  The  Untruss- 

lavish  our  flatteries  in  order  to  swallow  ing  of  the  Humourous  Poet,  vol.  i.  p. 

down  those  upon  whom,  when  old,  we  238,  Pearson's  Reprint : 
cast  up   our  surfeit   in   the    shape    of  "by  praising  that   which   to 

poisonous  spite  and  envy.     Such  seems  deprave 

to  be  the   meaning   of  these   obscure  All  tongues  are  ready." 

lines  ;  but,  if  so,  "void  it"  must  either         144.   Of  their  friends'  gift]  given  by 

be  taken  indefinitely,  or  the  antecedent  their  friends. 

of  "  it "  must  be  supplied  from  ' '  drink. "         147.  Stage-direction,  adoring]  humble 

The    commentators    are    silent.      For  obeisance. 

"drink    those     men,"     cp.    line     38,         148.  our  pleasures]  much  the  same 

above,    "what  a  number   of  men   eat  as    "our   entertainment,"   in   the  next 

Timon  .  .  .  ! "  line. 

142.  depraved  or  depraves]  slandered         150.  kind]  has  perhaps  the  sense  of 

or   slanders.     Cp.    Jonson,     Cynthia! s  both  gracious  and  suitable. 
Revels,  II.  i.,  "as  distant  from  deprav-         152.  with  .  .  .  device]  sc.  by  parti- 

ing  another  man's  merit,  as  proclaiming  cipating  in  the  dances  of  the  Amazons 

his  own "  ;    Massinger,    The  Duke  of  which  he  had  devised  as  a  means  of 

Milan,   IV.   iii.,  "In  this  your  studied  pleasing  his  guests. 


SC.  II.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


33 


I  am  to  thank  you  for 't. 

First  Lady.   My  lord,  you  take  us  even  at  the  best. 
Apem.  Faith,  for  the  worst  is  filthy ;  and  would  not    155 

hold  taking,  I  doubt  me. 
Tim.  Ladies,  there  is  an  idle  banquet  attends  you  : 

Please  you  to  dispose  yourselves. 
All  Ladies.  Most  thankfully,  my  lord. 

[Exeunt  Cupid  and  Ladies. 

Tim.  Flavius  !  1 60 

Flav.  My  lord ! 

Tim.  The  little  casket  bring  me  hither. 

Flav.  Yes,  my  lord.     [Aside.]  More  jewels  yet ! 

There  is  no  crossing  him  in 's  humour ; 

Else  I  should  tell  him — well,  i'  faith,  I  should,        164 

When  all 's  spent,  he  'd  be  cross'd  then,  an  he  could. 


164.  him — well}  Rowe.     him  well  Ff. 

153.  I  am  to  thank}  I  am  bound  to 
thank. 

154.  you  take  .  .  .  best]  you  give  us 
all  and  more  than  all  our  due. 

156.  hold  taking]  bear  handling,   it 
being  so  rotten.      Steevens  compares 
2  Henry  IV.    IV.  i.    161,    "A   rotten 
case   abides   no   handling."     Cp.    also 
Coriolanus,  III.  ii.  80,  8l. 

157.  an  idle  banquet}  a  slight  dessert. 
Cp.   Romeo  and  Juliet,   I.   v.  124,    "a 
trifling  foolish  banquet" 

158.  dispose  yourselves}    take    your 
seats  at  the  table. 

161.    The  little  casket]  probably  con 
taining  the  more  valuable  of  his  jewels. 

164.  Else  .  .  .  should]  The  punctua 
tion  of  the  folios  (see  critical  note)  is 
retained    by    Staunton,     Delius,    and 
Clarke,  who  explain  "tell  him  well "  as 
"rate  him,"  "call  him  to  account" — 
language   rather  strong  to  be  used  to 
a  master. 

165.  Ae'd    be     cross'd]    The     com 


mentators  are  unanimous  in  seeing  a 
quibble  upon  "  crossed,"  thwarted, 
and  "crossed,"  provided  with  money 
(certain  coins  of  the  time  being 
marked  with  a  cross).  But  there  is  no 
authority  for  the  verb  as  used  in  the 
latter  sense  ;  while  to  be  crossed  in  the 
sense  of  being  freed  from  debt  by  the 
crossing  of  a  creditor's  books  is  of 
frequent  mention  ;  and  this,  I  feel  sure, 
is  the  equivoque  here.  Cp.  Jonson, 
The  Poetaster,  III.  i.  : 
' '  Heart,  I  have  put  him  now  in  a 

fresh  way 
To  vex  me  more : — faith,  sir,  your 

mercer's  book 
Will  tell  you  with  more   patience 

than  I  can  : — 
For  /  am  crost,  and  so 's  not  it,  I 

think." 

So,  Marston,  Antonio  and  Mellida,  Pt. 
I.  III.  ii.  107,  "  Cast.  In  sooth,  it  is  the 
outside  of  her  letter ;  on  which  I  took 
the  copy  of  a  tailor's  bill.  Cat.  But  'tis 


34  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTI. 

Tis  pity  bounty  had  not  eyes  behind, 

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

{Exit. 

First  Lord.  Where  be  our  men  ? 

Serv.  Here,  my  lord,  in  readiness. 

Second  Lord.  Our  horses  !  1 70 

Re-enter  FLAVIUS,  with  the  casket. 

Tim.  O  my  friends, 

I  have  one  word  to  say  to  you  :  look  you,  my  good  lord, 
I  must  entreat  you,  honour  me  so  much 
As  to  advance  this  jewel ;  accept  it  and  wear  it, 
Kind  my  lord.  175 

First  Lord.  I  am  so  far  already  in  your  gifts — 

All.  So  are  we  all. 

Enter  a  Servant. 

/Serv.  My  Lord,  there  are  certain  nobles  of  the  senate 
newly  alighted,  and  come  to  visit  you. 
Tim.  They  are  fairly  welcome.  1 80 

not  cross' d,  I  am  sure  of  that."    Again,  could  be  no  sense  in  "crossed"  if  it 

Cymbeline,  III.  iii.  26 :  meant    "thwarted"   only,   though   the 

"Such   gain   the   cap    of   him   that  quibble  primarily  is  upon  that  meaning. 

makes  'em  fine,  See  line  207,  below,  "  his  land 's  put  to 

Yet  keeps  his  book  uncross' d."  their  books." 

For  the  name,  Shirley,  The  Ball,  III.  iii.,         1 66.  had  .  .  .  behind}  in    order  to 

' '  It  shall  be  c ross'd.    Gudgeon,  remem-  see    the    consequences    of    being    too 

ber  to  cross  Her  ladyship's  name  "  ;  for  lavish. 

the  person  instead  of  the  book  or  name         167.  for  his   mind}    on   account   of 
spoken  of  as  crossed,  Day,  Beggars  of  his  generous  impulses. 
Bednall  Green,  I.   i.,  "  Here's  my  Bill,         174.  advance}  raise  to    honour,  en- 
pray  see  me  crost "  (quoted  in  the  New  hance  the  value  of. 
English  Dictionary}.     Further,  in  III.         175.  Kind  my  lord}  a  frequent  trans- 
iii.  29,  below,  we  have  the  expression  in  position  of  the  possessive  adjective,  as 
a  context  which  certainly  involves  this  though  with  the  substantive  it  formed 
sense:  "The  devil  knew  not  what  he  one  word. 

did  when  he   made   men   politic ;    he         1 76.  /  am  .  .  .  gifts'}  a  figure  more 

crossed  himself  by  it :    and  I   cannot  often  used  of  some  difficulty,  danger, 

think   but  in  the  end  the  villanies  of  etc. 
man  will  set  him  clear"  where  there 


sc.n.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  35 

Flav.  I  beseech  your  honour,  vouchsafe  me  a  word ;  it 
does  concern  you  near. 

Tim.  Near !  why,  then  another  time  I  '11  hear  thee. 
I  prithee,  let 's  be  provided  to  show  them  enter 
tainment.  185 

Flav.  [Aside.]  I  scarce  know  how. 

Enter  another  Servant. 

Second  Serv.  May  it  please  your  honour,  Lord  Lucius, 
Out  of  his  free  love,  hath  presented  to  you 
Four  milk-white  horses,  trapp'd  in  silver. 

Tim.  I  shall  accept  them  fairly ;  let  the  presents  1 90 

Be  worthily  entertain'd. 

Enter  a  third  Servant. 

How  now  !  what  news  ? 

Third  Serv.  Please  you,  my  lord,  that  honourable 
gentleman,  Lord  Lucullus,  entreats  your  company 
to-morrow  to  hunt  with  him,  and  has  sent  your 
honour  two  brace  of  greyhounds.  195 

Tim.   I  '11  hunt  with  him  ;  and  let  them  be  receiv'd, 
Not  without  fair  reward. 

183.  Near!   .  .    .    thee}  Cp.  Julius        190.  I  shall  accept}  Here    "shall" 
Catsar,  in.  i.  6-8  :  indicates  the  purpose  fixed  in  the  mind 

"  Art.  O  Caesar,  read  mine  first ;  for  of  the  speaker. 

mine's  a  suit  191.  entertain'd}   looked    after    and 

That  touches  Caesar  nearer :  read  comfortably  stabled. 

it,  great  Caesar.  196.  /'//  hunt   .    .    .    received}  We 

Cas.    What  touches  us  ourself  shall  should    hardly    use    such    a    sequence 

be  last  serv'd."  now.     Cp.     MucA    Ado,    v.    i.     303, 

184,  185.  let 'she  .  .  .  entertainment}  304: 

let  provision,  the  necessary  preparation,         "  I    do    embrace    your    offer  ;    and 
be  made,  for  entertaining  them  fitly.  dispose 

189.  trapped  in   silver}  with  silver-  For  henceforth  of  poor  Claudio "; 

mounted     harness;     "trappings"    are  i.e.  and  "  do  you  "  dispose,  etc. 
horse  cloths,  ornamental  housings. 


36 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  i. 


Flav.  [Aside.}  What   will  this   come   to?       He   com 
mands  us  to  provide,  and  give  great  gifts,  and 
all  out  of  an  empty  coffer  : 
Nor  will  he  know  his  purse,  or  yield  me  this, 
To  show  him  what  a  beggar  his  heart  is, 
Being  of  no  power  to  make  his  wishes  good  : 
His  promises  fly  so  beyond  his  state 
That  what  he  speaks  is  all  in  debt ;  he  owes 
For  every  word  :  he  is  so-  kind  that  he  now 
Pays  interest  for  't ;  his  land  's  put  to  their  books. 
Well,  would  I  were  gently  put  out  of  office 
Before  I  were  forc'd  out ! 
Happier  is  he  that  has  no  friend  to  feed 
Than  such  that  do  e'en  enemies  exceed.j 
I  bleed  inwardly  for  my  lord. 


200 


205 


2IO 


[Exit. 


you    bate 


You  do  yourselves 
too    much    of  your    own 


thanks     I 


will 
215 


Tim. 

Much    wrong 

merits : 

Here,  my  lord,  a  trifle  of  our  love. 
Second  Lord.  With   more    than     common 

receive  it. 

Third  Lord.  O  !  he 's  the  very  soul  of  bounty. 
Tim.  And  now  I  remember,  my  lord,  you  gave  good 
ivords  the  other  day  of  a  bay  courser  I  rode  on  : 
it  is  yours,  because  you  lik'd  it. 

Third  Lord.  O !    I   beseech  you,  pardon   me,  my   lord,   in 
that  220 

203.  Being  \  it  being,  sc.  his  heart,     injure     him     far     more     than     open 


not  Timon  himself. 
204.  state]  estate. 
207.  for  'f\  for  being  so  kind. 


enemies. 

213.  you  bate  .  .  .  merits]  you  rate 
your    merits     too    low;     "bate,"    an 


21  i.  'Than   such  .   .   .  exceed]   than     aphetic  form  of  "abate,"  Fr.  battre. 
such     as    in     the     guise     of     friends         218.  of]  concerning. 


sc.ii.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  37 

Tim.  You  may  take  my  word,  my  lord ;  I  know  no 
man  can  justly  praise  but  what  he  does  affect : 
I  weigh  my  friend's  affection  with  mine  own ; 
I  '11  tell  you  true.  I  '11  call  to  you. 

All  Lords.  O!  none  so  welcome.  225 

Tim.  I  take  all  and  your  several  visitations 
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  soldier,  therefore  seldom  rich;  230 

It  comes  in  charity  to  thee ;  for  all  thy  living 
Is  'mongst  the  dead,  and  all  the  lands  thou  hast 
Lie  in  a  pitch'd  field. 

Alcib.  Ay,  defiled  land,  my  lord. 

First  Lord.  We  are  so  virtuously  bound —  235 

Tim.  And  so  am  I  to  you. 

Second  Lord.  So  infinitely  endear'd — 

Tim.  All  to  you.     Lights,  more  lights ! 

234.  Ay,  defiled}  Malone.     /,  defirdf  I  ;  I  defie  Ff  2,  3,  4. 

221.  You  may  .   .  .  word]  you  may         224.  I 'II  call  to  you]  Sandys  (Shake- 
be  sure  that  I  mean  what  I  say.  speare  Society's  Papers,  vol.  iii.  p.  23), 

222.  affect}  like,  have  an  affection  for.     quoted  by  Dyce,  says  that  the  expres- 
224.   /'//  tell}  Hanmer  altered   this    sion  "I'll  call  to  (i.e.  at)  your  house," 

to    "I  tell,"  and  some    editors  follow  is  still  common  in  the  West.     Delius 

him.      Steevens,    in    support    of    the  strangely   gives    "appeal    to"  as    the 

idiom,  quotes  Henry  V.  I.  i.  i  :  sense  of  "call  to." 

"  My  lord,  /'//  tell  you,  that  self  bill         227.  kind}  kindly. 

is  urged,"  etc.  ;  231.  It  comes  .  .  .  thee}  to  give  to 

and  King  John,  v.  vi.  39  :  you  is  true  charity. 

"/'//   tell  thee,    Hubert,   half   my         231.  living}   means  of  living,  liveli- 

power  this  night,"  etc.;  hood,  for   the  sake    of   the    antithesis 

but,  as  Dyce  remarks,  the  repetition  of  with  "dead"  in  the  next  line. 
"I'll"    is    unpleasing.      Whether   we         234.  defiled}     The      quibble      with 

read  "I  or  I "11,"  I  doubt  the  meaning  "pitch'd  '  is  obvious.     Cp.   1   Henry 

of    "inform"    or   "assure"   given   to  IV.  n.  iv.  455,  "it  is  known  to  many 

"tell."      The   phrase   seems   rather  a  in  our  land  by  the  name  of  pitch;  this 

continuation  of  the  figure  in  "  I  weigh  my  pitch,  as  ancient  writers  do  report,  doth 

friend's  affection  with  mine  own,    and  defile." 
to  mean  "  I  appraise  your  feeling  truly."        238.  All  to  you}   Steevens  explains 


38  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  [ACTI. 

First  Lord.  The  best  of  happiness,   honour   and  for 
tunes,  keep  with  you,  Lord  Timon  !  240 

Tim.  Ready  for  his  friends. 

\Exeunt  Alcibiades,  Lords,  etc. 

Apem.  What  a  coil 's  here  ! 

Serving  of  becks  and  jutting-out  of  bums  ! 
I  doubt  whether  their  legs  be  worth  the  sums 
That  are  given  for  'em.     Friendship 's  full  of  dregs  ; 
Methinks,    false    hearts    should     never    have    sound 
legs.  245 

Thus  honest  fools  lay  out  their  wealth  on  court'sies. 

r   ~~      --;-       "       "  ~~^ 

Tim.  Now,  Apemantus,  if  thou  wert  not  sullen,     \ 
I  would  be  good  to  thee. 

Apem.  No,  I  '11  nothing ;  for  if  I  should  be  bribed  too, 

there  would  be  none  left  to  rail  upon  thee,  and   250 
then  thou  would'st  sin  the  faster.     Thou  givest 
so  long,  Timon,  I  fear  me  thou  wilt  give  away 

"all  good  wishes,  or  all  happiness  to  command   or  encouragement,  as,  e.g., 

you,"   quoting   Macbeth,    III.    iv.    92,  Heywood,  Edward  IV.,  Pt.   I.  vol.  i. 

"And  all  to  all."     This  seems  to  be  p.  74,  Pearson's  Reprint: 

assuming  a  good  deal.     I   think  that  "You  shall  be  folded  in  a  prince's 

having  said  ' '  And  so  am  I  to  you  "  in  arms, 

answer  to  the  First  Lord,  Timon,  upon  Whose   beck    disperseth    even    the 

the  Second  Lord's  adding  his  protesta-  greatest  harms  "  ; 

tion,  completes  his  reciprocation  by  an  Greene,  James  I V.,  p.  197/1,  ed.  Dyce  : 

emphatic  "Wholly  to  you."  "What,  then,  hath  man  wherein  he 

241.  Ready    .    .    .  friends}    Timon  well  may  boast, 

takes  up  the  words  "  keep  with  you  "  Since  by  a  beck  he  lives,  a  lour  is 

(i.e.   dwell,   continue  with    you)   with  lost "  ; 

(may  they  keep  with  me)  "  in  readiness  but  was  later  on  used  for  a  bow,  obeis- 

to  help  my  friends!"  ance.    Schmidt,  Lexicon,  s.v.  "serve," 

241.  coil}    fuss,    bother,    parade    of  quotes    this    passage   in   the   sense   of 
courtesy;    the   word    in   the   sense   of  "offer,"  "present  for  acceptance,"  but 
confusion,   bustle,  etc.,  is   frequent   in  s.v.     "beck"   renders    the    phrase   as 
Shakespeare  and  the  dramatists.  "servile  attention   to   becks."    Theo- 

242.  Serving  of  becks}  is  a  curious  bald  conjectured  "  Screwing  of  backs." 
phrase  which  may  perhaps  be  explained  243.  legs}   with    a    quibble    on    the 
as  "offering  of  obeisances,"  with  pos-  literal  sense  and  that  of  a  bow. 

sibly  an  allusion  to  serving  of  dishes ;         246.  on  courfsies}  on  the   purchase 
"beck"   is   more   often    a    gesture   of    of  adulation. 


SC.  II.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


39 


thyself  in  paper  shortly :  what  need  these  feasts, 

pomps,  and  vain-glories  ? 
Tim.  Nay,  an  you  begin  to  rail  on  society  once,  I  am   255 

sworn  not  to  give  regard  to  you.     Farewell ;  and 

come  with  better  music.  \Exit. 

Apem.  So :   thou  wilt  not  hear  me  now ;  thou   shalt 

not  then  ;  I  '11  lock  thy  heaven  from  thee. 

O  !  that  men's  ears  should  be  2  60 

To  counsel  deaf,  but  not  to  flattery.  \Exit. 


253.  in  paper}  has  been  explained  to 
mean  "in  paper  securities"  instead  of 
ready  money — a  sense  which  seems  un 
bearably  tame.  Warburton  suggested 
"in  proper"  but  did  not  explain  how 
this  could  be  equivalent  to  "in  proper 
person."  Hanmer  gave  "in  perpet- 
ttuni."  Kinnear's  conjecture,  "in per 
son,"  which  Hudson  adopts,  is  remote 
from  the  ductus  literarum  and  point 
less.  Can  the  word  be  "querpo"? 
To  be  ' :  in  querpo "  was,  literally,  to 
be  in  body- clothing,  in  the  short  Spanish 
jacket  without  the  cloak  ;  and  in  The 
New  Inn,  n.  ii. ,  Jonson  has  a  great  deal 
about  the  disgrace  of  being  seen  in  such 
guise.  Figuratively  the  phrase  meant 
to  be  unprovided,  stripped  of  one's  usual 
belonging ;  and  a  little  further  on  in  the 
same  play  we  have  : 

' '  Tip.  There 's  nothing  more  domes 
tic, 
Tame  and  familiar,  than  your  fly 

in  cuerpo. 
Host.  That  is  when  his  wings  are 

cut,  he  is  tame  indeed,  else 
Nothing    more     impudent    and 

greedy  "  ; 

the  "fly"  here  being  the  parasite  of 
the  inn,  "  visitor  general  of  the  house, 
one  that  had  been  a  strolling  gipsy,  but 
now  is  reclaimed  to  be  the  inflamer  of 
the  reckonings."  So,  Earle,  Microcos- 


mographic,  Char.  59,  quoted  by  Nares, 
speaks  of  a  master  without  his  servant 
as  being  "  but  in  querpo  without  him." 
Nares  quotes  also  Cleveland,  Char,  of  a 
London  Diurn.,  1647,  "some  quirpo — 
cut  of  church  government."  Apeman- 
tus  appears,  after  his  wont,  to  be 
quibbling  upon  "long"  and  " shortly," 
and  the  latter  word  would  go  well  with 
"querpo."  Cp.  II.  i.  29-32,  below: 

' '  I  do  fear 
When  every  feather  sticks  in  his 

own  wing, 
Lord  Timon  will  be  left  a  naked 

gull, 

Which  flashes  now  a  phoenix." 
255.  an  you  .  .  .  once]   the  minute 
you  begin  to  rail,  etc. 

257-  with  better  music]   in  a  better 
tune  of  mind. 

259.  thy  heaven]   the   good   counsel 
he  was  ready  to  give   and  which   he 
thinks  might  have  been  Timon's  salva 
tion.     Cp.   Middleton,    The  Old  Law, 
ill.  ii.  298-300,   where  Cleanthes,  the 
dutiful  son  who  has  been  admonishing 
the  abandoned  Eugenia,  says  : 
"  Shameless  woman  ! 
I  take  my  counsel  from  thee,  'tis 

too  honest, 
And    leave    thee    wholly    to    thy 

stronger  master," 
sc.  the  devil. 


40 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  ii. 


ACT  II 


SCENE   I. — Athens.     A  Room  in  a  Senator s  House. 

Enter  Senator \  with  papers  in  his  hand. 

Sen.  And  late,  five  thousand :  to  Varro  and  to  Isidore 
He  owes  nine  thousand ;  besides  my  former  sum, 
Which  makes  it  five-and-twenty.     Still  in  motion 
Of  raging  waste !      It  cannot  hold  ;  it  will  not. 
If  I  want  gold,  steal  but  a  beggar's  dog  5 

And  give  it  Timon,  why,  the  dog  coins  gold ; 
If  I  would  sell  my  horse,  and  buy  twenty  moe 
Better  than  he,  why,  give  my  horse  to  Timon, 
Ask  nothing,  give  it  him,  it  foals  me,  straight 
And  able  horses  :  no  porter  at  his  gate,  I  o 

But  rather  one  that  smiles  and  still  invites 
All  that  pass  by.     It  cannot  hold;  no  reason 
Can  found  his  state  in  safety.     Caphis,  ho! 
Caphis,  I  say ! 

1 3 .  found  ]  Hanmer.     sound  Ff. 


I.  And  ...  .  thousand]  Looking 
at  his  accounts  and  continuing  his  solilo 
quy,  the  Senator  says,  "And  lately  he 
borrowed  of  me  five  thousand. " 

3,  4.  Still  .  .  .  waste!]  Is  he  still 
rushing  headlong  on  in  his  career  of 
extravagance  ? 

5.  steal]  let  me  steal,  I  have  only 
to  steal. 

7.  would]  wished  to  ;  for  "twenty," 
Pope  gave  "ten";  Singer  conjectures  Cp.  Comedy  of  Errors, 

10.  And  able  horses]  it  foals,  and 
foals  fine  horses  too.  Theobald  gave 
"  Ten  able  horse"  ;  Singer  conjectures 
"  Two  able  horses";  Jackson,  "Aye, 
able  horses."  There  seems  no  reason 


for  change ;  in  fact  the  text  in  its 
vagueness  and  in  the  idiomatic  "  And  " 
is  preferable.  Those  who  here  and  in 
line  7  read  "ten, "account  for  the  error 
as  being  due  to  figures  used  in  place  of 
words. 

10.  no  porter]  Some   editors  accept 
Staunton's  insertion  of  "grim"  before 
"porter,"  but  the  word  alone  implies 
one  who  guards  the  gate  from  intruders. 

'.  •         »•    2I3 

'  Dromio,  play  the  porter  well.'' 

11.  still]  ever. 

12.  13.  no   reason  .    .    .   safety]  no 
one  of  sound  sense  but  must  feel  that 
he  is  in  a  dangerous  state. 

13.  found]  consider  as  founded. 


SC.  I.] 


TIMON  OF   ATHENS 


41 


Caph. 


Enter  CAPHIS. 
Here,  sir ;  what  is  your  pleasure  ? 


Sen.  Get  on  your  cloak,  and  haste  you  to  Lord  Timon ;  i  5 
Importune  him  for  my  moneys ;  be  not  ceased 
With  slight  denial,  nor  then  silenc'd  when — 
"  Commend  me  to  your  master  " — and  the  cap 
Plays  in  the  right  hand,  thus ;  but  tell  him, 
My  uses  cry  to  me;  I  must  serve  my  turn  20 

Out  of  mine  own  ;  his  days  and  times  are  past, 
And  my  reliances  on  his  fracted  dates 
Have  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  25 

Must  not  be  toss'd  and  turn'd  to  me  in  words, 
But  find  supply  immediate.     Get  you  gone : 
Put  on  a  most  importunate  aspect, 

25,  26.  my  relief  .  .  .  words}  my 
demand  for  restitution  must  not  be 
bandied  back  to  me  in  empty  words. 
The  figure  seems  to  be  taken  from 
tennis;  cp.  Lear,  II.  iv.  178,  "To 
bandy  hasty  words." 

27.  But  find  .  .  .  immediate]  but 
be  satisfied  without  delay. 

27.  Get  you  gone']  "An  idiom  ;  that 
is  to  say,  a  peculiar  form  of  expression, 
the  principle  of  which  cannot  be  carried 
out  beyond  the  particular  instance. 
Thus,  we  cannot  say  either  Make 
tkee  gone  or  He  got  him  (or  himself) 
gone.  Phraseologies,  on  the  contrary, 
which  are  not  idiomatic  are  paradigma 
tic,  or  may  serve  as  models  or  moulds  for 
others  to  any  extent.  All  expression  is 
divided  into  these  two  kinds  ..." 
(Craik  on  Julius  Casar,  II.  iv.  2).  Yet 
Heywood,  Love's  Mistress,  vol.  v.  p. 
104,  Pearson's  Reprint,  writes  : 

' '  Fill  both  their  laps  with  gold,  and 
send  them  gone. " 


16.  my  moneys]  the  sums  of  money 
due  to  me. 

1 6.  be  not  ceased]  do  not  allow  your 
mouth  to  be  stopped.  For  this  conver 
sion  of  an  intransitive  to  a  transitive 
verb,  cp.  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew, 
Induction,  ii.  13 : 

' '  Heaven  cease  this  idle  humour  in 

your  honour  "  ; 
and  Cymbeline,  v.  v.  255. 

17-19.  when  .  .  .  thus]  when,  with 
words  of  compliment  and  courteous 
gesture,  he  would  bow  you  out. 

20.  uses]  occasions  for  using. 

20,  21.  /  must  .  .  .  own]  I  must 
make  use  of  what  is  my  own  to  profit 
myself. 

22.  fracted  dates]  failure  to  keep  his 
promises   of  repayment   on    a    certain 
date;    cp.    II.   ii.    42,    below,    "date- 
broke  bonds." 

23.  smit]    For    the    curtailed    form 
of    participles,     see    Abbott,    S.     G., 
§343- 


42  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACTII. 

A  visage  of  demand  ;  for  I  do  fear, 

When  every  feather  sticks  in  his  own  wing,  30 

Lord  Timon  will  be  left  a  naked  gull, 

Which  flashes  now  a  phoenix.     Get  you  gone. 
Caph.  I  go,  sir. 
Sen.  Take  the  bonds  along  with  you, 

And  have  the  dates  in  compt. 
Caph.  I  will,  sir. 

Sen.  Go.        34 

\Exeunt. 

SCENE   II. — The  Same.     A  Hall  in  Timon 's  House. 

Enter  FLAVIUS,  with  many  bills  in  his  hand. 
Flav.  No  care,  no  stop  !  so  senseless  of  expense, 

i  Q     »          *t  \ 

That  he  will  neither  know  how  to  maintain  it, 
Nor  cease  his  flow  of  riot :  takes  no  account 
How  things  go  from  him  ;  nor  resumes  no  care 

34.  in  compf]  Theobald,  in.     Come  Ff. 

Scene  if. 
4.  nor  resumes]  Rowe,  nor  resume  Ff. 

30,  31.  When  every  .  .  .  gull]  Staunton,  I  omit  the  words  as  being 
when  all  his  creditors  have  got  their  pointless  and  at  the  same  time  an  inter- 
dues,  Lord  Timon  will  find  himself  ruption  to  the  metre, 
stripped  bare.  There  is  a  play  upon  34.  And  have  .  .  .  compf\  and  have 
"gull,"  an  unfledged  nestling,  and  the  dates  of  the  several  loans  set  down 
"gull,"  a  dupe.  Boswell  quotes  Wil-  in  your  reckoning  ;  perhaps,  as  Schmidt 
braharn's  Glossary  of  words  used  in  says,  "  for  the  better  computation  of  the 
Cheshire:  "Gull,  s.  a  naked  gull;  so  interest  due  upon  them,"  or  perhaps 
are  called  all  nestling  birds  in  quite  an  only  to  show  how  long  overdue  the 
unfledged  state.  .  .  ."  Cp.  1  Henry  debts  were.  For  "compt,"  which  is 
IV.  v.  i.  60.  only  an  older  spelling  of  "count,"  Lat. 

32.    WhicK\  less  definite  than "  who,"  computare,    cp.    Macbeth,    I.    vi.    26; 

the  sort  of  person  that,  etc.  Othello,  v.  ii.  273. 

33.]  Here  the  folios  read  "  I  go  sir  ?"  „ 

with  or  without  a  comma  after  "go." 

Most    modern    editors   print    "  I    go,         2.  knoio  how]  concern  himself  as  to 

sir ! "    as    an    impatient    echo   of    the  how. 
servant's    answer.       With    Dyce    and         4.   resumes]  takes.     For   this  use  of 


SC.  II.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


43 
5 


Of  what  is  to  continue  :  never  mind 

Was  to  be  so  unwise,  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,  and  the  Servants  of  ISIDORE  and 
VARRO. 

Caph.  Good  even,  Varro  ;  what,  you  come  for  money  ?      i  o 

Var.  Serv.   Is  't  not  your  business  too  ? 

Caph.  It  is  ;  and  yours  too,  Isidore  ? 

hid.  Serv.  It  is  so. 

Caph.  Would  we  were  all  discharged  ! 

Var.  Serv.  I  fear  it.  I  5 

Caph.  Here  comes  the  lord. 


the  word  without  any  retrospective 
sense,  Schmidt  compares  "  rebate"  for 
"bate,"  "re-deliver"  for  "deliver," 
"regreet"  for  "greet,"  "repast"  for 
"past,"  "reprisal"  for  "prize,"  etc. 
Many  conjectures  have  been  offered,  of 
which,  if  any  change  were  necessary, 
Grant  White's  "nor  assumes"  would 
appear  to  be  the  best. 

5.  Of  what  .  .  .  continue]  of  how 
things  are  to  go  on  as  at  present. 

5,  6.  never  .  ,  .  kind]  This  may 
mean  ' '  never  was  mind  fated  to  be  so 
unwise  in  showing  itself  so,"  etc.,  or 
"  in  order  to  show  itself  so,"  or,  as 
Clarke  says,  "  there  never  was  a  mind 
created  at  once  so  unwise  and  so  kind," 
or  "  never  was  there  a  mind  made  to  be 
so  unwise  and  to  be  so  kind." 

7.  till  feel]  till  he   feel ;  a  not  un 
common  ellipsis  of  the  subject. 

8.  round]  On  this  word,  in  Bacon's 
Essay  "  Of  Truth,"   Abbott   remarks, 
' '  round   was  naturally  used    of    that 
which   was  symmetrical  and  complete 


(as  a  circle  is) :  then  of  anything 
thorough.  Hence  (paradoxically  en 
ough)  '  I  went  round 'to  work  '  [Hamlet, 
II.  iii.  139],  means  I  went  straight  to 
the  point."  Here  straightforward, 
plain,  blunt. 

10.  Good  even]  a  salutation  "used 
by  our  ancestors  as  soon  as  noon  was 
past,  after  which  time  '  good  morrow ' 
or  '  good  day  '  was  esteemed  improper  " 
(Nares,  Glossary). 

10.  Varro]  The  servants  are  ad 
dressed  by  the  names  of  their  masters. 
Readers  of  Thackeray  will  remember 
Morgan  Pendennis  and  his  confreres. 
It  is  noticeable  that  nearly  all  the  char 
acters  have  Roman  not  Greek  names, 
though  the  scene  is  Athens  and  its 
neighbourhood. 

14.  Would  .  .  .  discharged]    would 
that  all  our  masters  might  have   their 
debts  paid  by  Timon  ! 

15.  I  fear  it]  I  fear  for  it,  about  it, 
sc.  the  payment  of  the  debts. 


44  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACTII. 

Enter  TlMON,  ALCIBIADES,  and  Lords,  etc. 

Tim.  So  soon  as  dinner 's  done,  we  '11  forth  again, 

My  Alcibiades.     With  me  ?  what  is  your  will  ? 
Caph.  My  lord,  here  is  a  note  of  certain  dues. 
Tim.  Dues  !     Whence  are  you  ? 

Caph.  Of  Athens  here,  my  lord.     20 

Tim.  Go  to  my  steward. 
Caph.  Please  it  your  lordship,  he  hath  put  me  off 

To  the  succession  of  new  days  this  month  : 

My  master  is  awak'd  by  great  occasion 

To  call  upon  his  own  ;  and  humbly  prays  you  2  5 

That  with  your  other  noble  parts  you  '11  suit, 

In  giving  him  his  right. 
Tim.  Mine  honest  friend, 

I  prithee,  but  repair  to  me  next  morning. 
Caph.  Nay,  good  my  lord, — 

Tim.  Contain  thyself,  good  friend. 

Var.  Serv.  One  Varro's  servant,  my  good  lord, —  30 

hid.  Serv.   From    Isidore ;    he    humbly    prays    your 

speedy  payment 

1 8.    With  me?  what  is]  Capell,  With  me,  what  is  Ff. 

17.  we  'II forth  again]  "i.e.  to  hunt-  to   require  of  you  the  money  in  your 
ing,    from  which  diversion  we  find  by  hands  in  order  to  make  use  of  what  is 
Flavius's  speech  he  was  just  returned,  his  own.     But  in  "  call  upon  his  own" 
It  may  be  here   observed  that  in  our  two  ideas  seem  to  be  blended,  that  of 
author's  time  it  was  the  custom  to  hunt  making  a  demand  upon  what  is  one's 
as  well    after  dinner  as   before  ..."  own  for  the  service  due  from  it,  and  that 
(Reed).     But  then  the  hours  for  meals  of  calling  in  money  due  from  another, 
were  much  earlier.           -  26,  27.    That  -with  .  .  .  right'}   that 

1 8.  With  me?]  Is  your  business  with  consistently  with  your  noble  nature  you 
me  ?  will  do  him  justice  in  paying  what  you 

23.  To   the    succession  .  .   .  month]     owe  him. 

from   one   day   to   another   the   whole         28.  repair  to  me~\  visit  me  again ;  in 

month  long.  this  sense  from  Lat.  repatriare. 

24,  25.  My   master  .  .  .  own]    my         29.   Contain   thyself]   restrain    your 
master  is  roused  by  an  urgent  necessity  eagerness  ;  be  content. 


SC.H.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  45 

Caph.  If  you  did  know,  my  lord,  my  master's  wants, — 
Var.  Serv.  'Twas  due  on  forfeiture,  my  lord,  six  weeks 

and  past.  35 

Isid.  Serv.  Your  steward  puts  me  off,  my  lord  ;  and 

I  am  sent  expressly  to  your  lordship. 
Tim.  Give  me  breath. 

I  do  beseech  you,  good  my  lords,  keep  on ; 

I  '11  wait  upon  you  instantly. 

[Exeunt  Alcibiades  and  Lords. 
[To  Flavius.]  Come  hither:  pray  you,     40 

How  goes  the  world,  that  I  am  thus  encounter'd 

With  clamorous  demands  of  date-broke  bonds, 

And  the  detention  of  long-since-due  debts, 

Against  my  honour  ? 
Flav.  Please  you,  gentlemen, 

The  time  is  unagreeable  to  this  business :  45 

Your  importunacy  cease  till  after  dinner, 

That  I  may  make  his  lordship  understand 

Wherefore  you  are  not  paid. 
Tim.  Do  so,  my  friends.      See  them  well  entertain'd. 

[Exit. 
Flav.  Pray,  draw  near.  [Exit.   50 

Enter  APEMANTUS  and  Fool.  v-fcjtrv\  - 

Caph.  Stay,  stay ;  here  comes  the  fool  with  Apemantus : 
let 's  ha'  some  sport  with  'em. 

34.  on    forfeiture]    owing    to    non-  44.  Against  my   honour]    with    the 
observance  of  the  terms  of  the  loan.  result  that  I  am  disgraced. 

35.  and  past}   and    more   than    six  51  - 124.]  With     reference    to     the 
weeks.  spuriousness  of  this   passage,    see  In- 

39.  keep  on]  do  not  wait  for  me,  but  troduction. 

join  the  hunt.  51.  the  fool]  This  should  imply  some 

41.  How  .  .  .  world  .  .  .?]  to  what  previous  mention  of  the  Fool,  of  whom  we 

a  pass  have  things  come  .  .  .  ?  hear  nothing  before  or  after  this  scene. 


46  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTH. 

Var.  Serv.   Hang  him,  he  '11  abuse  us. 

hid.  Serv.  A  plague  upon  him,  dog ! 

Var.  Serv.  How  dost,  fool  ?  55 

Apem.   Dost  dialogue  with  thy  shadow  ? 

Var.  Serv.  I  speak  not  to  thee. 

Apem.  No;  'tis  to  thyself.     [To  the  Fook\  Come  away. 

hid.  Serv.  There 's  the  fool  hangs  on  your  back  already. 

Apem.  No,  thou  standest  single ;  thou  'rt  not  on  him  yet.     60 

Caph.  Where 's  the  fool  now  ? 

Apem.   He  last  asked  the  question.      Poor  rogues,  and 

usurers'  men !  bawds  between  gold  and  want ! 
All  Serv.  What  are  we,  Apemantus  ? 

Apem.  Asses.  65 

All  Serv.  Why? 
Apem.  That  you  ask  me  what  you  are,  and  do  not 

know  yourselves.     Speak  to  'em,  fool. 
Fool.   How  do  you,  gentlemen  ? 
All  Serv.    Gramercies,    good    fool.     How    does   your     70 

mistress  ? 
Fool.  She's    e'en    setting    on    water    to    scald    such 

57.  /    speak  .  .  .  thee]    This     may  7°-    Gramercies]    many   thanks,    Fr. 

mean  only  ' '  I  was  addressing  the  Fool,  grand  merci  ;  more  commonly  in  the 

not  you,"  but  it  may  perhaps  also  mean  singular  number. 

"  I  was  not  speaking  to  a  shadow  as  I  72,  73.  to  scald  .  .  .  you]  an  allusion 

should  be  doing  if  I  addressed  you."  to  the  treatment  of  the  lues  venerea  by 

59.  There's  .  .   .already}   To    this  hot  baths,  the  "  tub-fast "  of  IV.  iii.  86, 
speech    Steevens    added     the     stage-  below.     Steevens  quotes  The  Old  Law, 
direction    To    Var.    Serv.,   and    many  III.  ii.  80 : 

editors  follow  him.     In  that  case  the  "  look  parboil'd 

meaning     will    be     that    Apemantus's  As  if  they  came  from  Cupid's  scald- 

retort,     "No,    'tis    to     thyself,"    had  ing  house" ; 

identified     Varro's     servant     with     a  and   in   reference   to   the    scalding    of 

fool.  chickens   Henley  observes,     "It    was 

60.  No,      thou  .  .  .  yet]     no,     you  anciently  the  practice  to  scald  off  the 
stand  fool  all  to  yourself,  for  you  are  feathers  of  poultry  instead  of  plucking 
not  yet  on  his  back  ;  if  you  were,   it  them.     Chaucer  hath  referred  to  it  in 
would  be  fool  upon  fool.  his  Romaunt  of  the  Rose,  6820,  'with- 

62.  He  last\  i.e.  he  "  who  "  last,  etc.     out  scalding  they  hem  pulle.' " 


SC.H.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  47 

chickens  as  you  are.     Would  we  could  see  you 
at  Corinth  ! 
Apem.  Good  !  gramercy.  7  5 

Enter  Page. 

Fool.  Look  you,  here  comes  my  mistress'  page. 
Page.  [To  the  Fool.']  Why,  how  now,  captain  !   what 

do  you  in  this  wise  company?      How  dost  thou, 

Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  Would  I  had  a  rod  in  my  mouth,  that  I  might     80 

answer  thee  profitably. 
Page.  Prithee,  Apemantus,  read  me  the  superscription 

of  these  letters  :   I  know  not  which  is  which. 
Apem.  Canst  not  read  ? 

Page.  No.  85 

Apem.  There  will    little    learning  die  then  that  day 

thou  art  hanged.      This  is  to  Lord  Timon  ;  this 

to   Alcibiades.     Go ;  thou  wast  born  a  bastard, 

and  thou  'It  die  a  bawd. 
Page.  Thou  wast  whelped  a  dog,  and  thou  shalt  famish     90 

a  dog's  death.     Answer  not ;  I  am  gone.  [Exit. 

Apem.  E'en  so  thou  outrunnest  grace.     Fool,  I  will  go 

with  you  to  Lord  Timon's. 
Fool.  Will  you  leave  me  there? 
Apem.  If  Timon  stay  at  home.  You  three  serve  95 

three  usurers  ? 

76,  1 06.   mistress']  mistress's  Theobald  ;  Masters  Ff  I,  2,  3  ;  Master's  F  4. 

74.   Corinth]     a    cant    name    for    a  already  at  Timon's  house,  Clarke  tries 
brothel,  due  to  the  ill  fame  of  that  city  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty  by  supposing 
in  regard  to  morals.  Timon's   banqueting  room  or  his   pre- 
83,  which  is  -which}  literally,  what-  sence   chamber   to    be    meant.      This 
like  (thing  of  these  things)  is  of  what  seems  impossible. 

kind.  95.  If  Timon   .    .    .    home]   i.e.    as 

93.  to  Lord   Timon's]   As   they  are  long  as  Timon  stays   at   home,    there 


48  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACT  H. 

All  Serv.  Ay ;  would  they  served  us. 

Apem.  So  would  I, — as  good  a  trick  as  ever  hangman 
served  thief. 

Fool.  Are  you  three  usurers'  men  ?  i  oo 

All  Serv.  Ay,  fool. 

Fool.  I  think  no  usurer  but  has  a  fool  to  his  servant : 
my  mistress  is  one,  and  I  am  her  fool.  When 
men  come  to  borrow  of  your  masters,  they 
approach  sadly,  and  go  away  merry ;  but  they  105 
enter  my  mistress'  house  merrily,  and  go  away 
sadly :  the  reason  of  this  ? 

Var.  Serv.  I  could  render  one. 

Apem.  Do  it  then,  that  we  may  account  thee  a  whore- 
master  and  a  knave ;  which  notwithstanding,  thou    1 10 
shalt  be  no  less  esteemed. 

Var.  Serv.  What  is  a  whoremaster,  fool? 

Fool.  A  fool  in  good  clothes,  and  something  like  thee. 
'Tis  a  spirit :  sometime  't  appears  like  a  lord  ; 
sometime  like  a  lawyer ;  sometime  like  a  philo-  115 
sopher,  with  two  stones  moe  than  's  artificial  one. 
He  is  very  often  like  a  knight ;  and  generally  in 
all  shapes  that  man  goes  up  and  down  in  from 
fourscore  to  thirteen,  this  spirit  walks  in. 

97.  Ay;  would]  Capell,  I  would  Ff. 

will  be  a  fool  in  his  house.     There  is  will  be  held  in  less  honour  than  if  you 

probably  a  similar  inference  in   Cym-  were  chaste  and  honest. 

beline,  ill.  iii.  1 06,  "  Fools  are  not  mad         114.  a    spirit]    i.e.     one     that    can 

folk,"  whereby  Imogen  impliedly  calls  assume  various  shapes. 

Cloten  a  fool.  116.  artificial  one}  An  allusion  to  the 

98,  99.  So.   .   .  thief}  i.e.  that  they  philosopher's  stone,    which   even  later 
would  serve  you  as  good  a  trick,  etc.  than  Shakespeare's  day  men  still  hoped 

102.  but  has .  .  .  servant}  who  has  not  to  find  or  to  produce, 

some  one  foolish  enough  to  be  his  slave.  117,    118.  in   all  .  .   .  in}   For  the 

no,  ill.  which  .  .  .  esteemed} though  doubled    preposition,    cp.    Coriolanus, 

you  need  not  fear  for  all  that  that  you  II.  i.  18;  All's  Well,  I.  ii.  29. 


sc.ii.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  49 

Var.  Serv.  Thou  art  not  altogether  a  fool.  120 

Fool.  Nor    thou    altogether    a    wise    man :    as    much 

foolery  as  I  have,  so  much  wit  thou  lackest. 
Apem.  That  answer  might  have  become  Apemantus. 
All  Serv.  Aside,  aside ;  here  comes  Lord  Timon. 

Re-enter  TIMON  and  FLAVIUS. 

Apem.  Come  with  me,  fool,  come.  125 

Fool.  I  do  not  always  follow  lover,  elder  brother  and 
woman ;  sometime  the  philosopher. 

[Exeunt  Apemantus  and  Fool. 

Flav.  Pray  you,  walk  near :   I  '11  speak  with  you  anon. 

[Exeunt  Servants. 

Tim.  You  make  me  marvel :  wherefore  ere  this  time 

Had  you  not  fully  laid  my  state  before  me,  130 

That  I  might  so  have  rated  my  expense 
As  I  had  leave  of  means  ? 

Flav.  You  would  not  hear  me, 

At  many  leisures  I  propos'd. 

Tim.  Go  to: 

Perchance  some  single  vantages  you  took, 

When  my  indisposition  put  you  back ;  135 

And  that  unaptness  made  your  minister, 

Thus  to  excuse  yourself. 

126.  elder  brother']  who,  as  having  patience,  reproach,  or  sometimes  en- 
more  money,  would  be  more  extra-  couragement,  according  to  the  context, 
vagant.  134-137.  Perchance  .  .  .  yourself  ~\ 

130.  my  state']  the  condition  of  my  you  may  perhaps  on  some  rare  occasions 
fortunes.  have  brought  the  matter  before  me,  but 

131,  132.    That  I  might  .   .   .   means']  it   was  when  you   knew   well   enough 
that   I   might   so   have   regulated    my  that  my  disinclination  for  such  a  sub- 
expenditure  as  my  means  would  allow,  ject  would  prevent  my  listening  to  you  ; 

133.  many   leisures}   many    of  your     and  that  disinclination  you  have  made 

leisure  moments.  to   serve   as   an   excuse   for  not   more 

133.   Go  to]   an   exclamation  of  im-     faithfully  doing  your  duty  in  this  respect. 

4 


50 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  n. 


Flav.  O  my  good  lord ! 

At  many  times  I  brought  in  my  accounts, 
Laid  them  before  you ;  you  would  throw  them  off, 
And  say  you  found  them  in  mine  honesty.  140 

When  for  some  trifling  present  you  have  bid  me 
Return     so     much,     I     have    shook     my    head    and 

wept; 

Yea,  'gainst  the  authority  of  manners,  pray'd  you 
To  hold  your  hand  more  close :  I  did  endure 
Not  seldom,  nor  no  slight  checks,  when  I  have        145 
Prompted  you  in  the  ebb  of  your  estate 
And  your  great  flow  of  debts.      My  loved  lord, 
Though  you  hear  now,  too  late  ! — yet  now 's  a  time — 
The  greatest  of  your  having  lacks  a  half 
To  pay  your  present  debts. 

Tim.  Let  all  my  land  be  sold.   150 

Flav .  'Tis  all  engaged,  some  forfeited  and  gone ; 

148,  149.  hear  now,  too  late!  ,  .  .  time — The']  Camb.  Edd. ;  heare  now  (too 
late)  yet  nowes  a  time,  The  Ff  (here  Ff  2,  3,  4). 


140.  you  found  .    .    .    honesty']  that 
my  honesty  was  sufficient  voucher  for 
their  accuracy. 

141.  for]  in  return  for. 

I43-  'gainst  .  .  .  manners']  more 
urgently  than  good  manners  authorised. 

145.  seldom]  here  an  adjective,  as  in 
Sonnets,  Hi.  4  ;  1  Henry  IV.  in.  ii.  58. 

146.  Prompted  .  .   .  ebb\  acted  as  a 
prompter  to  you  in  regard  to  the  ebb  ; 
language  taken  from  the  theatre. 

148.  Though  .  .  .  time]  though  the 
truth  comes  too  late — yet  even  now  it 
must  be  told —  This  is  in  effect  Ritson's 
explanation,  the  line  being  paren 
thetical.  Warburt on  renders,  "  Though 
it  be  now  too  late  to  retrieve  your 
former  fortunes,  yet  it  is  not  too  late 
to  prevent  by  the  assistance  of  your 
friends,  your  future  miseries."  Malone, 


"  Though  you  now  at  last  listen  to  my 
remonstrances,  yet  now  your  affairs  are 
in  such  a  state  that  the  whole  of  your 
remaining  fortune  will  scarce  pay  half 
your  debts.  You  are  therefore  wise  too 
late."  For  the  reading  of  the  folios, 
Spence  conjectures  "hear  'now'  too 
late,  yet,"  etc.  For  "  too  .  .  .  time," 
Hanmer  gave  "yet  now 's  too  late  a 
time,"  and  Collier's  MS.  Corrector  has 
"yet  now 's  a  time  too  late." 

149.  your  having]  your  possessions  ; 
cp.  Twelfth  Night,  in.  iv.  379 ;  The 
Winter's  Tale,  iv.  iv.  740. 

151.  engaged]  pledged,  mortgaged. 
Cp.  Massinger,  A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old 
Debts,  v.  i.  : 

"  End  me  no  ends  !  engage  the  whole 

estate, 
And  force  your  spouse  to  sign  it." 


sc.ii.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  51 

And  what  remains  will  hardly  stop  the  mouth 

Of  present  dues ;  the  future  comes  apace ; 

What  shall  defend  the  interim  ?  and  at  length 

How  goes  our  reckoning  ?  155 

Tim.  To  Lacedsemon  did  my  land  extend. 

Flav.  O  my  good  lord !  the  world  is  but  a  word ; 
Were  it  all  yours  to  give  it  in  a  breath, 
How  quickly  were  it  gone ! 

Tim.  You  tell  me  true. 

Flav.  If  you  suspect  my  husbandry  or  falsehood,  160 

Call  me  before  the  exactest  auditors, 
And  set  me  on  the  proof.     So  the  gods  bless  me, 
When  all  our  offices  have  been  oppress'd 
With  riotous  feeders,  when  our  vaults  have  wept 
With  drunken  spilth  of  wine,  when  every  room        165 
Hath  blaz'd  with  lights  and  bray'd  with  minstrelsy, 

157.  word}  F  i;  world  Yi  2,  3,  4. 

154.    What  .    .    .    interim?}    what  me  of  false  dealing.    For  "husbandry" 

measures  shall  we  take  to  secure  the  =  economy,  thrift,  cp.  Macbeth,  in.  i. 

immediate    future    from    the    assaults  4 ;  Hamlet,  I.  iii.  77. 

which    will    be    made    upon    it  ?  the  163.  offices}  servants'  quarters ;    cp. 

"interim"   is  spoken  as  a  fort,   posi-  Richard II.  I.  ii.  69. 

tion,  etc. ,  which  the  forces  of  the  future  163,    164.  have   been   .    .    .  feeders] 

are  swiftly  approaching  to  attack.  have  been  riotously   thronged   with   a 

154,  155.  and  at  length  .  .  .  reckon-  troop  of  hung-servants,  sc.  the  retinue 

ing?}  and  how  when  the  final  reckoning  of  Timon's  guests.     For  ' '  feeders,"  cp. 

of  our  affairs  comes,  are  we  to  meet  it  ?  Antony  and  Cleopatra,   III.   xiii.    109. 

In   The  Merchant  of  Venice,  n.  ii.  85,  According  to  Gifford,  Every  Man  Out 

we  have  "at  the  length,"  as  here  "at  of  his   Humour,  v.  i.    10,    "eaters," 

length,"  =  at  last.  "  feeders,"  "  cormorants  "  were  among 

157-159.  the  world  .  .  .  gone!}  the  the  least  opprobrious  terms  applied  in 

world   is  summed  up  in  a  word,   and  those  days  to  servants, 

were  it  all  yours  to  give  away  in  the  164,  165.   when  our  .  .  .  wine}  when 

utterance  of  a  word,  you  would  do  so  our  vats  have  wept  blood  in  drunken 

with  the  speed  of  thought.  revelries. 

159.  You  tell  me  true}  your  estimate  166.  bray'd    with   minstrelsy}  have 
of  me  is  a  true  one.  echoed  to  music  that  was  no  music,  to 

1 60.  If  you  .  .  .  falsehood}  if  you  outbursts  of  song  which  had  nothing  in 
doubt  my  good  management  or  suspect  them  of  music  but  its  noise. 


52 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  n. 


I  have  retired  me  to  a  wakeful  couch, 

And  set  mine  eyes  at  flow. 

Tim.  Prithee,  no  more. 

Flav.  Heavens,  have  I  said,  the  bounty  of  this  lord ! 

How  many  prodigal  bits  have  slaves  and  peasants    1 70 

This  night  englutted  !     Who  is  not  Timon's  ? 

What   heart,  head,  sword,  force,  means,  but  is    Lord 
Timon's  ? 

Great  Timon,  noble,  worthy,  royal  Timon ! 


167.  retired  me"]  reflexive. 

167.  a  wakeful  couch]  The  folios  give 
"a  wasteful  cock."  The  reading  in 
the  text  is  the  conjecture  of  Swynfen 
Jervis.  Ingleby,  The  Still  Lion,  pp. 
117,  118,  remarks  of  it,  "We  do  not 
touch  the  fitness  or  the  beauty  of  the 
emendation,  which  speak  for  them 
selves,  but  we  insist  upon  the  prob 
ability  of  the  misprint.  We  must  use 
the  favourite  resource  of  Zachary  Jack 
son  here.  In  the  '  upper  case  '  of  the 
compositor,  the  ft  and  k  are  in  con 
tiguous  'boxes,'  so  that  an  ft  would 
sometimes  be  dropped  into  the  k  box 
by  mistake  :  thus  |  ft  |  k  |  ;  whence  it 
might  very  well  happen  that  wakefull 
was  set  up  waftefull.  Not  improbably, 
wakefull  in  the  '  copy  '  suggested  cock 
to  the  mind  of  the  workman  instead  of 
couch,  by  the  power  of  association  ;  the 
barn-cock  being  often  called  the  wake 
ful  bird,  or  the  wakeful  cock."  Dyce, 
Staunton,  Delius,  and  Clarke  retain 
"  wasteful  cock,"  and  the  first  of  these 
editors  remarks  as  follows: — "In  this 
much-disputed  passage  one  thing  is 
quite  clear, — that  wasteful  cock  can 
only  mean  'a  pipe  with  a  turning 
stopple  running  to  waste,'  whether  we 
refer  it  (as  I  believe  we  ought)  to  '  the 
spilth  of  wine,'  or  understand  it  in  the 
sense  of  '  cock  of  water,'  with  Capell  ; 
who  well  observes,  that  '  the  thought  of 
retiring  to  such  a  cock  is  suggested  by 
what  was  passing  within  doors,'  Notes, 


etc.,  vol.  ii.  Pt.  iv.  p.  81."  In  Staun- 
ton's  opinion  "  everybody  who  reads 
the  context  feels,  we  apprehend,  in 
stinctively  that  a  wasteful  cock,  i.e.  the 
tap  of  a  wine  butt  turned  on  to  waste,  is 
an  image  so  peculiarly  suitable  in  the 
steward's  picture  of  profligate  dissipa 
tion,  that  it  must  be  right."  The 
steward,  then,  on  these  frequent 
occasions,  when  everything  was  waste 
and  riot,  always  made  sure  of  finding  a 
sympathetic  cock  to  which  he  could 
betake  himself  and  mingle  his  own 
abundant  tears  with  its  congenial  out 
pour  !  Retaining  "wasteful  cock," 
Staunton  suggests  that  we  might  read, 
"  I  have  retired  (me  too  a  wasteful 

cock) 

And  set  mine  eyes  at  flow  "  ; 
but,  if  we  read  ' '  retired  "  instead  of 
"  retired  me,"  we  must  then  have  "  / 
too  a  wasteful  cock"  ;  if  we  read  "  I 
have  retired  me  too,  a  wasteful  cock," 
then  ' '  too  "  has  no  significance.  Other 
conjectures  are,  "  wakeful  cock,"  Jack 
son  ;  "  wakeful  cot,"  Daniel ;  "  waste 
ful  compt,"  Kinnear  ;  "wakeful nook," 
Gould  ;  while  Collier,  ed.  2,  gives 
"wasteful  nook"  from  his  MS.  Cor 
rector. 

170,  171.  How  many  .  .  .  englutted  /] 
with  what  prodigality  have  the  stomachs 
of  slaves  and  peasants  been  crammed  ! 

171.  Who  .  .  .   Timon's?]  mankind 
at  large  pretends  to  be   Timon's  de 
voted  servant. 


SC.  II.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


53 


Ah !  when  the  means  are  gone  that  buy  this  praise, 
The  breath  is  gone  whereof  this  praise  is  made :      175 
Feast-won,  fast-lost ;  one  cloud  of  winter  showers, 
These  flies  are  couch'd. 

Tim.  Come,  sermon  me  no  further  : 

No  villanous  bounty  yet  hath  pass'd  my  heart ; 
Unwisely,  not  ignobly,  have  I  given.  +* 

Why  dost  thou  weep  ?     Canst  thou  the  conscience  lack, 
To  think  I  shall  lack  friends  ?     Secure  thy  heart ;   1 8 1 
If  I  would  broach  the  vessels  of  my  love, 
And  try  the  argument  of  hearts  by  borrowing, 
Men  and  men's  fortunes  could  I  frankly  use 
As  I  can  bid  thee  speak. 

Flav.  Assurance  bless  your  thoughts  !    185 


176,  177.  one  cloud  .  .  .  couck'd]  let 
but  a  wintry  cloud  burst  in  showers, 
and  these  flesh-flies  hide  themselves  at 
once.  Rolfe  aptly  compares  Troilus 
and  Cressida,  III.  iii.  78,  79  : 

"  for  men,  like  butterflies, 
Show  not  their  mealy  wings,  but  to 
the  summer." 

178.  No  villanous  .  .  .  heart]  Here 
Walker  would  change  "heart"  to 
"  hand  "  or  "hands,"  and  that  scholar's 
taste  was  so  fine  that  one  does  not  like 
to  demur  to  it.  Still  to  me  the  change 
entirely  mars  the  beauty  of  the  line, 
which  I  take  to  mean,  "prodigally  and 
mistakenly  as  my  bounty  may  have 
been  showered  down,  never  has  my 
heart  given  sanction  to  any  bestowal  of 
it  for  evil  ends."  It  is  his  heart  that 
tests  and  gives  passport  to  the  dis 
bursement  of  his  bounty. 

1 80,  181.  Canst  thou  .  .  .friends?} 
can    you    be    so    wanting     in     sound 
judgment  as  to  think  that  friends  will 
be  wanting  to  my  help  ? 

181.  Secure  thy  heart}  set  your  mind 
at   ease.     In   Lear,   iv.   i.    22,    "Our 
means  secure  us,"  and  Othello,  I.  iii.  10, 


"  I  do  not  so  secure  me  in  the  error," 
the  sense  is  not  quite  parallel,  since  in 
both  cases  undue  self-confidence  is  im 
plied.  Here  the  word  has  exactly  the 
meaning  of  the  Lat.  securus,  free  from 
care. 

182.  would]  was  willing,  disposed 
to. 

182.  broach]  the  primary  meaning  of 
this  word  is  to  pierce  with  a  spigot, 
tap  ;  Fr.  broche ;  for  its  figurative  use, 
cp.  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  I.  ii.  178 ; 
1  Henry  IV.  v.  i.  21 ;  Henry  V. 
Chor.  32;  Chapman,  All  Fools,  II.  i., 
"  my  purse  set  a-broach." 

182.  vessels  of  my  love]  my  friends  ; 
cp.  Macbeth,  III.  i.  67. 

183.  argument]    is    generally   taken 
here  to  mean  "  contents,"  as  an  "  argu 
ment  "  is  used  for  a  summary  prefixed 
to    a    book,    etc.     To    me  the   word 
"try"  implies    rather   the   testing   of 
the  professions  of  heartfelt  love  made 
by  his  friends,  as  an  argument  is  tested 
in  controversy. 

185.  Assurance  .  .  .  thoughts !]  may 
your  thoughts  receive  happy  confirma 
tion  ! 


54  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTH. 

Tim.  And,  in  some  sort,  these  wants  of  mine  are  crown'd, 
That  I  account  them  blessings ;  for  by  these 
Shall  I  try  friends.      You  shall  perceive  how  you 
Mistake  my  fortunes ;   I  am  wealthy  in  my  friends. 
Within  there !      Flaminius !      Servilius  !  1 90 

Enter  FLAMINIUS,  SERVILIUS,  and  other  Servants. 

Servants.  My  lord  !   my  lord  ! 

Tim.  I  will  dispatch  you  severally:  you  to  Lord 
Lucius ;  to  Lord  Lucullus  you  fl  hunted  with  his 
honour  to-day ;  you,  to  Sempronius^f  Commend 
me  to  their  loves ;  and,  I  am  proud,  say,  that  my  195 
occasions  have  found  time  to  use  'em  towards  a 
supply  of  money  :  let  the  request  be  fifty  talents. 

Flam.  As  you  have  said,  my  lord. 

Flav.  \Aside^\  Lord  Lucius  ?  and  Lucullus  ?  hum  ! 

Tim.  \To  another  Servant^  Go  you,  sir,  to  the  senators — 
Of  whom,  even  to  the  state's  best  health,  I  have     201 
Deserv'd  this  hearing — bid  'em  send  o'  the  instant 
A  thousand  talents  to  me. 

Flav.  I  have  been  bold, 

For  that  I  knew  it  the  most  general  way, 
To  them  to  use  your  signet  and  your  name ;  205 

1 86.  crown! £\  invested  with  a  glory  ;         196.  time]    not    leisure,    but    occa- 
cp.  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  I.  ii.    174,     sion. 

"this  grief  is  crown'd  with   consola-         201,202.   Of  whom  .  .  .  hearing — ] 

tion."  by  whom  I  have  deserved  to  be  listened 

187.  That]  so  that;  not,  in  that.  to  in  this  request,  deserved,  yes,  even 
190.  Flaminius]     Rowe's     substitu-  to  the  fullest  measure  that  the  state's 

tion  for  "  Flavius."     See  Introduction,  prosperity  can  show.     Or  does  "  to  the 

192.  severally]  separately,  in  different  state's   best  health "  mean  that  he   by 

directions.  his  generosity  had  ministered  in  fullest 

195-197.  that  my  .  .  .  money]  that  measure  to  the  state's  well-being  ? 

my  needs  have  found  occasion  to  make  204.  general]  usual,  customary  ;  the 

use  of  their  friendship  in  the  matter  of  "signet"  being  that  which  accredited 

furnishing  me  with  a  sum  of  money.  the  messenger  in  behalf  of  another. 


SC.  II.] 


T1MON   OF  ATHENS 


55 


But  they  do  shake  their  heads,  and  I  am  here 
No  richer  in  return. 

Tim.  Is 't  true  ?  can  't  be  ?    *** 

Flav.  They  answer,  in  a  joint  and  corporate  voice, 
That  now  they  are  at  fall,  want  treasure,  cannot 
Do  what  they   would ;   are   sorry — you   are   honour 
able —  210 
But  yet  they  could  have  wish'd — they  know  not — 
Something  hath  been  amiss — a  noble  nature 
May  catch  a  wrench — would  all  were  well — 'tis  pity ; — 
And  so,  intending  other  serious  matters, 
After  distasteful  looks  and  these  hard  fractions,      215 
With  certain  half-caps  and  cold-moving  nods 
They  froze  me  into  silence. 

Tim.  You  gods,  reward  them  ! 

Prithee,  man,  look  cheerly.     These  old  fellows 
Have  their  ingratitude  in  them  hereditary ; 


207.  No  .  .  .  return]  no  richer  than 
when  I  went. 

208.  in  a  joint  .  .  .  voice]  one  and 
all ;  the  words  of  one  answering  for 
all. 

209.  at  fall}  at  a  low  ebb,  a  falling 
tide,  in  the  matter  of  funds. 

211.  know     not — ]     Dyce     supplies 
"  what"  here. 

212,  213.  Something.  .  .  wrench — ] 
somehow  or  other,  whether  the  fault  is 
yours  or  not,    you    have   mismanaged 
your  affairs — even  a  noble  nature  like 
yours  is  liable  to   be   wrenched  away 
from  its  natural  bent ;  cp.  Lear,  I.  iv. 
290  : 

"  That,    like   an    engine,    wrencKd 

my  frame  of  nature 
From  the  fix'd  place." 
214.  intending]    is    here     generally 
explained  as  "  pretending,"  a  frequent 
sense  in  Shakespeare,  e.g.  Much  Ado, 
II.  ii.  35  ;  Richard  III.  ill.  v.  8 ;  but 


the  word  was  of  old  as  frequent  in  the 
sense  of  "giving  attention  to,"  and 
may  be  so  used  here. 

214.  other    serious    matters]    other 
matters  and  those  of  a  serious  nature. 

215.  distasteful}  sour. 

215.  hard  fractions']    surly    broken 
sentences.       In    "hard"     there     may 
possibly    be    an     allusion    to    broken 
crusts,   the  "remainder  biscuit  after  a 
voyage." 

2 1 6.  half -caps']  salutations  grudgingly 
given. 

216.  cold-moving]  coldly  moving. 
219.  Have  their  .  »  .  hereditary] 
with  them  ingratitude  is  the  heritage 
of  years  ;  for  "hereditary"  as  a  predi 
cate,  cp.  iv.  iii.  10,  below,  and  Hey- 
wood,  Prologues  and  Epilogues,  vol.  vi. 
p.  343,  Pearson's  Reprint  : 

"  if  Augustus,  he 

Who  left  his  ample  name  hereditary 
To  all  succeeding  Emperors." 


56  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTH. 

Their  blood  is  cak'd,  'tis  cold,  it  seldom  flows;        220 

Tis  lack  of  kindly  warmth  they  are  not  kind ; 

And  nature,  as  it  grows  again  toward  earth, 

Is  fashion'd  for  the  journey,  dull  and  heavy. 

[To    a    Servant.]    Go   to    Ventidius.       [To   Flavins] 

Prithee,  be  not  sad, 

Thou  art  true  and  honest ;  ingeniously  I  speak,      225 
No  blame  belongs  to  thee.     [  To  Servant.]  Ventidius 

lately 

Buried  his  father  ;  by  whose  death  he  's  stepp'd 
Into  a  great  estate  :  when  he  was  poor, 
Imprison'd,  and  in  scarcity  of  friends, 
I  clear'd  him  with  five  talents :  greet  him  from  me ; 
Bid  him  suppose  some  good  necessity  231 

Touches  his  friend,  which  craves  to  be  remember'd 
With  those  five  talents.  [Exit  Servant. 

[To  Flavins]  That  had,  give  't  these  fellows 
To  whom  'tis  instant  due.     Ne'er  speak  or  think    235 
That  Timon's  fortunes  'mong  his  friends  can  sink. 
Flav.   I    would    I    could    not    think    it :    that    thought    is 

bounty's '  foe ; 
Being  free  itself,  it  thinks  all  others  so.  [Exeunt. 

221.  kindly']  natural.  231.  some  good  necessity}  some  valid 

221.  kind}  with  a  quibble.  necessity,    a    necessity    deserving    re- 

222,  223.  And  nature   .  .  .  heavy}    quital ;    "  good,"   as   so   often,    is   in- 
Steevens     quotes     The     Wife  for    a    tensive,  and  the  exact   sense  must  be 
Month :  determined  by  the  context. 

"Beside,  the  fair  soul's  old  too,  it  232,233.  which  craves  .  .  .  talents} 

grows  covetous,  and   this   necessity  calls   for    practical 

Which   shows    all  honour    is    de-  remembrance  in  the  shape  of,  etc. 

parted  from  us,  234.    That    had}     when     you    have 

And  we  are  earth  again."  received  that. 

225.  ingeniously}  ingenuously,    with  236.  'mong    .    .    .    sink}    can    sink 

sincerity;   "ingenious"   frequently  has  while    his    friends    are    there   to   buoy 

the  sense  of  "  heart-felt,"  and  the  two  them  up. 

words    are    used    indiscriminately    for  237.  that  thought  .  .  .  foe]  that  un- 

" artful,"  "witty."  due   trust   in    the   mutual   goodwill   of 


sc.  i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  57 

ACT  III 

SCENE   I. — Athens.     A  Room  in  Lucullus's  House. 

FLAMINIUS  waiting.     Enter  a  Servant  to  him. 

Serv.  I  have  told  my  lord  of  you  ;  he  is  coming  down 

to  you. 
Flam.  I  thank  you,  sir. 

Enter  LUCULLUS. 

Serv.  Here's  my  lord. 

Lucul.  [Aside]  One  of  Lord  Timon's  men  !  a  gift,  I        5 
warrant.     Why,  this  hits  right ;  I   dreamt  of  a 
silver  basin  and  ewer  to-night.    Flaminius,  honest 
Flaminius,  you  are  very  respectively  welcome,  sir. 
Fill  me  some  wine.     [Exit  Servant]  And  how 
does    that    honourable,     complete,    free-hearted      10 
gentleman  of   Athens,  thy  very  bountiful  good 
lord  and  master? 

Flam.  His  health  is  well,  sir. 

friends   is   what   undoes  generosity   by  of  which   much  account  was  made  in 

the  disappointment  that  so  often  meets  our  author's  time.      They  were  usually 

it.     For  the  converse  of  the   thought,  of  silver,  and  probably  the  fashion  of 

cp.  Cytnbeline,  in.  iv.  65,  66:  these    articles    was    more    particularly 

"  Goodly  and  gallant  shall  be  false  attended  to,  because  they  were  regularly 

and  perjured  exhibited  to  the  guests  before  and  after 

From  thy  great  fail "  ;  dinner,    it  being   the   custom   to  wash 

and  Webster,  The  White  Devil,  p.  22,  the  hands  at  both  these  times  "(Malone), 

ed.  Dyce  :  quoting  The  Taming   of  the    Shrew, 

"Well,      well,      such      counterfeit  11.350: 

jewels  "  my  house  within  the  city 

Make  true  ones  oft  suspected."  Is  richly  furnished  with  plate  and 

Act  IIL  Scene  I.  Basons    and    ewers    to    lave    her 

6,  7.  a  silver  .  .  .  ewer}    "  A  bason  dainty  hands." 

and  ewer  seem  to  have  been  furniture        8.  respectively}  with  hearty  regard. 


58  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTHI. 

Lucul.  I    am   right   glad  that  his  health  is   well,  sir. 

And    what    hast   thou    there    under    thy    cloak,      1 5 
pretty  Flaminius  ? 

Flam,  Faith,  nothing  but  an  empty  box,  sir,  which, 
in  my  lord's  behalf,  -I  come  to  entreat  your 
honour  to  supply  ;  who,  having  great  and  instant 
occasion  to  use  fifty  talents,  hath  sent  to  your  20 
lordship  to  furnish  him,  nothing  doubting  your 
present  assistance  therein. 

Lucul.  La,  la,  la,  la !  "  nothing  doubting,"  says  he  ? 
Alas  !  good  lord  ;  a  noble  gentleman  'tis,  if  he 
would  not  keep  so  good  a  house.      Many  a  time      25 
and  often   I  ha'  dined  with  him,  and  told  him 
on 't ;  and    come    again    to    supper    to    him,    of 
purpose   to   have   him   spend    less ;  and   yet   he 
would  embrace  no  counsel,  take  no  warning  by 
my    coming.     Every    man    has    his    fault,    and'    30 
honesty  is  his ;  I  ha'  told  him  on  't,  but  I  could 
ne'er  get  him  from  it. 

Re-enter  Servant,  with  wine.  1*1 
Serv.  Please  your  lordship,  here  is  the  wine. 
Lucul.  Flaminius,  I  have  noted  thee  always  wise. 

Here 's  to  thee.  3  5 

Flam.  Your  lordship  speaks  your  pleasure. 
Lucul.   I    have   observed   thee   always  for  a  towardly 

prompt  spirit — give  thee  thy  due — and  one  that 

24,  25.  if 'he  .  .  .  house]  if  he  would  36.  Your  lordship  .  .  .  pleasure'] 

only  be  less  extravagant  in  his  house-  your  lordship  is  pleased  to  say  so  ;  a 

keeping.  modest  acquiescence  probably  tinged 

27,  28.  of  purpose  .  .  .  less]  with  the  with  doubt  as  to  what  such  politeness 

object  of  persuading  him  to,  etc.  preludes. 

31.  honesty]  a  too  noble  freedom  of  37,  38.  /  have  .  .  .  due]  not  to 

hand.  flatter  you,  I  have  ever  marked  you  as 


sc.i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  59 

knows  what  belongs  to  reason ;  and  canst  use 
the  time  well,  if  the  time  use  thee  well :  good  40 
parts  in  thee.  [To  the  Servant.]  Get  you  gone, 
sirrah.  [Exit  Servant.]  Draw  nearer,  honest 
Flaminius.  Thy  lord 's  a  bountiful  gentleman  : 
but  thou  art  wise ;  and  thou  knowest  well 
enough,  although  thou  comest  to  me,  that  this  45 
is  no  time  to  lend  money,  especially  upon  bare 
friendship,  without  security.  Here 's  three 
solidares  for  thee ;  good  boy,  wink  at  me,  and 
say  thou  sawest  me  not.  Fare  thee  well. 

Flam.   Is't  possible  the  world  should  so  much  differ,         50 
And  we  alive  that  lived  ?     Fly,  damned  baseness, 
To  him  that  worships  thee ! 

[Throwing-  the  money  away. 

Lucul.  Ha !  now  I  see  thou  art  a  fool,  and  fit  for  thy 

master.  [Exit. 

Flam.  May   these    add    to    the    number    that    may    scald 
thee  !  5  5 

a  man  quick  to  m^et  another's  thoughts  "  If  I  had  play'd  the  desk  or  table- 
half-way;    for    "towardly,"    cp.    The  book, 
Taming  of  the  Shrew,  V.  ii.  182  :  Or  given    my  heart  a   winking, 

"  'Tis    a   good    hearing  when    chil-  mute  and  dumb." 

dren  are  toward."  50,  51.  Is  't possible  .  .  .  lived]  can 

39,  40.  and  canst   .    .    .    well]   and  it  be  that  the  world  has  so  changed  in 

willing  to  do  as  you  would  be  done  by.  so  short  a  memory  ?  that  we,  who  only 

The  phrases  with  which  Lucullus  makes  yesterday   saw  Timon's  friends  at  his 

his    approaches   are   purposely   vague,  feet,   should  to-day  see  them  spuming 

since   he  does  not   feel  sure   how   his  him  after  this  man's  fashion  ? 

refusal  will  be  taken.  55.  May  these  .  .  .  thee!]  may  your 

48.  solidares'}  Steevens  believes  that  wealth  plunge  you  in  hell  fire,  and  may 

"  this    coin   is   from   the   mint  of  the  these  parcels   of  it  help  to  make  that 

poet."     Cp.  Jonson,  Volpone,  iv.  2  :  fire  still  fiercer  !      Steevens  quotes  The 

"  This  fellow  Shepherd's  Calendar,  in  which  Lazarus 

For  six    sols   more    would    plead  declares  himself  to   have   seen  in   hell 

against  his  Maker."  "  a  great  number  of  wide  cauldrons  and 

48.  wink  at  me]  do  not  see  what  you  kettles,  full  of  boyling  lead  and  oyle, 

need    not    see  ;     cp.    Hamlet,    n.    ii.  with  other  hot   metals  molten,  in   the 

137 :  which  were   plunged  and  dipped  the 


60  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACT  m. 


Let  molten  coin  be  thy  damnation, 

^  ^    Thou  disease  of  a  friend,  and  not  himself ! 

*f^l      Has  friendship  such  a  faint  and  milky  heart 

It  turns  in  less  than  two  nights  ?     O  you  gods ! 
*  ^\  »    I  feel  my  master's  passion  !     This  slave,  60 

Unto  his  honour,  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  sick  to  death,  let   not   that   part   of 
nature  65 

Which  my  lord  paid  for,  be  of  any  power 

To  expel  sickness,  but  prolong  his  hour.  \Exit. 

<A 

, 

SCENE   II. — The  Same.     A  public  Place. 

Enter  LUCIUS,  with  three  Strangers. 

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

60,  6l.  slave,  Unto  his  honour,'}  Steevens  ;  Slave  vnto  his  Honor  Ff  I,  2  ; 
Slave  unto  his  honour,  F  3  ;  Slave  unto  his  honour  F  4. 

covetous  men  and  women,  for  to  fulfill  honour,  still  has,"  etc.     Clarke,  retain- 

and   replenish  them   of   their  insatiate  ing   the   punctuation  of  the  three  first 

covetise."     Mason   thinks  the  allusion  folios,  thinks  that  the  words  are  ironical, 

is  more  probably  to  the  story  of  Marcus  "This  man  who  is  so  wholly  a  slave 

Crassus  and  the  Parthians,  who  are  said  to  his  honour."     Pope  edited  "hour" 

to  have  poured  molten  gold  down  his  for      "honour."       Dyce      conjectures 

throat  as  a  reproach  and   punishment  "slander"     for    "slave";    Staunton, 

for  his  avarice.  "slave  unto  dishonour"  both  of  which 

59.  turns}  a  twofold  sense,  changes,  readings  give  an  excellent  meaning, 
and  turns  sour  like  curdled  milk.  65.  that .  .   .  nature}  that  part  of  his 

60.  my  master's  passion}  the  feelings  physical  being  which  has  been  nourished 
which   will  be   my  master's   when   he  by  my  lord's  food.     Daniel  conjectures 
learns  what  I  have  to  tell  him.  "  of's  nature,"  or  "  of 's  nurture." 

60,  6l.  This  slave  .  .  .  him}  This  67.  his  hour}  may  mean  his  hour  of 
is  Steeven's  punctuation,  and  the  words  suffering,  or  "his"  may  be="its," 
will  mean,  "This  slave,  much  to  his  sc.  the  sickness. 


sc.ii.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  61 

First  Stran.  We  know  him  for  no  less,  though  we  are 
but  strangers  to  him.      But  I  can  tell  you  one 
thing,  my  lord,  and  which  I  hear  from  common        5 
rumours :  now  Lord   Timon's    happy   hours  are 
done  and  past,  and  his  estate  shrinks  from  him. 

Luc.  Fie,  no,  do  not  believe  it ;  he  cannot  want  for 
money. 

Second  Stran.  But  believe  you  this,  my  lord,  that,  not      I  o 
long  ago,  one  of  his   men  was  with   the   Lord 
Lucullus  to  borrow  so  many  talents,  nay,  urged 
extremely    for 't,    and    showed     what    necessity 
belonged  to't,  and  yet  was  denied. 

Luc.  How  !  1 5 

Second  Stran.  I  tell  you,  denied,  my  lord. 

Luc.  What  a  strange  case  was  that !  now,  before  the 
gods,  I  am  ashamed  on  't.  Denied  that  honour 
able  man  !  there  was  very  little  honour  showed 
in  't.  For  my  own  part,  I  must  needs  confess,  20 
I  have  received  some  small  kindnesses  from 
him,  as  money,  plate,  jewels,  and  such  like  trifles, 
nothing  comparing  to  his ;  yet,  had  he  mistook 

3.    We  know  .  .  .  /ess]  we  know  by  the    two  preceding   scenes,    that   that 

report  that  he  fully  merits  that  descrip-  definite  sum  was  fifty  talents. " 

tion.  23,  24.  had  he  .  .   .  to  me]  This  is 

5.  and  which]  and  one,    or,  that  a  generally  explained,    after  Mason,   as 

thing,  which  ;  an  ellipsis  not  elsewhere  "if  he  had  by  mistake  sent  to  me," 

found  in  Shakespeare,  I  think.  "mistook   him"   being  construed    re- 

12.  so  many]  possibly  put  indefinitely  flexively.  It  may  be  so.  Yet  there 
for  a  sum  which  the  Second  Stranger  seems  to  be  so  emphatic  an  antithesis 
did  not  know  precisely.  Theobald  between  " mistook  him "  and  "sent  to 
gives  "fifty,"  and  there  is  much  force  me,"  that  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
in  what  Lettsom  says  in  his  note  on  " mistook  "  is  here  equivalent  to  "mis- 
Walker's  Critical  Examination,  etc.,  doubted."  The  word  is  often  used  by 
vol.  iii.  p.  232,  "The  same  words  Shakespeare  in  the  sense  of  "  mis- 
three  times  recurring,  show  that  a  judge,"  and  the  shade  of  difference 
definite  sum  was  the  subject  of  con-  between  "  misjudge  "  and  "  misdoubt " 
versation,  and  it  is  clear,  from  this  and  is  very  slight.  The  reflexive  construe- 


62  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACTIII. 

him  and  sent  to  me,  I  should  ne'er  have  denied 

his  occasion  so  many  talents.  25 

Enter  SERVILIUS. 

Ser.  See,   by   good   hap,  yonder 's  my   lord  ;  I  have 

sweat    to    see    his    honour.       [To   Lucius.]    My 

honoured  lord  ! 
Luc.  Servilius  !  you  are  kindly   met,  sir.     Fare   thee 

well :  commend  me  to  thy  honourable  virtuous     30 

lord,  my  very  exquisite  friend. 

Ser.  May  it  please  your  honour,  my  lord  hath  sent — 
Luc.  Ha !    What    has    he    sent  ?       I    am    so    much 

endeared  to  that  lord  ;  he 's  ever  sending :  how 

shall    I  thank  him,   thinkest  thou  ?     And  what     3  5 

has  he  sent  now? 
Ser.  Has   only    sent  his    present   occasion   now,   my 

lord ;    requesting    your    lordship    to    supply    his 

instant  use  with  so  many  talents. 
Luc.   I  know  his  lordship  is  but  merry  with  me  ;  40 

He  cannot  want  fifty-five  hundred  talents. 
Ser.  But  in  the  meantime  he  wants  less,  my  lord. 

If  his  occasion  were  not  virtuous, 

tion  of  "  mistake  "  does  not  occur  else-  39.  so  many}   Rowe  gives    "  fifty," 

where  in  Shakespeare.     Hanmer  gave  and  Walker  repeats  his  conjecture  on 

"o'erlook'd"  ;       Warburton,       "mis-  line  25. 

look'd."      Johnson    conjectured    "not  41.  fifty  .  .  .  talents}  Of  course,  if 

mistook";  Edwards,  "missed."      For  the  text  is  sound,  this  is  a  mere  hyper- 

the  form  of  the  participle,  cp.  Jttlius  bole.     Perhaps  we  should  print  "  fifty 

Ccfsar,  I.  ii.  40.  • — -five  hundred,"  i.e.  fifty  or  even  five 

25.  so   many}     Walker     conjectures  hundred.       The    difficulty    about    the 

"/wzVesornany,"or  "thrice  so  many."  various    sums    may    be    got    over    by 

34.  endeared]  bound  by  strong  ties  ;  supposing  them  to  have  been  expressed 

cp.  2  Henry  IV.  II.  iii.  II,  12.  in  figures,  not  in  words. 

37.  Has  only  .  ,  .  now\     Servilius  42.  But  .  .  .    /ess]  Again   Servilius 
seems  to  be  a  bit  of  a  wag.  appears  to  he  bantering  Lucullus. 

38,  39.  his  instant  use]  his  pressing  43.  virtuous]  one  caused  by  no  fault 
need  for  use.  except  too  great  generosity.     Warbur- 


so. ii.]  TIMON    OF  ATHENS  63 

I  should  not  urge  it  half  so  faithfully. 

Luc.  Dost  thou  speak  seriously,  Servilius  ?  45 

Ser.  Upon  my  soul,  'tis  true,  sir. 

Luc.  What  a  wicked  beast  was  I  to  disfurnish  myself 
against  such  a  good  time,  when  I  might  ha' 
shown  myself  honourable !  how  unluckily  it 
happened,  that  I  should  purchase  the  day  before  50 
and  for  a  little  part  undo  a  great  deal  of  honour  ! 
Servilius,  now,  before  the  gods,  I  am  not  able  to 
do — the  more  beast,  I  say  : — I  was  sending  to 
use  Lord  Timon  myself,  these  gentlemen  can 
witness ;  but  I  would  not,  for  the  wealth  of  55 
Athens,  I  had  done't  now.  Commend  me 
bountifully  to  his  good  lordship  ;  and  I  hope  his 
honour  will  conceive  the  fairest  of  me,  because  I 
have  no  power  to  be  kind :  and  tell  him  this 
from  me,  I  count  it  one  of  my  greatest  afflictions,  60 
say,  that  I  cannot  pleasure  such  an  honourable 
gentleman.  Good  Servilius,  will  you  befriend 
me  so  far  as  to  use  mine  own  words  to  him  ? 

Ser.  Yes,  sir,  I  shall. 

Luc.  I  '11  look  you  out  a  good  turn,  Servilius.  65 

\Exit  Seruilius. 

ton    explains,     "strong,"    "forcible,"  profit ";  Johnson,  "  for  a  little  park  "; 

"pressing,"   and   Clarke    is    that   way  Mason,   "for  a  little  pomp ";  Bailey, 

inclined.  "for  a  little  sport"  ;  Kinnear,  "for  a 

48.  against]  in   anticipation  of,    im-  little  pomp"     In   II.    iii.    13   of  Mid- 

mediately  before.  dleton's  A  Mad  World,  my  Masters, 

50,  51.  that  I  .  .  .  honour]   I  have  published  about  the  same  date  as  our 

edited  Jackson's  conjecture  as  the  most  play,    Sir    Bounteous,    when   the   pre- 

probable  of  those  offered.    The  reading  tended  thieves  demand  his  money,  says, 

of  the  folios,  "that  I  should  purchase  "Ah,  what  a  beast  was  I  to   put  out 

the  day  before  for  a  little  part,"  seems  my  money  t'  other  day  ! " 

to  baffle  interpretation.    Theobald  gave  65.  look  .  .  .  tttrn}   think   of  some 

"  for  a  little  dirt"  ;  Hanmer,   "  a  little  good  turn  I  may  be  able  to  do  you  for 

dirt"     Heath  conjectured  "  for  a  little  this.     To  "lookout"  a  "thing"  for 


64  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACT  m. 

True,  as  you  said,  Timon  is  shrunk  indeed  ; 

And  he  that 's  once  denied  will  hardly  speed.       \Exit. 
First  Stran.  Do  you  observe  this,  Hostilius  ? 
Second  Str an.  Ay,  too  well. 

First  Stran.  Why,  this  is  the  world's    soul ;    and   just  of 
the  same  piece  70 

Is  every  flatterer's  spirit.     Who  can  call  him 

His  friend  that  dips  in  the  same  dish  ?  for,  in 

My  knowing,  Timon  has  been  this  lord's  father, 

And  kept  his  credit  with  his  purse ; 

Supported  his  estate  ;  nay,  Timon's  money  7  5 

Has  paid  his  men  their  wages :  he  ne'er  drinks 

But  Timon's  silver  treads  upon  his  lip ; 

And  yet — O,  see  the  monstrousness  of  man, 

When  he  looks  out  in  an  ungrateful  shape  ! 

He  does  deny  him,  in  respect  of  his,  80 

What  charitable  men  afford  to  beggars. 
Third  Stran.   Religion  groans  at  it. 
First  Stran.  For  mine  own  part, 

I  never  tasted  Timon  in  my  life, 

Nor  came  any  of  his  bounties  over  me, 

oneself  or  for  another  is,  of  course,  a  shows  itself  in  the  shape  of  ingratitude  ; 

common  expression;   but  with  an  ab-  "he,"  the  "monstrousness"   personi- 

stract  term,  it  is  unusual.  fied.     For    "look    out,"    cp.    Troilus 

66.  shrunk}  sc.  in   substance.      Cp.  and  Cressida,  iv.  v.  56  : 

1  Henry  IV.  v.  iv.  88  :  "her  wanton  spirits  look  out 

"  Ill-weaved    ambition,    how   much  At  every  joint  and  motive  of  her 

art  thou  shrunk."  body." 

67.  speed]    fare    well;     the    radical  80,  81.  He  does  .  .  .  beggars]  "  what 
sense  of  "speed"  is  health.  Lucius  denies  to  Timon  is,  in  propor- 

70.  the  world's  soul]  the  vital  prin-  tion  to  what  Lucius  possesses,  less  than 

ciple  that  informs  all  mankind.  the  usual  alms  given  by  good  men  to 

70.  of  the  same  piece]  Cp.  Measure  for  beggars  "  (Johnson). 

Measure,  I.  ii.  28,  29,  "  there  went  but         84.  Nor  came  .  .   .  tne]    nor     were 

a  pair  of  shears  between  us."  any  of  his  bounties  bestowed  upon  me  ; 

74.  kept]  maintained  uninjured.  in  "  came  over  "  there  seems  to  be  the 

79.    When  he  .  .   .  shape  /]  when  it  idea  of  a  flood  of  good  things. 


SC.  II.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


65 


To  mark  me  for  his  friend  ;  yet,  I  protest,  85 

For  his  right  noble  mind,  illustrious  virtue, 
And  honourable  carriage, 
Had  his  necessity  made  use  of  me, 
I  would  have  put  my  wealth  into  donation, 
And  the  best  half  should  have  return'd  to  him,          90 
JSo  much  I  love  his  heart :  but,  I  perceive, 
Men  must  learn  now  with  pity  to  dispense ; 
For  policy  sits  above  conscience.  [Exeunt. 


89,  90.  I  would  .  .  .  him~\  Steevens 
gives  two  explanations  of  these  lines  : 
"  I  would  have  put  my  fortune  into  a 
condition  to  be  alienated,  and  the  best 
half  of  what  I  had  gained  myself,  or 
received  from  others,  should  have  found 
its  way  to  him"  ;  and,  "  I  would  have 
treated  my  wealth  as  a  present  originally 
received  from  him,  and  on  this  occasion 
have  returned  him  half  of  that  whole 
for  which  I  supposed  myself  to  be 
indebted  to  his  bounty."  In  support 
of  the  former  of  these  explanations,  he 
quotes  Hamlet,  n.  ii.  28  : 

"  Put   your   dread    pleasures    more 
into  command 

Than  to  entreaty  "  ; 
and  Cymbeline,  III.  iv.  92  : 

"  And  mad'st  me  put  into  contempt 
the  suits 

Of  princely  fellows." 
Neither  passage  seems  analogous.  In 
the  former,  "put  into  command" 
means  put  into  the  form  or  shape  of 
command;  in  the  latter,  "put  into 
contempt "  is  merely  a  periphrasis  for 
"  contemn."  With  the  latter  of  the  two 
versions  Mason  and  Malone  substanti 
ally  agree.  To  me  it  seems  impossible 
that  "  put  my  wealth  into  donation " 
should  mean  "  treat  my  wealth  as  a 


present  originally  received  from  him  "  ; 
or  "put  my  wealth  down  in  account 
as  a  donation,  suppose  it  a  donation  " 
(Mason);  or  "suppose  my  whole 
wealth  to  have  been  a  gift  from  him  "^ 
(Malone).  Hanmer  changed  "dona-  \ 
tion  "  into  "  partition,"  and  "  return'd "  ', 
into  "attorn'd."  For  the  latter  ex 
pression,  Capell  conjectured  "  re- 
main'd  with.'  I  think  it  may  be 
assumed  that  ' '  donation  "  is  corrupt ; 
also  that  "  return'd "  is  used  in  the 
technical  sense  of  what  is  brought  in 
by  outlay.  In  this  sense  the  substan 
tive  occurs  in  I.  i.  280,  III.  v.  83, 
iv.  iii.  514.  If  this  is  so,  we  want  in 
place  of  "donation"  some  word  for 
the  leasing,  placing  out,  of  property ; 
and  I  suggest  that  we  should  read 
"location,"  in  the  sense  of  the  Latin 
locare,  locatio,  collocare.  The  French 
word  location  was  in  use  in  Shake 
speare's  day  for  hiring,  or  letting,  out ; 
and  the  term  here  may  have  been 
borrowed  from  that  language,  if  as  a 
legal  term  it  was  not  then  current  in 
this  sense.  The  "return"  spoken  of 
would  properly  be  to  the  putter  out, 
but  this  signification  is  extended  to 
Timon,  on  whose  behalf  the  "  location  " 
would  have  been  made. 


66 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  in. 


SCENE  III. — The  Same.     A  Room  in  Sempronius's 
House. 

Enter  SEMPRONIUS,  and  a  Servant  of  TlMON's. 

Sent.  Must  he   needs   trouble  me  in 't, — hum ! — '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 

Owe  their  estates  unto  him. 
Serv.  My  lord,  5 

They  have  all  been  touch'd  and  found  base  metal,  for 

They  have  all  denied  him. 
Sem.  How  !  have  they  denied  him  ? 

Has  Ventidius  and  Lucullus  denied  him  ? 

And  does  he  send  to  me  ?      Three  ?  hum  ! 

It  shows  but  little  love  or  judgment  in  him  :  I  o 

Must     I     be    his     last    refuge?       His     friends,    like 
physicians, 

Thrive  give  him  over ;  must  I  take  the  cure  upon  me  ? 


6.  touched]  tried,  tested  ;  a  metaphor 
from  testing  metal  by  the  touchstone. 
Cp.  King  John,  III.  i.  100  ;  Coriolanus, 
II.  iii.  199 ;  and  below,  IV.  iii.  5. 

8.  Has}  "  When  the  subject  is  as  yet 
future  and,  as  it  were,  unsettled,  the 
third  person  singular  might  be  regarded 
as  the  normal  inflection"  (Abbott,  S.  G., 
§  335  )•  Such  passages  are  frequent  alike 
in  the  quartos  and  the  folios.  Dyce  says 
that  Lucius's  name  certainly  ought  to 
occur  here,  and  Lloyd  would  read, 
"Lucius,  Ventidius,"  etc.,  omitting 
"  Has."  But  Ventidius  and  Lucullus 
may  be  specially  mentioned  as  having 
received  the  greatest  benefits  from 


Timon.  The  former  had  been  rescued 
by  him  from  prison,  and  Lucius  after 
wards  speaks  of  Lucullus  as  having  been 
more  favoured  than  himself. 

12.  Thrive  .  .  ,  over]  This  is  the 
reading  of  the  first  folio  ;  the  rest  have 
"That  thriv'd,  give  him  over."  Pope 
edited  "  Three  give  him  over?"  Theo 
bald,  "Thriv'd,  give  him  over?" 
Hanmer,  "Tried  give  him  over"; 
Tyrwhitt  conjectured,  "  Shriv'd  give 
him  over "  ;  Johnson,  ' '  Thrice  give 
him  over"  ;  Mitford,  "Have  given  him 
over  "  ;  and  there  is  an  anonymous  con 
jecture,  "  fee'd  give  him  over."  That 
most  commonly  adopted  is  Johnson's 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


67 


He  has  much  disgrac'd  me  in  't ;  I  'm  angry  at  him, 
That  might  have  known  my  place.     I  see  no  sense  for 't, 
But  his  occasions  might  have  woo'd  me  first ;  I  5 

For,  in  my  conscience,  I  was  the  first  man 
That  e'er  received  gift  from  him  : 
And  does  he  think  so  backwardly  of  me  now, 
That  I  '11  requite  it  last  ?     No  : 

*  So  it  may  prove  an  argument  of  laughter  20 

To  the  rest,  and  I  'mongst  lords  be  thought  a  fool 
I  'd  rather  than  the  worth  of  thrice  the  sum, 
He  had  sent  to  me  first,  but  for  my  mind's  sake ; 
v}  I  'd  such  a  courage  to  do  him  good.      But  now  return, 
:;  And  with  their  faint  reply  this  answer  join  ;  25 

Who  bates  mine  honour  shall  not  know  my  coin. 

[Exit. 

Serv.  Excellent !     Your   lordship 's   a  goodly    villain. 
The  devil  knew  not  what  he  did  when  he  made 


"  Thrice,"  which  can  only  have  prob 
ability  as  referring'  to  the  three  friends 
who  had  been  tried  and  found  wanting. 
I  think  that  "Thrive,"  whether  taken 
absolutely  or  elliptically  as  =  "who 
thrive  "  may  be  defended  by  a  passage 
in  The  Duchess  of  Malfi,  Hi.  v.  7-9,  to 
which  Steevens  also  refers : 

"physicians  thus, 
With  their  hands  full  of  money,  use 

to  give  o'er 
Their  patients. " 

14.  That  might  .  .  .  place}  who 
might  have  known  that  it  was  my 
"  prescript"  privilege  to  have  rendered 
him  help. 

14,  15.  /  see  .  ,  .  first}  it  shows 
such  utter  want  of  sense  in  him  that 
in  his  need  he  should  not  have  applied 
to  me  before  all  others. 

18,  19.  And  does  .  .  .  last?}  and 
does  he  now  so  late  and  so  much  to  my 
discredit  think  of  having  recourse  to 


me  as  one  who  would  be  the  last  to 
come  forward  to  his  help?  Schmidt 
explains  "backwardly"  by  "per 
versely,"  but  there  seems  to  be  the 
idea  of  both  time  and  manner,  the 
lateness  of  the  one  making  the  other 
an  indignity. 

23.  btttfor  .  .  .  sake}  if  only  for  the 
good  will  I  had  towards  him. 

24.  courage}  firm  resolution. 
26.  bates}  abates,  depreciates. 
28-31.    The  devil  .  .  .  clear}  In  my 

explanation  of  "cross'd,"  I.  ii.  165, 
above,  I  pointed  out  that  the  main 
quibble  there  was  upon  the  crossing  of  a 
debtor's  name  out  of  a  creditor's  books, 
and  so  of  setting  him  free  from  debt.  I 
was  not  then  aware  that  Johnson  had 
suggested  this  sense  for  the  present 
passage.  In  the  earlier  part  of  his  note, 
he  explains  the  word  as  "  exempted 
from  evil,"  and  refers  to  "the  use  of 
crossing  by  way  of  protection  or  purifi- 


68  TTMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACTIH. 

man    politic ;    he    crossed   himself  by 't :    and    I 

cannot  think  but  in  the  end  the  villanies  of  man      30 

will  set  him  clear.      How  fairly  this  lord  strives 

to    appear    foul !    takes    virtuous    copies    to    be 

wicked,   like  those  that  under   hot   ardent    zeal 

would  set  whole  realms  on  fire : 

Of  such  a  nature  is  his  politic  love.  3  5 

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 

Many  a  bounteous  year,  must  be  employ'd 

Now  to  guard  sure  their  master:  40 

And  this  is  all  a  liberal  course  allows ; 

Who  cannot  keep  his  wealth  must  keep  his  house. 

[Exit. 

37.  the  gods  only']  Pope,  only  the  gods  Ff. 

cation."     But  later  on  he  says,   "To  32,  33.  takes  .  .  .  wicked}  a  meta- 

cross    himself  may    mean,   in  a  very  phor  from  copy-books;   2  Henry  IV. 

familiar  sense,  to  clear  his  score,  to  get  n.  iii.  31  : 

out  of  debt,   to  quit  his  reckoning."  "  He  was  the  mark  and  glass,  copy 

Now,  though  thwarting  himself,  doing  and  book, 

something  he  had  not  intended  to  do,  That  fashion'd  others." 

is  the  primary  meaning  here,  it  cannot,  36.    best}     Dyce     adopts     Walker's 

I   think,   be  doubted   that  allusion  is  conjecture,  "last." 

made  to  the  sense  of  freeing  himself  37.  Save  the  gods  only}  With  Dyce 

from  debt  indicated  by  the  words,  "  I  and  others  I  print  Pope's  transposition. 

cannot  .    .   .   clear."     In  Middleton's  Rolfe  says  that  Staunton  proposed  to 

Your  Five  Gallants,  iv.  v.  69,  the  idea  punctuate 

of  thwarting  is  thus  illustrated  :  "  The  "  now  are  all  fled  : 

devil  scarce  knew  what  a  portion  he  gave  Save  the  gods  only,  now  his  friends 

his  children  when  he  allowed  'em  large  are  dead." 

impudence  to  live  upon,  and  so  turned  I  do  not  find  this  either  in  the  copy  of 

'em   into   th'   world  ;    surely   he   gave  the  edition  before  me  or  in  the  footnotes 

away  the  third  part  of  the  riches  of  his  of  the  Cambridge  Shakespeare,  but  it  is 

kingdom  ;  revenues  are  but  fools  to  it."  a  most  attractive  suggestion. 

29.  politic}   crafty,  as  frequently  in  38.  wards}  bolts  ;   cp.    The  Rape  of 

Shakespeare,    who    uses    "politician"  Lucrece,  303 ;  Sonnets,  xlviii.  4. 

also    in    a    similar   sense,    as    do    the  41.  liberal]  prodigal,  bounteous  even 

dramatists  generally.  to  extravagance,  as  the  next  line  shows. 

31.  How  fairly}  with  what  specious  42.  keep  his  house}  keep  in  doors;  of 

plausibility.  course  with  a  quibble. 


sc.iv.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  69 

SCENE  IV. — The  Same.     A  Hall  in  Timon's  House. 

Enter  two  Servants  of  VARRO,  and  the  Servant  of  LUCIUS, 
meeting  TlTUS,  HORTENSIUS,  and  other  Servants  to 
TIMON'S  Creditors,  waiting  his  coming  out. 

First  Var.  Serv.  Well  met ;  good  morrow,  Titus  and  Hor- 

tensius. 

Tit.  The  like  to  you,  kind  Varro. 
Hor.  Lucius ! 

What !  do  we  meet  together  ? 
Luc.  Serv.  Ay,  and  I  think 

One  business  does  command  us  all ;  for  mine 

Is  money. 
Tit.  So  is  theirs  and  ours. 

Enter  PHILOTUS. 

Luc.  Serv.  And  Sir  Philotus  too  !      5 

Phi.  Good  day  at  once. 

Luc.  Serv.  Welcome,  good  brother. 

What  do  you  think  the  hour? 

Phi.  Labouring  for  nine. 

Luc.  Serv.  So  much  ? 

Phi.  Is  not  my  lord  seen  yet  ? 

Luc.  Serv.  Not  yet. 

Phi.   I  wonder  on 't ;  he  was  wont  to  shine  at  seven. 
Luc.  Serv.  Ay,    but     the    days    are    wax'd    shorter    with 
him:  IO 

You  must  consider  that  a  prodigal  course 

8.  Is  not  .  .  .  yet?}  Taken  by  some  lord  yet  appeared"  (like  the  sun  in  the 
to  mean,  "Is  not  my  lord  to  be  seen  skies)?"  as  the  same  speaker  explains 
yet  ?  "  Rather,  I  think,  ' '  Has  not  my  in  the  next  line. 


70 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  in. 


Is  like  the  sun's ;  but  not,  like  his,  recoverable. 

I  fear 

'Tis  deepest  winter  in  Lord  Timon's  purse ; 

That  is,  one  may  reach  deep  enough,  and  yet  1 5 

Find  little. 

Phi.  I  am  of  your  fear  for  that. 

Tit.  I  '11  show  you  how  to  observe  a  strange  event. 

Your  lord  sends  now  for  money. 

Hor.  Most  true,  he  does. 

Tit.  And  he  wears  jewels  now  of  Timon's  gift, 

For  which  I  wait  for  money.  20 

Hor.  It  is  against  my  heart. 
Luc.  Serv.  Mark,  how  strange  it  shows, 

Timon  in  this  should  pay  more  than  he  owes : 

And  e'en  as  if  your  lord  should  wear  rich  jewels, 

And  send  for  money  for  'em. 
Hor.  I  'm  weary  of  this  charge,  the  gods  can  witness  :       2  5 

I  know  my  lord  hath  spent  of  Timon's  wealth, 

And  now  ingratitude  makes  it  worth  than  stealth. 
First  Var.  Serv.  Yes,  mine 's  three  thousand  crowns  ;  what 's 

yours  ? 
Luc.  Serv.  Five  thousand  mine. 


12.  Is  like  the  sun's]  i.e.  showing 
for  a  shorter  time  at  one  season  than 
at  another ;  it  is  now  "deepest  winter 
in  Lord  Timon's  purse,"  as  he  goes  on 
to  say,  and  no  summer  solstice  awaits 
him.  Not,  "like  him  in  blaze  and 
splendour"  (Johnson),  nor,  "like  the 
sun's  course,  that  it  ends  in  decline" 
(Hudson). 

15,  1 6.  one  may  .  .  .  little'}  Steevens 
sees  here  an  allusion  to  animals  seeking 
their  scanty  provision  through  a  depth 
of  snow  ;  but  this  is  riding  a  metaphor 
to  death,  and  the  depth  is  clearly  that 
of  the  purse. 


17.  /'//  show  .  .  .  event]  possibly 
an  allusion  to  the  observing  of  portents 
in  the  sky. 

21-24.  Mark  .  .  .  'em]  "see,"  says 
Lucius's  servant  with  sarcasm,  "it 
looks  almost  as  if  Timon  were  called 
upon  to  pay  more  than  he  owes  (imply 
ing  of  course,  that  Hortensius  had 
received  more  from  him  than  he  now 
owes  to  Hortensius),  and  even  as  if 
your  lord  should  wear  rich  jewels 
(received  from  Timon),  and  yet  should 
send  for  money  for  them  (things  which 
I  cannot  believe  of  him)." 

25.  charge]  commission. 


sc.iv.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  71 

First  Var.  Serv.  Tis  much  deep :  and  it  should  seem  by 
the  sum,  30 

Your  master's  confidence  was  above  mine ; 
Else,  surely,  his  had  equall'd. 

Enter  FLAMINIUS. 

Tit.  One  of  Lord  Timon's  men. 

Luc.  Serv.  Flaminius  !     Sir,  a  word.     Pray,  is  my  lord 

ready  to  come  forth  ?  35 

Flam.  No,  indeed,  he  is  not 

Tit.  We  attend  his  lordship ;  pray,  signify  so  much. 
Flam.  I  need  not  tell  him  that ;  he  knows  you  are  too 

diligent.  \Exit. 

Enter  FLA VI US  in  a  cloak,  muffled. 

Luc.  Serv.  Ha  !  is  not  that  his  steward  muffled  so  ?  40 
He  goes  away  in  a  cloud :  call  him,  call  him. 

Tit.  Do  you  hear,  sir  ? 

Second  Var.  Serv.  By  your  leave,  sir, — 

Flav.  What  do  ye  ask  of  me,  my  friend  ? 

Tit.  We  wait  for  certain  money  here,  sir. 

Flav.  Ay,  45 

If  money  were  as  certain  as  your  waiting, 

30.  much"]  frequently  used  by  Shake-         41.  He  goes  .  .  .  cloud]  he  is  stealing 

speare  with  positive  adjectives;  cp.,  e.g.,  away  muffled  up  in  disguise  ;  a  quibble 

2  Henry  IV.  iv.  iv.  in.  upon    the    hood    over    his    head    and 

30,  31.  it  should  .    .    .    mine}  and,  "  cloud  "=  ill  -humour,      moroseness  ; 

judging  by  the  amount,   it  cannot  be  Shakespeare  puns  upon  "cloud  "again 

but  that  your  master  had  greater  trust  in  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  III.  ii.   51, 

in   Timon's  wealth  and   honour  than  though    in    a    different    sense.        Cp. 

mine  had,  otherwise  my  master's  debt  Middleton,    A   Challenge  for  Beauty, 

would  have  been  as  great  as  yours.  iv.  i.  : 

$&>  39-  y°u  •   •  •   diligent']  you  are  "  under  this  cloud 

only  too  ready  with  your  service  when  Go  shrowd  yourself," 

it  is  service  of  so  unpleasant  a  character,  said  as  he  offers  a  cloak. 


72  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTHI. 

'Twere  sure  enough. 

Why  then  preferr'd  you  not  your  sums  and  bills 

When  your  false  masters  eat  of  my  lord's  meat  ? 

Then  they  could  smile  and  fawn  upon  his  debts,       50 

And  take  down  the  interest  into  their  gluttonous  maws. 

You  do  yourselves  but  wrong  to  stir  me  up , 

Let  me  pass  quietly  : 

Believe 't,  my  lord  and  I  have  made  an  end  ; 

I  have  no  more  to  reckon,  he  to  spend.  5  5 

Luc.  Serv.  Ay,  but  this  answer  will  not  serve. 

Flav.  If  'twill  not  serve,  'tis  not  so  base  as  you  ; 

For  you  serve  knaves.  \Exit. 

First  Var.  Serv.  How !  what  does  his  cashiered  wor 
ship  mutter?  60 

Second  Var.  Serv.  No  matter  what ;  he 's  poor,  and 
that 's  revenge  enough.  Who  can  speak  broader 
than  he  that  has  no  house  to  put  his  head  in? 
such  may  rail  against  great  buildings. 

Enter  SERVILIUS. 

Tit.  O!  here's   Servilius ;  now   we    shall  know  some     65 
answer. 

Ser.  If  I  might  beseech  you,  gentlemen,  to  repair  some 
other  hour,  I  should  derive  much  from 't ;  for,  take 't 
on  my  soul,  my  lord  leans  wondrously  to  discon- 

52.    You  do  .   .  .  up]  it  is  unworthy  also  the  idea  of  unrestrained,  licentious  ; 

of  you   and   moreover  mere   waste   of  cp.  Macbeth,  in.  vi.  21  ;  Hamlet,  in. 

time  to  trouble  me  in  this  way.  iv.  2. 

61,  62.  he 's  poor  .  .  .  enough]   we  64.  great  buildings]  with  the  impli- 
have  ample  revenge  upon  him  in  know-  cation,    those    better    off   than   them- 
ing  that  he  is  a  beggar.  selves. 

62,  63.    IV ho  can  .  .  .   in?]  no  one  67.  repair]   See  note  on  n.   ii.   25, 
has  a  better  right  to  free  speech  than  above. 

one  whose  sole  habitation  is  the  free         68,  69.  take  .  .  .  soul]  believe  that 
air  about  him.     In  "broader"  there  is     I  speak  from  my  heart. 


sc.iv.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  73 

tent.     His  comfortable  temper  has  forsook  him  ;     70 
he  's  much  out  of  health,  and  keeps  his  chamber. 

Luc.  Serv.  Many  do  keep  their  chambers  are  not  sick : 
And  if  it  be  so  far  beyond  his  health, 
Methinks  he  should  the  sooner  pay  his  debts, 
And  make  a  clear  way  to  the  gods. 

Ser.  Good  gods  !    7  5 

Tit.  We  cannot  take  this  for  an  answer,  sir. 

Flam.  [  Within.'}  Servilius,  help  !     My  lord  !  my  lord  ! 

Enter  TlMON,  in  a  rage  ;  FLAMINIUS  following. 

Tim.  What !  are  my  doors  oppos'd  against  my  passage  ? 
Have  I  been  ever  free,  and  must  my  house 
Be  my  retentive  enemy,  my  gaol  ?  80 

The  place  which  I  have  feasted,  does  it  now, 
Like  all  mankind,  show  me  an  iron  heart? 

Luc.  Serv.  Put  in  now,  Titus. 

Tit.  My  lord,  here  is  my  bill. 

Luc.  Serv.  Here's  mine.  85 

Hor.  And  mine,  my  lord. 

Both  Var.  Serv.  And  ours,  my  lord. 

Phi.  All  our  bills. 

Tim.  Knock  me  down  with  'em  :  cleave  me  to  the  girdle. 

Luc.  Serv.  Alas  !   my  lord, —  90 

72.  are  not  sick']  an  ellipsis  of  the  81.    The  place  .  .  .  feasted}  Timon 
relative  adjective.  speaks  of  the  place  as  though  it  were  a 

73.  And  if .  .  .  health]  and  if,  as  you  sentient  being  which  had  enjoyed  his 
say,  things  are  so  bad  with  him  in  the  hospitality. 

matter  of  health  ;  for  "  it,"  Rowe  gives  83.  Put  in}  make  your  claim, 

"he."  89.  Knock  .  .  .  girdle]  A  play  upon 

75.  And    make    .     .     .    gods]    and  "bills,"    the   weapon    once    used    by 
smooth  his  path  to  heaven.  infantry,  and  later  on  by  watchmen — 

76.  an  answer}  here  "  an  "  is  Rowe's  a  favourite  quibble   with    the   drama- 
insertion,     and     its     omission     before  lists. 

"answer"  is  so  very  likely  that  one 
need  not  hesitate. 


74  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTIII. 

Tim.  Cut  my  heart  in  sums. 

Tit.  Mine,  fifty  talents. 

Tim.  Tell  out  my  blood. 

Luc.  Serv.  Five  thousand  crowns,  my  lord. 

Tim.  Five  thousand   drops  pay  that.     What  yours?  and 
yours  ?  95 

First  Var.  Serv.  My  lord, — 

Second  Var.  Serv.  My  lord, — 

Tim.  Tear  me,  take  me ;  and  the  gods  fall  upon  you  !       {Exit. 

Hor.  Faith,  I   perceive  our  masters   may  throw  their 

caps  at  their  money:  these  debts  may  well  be   100 
called  desperate  ones,  for  a  madman  owes  'em. 

\Exeunt. 

Re-enter  TlMON  and  FLAVIUS. 

Tim.  They  have  e'en  put  my  breath  from  me,  the  slaves : 

Creditors  ?  devils ! 
Flav.  My  dear  lord, — 

Tim.  What  if  it  should  be  so?  105 

Flav.  My  lord^ — 

Tim.   I  '11  have  it  so.     My  steward  ! 
Flav.  Here,  my  lord. 
Tim.  So  fitly  ?     Go,  bid  all  my  friends  again, 

Lucius,  Lucullus,  and  Sempronius ;,  all :  1 10 

93.   Tell  ouf\  count  out  the  drops.  do  that  ?    Here  the  idea  first  strikes  him 

99,  100.  throw  .  .  .  money}   as    we  of  the  banquet  which  he  gives  later  on. 

say,  whistle  for  their  money ;  cp.  Mas-  109.  So  fitly?}  What,  are  you  there 

singer,  A  New  Way,  etc.,  I.  ii. :  in  the  nick  of  time  for  the  jest  I  am 

"raise  fortifications  in  the  meditating? 

pastry  ...  no.  Lucius  .  .  .  all]  The  first  folio 

Which,  if  they  had  been  practised  at  gives  "Lucius,  Lucullus,  Sempronius, 

Breda,  Vllorxa :      All " ;      the      rest      omit 

Spinola  might  have  thrown  his  cap  "Vllorxa."      The    following    are    the 

at  it,  and  ne'er  took  it. "  chief    conjectures     recorded    by    the 

105.  What  .  .  .  so  ?}  Suppose  that  I  Cambridge     Editors:     "Sempronius, 


sc.v.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  75 

I  '11  once  more  feast  the  rascals. 
Flav.  O  my  lord  ! 

You  only  speak  from  your  distracted  soul ; 

There  is  not  so  much  left  to  furnish  out 

A  moderate  table. 
Tit.  Be 't  not  in  thy  care ;  go, 

I  charge  thee,  invite  them  all :  let  in  the  tide  115 

Of  knaves  once  more ;  my  cook  and  I  '11  provide. 

\Exeunt. 


. 

Jf*J          '  t*»/        i  -4 1 

SCENE  V.—The  Same.     The  Senate-house.  ^&£~r~  ***1  ' 


The  Senate  sitting. 

First  Sen.  My  lord,  you  have  my  voice  to  it ;  the  fault 's 
Bloody ;  'tis  necessary  he  should  die  ; 
Nothing  emboldens  sin  so  much  as  mercy. 

1 18.  Go,}  In  a  separate  line  by  Camb.  Edd. ;  at  the  beginning  of  line  1 19  in  Ff. 

Valerius,  all,"  Walker  ;  "  Sempronius  ;  that  in  old  handwriting  "  x  "  did  duty 

Ventidius,  all,"  Grant  White  ;  "Sem-  for  "and,"  and  that  "xc,"  easily  mis- 

pronius:  All,  sirrah,  all,"  Globe  ed.  ;  taken  for  "xa,"  stood  for  "etc.,"  Mr. 

"  Sempronius :  All  rogues,  all,"  Staun-  Thiselton  thinks  that  the  line  first  stood 

ton;    "Sempronius;   all  luxors,  all,"  in  the  manuscript  "Lucius,  Lucullus, 

Fleay;    "Sempronius — villains    all!"  and  Sempronius  :  All,  "and  that  Shake- 

Joicey.     I  suggest  that  "Vllorxa"  is  speare  wrote  above  the  line  the  words 

"et  cetera,"  spelt  with  the  symbol  for  "All  or  xc"  i.e.   "  All  or  etc."  indi- 

"et."     In  Troilus  and  Cressida,   III.  eating  that  the  actor  might  as  an  alter- 

iii.   280,  the   folios  give   the  word   in  native    for    "All"    substitute    "etc." 

symbol  only,  viz.  "  &c.,"  and  vn.  Romeo  The  objection   to  this   is  that  Shake- 

and  Juliet,  II.  i.  38,  the  fourth  quarto  speare  was  not  likely  to  give  the  actor 

has    "&    catsra,"    which    a    careless  such  choice. 

printer  might  convert  into  "Vllojxa."  113.  to  furnish]  an  ellipsis  of  "as." 

The    possibility  seems    in    some   way  „ 
supported  by  the  fact  that  alone  of  the 

names  " Vllorxa "  is  printed  in  italics.  I.  lord}    Dyce    reads    "lords,"   but 
After  this  note  was  written,  Mr.  Craig  this   Senator  may  reasonably   be   sup- 
sent  me  one  by  Mr.  A.  E.  Thiselton  posed  to  be  answering  the  remark  of 
(printed    in    1901),    who   arrives  at   a  one  of  his  order, 
somewhat  similar  conclusion.     Noting  I.  if]  the  sentence  of  death. 


76  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIII. 

Second  Sen.  Most  true ;  the  law  shall  bruise  him. 

Enter  ALCIBIADES,  attended. 

Alcib.  Honour,  health,  and  compassion  to  the  senate !          5 

First  Sen.  Now,  captain  ? 

Alcib.  I  am  an  humble  suitor  to  your  virtues ; 
For  pity  is  the  virtue  of  the  law, 
And  none  but  tyrants  use  it  cruelly. 
It  pleases  time  and  fortune  to  lie  heavy  10 

Upon  a  friend  of  mine,  who,  in  hot  blood, 
Hath  stepp'd  into  the  law,  which  is  past  depth 
To  those  that  without  heed  do  plunge  into 't. 
He  is  a  man,  setting  his  fault  aside, 
Of  comely  virtues ;  1 5 

Nor  did  he  soil  the  fact  with  cowardice — 
An  honour  in  him  which  buys  out  his  fault — 
But  with  a  noble  fury  and  fair  spirit, 
Seeing  his  reputation  touch'd  to  death, 
He  did  oppose  his  foe ;  20 

And  with  such  sober  and  unnoted  passion 

14.  fault}  Warburton,/afe  Ff. 

5.  compassion}    merciful    inclination  amusing,  it  may  possibly  be  justified 

towards  the  accused.  by  Jonson's  Catiline,  in.  Chorus : 

8.  the  -virtue  .   .  .   law}  that  virtue  "So  much  Rome's  faults  (now  grown 

which    most    graces   law.       Cp.     The  her  fate}  do  threat  her." 

Merchant  of  Venice,  iv.  i.  184-202.  17.  buys  out}  fully  redeems. 

12.  Hatfi  .  .  .  law]  has  incurred  the  18.  fair]     Walker     condemns     this 

penalties  of  the  law.  word     as      "inadmissible    except     in 

14.  setting  .  .   .  aside}  With  Dyce,  a     modern    sense,"     and     conjectures 

I  adopt  Warburton's  "fault "for  "fate,"  "free,"  i.e.  "single-hearted,"  "gener- 

though  it  seems  hardly  necessary  to  alter  ous." 

"his"  into  "this,"  as  the  latter  does.  21.  unnoted}  has  been  explained  as 

Steevens    says    that    the    meaning    is  "undemonstrative;   unnoting  itself  by 

"  putting  this  action  of  his,  which  was  outward  display"  (Clarke) ;  by  Malone 

predetermined    by    fate,    out    of    the  as  "a  passion  operating  inwardly,  but 

question "  ;   and  though  Dyce  charac-  not   accompanied   by  any  external   or 

terises    the    interpretation     as    quite  boisterous  appearances ;    so  regulated 


SC.  V.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


77 


He  did  behave  his  anger,  ere  'twas  spent, 
As  if  he  had  but  prov'd  an  argument. 
First  Sen.  You  undergo  too  strict  a  paradox, 

Striving  to  make  an  ugly  deed  look  fair :  2  5 

Your  words  have  took  such  pains  as  if  they  labour'd 

To  bring  manslaughter  into  form,  and  set  quarrelling 

Upon  the  head  of  valour ;  which  indeed 

Is  valour  misbegot,  and  came  into  the  world 

When  sects  and  factions  were  newly  born.  30 

He 's  truly  valiant  that  can  wisely  suffer 

The    worst    that    man    can    breathe,    and    make    his 

wrongs 

His  outsides,  to  wear  them  like  his  raiment,  carelessly, 
And  ne'er  prefer  his  injuries  to  his  heart, 
To  bring  it  into  danger.  35 


and  subdued,  that  no  spectator  could 
note,  or  observe,  its  operation "  ;  by 
Schmidt  as  "not  perceived,  or  im 
perceptible."  For  "and  unnoted" 
Becket  conjectured  "and  innated" ; 
Jackson,  " undenoted"  ;  and  an  anony 
mous  critic,  "and unwonted."  Possibly 
"and  unheated" 

22.  behave']  Rowe's  conjecture  for 
"behooue"  of  the  folios,  is  generally 
adopted,  and  is  supported  by  the  follow 
ing  quotations  adduced  by  Steevens  and 
Malone  ;  Davenant,  The  Just  Italian, 
1630: 

"  How  well   my   stars  behave   their 

influence  " ; 
and  the  same  play, 

"You  an  Italian,  sir,  and  thus 
Behave  the  knowledge  of  disgrace  ! " 
The  Faerie  Queene,  I.  iii. : 

"  But  who   his  limbs  with  labours, 

and  his  mind 
Behaves  with  cares,  cannot  so  easy 

miss." 

If  not  convincing,  this  conjecture  seems 
more  probable  than  Malone's  "be- 
halve,"  Singer's  "behood,"  Kinnear's 


"  become,"  or  Collier's  MS.  Corrector's 
"reprove." 

24.  You  undergo  .  .  .  paradox"]  you 
take  upon  yourself  to  maintain  a  para 
dox  of  too  strained  a  nature.  For 
"undergo,"  cp.  The  Winter's  Tale,  II. 
iii.  164. 

27.  into  forni\  into  seemly  shape. 

27,  28.  and  set  .  .  .  valour]  and 
make  quarrelling  an  adjunct  of  valour. 
The  idea  seems  to  be  that  of  a  crest 
worn  by  valour.  Schmidt  explains, 
"think  it  the  crown  and  top  of 
valour. " 

28-30.  which  indeed  .  .  .  bom]  but 
such  valour  is  a  mere  bastard  valour, 
the  offspring  of  a  time  when  the  world 
newly  teemed  with  a  brood  of  sects 
and  factions,  not  the  generous  birth  of 
manly  war. 

32.  breathe]  utter. 

32,  33.  make  .  .  .  outsides]  treat  his 
wrongs  as  something  external,  mere 
trappings. 

34,  35.  prefer  .  .  .  danger]  do  them 
the  honour  of  advancing  them  to 
dangerous  neighbourhood  of  his  heart ; 


78  TIMON   OF   ATHENS          [ACTIII. 

If  wrongs  be  evils  and  enforce  us  kill, 
What  folly  'tis  to  hazard  life  for  ill ! 
Alcib.  My  lord, — 

£ 

First  Sen.  You  cannot  make  gross  sins  look  clear ; 

To  revenge  is  no  valour,  but  to  bear.  40 

Alcib.  My  lords,  then,  under  favour,  pardon  me, 
If  I  speak  like  a  captain. 

Why  do  fond  men  expose  themselves  to  battle, 
And  not  endure  all  threats  ?  sleep  upon  't, 
And  let  the  foes  quietly  cut  their  throats  45 

Without  repugnancy  ?      If  there  be 
Such  valour  in  the  bearing,  what  make  we 
Abroad  ?  why  then,  women  are  more  valiant 
That  stay  at  home,  if  bearing  carry  it, 
And  the  ass  more  captain  than  the  lion,  the  felon      5  o 
Loaden  with  irons  wiser  than  the  judge, 
If  wisdom  be  in  suffering./    O  my  lords, 
As  you  are  great,  be  pitifully  good : 
Who  cannot  condemn  rashness  in  cold  blood? 


allow  them  to  penetrate  beneath  the  44.  And  not  .  .  .  threats']  and   not 

surface     to    his    vital    feelings.       For  tamely  to  submit  to  whatever  may  be 

" prefer,"  cp.    Othello,  n.  i.  286,  "So  threatened. 

shall   you   have   a   shorter  journey   to  44.  sleep  upon  V]  treat  the  matter  as 

your  desires  by  the  means  I  shall  have  one  that  need  not  disturb  our  rest. 

to  prefer  them."  47,  48.  -what  make  .    .    .   Abroad?] 

36,  37-  If  -wrongs  .  .  .  ill!}  If  in-  why  do  we  take  the  field  to  meet  our 

j  uries  done  to  us  are  to  be  regarded  as  foes  ? 

evils  which  must  be  requited  with  death,  49.  if  bearing  .  .  .  if]  if  mere  en- 
it  surely  shows  little  wisdom  to  hazard  durance  is  the  noblest  virtue ;  for 
one's  life  on  account  of  what  we  re-  "carry  it,"  cp.  Troilus  and  Cressida, 
cognise  to  be  of  such  nature,  i.e.  your  II.  iii.  3;  Coriolanus,  II.  ii.  4. 
friend  would  have  shown  greater  wis-  50.  more  captain"]  a  better  soldier, 
dom  in  taking  some  other  course  than  i.e.  a  braver  beast ;  for  more  as  com- 
that  of  hazarding  his  life  in  order  to  parative  of  "great,"  cp.  King  John, 
chastise  his  wronger.  II.  i.  34,  "a  more  requital." 

39.  clear]  free  from  gross  stain.  53.  be  .  .  .  good]  show  that  you  are 

42.  If  I  .  .  .  captain]  if  I  draw  my  good   as  well  as  great  by  being  mer- 

arguments  from  my  own  profession.  ciful. 


sc.v.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  79 

To  kill,  I  grant,  is  sin's  extremest  gust ;  5  5 

But  in  defence,  by  mercy,  'tis  most  just. 

To  be  in  anger  is  impiety  ; 

But  who  is  man  that  is  not  angry  ? 

Weigh  but  the  crime  with  this. 
Second  Sen.  You  breathe  in  vain. 
Alcib.  In  vain !      His  service  done     60 

At  Lacedaemon  and  Byzantium 

Were  a  sufficient  briber  for  his  life. 
First  Sen.  What 's  that  ? 
Alcib.  I  say,  my  lords,  he  has  done  fair  service, 

And  slain  in  fight  many  of  your  enemies.  65 

How  full  of  valour  did  he  bear  himself 

In  the  last  conflict,  and  made  plenteous  wounds ! 
Second  Sen.   He  has  made  too  much  plenty  with  'em  ; 

He  's  a  sworn  rioter ;  he  has  a  sin  that  often 

Drowns  him  and  takes  his  valour  prisoner ;  70 

If  there  were  no  foes,  that  were  enough 

To  overcome  him  ;  in  that  beastly  fury 

He  has  been  known  to  commit  outrages 

And  cherish  factions ;  'tis  inferr'd  to  us, 

55.   To  kill]  sc.  from  mere  desire  of  Steevens    quotes    King  John,    I.    i. 

bloodshed.  261  : 

55.  is  sin's  .   .  .  gust]  here  I  think         "Some  sins  do  bear  their  privilege 
that  "extremest"  is  a  transferred  epi-  on  earth, 

thet,  the  words  meaning  "  is  that  which  And  so  doth  yours." 

only     extreme     sinfulness     relishes";  Others  as  "under  favour,"  "by  your 

"gust"   has    also   been   explained    as  leave." 

"violent  outburst,"  of  passion  (Malone),  62.    Were  .  .  .  briber]  would  be  good 

or  of  wind  (Steevens) ;  and  by  Schmidt  enough  in  itself  to  purchase  his  pardon : 

as  "notion,"  "conception."  the  "bribe"  is,  so  to  say,  personified. 

56.  by  mercy]  Johnson  explains,  "  I  68.   He  has  .  .  .  'em]  such  a  harvest 
call   mercy  herself  to  witness  that  de-  as  he  has  of  this  kind  is  abundant  and 
fensive    violence    is    just";    Malone,  too  abundant. 

"  Homicide  in  our  own  defence,  by  a  69.  a  sin]  sc.  drunkenness, 

merciful  and  lenient  interpretation   of  74.  'tis  .  .  .   us]   the   conclusion   is 

the  laws,  is  considered  justifiable  "  ;  in  brought  home  to  us.     Schmidt,  Lexi- 

support  of  which  latter  interpretation  con,  s.v.    "infer,"  arranges  the  senses 


80  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  [ACTIII. 

His  days  are  foul  and  his  drink  dangerous.  75 

First  Sen.   He  dies. 

Alcib.  Hard  fate !  he  might  have  died  in  war. 

My  lords,  if  not  for  any  parts  in  him — 
Though  his  right  arm  might  purchase  his  own  time, 
And  be  in  debt  to  none — yet,  more  to  move  you, 
Take  my  deserts  to  his,  and  join  'em  both ;  80 

And,  for  I  know  your  reverend  ages  love 
Security,  I  '11  pawn  my  victories,  all 
My  honour  to  you,  upon  his  good  returns. 
If  by  this  crime  he  owes  the  law  his  life, 
Why,  let  the  war  receive 't  in  valiant  gore ;  8  5 

For  law  is  strict,  and  war  is  nothing  more. 

First  Sen.  We  are  for  law ;  he  dies :  urge  it  no  more, 
On  height  of  our  displeasure.     Friend  or  brother, 
He  forfeits  his  own  blood  that  spills  another. 

Alcib.  Must  it  be  so  ?  it  must  not  be.      My  lords,  90 

I  do  beseech  you,  know  me. 

Second  Sen.  How ! 

Alcib.  Call  me  to  your  remembrances. 

Third  Sen.  What ! 

Alcib.  I  cannot  think  but  your  age  has  forgot  me ; 

in    Shakespeare    under    two    heads —    since  I  know  that  security  is  so  dear 

(1)  to  bring  in  as  an  argument,  allege  ;     to  your   reverences  ;   his   first  gibe  at 

(2)  to  show,  to  prove,  to  demonstrate,     their  age  and  greed. 

I  doubt  whether  there  are  any  passages  83.  upon  .  .  .  returns]  that   in   his 

in  which  the  sense  is  not  satisfied  by  deeds  he  will  pay  good  interest  for  the 

the  single  meaning  of  "  bring  in  as  a  investment  you  make  in  sparing  his  life, 

conclusion."  86.  For  law  .  .  .  more]   I   suggest 

78.  purchase  .  .  .  time]  acquire  for  the  transposition  of  "  law  "  and  "war." 

him  in  return  for  his  brave  deeds  the  88.    On   height  .  .  .  displeasure"]  at 

right  of  dying  when   his  time  comes,  the  risk  of  our  supreme  wrath, 

without  being  beholden  to  the  mercy  89.    another]     i.e.     the     blood     of 

of  others.  another. 

80.  to  his]  in  addition  to  his.  91.  know  me]    consider   who    I   am 

Si,  82.  And,  for  .  .  .  Security'] and,  and  what  you  owe  me. 


SC.  V.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


81 


It  could  not  else  be  I  should  prove  so  base,  95 

To  sue,  and  be  denied  such  common  grace : 

My  wounds  ache  at  you. 
First  Sen.  Do  you  dare  our  anger  ? 

'Tis  in  few  words,  but  spacious  in  effect ; 

We  banish  thee  for  ever. 
Alcib.  Banish  me ! 

Banish  your  dotage;  banish  usury,     ^  IOO 

That  makes  the  senate  ugly. 
First  Sen.  If,  after  two  days'  shine,  Athens  contain  thee, 

Attend  our  weightier  judgment.     And,  not  to  swell 
our  spirit, 

He  shall  be  executed  presently.  [Exeunt  Senators. 

Alcib.  Now  the  gods  keep  you  old  enough  ;  that  you  may  live 

Only  in  bone,  that  none  may  look  on  you  !  1 06 


95,  96.  I  should  .  .  ,  grace]  that  I 
should  be  brought  so  low  as  to  have  to 
sue  for  so  trifling  a  favour  and  yet  be 
refused. 

103.  Attend .  .  .  judgment]  you  may 
expect  a  heavier  sentence  than  mere 
banishment. 

103.  And,  not  .  .  .  spirit]  and  not 
to  give  way  to  more  passionate  mani 
festation  of  our  resolve ;  cp.  lines  97, 
98,  "Do  you  .  .  .  effect."  The  text 
seems  to  me  sound,  but  various  altera 
tions  have  been  edited  or  proposed. 
Such  are,  "And  note,  to  swell  your 
spirit,"  or,  "  And  but  to  swell  your 
spirit,"  Theobald;  "And  (now  to 
swell  your  spirit),"  Warburton  ;  "And, 
not  to  swell  your  spirit,"  Capell ; 
"And,  to  show  well  our  spirit," 
Anon.  ;  "And,  to  quell  your  spirit," 
Hudson. 

105.  Now  the  gods  .   .  .  enozigh]  now 
may  the  gods  grant  that  you  may  live 
on  in  your  senility. 

1 06.  Only  in  bone]  Clarke  endeavours 
an  explanation  here:  "That  you  may 
live  to  be  mere  skeletons,  and  scare  men 

6 


from  looking  at  you  ...  It  must  be 
remembered  that  Alcibiades  is  here 
using  exaggerated  language,  and  owns 
that  he  is  'worse  than  mad.'"  Delius 
writes  to  much  the  same  purpose, 
"  That  none  may  look  upon  you  when 
you  have  become  bare  skeletons." 
But  as  a  rule  the  commentators  con 
sider  "in  bone"  as  corrupt.  Staunton 
proposes  "at  home  "  or  "  in  doors  "  ; 
Hudson,  "alone";  Ingleby,  "in  bed." 
"  That  the  one,"  he  says,  "in  bone  was 
caught  by  the  compositor  from  the  one 
in  onely,  is  probable,  regard  being  had 
to  the  proximity  of  none.  Surely  their 
fitting  place  was  bed,  where  the  ail 
ments  of  advanced  age  might  receive 
all  needful  ministrations,  and  where  they 
would  also  be  safe  from  bringing  dis 
grace  on  the  government  of  Athens." 
But  to  invoke  no  worse  fate  upon  them 
than  that  they  should  live  only  at  home, 
or  in  doors,  or  alone,  would  be  a  tame 
utterance  of  Alcibiades's  fierce  wrath  ; 
while  Ingleby's  explanation  converts  a 
bitter  curse  into  a  comfortable  con 
sideration  for  their  welfare.  I  believe 


82 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  in. 


I  'm  worse  than  mad :   I  have  kept  back  their  foes, 
While  they  have  told  their  money  and  let  out 
Their  coin  upon  large  interest ;   I  myself 
Rich  only  in  large  hurts.     All  those  for  this  ? 
Is  this  the  balsam  that  the  usuring  senate 
Pours  into  captains'  wounds  ?     Banishment ! 
It  comes  not  ill ;  I  hate  not  to  be  banish'd  ; 
It  is  a  cause  worthy  my  spleen  and  fury, 
That  I  may  strike  at  Athens.     I  '11  cheer  up 
My  discontented  troops,  and  lay  for  hearts. 
'Tis  honour  with  most  lands  to  be  at  odds ; 
Soldiers  should  brook  as  little  wrongs  as  gods. 


1 10 


that  the  corruption  lies  deeper  than 
the  words  "in  bone,"  and  that  two 
half  lines  have  been  lost.  The  fact 
that  in  the  folios  line  no  makes  two 
lines  perhaps  points  to  this.  More 
over,  the  two  final  clauses,  "  that  you 
may  live,"  and  "  that  none  may  look  on 
you,"  in  close  proximity  look  suspicious. 

108.  told]  counted  out  with  greedy 
glee. 

in.  balsam]  now  contracted  into 
"  balm,"  when  used  figuratively,  an 
aromatic  resinous  product  often  used 
medicinally,  and  thence  any  healing, 
soothing  agent  or  agency.  Cp.  Ford, 
The  Broken  Heart,  IV.  i.  : 

"To  pour  the  balsam  of  a  supplying 

patience 

Into  the   festering    wound  of  ill- 
spent  fury." 

113.  It  comes  .  .  .  banish'd]  it  is 
as  I  might  wish ;  it  irks  me  not  to  be 
banished. 

1 1 6.  lay  for  hearts]  Warburton  says, 
"  This  is  a  metaphor  taken  from  card- 
play,  and  signifies  to  game  deep  and 
boldly"  ;  but  he  gives  no  instance  of 
the  phrase  so  used,  nor  has  any  one  else 
been  more  successful.  Johnson  would 
read  "play  for  hearts."  Malone  finds 
a  "kindred  expression"  in  Lust's  Do 
minion,  1657  : 


\Exit. 


"  He   takes   up  Spanish  hearts    on 

trust,  to  pay  them 
When    he    shall    finger    Castile's 

crown." 

This,  however,  does  not  help  us  in 
regard  to  "  lay  for."  Tyrwhitt  under 
stands  "lay  out  for,"  and  quotes 
Jonson,  The  Devil  is  an  Ass,  n.  i., 
"  Lay  for  some  pretty  [sic]  princi 
pality  "  ;  but  the  words  there  are  ' '  out 
of  my  dividend  Lay  for  some  petty 
principality,"  i.e.  lay  out  of  my  divi 
dend  something  for  a  principality. 
Clarke,  who  explains  "endeavour  to 
win  popular  affection,"  "  strive  to  gain 
men's  favour,"  quotes  Baret,  Alvearie, 
"To  laie  for  a  thing  before  it  come, 
pratendo,"  but  the  context  of  his  ex 
planation  does  not  bear  out  Clarke's 
version ;  nor,  I  think,  does  classical 
Latin  authorise  such  a  sense  for  pra- 
tendo.  Schmidt  gives  "strive  to  en 
trap,  to  captivate,  hearts." 

117.  'Tis   honour  .    .    .   odds]    The 
text  as  it  stands  seems  pointless.     For 
"  most  lands,"  Warburton  gave  "  most 
hands,"  as  an  antithesis  to  "  hearts  "  in 
the  line  above.       Malone   conjectured 
"  most  lords  " ;  Mason,  "my  stains,  "and 
Jackson,     "most    bands."       Possibly, 
"  With  honour  it  most  stands,"  etc. 

1 1 8.  Soldiers  .  .  .  gods]  Tope  trans- 


SC.VL]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  83 


SCENE  VI.  —  The  Same.     A  Room  of  State  in 
Timoris  House. 


Music.      Tables  set  out  :  Servants  attending.     Enter  divers 
Lords,  Senators,  and  Others,  at  several  doors. 

First  Lord.  The  good  time  of  day  to  you,  sir. 

Second  Lord.   I   also  wish   it  to  you.       I    think   this 
honourable  lord  did  but  try  us  this  other  day. 

First  Lord.  Upon  that  were  my  thoughts  tiring  when 

we  encountered  :   I   hope  it  is  not  so  low  with        5 
him  as   he   made    it  seem    in   the   trial   of   his 
several  friends. 

Second  Lord.  It  should  not  be,  by  the  persuasion  of 
his  new  feasting. 

First  Lord.   I    should  think  so  :  he  hath  sent  me  an      I  o 
earnest  inviting,  which  many  my  near  occasions 
did  urge  me  to  put  off;  but  he  hath  conjured  me 
beyond  them,  and  I  must  needs  appear. 

Second  Lord.  In   like   manner  was   I   in  debt  to  my 

importunate  business,  but  he  would  not  hear  my      1  5 

posed  "  Soldiers  as  little  should  brook,"  Marlowe,  Dido,  v.  p.  274,  ed.  Dyce  : 

etc.  "The  grief   that  tires  upon    thine 

Scene  VI  inward  soul!" 

and   The    Winter's    Tale,    n.    iii.    74, 

4.  tiring]    eagerly     busying     them-  "  thou  art  woman-tired,  unroosted.  " 

selves  ;   from   an   old   verb  tyrgan,   to  8,  9.  It  should  .  .  .  feasting]  it  cer- 

tear    a    prey,    to   seize    and    feed    on  tainly  cannot  be,  to  judge,  as  we  reason- 

ravenously  ;    cp.     Cymbeline,    III.    iv.  ably  may,  from,  etc. 

97:  II.  many  .  .  .  occasions]  business  of 

"when  thou   shalt   be  dis-  many  and  urgent  kinds;   a  transposi- 

edged  by  her  tion  of  the  possessive  adjective,  as  in 

That  now  thou  tirest  on"  ;  "dear  my  lord,"  "  good  my  brother," 

Dekker,  Match  me  in  London,  vol.  iv.  etc.  etc. 

p.  187,  Pearson's  Reprint:  14,  15.  in  debt  .  .  .  business}  owed 

'  '  the  vulture  tires  it  to  matters  of  a  pressing  nature  that 

Upon  the  eagle's  nest  "  ;  I  should  attend  to  them. 


84  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIII. 

excuse.     I   am   sorry,  when  he  sent  to  borrow 
of  me,  that  my  provision  was  out. 

First  Lord.  I  am  sick  of  that  grief  too,  as  I  under 
stand  how  all  things  go. 

Second  Lord.  Everyman  here's  so.     What  would  he     20 
have  borrowed  of  you  ? 

First  Lord.  A  thousand  pieces. 

Second  Lord.  A  thousand  pieces  ! 

First  Lord.  What  of  you  ? 

Third  Lord.  He  sent  to  me,  sir, — Here  he  comes.  2  5 

Enter  TlMON  and  Attendants. 

Tim.  With  all  my  heart,  gentlemen  both ;  and  how 
fare  you? 

First  Lord.  Ever  at  the  best,  hearing  well  of  your 
lordship. 

Second  Lord.  The  swallow  follows   not  summer  more      30 
willing  than  we  your  lordship. 

Tim.  \AsideI\  Nor  more  willingly  leaves  winter ;  such 
summer-birds  are  men. — Gentlemen,  our  dinner 
will  not  recompense  this  long  stay :  feast  your 
ears  with  the  music  awhile,  if  they  will  fare  so  35 

17.  my  provision  was  ouf\  my  means    noble,    6s.   8d.,  makes  up  the    piece, 
were  abroad,  or,  perhaps,  had  for  the     £l. 

time  run  out.  28,  29.  hearing  .   .  .  lordship}  hear- 

18.  that  grief}    sc.    of   having    not     ing  that  things  are  well  with  your  lord- 
been  able  to  help  him.  ship. 

22.  pieces}   It   is    probably  needless  31.  -willing]  willingly;  but  there  is 

to  try  to  give  any  sum  as  the  equiva-  no  need  to  alter  to  ' '  willingly  "  merely 

lent  of  a  "  piece  "  here  ;  but  in  Jonson's  because  the  next  line  has  the  adverbial 

Magnetic  Lady,  IV.  i.,    its   value  is  a  inflexion. 

sovereign.     Thus,  punning  on  a  noble  35,  36.  if  they  .   .  .  sound]  if  they 

and  a  mark,  Compass  says  :  can  be  content  with  such  harsh  fare  as 

"  Noble  parson  Palate,  the  sound  of  the  trumpet.     Dyce  reads, 

Thou  shall  be  a  mark  advanced;  "harshly.     O,  the  trumpets,"  etc.,  in 

here  is  a  piece  "  ;  this  following  Walker,  except  that  the 

i.e.  the  mark,  135.  46.,  added  to  the  latter  omits  "O." 


sc.vi.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  85 

*-*  *y»  »»«•«"*  ' 

harshly  o'   the   trumpet's   sound ;   we   shall  to 't 

presently. 
First  Lord.  I  hope  it  remains  not  unkindly  with  your 

lordship  that  I  returned  you  an  empty  messenger. 
Tim.  O  !  sir,  let  it  not  trouble  you.  40 

Second  Lord.  My  noble  lord, — 
Tim.  Ah !  my  good  friend,  what  cheer  ? 
Second  Lord.  My   most   honourable   lord,   I   am   e'en 

sick  of  shame,  that  when  your  lordship  this  other 

day  sent  to  me  I  was  so  unfortunate  a  beggar.          45 
Tim.  Think  not  on  't,  sir. 

Second  Lord.  If  you  had  sent  but  two  hours  before, — 
Tim.  Let  it  not  cumber  your  better  remembrance. 

[The  banquet  brought  in. 

Come,  bring  in  all  together. 

Second  Lord.  All  covered  dishes  !  5  o 

First  Lord.  Royal  cheer,  I  warrant  you. 
Third  Lord.  Doubt  not  that,  if  money  and  the  season 

can  yield  it. 

First  Lord.   How  do  you  ?     What 's  the  news  ? 
Third  Lord.  Alcibiades  is  banished  :  hear  you  of  it  ?         55 
First  and  Second  Lord.  Alcibiades  banished  ! 
Third  Lord.  'Tis  so,  be  sure  of  it. 
First  Lord.   How  ?  how  ? 
Second  Lord.   I  pray  you,  upon  what  ? 
Tim.   My  worthy  friends,  will  you  draw  near?  60 

36,  37-  we  shall  .  .  .  presently}  the  your  kind   memory.      Steevens  points 

banquet   will   be   ready   for   us  imme-  out  that  the  comparative  is  here  used 

diately.  for  the  positive,  as  so  often  in  Shake- 

45.  I  was  .   .   .    beggar]   I   was   so  speare.     But  perhaps  there  is  also  the 

unfortunate    as    to    be    quite    out     of  inference  that  his   memory  could  find 

pocket.  many   other   things  better    worth    his 

48.  Let  it  not  .   .  .  remembrance]  do  remembering, 
not  allow   such    a    matter   to   trouble        59.  upon  what  ?]  sc.  cause. 


86 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACTHI. 


V.y* 


Third  Lord.  I  '11  tell  you  more  anon.     Here  ?s  a  noble 

feast  toward. 

Second  Lord.  This  is  the  old  man  still. 
Third  Lord.  Will 't  hold  ?  will 't  hold  ? 
Second  Lord.  It  does;  but  time  will — and  so —  65 

Third  Lord.   I  do  conceive. 
Tim.  Each  man  to  his  stool,  with  that  spur   as  he 

would  to  the  lip  of  his  mistress ;  your  diet  shall 

be  in  all  places  alike.     Make  not  a  city  feast  of 
I  it,  to  let  the  meat  cool  ere  we  can  agree  upon     70 

the  first   place:  sit,  sit.     The  gods  require  our 

thanks. 

You  great  benefactors,  sprinkle  our  society  with 
thankfulness.  For  your  own  gifts  make  your 
selves  praised  :  but  reserve  still  to  give,  lest  your  7  5 
deities  be  despised.  Lend  to  each  man  enough, 
that  one  need  not  lend  to  another ;  for  were  your 
godheads  to  borrow  of  men,  men  would  forsake 
the  gods.  Make  the  meat  be  beloved  more  than 
the  man  that  gives  it.  Let  no  assembly  of  80 
twenty  be  without  a  score  of  villains :  if  there 
sit  twelve  women  at  the  table,  let  a  dozen  of 
them  be — as  they  are.  The  rest  of  your  fees, 


62.  t<rward~\    ready,    at    hand ;    cp. 
Romeo  and  fuliet,  I.  v.  124. 

63.  This  is  .   .  .  still]  this  is  the 
Timon  we   knew  of  old.     Cp.  fulius 
Casar,  V.  i.  63,  "Old  Cassius  still." 

67,  68.  with  that  .  .  .  mistress]  as 
eagerly  as  he  would  to  kiss  his  mistress. 

69-71.  Make  not .  .  .  place]  "stand 
not  upon  the  order  of  your  "  places. 

70,  71.  agree  .  .  .  flace]  agree  which 
is  to  have  the  seat  of  dignity. 

83.  — as  they  are]  Cp.  The  Winter's 


Tale,    I.    ii.    218,    "  Sicilia    is    a    so- 
forth." 

83.  fees]  interpreted  by  those  who  re 
tain  the  word  either  as  "  forfeits  to  your 
vengeance,"  or  as  "creatures  holding 
their  lives  and  properties  in  fee  from 
you,"  a  legal  sense.  Many  editors 
adopt  Hanmer's  conjecture,  "foes," 
which  seems  very  tame.  It  is  possible, 
I  think,  that  we  should  read  "  the  feces" 
("the"  being  written  "ye") ;  cp.Jt>nson. 
The  Magnetic  Lady,  Induction,  of  spec- 


SC.VL]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  87 

O  gods !  the  senators  of  Athens,  together  with 
the  common  tag  of  people,  what  is  amiss  in  85 
them,  you  gods,  make  suitable  for  destruction. 
For  these  my  present  friends,  as  they  are  to  me 
nothing,  so  in  nothing  bless  them,  and  to  nothing 
are  they  welcome. 

Uncover,  dogs,  and  lap.  90 

{The  dishes  are  uncovered  and  seen 
to  be  full  of  warm  water. 
Some  speak.  What  does  his  lordship  mean  ? 
Some  other.  I  know  not. 
Tim.  May  you  a  better  feast  never  behold, 

You  knot  of  mouth-friends  !  smoke  and  lukewarm  water 
Is  your  perfection.     This  is  Timon's  last ;  95 

Who,  stuck  and  spangled  with  your  flattery, 

tators  in  a  theatre,  "  Not  the  feces  or  what  is  amiss  with  them,  but  what  is 
grounds  of  your  people  that  sit  in  the  amiss  ' '  for  destruction,"  implying  that 
oblique  caves  and  wedges  of  your  there  was  little  in  them  that  was  not 
house,  your  sinful  sixpenny  mechanics."  suitable  for  destruction. 
So,  again,  figuratively  in  The  A Ichemist,  88,89.  so  in  nothing  .  .  .  -welcome} 
IV.  iii.,  and  in  Shirley's  Chabot,  iv.  i.  Perhaps  these  clauses  might  with  ad- 
It  is  true  of  course  that  "  feces  "  literally  vantage  be  transposed  thus:  "and  to 
means  "  dregs,"  but  the  sarcasm  would  nothing  are  welcome,  so  in  nothing 
be  all  the  more  bitter  if  Timon  was  bless  them,"  omitting  "they"  before 
lumping  together  high  and  low  as  "welcome." 
being  equally  refuse.  94.  mouth-friends]  Cp.  Troilus  and 

85.  tag]  an    anonymous    conjecture  Cressida,  v.  i.  98. 

recorded  by  Rann,   the  folios  reading  94,  95.  smoke   .    .    .   perfection}   it 

"legge"  or  "leg."     Cp.   Coriolanus,  would  be  flattery  to  liken  you  to  smoke 

III.  i.  248,  "Before  the  tag  return";  and  lukewarm  water. 

fulius  C<esar,  I.  ii.  260,  "the  tag-ra.g  96.  spangled]    Cp.    Taming  of  the 

people";  Dekker,  If  This  be  not  a  good  Shrew,    IV.   v.    31.      Bacon  uses    the 

Play,  etc.,  vol.  iii.   p.   325,   Pearson's  substantive  "spang." 

Reprint,    "tag   and    rag,     one     with  96.  with  your  flattery']    Warburton 

another ";  and  the  old  play  of  Timon,  conjectured   "with    your"    for    "you 

I.  iii.,  "I  am  not  .   .  .  faggendofthe  with,"     and    Walker     "flattery"    for 

people."     Some  editors  prefer  Rowe's  "  flatteries,"  of  the  folios.     Those  who 

correction,  "  lag,"  which  does  not  occur  retain  the  old  text  explain  "  flatteries  " 

elsewhere  in  Shakespeare.  to  mean  the  bounty  which  it  had  been 

85,  86.  what  is  amiss  .  .  .  destruc-  mere  flattery  to  bestow  upon  creatures 

tion]  This  seems  to  mean  not  merely  so  unworthy  of  it. 


88 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  in. 


Washes  it  off,  and  sprinkles  in  your  faces 

[Throwing1  the  water  in  their  faces. 
Your  reeking  villany.     Live  loath'd,  and  long, 
Most  smiling,  smooth,  detested  parasites, 
Courteous  destroyers,  affable  wolves,  meek  bears,    100 
You  fools  of  fortune,  trencher-friends,  time's  flies, 
Cap-and-knee  slaves,  vapours,  and  minute-jacks ! 
Of  man  and  beast  the  infinite  malady 
Crust  you  quite  o'er !     What !  dost  thou  go  ? 
Soft !  take  thy  physic  first, — thou  too, — and  thou  : — 
Stay,  I  will  lend  thee  money,  borrow  none.  106 

What !  all  in  motion  ?      Henceforth  be  no  feast, 
Whereat  a  villain  's  not  a  welcome  guest. 


IOI.  fools  of  fortune]  would  ordinarily 
mean  creatures  who  are  the  sport  of 
fortune,  but  here  apparently  must  be 
taken  as  empty  -  headed  worshippers 
of  fortune,  with  perhaps  an  allusion 
to  the  proverb,  "  Fortune  favours 
fools." 

101.  time's  flies]  the  "  summer  flies  " 
of  II.  ii.  172,  above. 

0 O2.  Cap-and-knee  slaves']    Cp.    1 
Henry  IV.  iv.  iii.  68 ;  Coriolanus,  n. 
i.  77- 

1 02.  vapours]  Daniel  proposes  "vam 
pires,"  but  to  the  immediate  context  a 
word  conveying  the  idea  of  emptiness 
seems  more  suitable. 

102.  minute-jacks]  probably  an  allu 
sion  to  the  jacks  of  the  clock,  automaton 
figures  that  struck  the  hours  and 
quarters ;  cp.  Richard  II.  V.  .v.  60. 
Schmidt  says,  "probably  persons  who 
change  their  mind  every  minute  and 
are  not  to  be  trusted."  In  Middle- 
ton's  Blurt,  Master  Constable,  n.  ii. 
123,  the  page  puns  on  the  word  "jack," 
"this  is  the  night,  nine  the  hour, 
and  I  the  jack  that  gives  warning," 
and  here  perhaps  a  similar  quibble  is 
intended. 

103,104.  Of  man  .  .  .  o'er]  may  every 


loathsome  disease  to  which  man  and 
beast  are  heirs,  infinite  as  the  number 
is,  encrust  your  bodies  !  cp.  Hamlet,  i. 
v.  71-73: 

"And   a  most  instant  tetter  barked 

about, 
Most    lazar  -  like,    with   vile    and 

loathsome  crust 
All  my  smooth  body. " 
1 06.  Stay  .  .  .  none]  The  money 
here  can  only  be  a  figurative  expres 
sion  for  what  he  throws  at  them. 
What  that  was  is  debated,  for  in  the 
original  there  is  no  stage-direction  here. 
Rowe  inserted  ' '  Throws  the  dishes  at 
them,  and  drives  them  out."  Walker 
would  prefer  "  Pelts  them  with  stones," 
to  accord  with  the  last  line  of  the  scene. 
Fleay  believes  that  nothing  but  warm 
water  was  thrown  in  their  faces,  and 
that  the  ' '  stones  "  are  taken  from  the 
old  play,  where  they  are  painted  to 
look  like  artichokes.  The  portion  of 
the  scene  from  line  in  to  the  end 
is  Dejected  as  spurious  by  the  later 
editors,  and  the  difficulty  as  to  stones 
certainly  makes  it  look  like  an  inter 
polation.  In  this  uncertainty  I  have 
omitted  the  stage-direction  after  line 
106. 


SC.VL]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  89 

Burn,  house  !  sink,  Athens  !  henceforth  hated  be 

Of  Timon  man  and  all  humanity  !  [Exit,   no 

Re-enter  the  Lords,  Senators,  etc. 

First  Lord.  How  now,  my  lords  ! 

Second  Lord.  Know  you  the  quality  of  Lord  Timon's  fury? 

Third  Lord.  Push  !  did  you  see  my  cap  ? 

Fourth  Lord.  I  have  lost  my  gown. 

Third  Lord.  He 's  but  a   mad  lord,  and  nought  but    115 
humour  sways   him.     He  gave  me   a  jewel  th' 
other  day,  and  now  he  has  beat  it  out  of  my 
hat :  did  you  see  my  jewel  ? 

Fourth  Lord.  Did  you  see  my  cap  ? 

Second  Lord.  Here  'tis.  1 20 

Fourth  Lord.  Here  lies  my  gown. 

First  Lord.  Let 's  make  no  stay. 

Second  Lord.  Lord  Timon  's  mad. 

Third  Lord.  I  feel 't  upon  my  bones. 

Fourth  Lord.  One  day   he   gives  us   diamonds,  next   day 
stones.  \Exeunt. 


ACT    IV 

SCENE  I. —  Without  the  Walls  of  Athens. 

Enter  TlMON. 

Tim.  Let  me  look  back  upon  thee.     O  thou  wall, 
That  girdlest  in  those  wolves,  dive  in  the  earth, 

2.  girdlest}  Rowe,  girdles  Ff. 

113.   Push]  i.q.  "  pish."  116.  humour}  caprice. 


90  TIMON   OF   ATHENS          [ACTIV. 

And  fence  not  Athens  !     Matrons,  turn  incontinent ! 
Obedience  fail  in  children  !     Slaves  and  fools, 
Pluck  the  grave  wrinkled  senate  from  the  bench,          5 
And  minister  in  their  steads  !     To  general  filths 
Convert,  o'  the  instant,  green  virginity ! 
Do 't  in  your  parents'  eyes  !     Bankrupts,  held  fast ; 
Rather  than  render  back,  out  with  your  knives, 
And    cut    your    trusters'    throats !      Bound    servants, 
steal !  i o 

Large-handed  robbers  your  grave  masters  are, 
And  pill  by  law.     Maid,  to  thy  master's  bed ! 
Thy  mistress  is  o'  the  brothel.     Son  of  sixteen, 
Pluck  the  lined  crutch  from  thy  old  limping  sire, 
With  it  beat  out  his  brains  !     Piety,  and  fear,  i  5 

Religion  to  the  gods,  peace,  justice,  truth, 
Domestic  awe,  night-rest,  and  neighbourhood, 
Instruction,  manners,  mysteries,  and  trades, 
Degrees,  observances,  customs,  and  laws, 
Decline  to  your  confounding  contraries,  20 

And  yet  confusion  live !     Plagues,  incident  to  men, 

6.  steads'!  To  filths]  Ca.m\>.  Edd.  ;  steads:  to  .  .  .  filths  Theobald  conj.  : 
steeds,  to  .  .  .  Filthes  Ff  I,  2.  8,  9.  fast ;  Rather  .  .  .  back,  out}  Theobald 
(Anon,  conj.) ;  fast  Rather  .  .  .  backe  ;  out  Ff  I,  2,  3. 

6.  general  filths]  common  strumpets,  of  the  house.     With  lines  13-21,  "  Son 

For  this  abstract  use  of  "filths,"  cp.  of  sixteen  .  .  .  live  !"cp.  Troilus  and 

Lear,  iv.  2,  39,  "Filths  savour  but  Cressida,  I.  iii.  109 ff. 
themselves";  Marston,  The  Scourge  of  14.  lined}  padded. 
Villainy,  in.  15,  "  Luxurio,  left  a  17.  Domestic  awe]  the  respect  due 

scoff   To    leprous  filths."      Steevens  to  parents, 
strangely  explains  "common  sewers."  1 8.  mysteries']  trades,  callings;  Lat. 

12.  fill]  pillage  ;  cp.  Richard  II.  II.  ministerium. 

i.  246  :  20.  Decline]  gradually  sink  down  to. 

' '  The  commons  hath  he  pilFd  with  20.  confounding  contraries'}  opposites 

grievous  taxes ";  that  destroy  each  other;   "confound" 

Marlowe,  Tamburlaine,  Pt.  I.,  in.  3,  in  this   sense   is  frequent    in    Shake- 

' '  these  pilling  brigandines. "  speare. 

13.  is  o'  the  brothel]  belongs  to  the  21.  And  yet  .  .  .  live]  Here  "yet" 
brothel,   is,   so  to  speak,  a  daughter  was  altered  by  Hanmer  to  "let,"  and 


sc.  i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  91 

Your  potent  and  infectious  fevers  heap 

On  Athens,  ripe  for  stroke !     Thou  cold  sciatica, 

Cripple  our  senators,  that  their  limbs  may  halt 

As  lamely  as  their  manners  !     Lust  and  liberty        2  5 

Creep  in  the  minds  and  marrows  of  our  youth, 

That  'gainst  the  stream  of  virtue  they  may  strive, 

And  drown  themselves  in  riot !     Itches,  blains, 

Sow  all  the  Athenian  bosoms,  and  their  crop 

Be  general  leprosy !     Breath  infect  breath,  30 

That  their  society,  as  their  friendship,  may 

Be  merely  poison  !     Nothing  I  '11  bear  from  thee 

But  nakedness,  thou  detestable  town ! 

Take  thou  that  too,  with  multiplying  bans ! 

Timon  will  to  the  woods  ;  where  he  shall  find  3  5 

The  unkindest  beast  more  kinder  than  mankind. 

The  gods  confound — hear  me,  you  good  gods  all — 

The  Athenians  both  within  and  out  that  wall ! 

most   editors  have  followed   his  lead.         33.  detestable]  accented  on  the  first 

To  me,    "  yet,"    which    would    mean  syllable,  as  always  in  Shakespeare. 
"  and  let  confusion  still  live,"  seems        34.  Take  .  .  .  too]  Said  as  he  throws 

more      forcible.       Johnson     explains,  away  something,  probably  part  of  his 

"though  by  such  confusion  all  things  clothing. 

seem  to  hasten  to  dissolution,  yet  let  not  34.  bans']  curses;  whether  "multi- 
dissolution  come,  but  the  miseries  of  con-  plying  "  means  ' '  accumulated  " 
fusion  continue."  Delius  retains  "  yet. "  (Steevens),  or  curses  that  breed  and  so 

23.  cold  sciatica]  possibly  as   being  multiply,  is  perhaps  doubtful, 
sometimes  due  to  cold  ;  in  Measure  for        35.  shall  find}  is  certain  to  find. 
Measure,  I.  ii.  59,  and  Chapman,  The        36.  more  kinder]  the  frequent  double 

Widow's  Tears,  one  of  the  sequelae  of  comparative.     In     \H\kindest,     kinder, 

syphilis.  mankind,  there  is  perhaps  a  play  upon 

25.  liberty']   libertinism,     licentious-  the  two  senses  of  "kind." 
ness;  cp.  Measure  for  Measure,  I.  ii.         38.  within  and  ouf]  i.e.  within  and 

129,  I.  iii.  29  ;  Hamlet,  ii.  i.  24,  32.  without ;  an  ellipsis  similar  to  that  of 

So,    "  liberal "   frequently    in    Shake-  the  adverbial  inflection   when  two  ad- 

speare  for  "wanton,"  "licentious."  verbs  are  conjoined.  Cp.  Jonson,  Cati- 

28.  blains~\  sores  on  the  extremities,  line,  II.  i. : 

due  to  cold  and  imperfect  circulation  of  "And  must  be  borne  ; 

the  blood.  Both  with  and  out,  they  think  "  ; 

32.  merely  poison]  poison,  and  no-  i.e.  both  with  and  without, 
thing  but  poison. 


92  TIMON   OF   ATHENS          [ACTIV. 

And  grant,  as  Timon  grows,  his  hate  may  grow 

To  the  whole  race  of  mankind,  high  and  low !  40 

Amen.  [Exit. 


SCENE  II. — Athens.     A   Room  in  Timon 's  House. 

Enter  FLAVIUS,  with  two  or  three  Servants. 

^ 
First   Serv.     Hear    you,     master    steward !     where 's    our 

master  ? 
Are  we  undone  ?  cast  off?  nothing  remaining  ? 

Flav .  Alack !  my  fellows,  what  should  I  say  to  you  ? 
Let  me  be  recorded  by  the  righteous  gods, 
I  am  as  poor  as  you. 

First  Serv.  Such  a  house  broke !  5 

So  noble  a  master  fall'n  !     All  gone,  and  not 
One  friend  to  take  his  fortune  by  the  arm, 
And  go  along  with  him  ! 

Second  Serv.  As  we  do  turn  our  backs 

From  our  companion  thrown  into  his  grave, 
So  his  familiars  to  his  buried  fortunes  10 

Slink  all  away,  leave  their  false  vows  with  him, 
Like  empty  purses  pick'd  ;  and  his  poor  self, 
A  dedicated  beggar  to  the  air, 

3.  Alack}  According  to  Skeat,  either  his,"  etc.,  which  Dyce  adopts.     Mason 

a  corruption  of  "ah!  lord,"  or  to  be  conjectured   that  "From"  and    "to" 

referred    to   M.  E.     "  lak,"  signifying  should  be  transposed,  and  this  Staunton 

loss,  failure,  etc.,  the  word  thus  mean-  approves  but  does  not   edit.      To   me 

ing  "ah  !  failure,"  or  "ah  !  a  loss."  no  change  seems  necessary.     "To  turn 

3.  should  /]  can  I  possibly.  from  "  is  of  course  common,  and  ' '  his 

4,  5.  Let  me  .  .   .  you]  A  blending  familiars  to "  may   surely   mean   those 
of  two  constructions — (i)  let  me  be  re-  his  former  friends  who,  as  having  been 
garded  as  being  poor  as  you  ;  (2)  let  it  such  friends,  are  so  well  aware  of  his 
be   recorded  of  me   that   I   am   poor,  fallen  fortunes.     Delius  retains  the  old 
etc.  reading  in  this  sense. 

9,    10.    From  our    .    .    .   fortunes}         13.  A  dedicated  .  .   .  air]  a  beggar 
Hanmer  gave   "  From  our  .  .  .  from    devoted  by  fortune  to  a  homeless  life. 


sc.il.]  TIMON   OF    ATHENS  93 

With  his  disease  of  all-shunn'd  poverty, 

Walks,  like  contempt,  alone.     More  of  our  fellows.    1 5 

Enter  other  Servants. 

Flav.  All  broken  implements  of  a  ruin'd  house. 

Third  Serv.  Yet  do  our  hearts  wear  Timon's  livery  ; 
That  see  I  by  our  faces ;  we  are  fellows  still, 
Serving  alike  in  sorrow :  leak'd  is  our  bark, 
And  we,  poor  mates,  stand  on  the  dying  deck,          20 
Hearing  the  surges  threat :  we  must  all  part 
Into  this  sea  of  air. 

Flav.  Good  fellows  all, 

The  latest  of  my  wealth  I  '11  share  amongst  you. 
Wherever  we  shall  meet,  for  Timon's  sake 
Let 's   yet   be    fellows ;    let 's    shake    our    heads,  and 
say,  25 

As  'twere  a  knell  unto  our  master's  fortunes, 
"  We  have  seen  better  days."     Let  each  take  some ; 

[Giving  them  money. 

Nay,  put  out  all  your  hands.     Not  one  word  more : 
Thus  part  we  rich  in  sorrow,  parting  poor. 

[They  embrace,  and  part  several  ways. 

O,  the  fierce  wretchedness  that  glory  brings  us!         30  w^/^ 
Who  would  not  wish  to  be  from  wealth  exempt, 
Since  riches  point  to  misery  and  contempt  ? 

15.  like  contempt]  the  very  imperson-  "And -now  in  peace  my  soul  shall 

ation  of  contempt.  part  to  heaven." 

20.  the  dying  deck]  the  deck  where  25.  Let's  .  .  .  fellows']  so  the  servant 

all  is  death.  of  Aufidius,    Coriolattus,    iv.    v.    194, 

22.  Into  .  .   .  air]  "  that  into  which  "  Come,  we  are  fellows  and  friends. " 

the  soul,  freighting  his  wrecked  bark,  30.  fierce']  immoderate,   violent ;  cp. 

the    body,    must   at    length    take    its  Henry  VIII.  I.  i.  54,  '  'fierce  vanities "  ; 

flight"'  (Ingleby,    The   Still  Lion,    p.  Jonson,    The  Poetaster,    v.  i.,   "fierce 

87).    For  "part "  =  depart,  cp.  Richard  credulity";  id.  Sejanus,  v.  x.,  " fierce 

III.  II.  i.  5  :  flattery." 


94  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Who  'd  be  so  mock'd  with  glory  ?  or  to  live 
But  in  a  dream  of  friendship  ? 

/'    To  have  his  pomp  and  all  what  state  compounds      35 
But  only  painted,  like  his  varnish'd  friends  ? 
Poor  honest  lord  !  brought  low  by  his  own  heart, 
s  Undone  by  goodness.     Strange,  unusual  blood, 
When  man's  worst  sin  is  he  does  too  much  good ! 
L         Who  then  dares  to  be  half  so  kind  again  ?  40 

I  For  bounty,  that  makes  gods,  does  still  mar  men. 
My  dearest  lord,  bless'd,  to  be  most  accursed, 
Rich,  only  to  be  wretched,  thy  great  fortunes 
Are  made  thy  chief  afflictions.     Alas  !  kind  lord  ; 
He's  flung  in  rage  from  this  ingrateful  seat  45 

-Of  monstrous  friends ; 
Nor  ha's  he  with  him  to  supply  his  life, 

"Or  that  which  can  command  it. 
•I  '11  follow  and  inquire  him  out : 

I  '11  ever  serve  his  mind  with  my  best  will ;  5  o 

Whilst  I  have  gold  I  '11  be  his  steward  still.          [Exit. 

33.  or  to  live]  elliptical,  would  choose        42.  to     be]    with     the     result     of 

to,  etc.     For  the  omission  and  after  the  being. 

insertion  of  "to,"  see   Abbott,  S.  G.,        45.  seat}  residence,  resort. 
§350.     Here  "would  be"  is  in  effect        47.  Nor     has     .     .     .     life}     nor 

"desires  to  be,"  the  original  sense  of  has    he    the    wherewithal    to    sustain 

"would."  life. 

35.  and  all  .  .  .  comp0unds]Wa.\ker        47.  it}  sc.  the  means  of  supplying  his 

conjectures  "comprehends"  for  "com-  livelihood.      From  line  30  to  the  end 

pounds,"  omitting  "what,"  and  Grant  of  the  scene,  most  modern  editors  deny 

White  "that "for  "what."     I  suggest  Shakespeare's  authorship.      The  lines  ; 

"all  that  state  comprends"  a  form  of  perhaps  have   no   sure   stamp   of    the  7 

the  word  quoted  in  the  New  English  poet's  coinage,   but  they   resemble   in 

Dictionary,    from    R.    Carew's    Tasso,  tone  lines  109-121  of  Lear,  m.  vi.,  a 

1594  :  passage  the  genuineness  of  which  Craig 

"  He  well  comprends :  defends,  referring  to  Coriolanus,  II.  iii. 

Man  findes  no  faith  where  God  re-  120-131 ;  Othello,  I.  iii.  210-220  ;  Mac- 

ceives  a  nay."  beth,  v.  iv.    16-21,   and  pointing   out 

37.  heart]  generous  instincts.  that  the  speaker  of   such  sententious  • 

38.  blood}  nature,    disposition  ;   fre-  passages  generally  falls  into  rhyme, 
quent  in  Shakespeare. 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


95 


SCENE  III. —  Woods  and  Cave,  near  the  Sea-shore. 


Rotten  humidity  ;  below  thy  sister's  orb 

Infect  the  air  !     Twinn'd  brothers  of  one  womb, 


Enter  TlMON  from  the  Cave. 

vi^T* '  141 

Tim.  O  blessed  breeding  sun !  draw  from  the  earth 

•iu^^ 

4   frMAtA'***'^'^' 

Whose  procreation,  residence,  and  birth, 

Scarce  is  dividant,  touch  them  with  several  fortunes ;     5 

The  greater  scorns  the  lesser :  not  nature, 

To  whom  all  sores  lay  siege,  can  bear  great  fortune, 

But  by  contempt  of  nature. 

Raise  me  this  beggar,  and  deny 't  that  lord ; 


.  i^^ 


1.  blessed     breeding]     Dyce      edits 
Walker's  conjecture,     "blessed-breed 
ing." 

2.  Rotten  humidity]  probably  damp 
causing  rot,  as  Rolfe  takes  it,  quoting 
The  Rape  of  Lttcrece,  778 : 

"With  rotten  damps  ravish  the 
morning  air." 

2,  3.  below  ,  .  .  air]  References  to 
the  "watery"  moon  are  frequent  in 
Shakespeare,  and  in  Othello,  v.  ii. 
no,  in,  her  coming  nearer  to  the 
earth  than  usual  is  supposed  to  cause 
madness.  So  here  perhaps  her  watery 
nature  and  her  neighbourhood  to  the 
earth  are  alluded  to,  baleful  influences 
of  the  sun  being  invoked  to  even  closer 
proximity  to  the  earth. 

5.  dividant]  divisible.  Hudson  com 
pares  "  credent  "  =  credible,  The  Win 
ter's  Tale,  I.  ii.  142,  and  "  intrenchant " 
=  not  to  be  cut,  Macbeth,  v.  viii.  9. 

5.  tottch]  as  in  in.  Hi.  6,  above,  of 
the  touchstone. 

5.  several]  different. 

6-8.  not  nature  .  .  .  nature]  in  the 
former  case  "nature"  means  "human 
nature,"  in  the  latter,  "beings  of 
a  like  nature."  Johnson  explains 
' '  nature  To  whom  all  sores  lay  siege  " 
as  "  human  nature  besieged  as  it  is 


by  misery";  Clarke,  "human  nature 
liable  to  the  assaults  of  every  misfor 
tune";  Mason,  "beings  reduced  to 
the  utmost  extremity  "  ;  Hudson,  "  even 
those  whom  wretchedness  has  pressed 
upon  most  heavily."  I  do  not  think 
that  Shakespeare  is  here  speaking  of 
miseries,  misfortunes,  wretchedness, 
whether  threatened  or  endured.  Rather, 
among  the  sores  which  lay  siege  to 
nature  is  the  sore  of  sudden  prosperity, 
a  worse  imposthume  than  adversity  of 
whatever  kind.  Cp.  below,  lines  76,  77  : 
"  Alcib.  I  have  heard  in  some  sort 

of  thy  miseries. 
Tim.  Thou  saw'st  them   when   I 

had  prosperity." 

9.  deny  '£  that  lord]  be  less  kind  in 
your  treatment  of  that  lord;  "it," 
used  indefinitely.  Malone  compares 
Othello,  m.  iv.  64,  where  "her"  refers 
to  "wife"  implied  in  "wive,"  and 
Rolfe,  Love's  Labour's  Lost,  I.  i.  23, 
where  "it"  refers  to  the  promise  im 
plied  in  the  preceding  clause.  Of 
modern  editors,  Dyce,  Delius,  Clarke, 
Rolfe,  and  the  Cambridge  Editors  re 
tain  the  old  text.  The  conjectures  are 
many:  "denude,"  "degrade,"  "de 
prive,"  "devest,"  "decline,"  "demit," 
"deject,"  "deknight." 


96 


TIMON  OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  iv. 


The  senator  shall  bear  contempt  hereditary,  10 

The  beggar  native  honour. 

It  is  the  pasture  lards  the  rother's  sides, 

The   want   that   makes   him   lean.     Who  dares,  who 

dares, 

In  purity  of  manhood  stand  upright, 
And  say  "  This  man 's  a  flatterer  "  ?  if  one  be,  i  5 

So  are  they  all ;  for  every  grise  of  fortune 
Is  smooth'd  by  that  below :  the  learned  pate 
Ducks  to  the  golden  fool :  all  is  oblique ; 
There 's  nothing  level  in  our  cursed  natures 


10,  ir.  The  senator  .  .  .  honour} 
the  senator  will  as  a  consequence  (shall) 
submit  to  contempt  as  though  it  were 
his  proper  heritage,  the  beggar  wear 
honour  as  though  born  to  it. 

12.  lards']  makes  fat ;  cp.  1  Henry 
IV.  II.  ii.  1 1 6,  and,  figuratively, 
Marlowe,  Edward  II.  p.  193/2,  ed. 
Dyce : 

"a  short  Italian  hooded  cloak, 
Larded  with  pearl." 

12.  rother's]  Singer's  brilliant  emend 
ation  for  "brother's."  "A  rot  her  is 
a  horned  beast ;  oxen  and  cows  are 
rothers.  In  the  statute-book  and 
in  Golding's  Ovid  this  expression  is 
used — 'Herds  of  rather  beasts.'  In 
Huloet's  Dictionary  we  find — '  Rother 
beast,  Juvencus,'  and  in  Holloway's 
General  Provincial  Dictionary  it  is 
stated  that  there  is  a  market  in  Stratford- 
on-Avon  called  'the  rather  market.' 
This  latter  point  brings  the  word  home 
to  Shakespeare's  own  knowledge  and 
familiar  use  ...  "  (Clarke).  Dyce 
quotes  Kersey's  Dictionary  also  as 
having  "  AWfor-Beasts  "  and  "  Rother 
soil,  the  Soil  or  Dung  of  such  Cattel." 

13-15.  Who  dares  .  .  .  flatterer?'} 
Where  is  the  man  who,  in  assured 
consciousness  of  his  purity  of  motive 
and  uprightness  of  conduct,  dares  to 
point  to  another  as  being  a  flatterer  ? 


1 6.  grise}  step,  gradation ;  here  the 
person  standing    on   that   step.      Cp. 
Othello,  I.  iii.  200 : 

"  Which  as  a  grise  or  step,  may  help 

these  lovers 
Into  your  favour  "  ; 
and  Twelfth  Night,  in.  i.  135 : 

"  Olivia.       That 's  a  degree  to  love. 
Viola.  No,  not  a  grise. " 

17.  smooth'd}  humoured  by  flattery  ; 
cp.  Richard  III.  I.  iii.  48  : 

' '  Because  I  cannot  flatter  and  speak 

fair, 

Smile  in  men's  faces,  smooth,  de 
ceive,  and  cog." 

On  Lear,  11.  ii.  8l,  "  smooth  every  pas 
sion  That  in  the  natures  of  their  lords 
rebel,"  Craig  quotes  Ford,  Love's 
Sacrifice,  I.  i.,  "till  then,  smooth  her 
up  that  he  is  a  man  overjoyed  with  the 
report." 

1 8.  Ducks'}    bows    the    head  ;     cp. 
Lear,  ii.  ii.  109,  "twenty  silly  ducking 
observants." 

1 8.  oblique]  awry.     The   folios  give 
"All's"    (or  "Alls")    "obliquie"  or 
"obliquy."     The  reading   in   the   text 
is  Pope's.     Lettsom  .conjectures  "a//, 
all's  oblique."      I   am   not    convinced 
that   Shakespeare   did   not    here    coin 
"obliquy"  for  "obliquity." 

19.  level]  direct,  straightforward  ;  cp. 
Plamkt,  iv.  v.  151. 


sc.ni.]  TIMON    OF    ATHENS  97 

But  direct  villany.     Therefore,  be  abhorr'd  20 

All  feasts,  societies,  and  throngs  of  men  ! 
His  semblable,  yea,  himself,  Timon  disdains : 
Destruction  fang  mankind  !     Earth,  yield  me  roots  ! 

[Digging. 

Who  seeks  for  better  of  thee,  sauce  his  palate 
With  thy  most  operant  poison  !     What  is  here  ?       25 
Gold  !  yellow,  glittering,  precious  gold  !     No,  gods, 
I  am  no  idle  votarist.  7  Roots,  you  clear  heavens ! 
Thus     much     of    this    will    make    black    white,    foul 

fair, 

Wrong  right,  base  noble,  old  young,  coward  valiant. 
Ha !  you  gods,  why    this  ?      What    this,  you    gods  ? 

Why,  this  30 

Will     lug     your    priests     and    servants     from     your 

sides, 

Pluck  stout  men's  pillows  from  below  their  heads : 
This  yellow  slave 

Will  knit  and  break  religions ;  bless  the  accurs'd ; 
Make  the  hoar  leprosy  ador'd  ;  place  thieves,  3  5 

And  give  them  title,  knee,  and  approbation, 

20.    direct]    accented    on    the     first  who  have  strength  yet  to  struggle  with 

syllable,  as  in  Othello,  I.  ii.  86.  their  distemper.     This  alludes   to   the 

22.  His  semblable']  Cp.   Hamlet,   V.  old  custom  of  drawing  away  the  pillow 
ii.    124,    and  Holland's  Plinie,    p.    7,  from  under  the  heads  of  men  in  their 
ed.   1601,  "The  Moone  by  her  inter-  last  agonies,  to  make   their  departure 
position   bereaveth   the    earth    of    the  easier "     (Warburton).      Cp.     Jonson, 
sun's  raies,   and  the  earth  again  does  Volpone,  ii.  iii.  : 

the  semblable  by  the  moon."  "  'Tis  but  to  pluck  the  pillow  from 

23.  fang]  tear  with  its  fangs.  his  head, 

25.  operant]  active  ;  cp.  Hamlet,  III.  And  he  is  throttled." 

ii.  184.  34.    Will  knit  .   .    .   religions']   will 

27.  no    idle    votarist]    no    insincere  bind  men  together  or  divorce  them  even 

worshipper  who  prays  for  one   thing,  in  such  a  matter  as  religion, 
but  desires  another.  35.  the  hoar  leprosy]  Cp.  2  Kings  v. 

27.  clear  heavens']   pure    gods;    cp.  27,  "And  he  went  out  from  his  pre- 

Lear,  iv.  vi.  73,  "  the  clearest  gods."  sence,  a  leper  as  -white  as  snow." 

32.  Pluck   .    .    .    heads']  "  i.e.  men        35.  place"]  give  place,  position,  to. 


98 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACT  iv. 


With  senators  on  the  bench;  this  is  it 
That  makes  the  wappen'd  widow  wed  again ; 
She,  whom  the  spital-house  and  ulcerous  sores 
Would  cast  the  gorge  at,  this  embalms  and  spices      40 
To  the  April  day  again.     Come,  damned  earth, 
Thou    common     whore     of    mankind,    that     putt'st 

odds 

Among  the  rout  of  nations,  I  will  make  thee 
Do  thy  right  nature.  [March  afar  off. 

Ha !  a  drum  ?     Thou  'rt  quick, 

But  yet  I  '11  bury  thee :  thou  'It  go,  strong  thief,        45 
When  gouty  keepers  of  thee  cannot  stand : 
Nay,  stay  thou  out  for  earnest.        {Keeping  some  gold. 


38.  wappend}  or  "  wapper'd,"  is  ex 
plained  as  over-worn,  stale.  Nares 
cites  Grose's  Prov.  Glos.,  where  it  is 
given  as  a  Gloucestershire  word  = 
"  Restless  or  fatigued.  Spoken  of  a 
sick  person "  ;  and  quotes  The  Mirror 
for  Magistrates : 

"  But  still  he  stode  to  set   his  face 

awrye, 
And    wappering    turn'd    up    his 

white  of  eye." 
Cp.    The  Two  Noble  Kinsmen,\.  iv.  10 : 

"Young  and  unwapper'd,  not  halt 
ing  under  crimes." 

39-41.  She,  whom  .  .  .  again]  her, 
from  whom  patients  in  hospitals  and 
sufferers  from  ulcerous  sores  would  turn 
with  loathing,  gold,  as  though  a  pre 
servative,  makes  fresh  as  an  April  day. 
Gifford,  on  Every  Man  in  his  Humour, 
I.  ii.,  distinguishes  between  "spitals" 
for  patients  generally,  and  "  spittles  " 
for  lazars  and  syphilitic  patients.  Cp. 
Dekker,  The  Honest  Whore,  Pt.  II. 
vol.  ii.  p.  176,  Pearson's  Reprint,  "Do 
you  take  me  for  a  spittle  whore  ? " ; 
Massinger,  The  Fatal  Dowry,  III.  i., 
"a  spittle  sinner" 

43.  rouf]  here  in  a  contemptuous 
sense,  almost  =  rabble.  Cp.  Marlowe, 


Edward  II.    p.    204,  ed.    Dyce,    "A 
ranker  rout  of  rebels  never  was." 

44.  Do  .  .  .  nature]  Johnson  ex 
plains,  "  lie  in  the  earth  where  nature 
laid  thee."  Surely  the  "  right  nature" 
of  "  the  common  whore  of  mankind  " 
is  to  "put  odds  .  .  .  of  nations,"  and 
that  Timon  intends  so  to  use  his  gold 
is  shown  by  his  injunctions  to  the 
courtesans.  It  would  be  doing  nothing 
by  being  buried,  and  his  haste  to  hide 
it  is  prompted  by  his  not  knowing  whose 
approach  is  heralded  by  the  beat  of 
drum. 

44.  quick']  a  quibble. 

45.  thou  'It  go]  you  will  be  able  to 
walk ;  cp.  Lear,  I.  iv.  34,  "  Ride  more 
than  thou  £»«•/";  III.  ii.  94,   "going 
shall  be  used  with  feet." 

47.  earnest]  handsel,  pledge.  "  The 
/  is  excrescent  .  .  .  M.  E.  Ernes  .  .  . 
Prov.  Eng.  arles-penny,  an  earnest- 
penny,  where  arles  =  arms  =  ernes  " 
(Skeat,  Ety.  Diet.}.  Cp.  Dekker,  The 
Gentle  Craft,  vol.  i.  p.  28,  Pearson's 
Reprint,  "twenty  porpentines  as  an 
earnest-penny  "  ;  and  figuratively  Ford, 
Love's  Sacrifice,  II.  ii.  : 

"The  earnest-penny  of  a  love  so 
fervent." 


sc.  in.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  99 

Enter  ALCIBIADES,  with  drum  and  fife,  in  warlike 
manner  ;   PHRYNIA  and  TlMANDRA. 

Alcib.  What  art  thou  there  ?  speak, 

Tim.  A  beast,  as  thou  art.     The  canker  gnaw  thy  heart, 

For  showing  me  again  the  eyes  of  man ! 
Alcib.  What  is  thy  name?     Is  man  so  hateful  to  thee      50 

That  art  thyself  a  man  ? 
Tim.   I  am  misanthropes,  and  hate  mankind. 

For  thy  part,  I  do  wish  thou  wert  a  dog, 

That  I  might  love  thee  something. 
Alcib.  I  know  thee  well ; 

But  in  thy  fortunes  am  unlearn'd  and  strange.  5  5 

Tim.  I  know  thee  too ;  and  more  than  that  I  know  thee 

I  not  desire  to  know.     Follow  thy  drum  ; 

With  man's  blood  paint  the  ground,  gules,  gules; 

Religious  canons,  civil  laws  are  cruel ; 

Then  what  should  war  be  ?     This  fell  whore  of  thine  60 

Hath  in  her  more  destruction  than  thy  sword, 

For  all  her  cherubin  look. 

47.  Stage  -  Direction.        Timandra]  58.   gules]    the   heraldic     term     for 
One  of  Alcibiades's  mistresses.  Plutarch  "red."     Cp.  Hamlet,  n.  ii.  479  ;  Mid- 
(North,  ed.  Skeat,  p.  304)  says,  "Now  dleton's  The  Spanish  Gipsy,  m.  iii.  71- 
when  they  had  left  him,  Timandra  took  73  : 

his  body,  which  she  wrapped  up  in  the  ' '  White  paper, 
best  linen  she  had,  and  buried  him  as  This  should  be  innocence  ;    these 
honourably  as  she  could  possible,  with  letters  gules 
such  things  as  she  had,   and  could  get  Should  be  the  honest  oracles  of  re- 
together  ..."  venge." 

48.  The  canker]  "  the  "  emphatic,  the  In  Heywood,  The  Iron  Age,  vol.  iii.  p. 
canker  par  excellence.   Shakespeare  does  357,    Pearson's    Reprint,   we  have  the 
not  elsewhere  use  the  word  figuratively  word  as  a  verb  : 

in  this  absolute  sense,  but  defines  it  by  ''till  .  .  .  Hecub's   reverend 

another  substantive.   Possibly  he  had  in  locks 

his  mind    "the   foul   Naples   canker"  Be guFd in  slaughter." 

of  Marston's  Scourge  of  Villainy,  I.  22.  60.  should  .  .  .  be]  can  possibly  be, 

54.  something]  somewhat.  is  bound  to  be. 

55.  strange]  unacquainted.  62.  chertibin  look~\  look  like  a  young 


100  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Phry.  Thy  lips  rot  off! 

Tim.   I  will  not  kiss  thee ;  then  the  rot  returns 
To  thine  own  lips  again. 

Alcib.  How  came  the  noble  Timon  to  this  change?  65 

Tim.  As  the  moon  does,  by  wanting  light  to  give: 
But  then  renew  I  could  not  like  the  moon ; 
There  were  no  suns  to  borrow  of. 

Alcib.  Noble  Timon,  what  friendship  may  I  do  thee? 

Tim.  None,  but  to  maintain  my  opinion.  70 

Alcib.  What  is  it,  Timon  ? 

Tim.  Promise  me  friendship,  but  perform  none :  if 
thou  wilt  not  promise,  the  gods  plague  thee, 
for  thou  art  a  man  !  if  thou  dost  perform,  con 
found  thee,  for  thou  art  a  man  !  7  5 

Alcib.  I  have  heard  in  some  sort  of  thy  miseries. 

Tim.  Thou  saw'st  them,  when  I  had  prosperity. 

Alcib.  I  see  them  now ;  then  what  a  blessed  time. 

Tim.  As  thine  is  now,  held  with  a  brace  of  harlots. 

Timan.  Is  this  the  Athenian  minion  whom  the  world       80 
Voiced  so  regardfully? 

angel.     Both  ' '  cherubin "  and  ' '  cheru-  70.    None,    .    .    .    opinion]      none 

him  "  are  properly  a  plural  form.  except   to   prove  by  your  actions   the 

63,    64.  then   the   rot   .    .    .    agairi\  truth  of  the  opinion  I  hold  of  mankind. 

"  This  alludes  to  an  opinion  in  former  74,  75.  for  thou  .  .  .  man]  sc.  and 

times,    generally    prevalent,    that    the  therefore  deserve    to    be    plagued    by 

venereal     infection      transmitted      to  men,  whatever  your  conduct  may  be ; 

another,   left  the  infecter  free.     I  will  promise   or  not,   perform   or  not,  my 

not,  says  Timon,  take  the  rot  from  thy  curses  will  be  equally  deserved. 

lips,  by  kissing  thee "  (Johnson).  79.  held  with]  you  being  embraced 

67.  But    then  .  .  .  moon]    here    of  by.     Or  is  the  meaning  "spent  in  the 

course  of  the  waxing  and   waning    of  company    of,"   etc.,   held  referring   to 

the   moon,    a   slightly   different    sense  time  ?     In    The   Merchant  of  Venice, 

from  that  of  III.  iv.  12,  above,  of  the  V.  i.  127,  we  have,    "We  should  hold 

sun's  course  being  longer  in   summer  day  with  the   Antipodes,"   i.e.   enjoy 

than  in  winter.  daylight. 

67.  renew]     intransitively,     become  80.  minimi]  Fr.  mignon,  darling, 

new,  with  possibly  an  allusion  to  the  81.    Voiced  so  regardfully]  acclaimed 

renewal  of  bonds.  with  such  honour. 


SC.  III. 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


Tim.  Art  thou  Timandra  ? 

Timan.  Yes. 

Tim.  Be  a  whore  still ;  they  love  thee  not  that  use  thee ; 
Give  them  diseases,  leaving  with  thee  their  lust. 
Make  use  of  thy  salt  hours ;  season  the  slaves 
For  tubs  and  baths ;  bring  down  rose-cheeked  youth    8  5 
To  the  tub-fast  and  the  diet. 

Timan.  Hang  thee,  monster ! 

Alcib.  Pardon  him,  sweet  Timandra,  for  his  wits 
Are  drown'd  and  lost  in  his  calamities. 
I  have  but  little  gold  of  late,  brave  Timon, 
The  want  whereof  doth  daily  make  revolt  90 

In  my  penurious  band :   I  have  heard  and  griev'd 
How  cursed  Athens,  mindless  of  thy  worth, 
Forgetting  thy  great  deeds,  when  neighbour  states, ; 
But  for  thy  sword  and  fortune,  trod  upon  them, — 

Tim.  I  prithee,  beat  thy  drum,  and  get  thee  gone.  95 

Alcib.  I  am  thy  friend,  and  pity  thee,  dear  Timon. 

Tim.  How  dost  thou  pity  him  whom  thou  dost  trouble? 
I  had  rather  be  alone. 

Alcib.  Why,  fare  thee  well : 

Here  is  some  gold  for  thee. 

Tim.  Keep  it,  I  cannot  eat  it. 

Alcib.  When  I  have  laid  proud  Athens  on  a  heap, —      100 


82.  they  love  .   .  .  thee]  sc.  and  there 
fore  you  cannot  be  blamed  for  diseasing 
them. 

83.  leaving  .  .   .  lust]  while  they  on 
their  part  leave,  etc. 

84.  salf]  salacious ;  cp.  Othello,  II.  i. 
244  ;  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  II.  i.  121. 

84,  85.  season  .  .  .  baths]  make  them 
fit  for  that  treatment  which  their  lust 
will  render  necessary.  See  note  on  II. 
ii.  66,  above. 


91.  penurious']  suffering  from  extreme 
want ;  now  more  commonly  used  in  the 
sense  of  "  niggardly." 

92.  mindless]  unmindful. 

94.  trod]  the  full  thought  would  be 
"trod  upon  them,  or  would  have  done 
so,  if  it  had  not  been  for,"  etc. 

100.  laid  .  .  .  heap]  made  it  one 
heap  of  ruin ;  cp.  Henry  V.  v.  ii. 
39- 


102  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Tim.  Warr'st  thou  'gainst  Athens?' 

Alcib.  Ay,  Timon,  and  have  cause. 

Tim.  The  gods  confound  them  all  in  thy  conquest, 
And  thee  after,  when  thou  hast  conquer'd  ! 

Alcib.  Why  me,  Timon  ? 

Tim.  That  by  killing  of  villains 

Thou  wast  born  to  conquer  my  country.  105 

Put  up  thy  gold  :  go  on,  —  here  's  gold,  —  go  on  ; 

Be  as  a  planetary  plague,  when  Jove 

Will  o'er  some  high-vic'd  city  hang  his  poison 

In  the  sick  air  :  let  not  thy  sword  skip  one. 

Pity  not  honour'd  age  for  his  white  beard  ;  1  1  o 

He  is  an  usurer  :  strike  me  the  counterfeit  matron  ; 

It  is  her  habit  only  that  is  honest, 

Herself  's  a  bawd  :  let  not  the  virgin's  cheek 

Make    soft    thy    trenchant    sword  ;    for    those    milk- 

paps, 
That  through  the  window-bars  bore  at  men's  eyes,   115 


101-105.  Warr'st  .  .  .  country\T\iz.  "  but  when  the  planets 

metre   of  these   lines  is  rugged  almost  In  evil  mixture  to  disorder  wander, 

beyond  the  possibility  of  their  having  What  plagues  and   what   portents 

so     come     from     Shakespeare's     pen.  .  .   .   !  " 

Walker,  making  "Warr'st.  ..  Athens?"  The    references    to    the    malignity    of 

a  line  in  itself,  ends  them  with  "  them  "  planets    abound    in    literature    of   the 

.  .  .    "when"  .   .  .   "killing"   .    .    .  period,  as  was  natural  in  an  age  which 

"country,"  and  suggests  somesuch  word  still  firmly  believed  in  astrology. 

as  "scourge"  inline  104  for  "conquer,"  108.    Will]  is  determined  to. 

which,  he  says,  is  not  the  word  required  109.  sick}    that    thus     becomes    in 

here.     The  repetition   of  "conquest,"  fected  ;  proleptic. 

"conquer'd,"  "conquer,"   can   hardly  112.  habit}  dress  and  appearance. 

be  right.     It  would  be  easy,  with  Pope,  115.  -window  -bars'}  Johnson's  happy 

to  rectify  line   103  by  reading,    "And  emendation     of      "window     Bame" 

after,  thee,  when  thou  hast  conquered,"  which,  however,  he  strangely  explained 

but  this  would  help  us  little.     In  line  of  the  virgin  showing  her  bosom  through 

104,    Hanmer   gave    "make    conquest  the    lattice    of    her    chamber.     "The 

of    thy  country";    Capell,    "conquer  -window-bars    in    question    meant    the 

thy  own  country  "  ;  and  Kinnear  con-  cross-bars  or  lattice-work,  as  we  see  it 

jectured  "confound  my  countrymen."  in  the  Swiss  women's  dress,  across  the 

107.  a  planetary  plague}  Cp.  Troilus  breasts.     In  modern   times   these  bars 

and  Cressida,  I.  iii.  95-97  :  have  always  a  bodice  of  satin,  muslin, 


SC.  HI.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


103 


Are  not  within  the  leaf  of  pity  writ, 

But   set   them  down  horrible  traitors :  spare  not  the 

babe, 
Whose    dimpled     smiles     from    fools     exhaust    their 

mercy  ; 

Think  it  a  bastard,  whom  the  oracle 
Hath  doubtfully  pronounc'd  thy  throat  shall  cut,    1 20 
And  mince  it  sans  remorse :  swear  against  objects  ; 
Put  armour  on  thine  ears  and  on  thine  eyes, 
Whose  proof,  nor  yells  of  mothers,  maids,  nor  babes, 
Nor  sight  of  priests  in  holy  vestments  bleeding, 
Shall  pierce  a  jot.      There  's  gold  to  pay  thy  soldiers  : 
Make  large  confusion  ;  and,  thy  fury  spent,  126 

Confounded  be  thyself!     Speak  not,  be  gone. 
Alcib.  Hast  thou  gold  yet  ?      I  '11  take  the  gold  thou  giv'st 

me, 
Not  all  thy  counsel. 

or  other  material,  beneath  them ;  at 
one  period  they  crossed  the  nude 
bosom  "  (Staunton).  Cp.  The  Winter's 
Tale,  iv.  iv.  2ir,  "he  so  chants  to  the 
sleeve-hand  and  the  work  about  the 
square  on't,"  where  Toilet  quotes  from 
Fairfax's  translation  of  Tasso's  Geru- 
salemme,  xii.  64 : 

"  Between     her    breasts    the    cruel 

weapon  rives 

Her  curious  square,  emboss'd  with 
swelling  gold." 

1 1 6.  Are  not  .  .  .  -writ}  are  not 
among  those  whom  the  teaching  of 
mercy  bids  us  spare. 

118.  exhaust}  draw  out,  compel. 

1 20.  doubtfully]  in  ambiguous  lan 
guage. 

1 20.  thy  .  .  .  cuf\  Johnson  sees  an 
allusion  to  the  story  of  Oedipus,  but  he 
was  not  a  bastard  and  the  oracle  said 
nothing  about  cutting  throats. 

121.  Swear  against  objects]  It  is  easy 
enough    to    say,    as    so   many   editors 


agree  in  saying,  that  "objects"  means 
"  tender  objects."  Such  an  axe  would 
cut  any  knot.  It  is  true  that  in  Troilus 
and  Cressida,  iv.  v.  106,  we  have  : 

' '  For  Hector  in  his  blaze  of  wrath 

subscribes 

To  tender  objects  "  ; 
but  no  instance  has  been  cited,  or  ever 
can  be  cited,  in  proof  that  "objects" 
alone  is  equivalent  to  "tender  objects." 
Hanmer  reads  "'gainst  all  objects"; 
Farmer  conjectured  "abjects";  Bec- 
ket,  "audits";  Gould,  "shrieks."  I 
suggest  "against  weak  objects,"  omit 
ting  "swear,"  and  removing  the  stop 
after  "  objects,"  those  being  the 
mothers,  maids,  etc.,  that  Timon  goes 
on  to  enumerate. 

123.  Whose  proof]  sc.  of  the  armour  ; 
"armour  of  proof"  is  armour  that 
has  been  "proved,"  or  subjected  to 
rigorous  trial,  in  the  manufactory 
before  being  issued  for  use. 


104  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Tim.  Dost  thou,   or  dost  thou  not,  heaven's   curse    upon 

thee !  130 

Phr.,  Timan.  Give  us  some  gold,  good  Timon  :  hast  thou 

more? 
Tim.  Enough  to  make  a  whore  forswear  her  trade, 

And  to  make  whores,  a  bawd.      Hold  up,  you  sluts, 
Your  aprons  mountant :  you  are  not  oathable, 
Although,  I  know,  you'll  swear,  terribly  swear        135 
Into  strong  shudders  and  to  heavenly  agues 
The    immortal     gods    that    hear    you ;    spare    your 

oaths, 

I  '11  trust  to  your  conditions  :  be  whores  still ; 
And  he  whose  pious  breath  seeks  to  convert  you, 
Be  strong  in  whore,  allure  him,  burn  him  up  ;          1 40 
Let  your  close  fire  predominate  his  smoke, 
And    be    no    turncoats :    yet    may    your    pains,    six 

months, 
Be  quite  contrary :  and  thatch  your  poor  thin  roofs 

133.  And  to  .  .  .  bawd}      This    is         141.  close}  is  generally  explained  as 
generally  explained,    "and   enough  to  "secret,"  a  sense  it  so  often  has;  here 
make  a  bawd  leave  making  whores."  I  think   it   means    "concentrated,"  in 
Theobald     edited     Warburton's     con-  antithesis   to    the    "pious  breath"    of 
jecture,   "whole  a  bawd";    Hanmer,  him  who  may  seek  to  convert  them, 
"whores     abundant";     and      Collier,         142,  143.  yet  may    .    .    .    contrary} 
"whores      abhorred,"     though     why  Whether  from  a  feeling  of  delicacy,  or 
plenteousness  of  gold  should  effect  this  because   they   think   the   meaning   too 
he  does  not  say.      I  believe  that  "to  plain    to    be    misunderstood,    modern 
make,"  in  line  1 33,  has  been  caught  from  editors     pass     this     passage     over     in 
the  line  above,  and  that  we  should  read  silence.     Warburton    says:    "This    is 
"  forsake,"  i.e.  enough  to  make  whores  obscure,  partly  from  the  ambiguity  of 
forswear   their   trade  and    to   make   a  the     word   pains,     and     partly     from 
bawd  forsake  whores.  the  generality  of  the  expression.     The 

134.  mountant}      an     imitation     of  meaning   is  this:  he  had   said  before, 
heraldic  language.  follow    constantly   your   trade    of    de- 

134.  oathable}  to  be  believed  on  your  bauchery :  that  is  (says  he)  for  six 

oath.  months  in  the  year.  The  other  six  be 

138.  conditions}  possibly  here  "  voca-  employed  in  quite  contrary  pains  and 

tions,"  "  professions"  ;  though  the  word  labours,  namely,  in  the  severe  discipline 

is  of  course  more  frequent  in  Shake-  necessary  for  the  repair  of  those  dis- 

speare  for  "disposition."  orders  that  your  debaucheries  occasion 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


105 


With  burdens  of  the  dead ;  some  that  were  hang'd, 
No  matter ;  wear  them,  betray  with  them  :  whore  still ; 
Paint  till  a  horse  may  mire  upon  your  face :  1 46 

A  pox  of  wrinkles  ! 

Phr.  and  Timan.  Well,  more  gold.      What  then  ? 
Believe 't  that  we  '11  do  any  thing  for  gold.    "V 


in  order  to  fit  you  anew  to  the  trade ; 
and  thus  let  the  whole  year  be  spent  in 
these  different  occupations.  On  this 
account  he  goes  on  and  says,  '  Make 
false  hair,'  etc."  But  Timon  has 
neither  said  nor  implied  that  they  were 
to  follow  their  trade  for  six  months 
only ;  and  I  utterly  refuse  to  believe 
that  any  such  flabby,  inept,  and 
irrelevant  a  sentiment  as  Warburton 
evolves  can  have  come  from  Shake 
speare.  Johnson  says  that  Timon  wishes 
"  they  may  do  all  possible  mischief 
and  yet  take  pains  six  months  of  the 
year  in  vain."  Steevens  believes  the 
words  to  mean,  "  Yet  for  half  the  year 
at  least,  may  you  suffer  such  punish 
ment  as  is  inflicted  on  harlots  in  houses 
of  correction."  The  two  last  com 
mentators  seem  to  me  as  wide  of  the 
mark  as  Warburton  ;  the  copulative 
"and  thatch"  is  by  itself  almost 
enough  to  show  that  such  interpreta 
tions  are  wrong.  /  do  not  believe  (hat 
any  imprecation  upon  the  courtesans  is 
to  be  found  here.  The  whole  passage 
is  a  fierce  injunction  laid  upon  them  to 
persevere  in  the  methods  and  devices 
by  the  help  of  which  they  propagate 
disease  ;  and  in  the  last  six  lines  of  the 
speech  Timon  is  especially  emphasising 
the  devices  of  painting  and  wearing 
false  hair.  Putting,  then,  a  colon 
after  "smoke,"  I  would  read  and 
punctuate  thus : 

"  And  be  no  turncoats  ;  yet  may  your 

paint-si^  d  mouths 
Beguile    contrary ;    and    thatch," 

etc., 

i.e.  may  you  still  continue  to  beguile 
men  to  their  destruction  by  the  flatteries 
of  your  paint-bedaubed  mouths ;  just 
as  immediately  before  he  warned  them 


against  being  turned  from  their  pro 
fession  by  "  pious  breath,"  and  as  he 
immediately  afterwards  bids  them 
"betray"  men  with  their  false  hair,  no 
matter  whence  obtained.  In  Hamlet, 
II.  ii.  484,  we  have : 

"And  thus  e'er-sized  with  coagulate 

gore  " ; 

and  in  The  Two  Noble  Kinsmen,  i.  i. 
99,  "th5  blood-tt'srrf  field."  Cp.  also 
Hamlet,  III.  i.  51  : 

"The  harlot's  cheek  beautied  -with 

plastering  art." 

In  Love's  Labour's  Lost,  v.  ii.  135  : 
"  so  shall  your  loves 
Woo   contrary,  deceived  by  these 

removes," 

"contrary"  is  an  adverb,  and  the 
sense  of  "Woo  contrary"  is  that  of 
leading  and  being  led  astray,  though 
not,  as  here,  to  any  bad  purpose.  The 
conjectures  on  the  passage  recorded  in 
the  Cambridge  Shakespeare  are  as 
follows: — For  "pains,  six  months," 
Becket,  "pain-sick  months";  Lloyd, 
"pale-sick  mouths";  for  "six months," 
Hanmer,  "exterior";  Keightley,  "six 
months  thence ";  for  "six  months,  Be 
quite  contrary,"  Kinnear,  "within  Six 
months,  requite  you  contrary " ;  for 
"contrary,"  Johnson,  "contraried." 
The  second  folio  has  "mouths"  for 
"  months." 

144.  With  burdens  .  .  .  dead]  false 
hair  taken  from  dead  bodies.  Shake 
speare  repeatedly  refers  with  disgust  to 
the  fashion  of  wearing  false  hair. 

146.  may  mire]  sc.  without  washing 
off  the  thick  paint  upon  them. 

147.  A  pox  of  wrinkles  !]  wrinkles  be 
hanged  !  paint  so  that  such  things  will 
be  impossible. 


106 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  iv. 


Tim.  Consumptions  sow  150 

In  hollow  bones  of  man ;  strike  their  sharp  shins, 
And  mar  men's  spurring.     Crack  the  lawyer's  voice, 
That  he  may  never  more  false  title  plead, 
Nor  sound  his  quillets  shrilly :  hoar  the  flamen, 
That  scolds  against  the  quality  of  flesh,  155 

And  not  believes  himself:  down  with  the  nose, 


151.  hollow  .  .  .  sharp]  both  words 
seem  to  be  used   proleptically  ;    bones 
that  would  be  hollowed,  and  shins  that 
would  be  attenuated,    by   the  disease 
conveyed     to     them.       Dr.     Bucknill 
(Shakespeare's      Medical      Knowledge, 
pp.  250,  251)  says  of  the  former,   "It 
seems  most  probable  that '  consumptions 
in  the  hollow  bones '  means  disease  of 
the  bones  of  the  cranium,  which  form 
that  which  may  essentially  be  called, 
the  hollow  bone  of  the  body.     Disease 
of  these  bones  we  know  to  have  been 
terribly  frequent    in    the   olden   time, 
when  the  treatment  of  syphilis  consisted 
mainly  in  the  administration   of  mer 
cury."      I  do    not    of    course    dispute 
Dr.  Bucknill's  professional  knowledge, 
but  here  the  question  is  of  grammatical 
construction,  and,  further,  if  the  hollow 
bone  of  the  cranium  had  been  meant, 
I  think  that  Shakespeare,  coupling  it 
with  "shins,"  would  have  been  more 
specific  in  his   statement.      In    regard 
to  "shins,"  Dr.  Bucknill  believes  that 
reference  is  made  to  painful  nodes  on 
the   shin   bones  formed   by  the   same 
disease. 

152.  Crack  ,  .   .  voice~\    Here,    says 
Dr.  Bucknill,  the  reference  is  to  "vene 
real  ulcerations  of  the  larynx." 

154.  quillets}  subtle  distinctions, 
legal  quibbles ;  originally  the  Latin 
quidlibet,  as  quoddit  from  quodlibet,  and 
quiddity  from  quid.  Cp.  Middleton, 
A  Trick  to  Catch,  etc.,  I.  i.  n,  "swal 
lowed  in  the  quicksands  of  law- 
quillets." 

154.  hoar  the  flamen}  "The  priest," 
says  Dr.  Bucknill,  "is  made  to  bear 
the  mark  of  infamy  still  more  in  public, 


in  the  white  scaly  disease  to  which 
Timon,  in  the  earlier  part  of  the 
scene,  applies  the  very  same  epithet, 
'hoar,'  old  English  for  white,  as  hoar 
frost.  ..."  And  Schmidt  explains 
"hoar"  by  "make  rotten."  I  doubt 
such  interpretation,  and  Shakespeare's 
repeated  r-eference  to  leprous  disease. 
Rather,  I  think,  the  reference  is  to 
the  premature  white  hairs  due  to  the 
disease.  In  the  Choephoroi  of  Aeschy 
lus,  278-282,  there  is  mention  of 
"white  temples"  as  the  result  of  a 
similar  disease  : 

rd  fJ^v    yap    £K   777$    8vcr<j>p6vuv   firf- 
vifiara  (fiftXiyfiara,  Med.) 


uw  Tn.<t>a,\iffK<av  elire,  ras  5'  alvwv 

VOffOVS, 

-pKuv     eira/j,j3aTfjpas     dyplais    yvd- 

001S 

f^ffdovTa.3 
Xewccts   3 


VOfftf. 

Here  the  Xei^pes  4ira.^a.Tripes  cor 
responds  with  the  "consumptions," 
and  the  Xewcai  Kopffai  are  the  same 
sequelae. 

1  54.  flamen"}  the  priest  of  a  particular 
god  ;  as  the  names  of  the  dramatis 
persona  are  mainly  Roman,  so  here 
Shakespeare  has  the  title  of  a  Roman 
priest.  Similarly,  in  Heywood's  Iron 
Age,  iv.  i.,  though  the  scene  is  Troy, 
we  have,  "onto  Apollo's  shrine,  The 
flamen  stays." 

T55>  J56-  That  scolds  .  .  .  himself} 
that  is  angry  when  the  flesh  of  the 
victim  refuses  to  give  a  good  omen  (as 
by  not  burning  freely,  sputtering,  etc.), 
and  yet  has  no  belief  in  the  rites  he  is 
performing. 


SC.IIL]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  107 

Down  with  it  flat ;  take  the  bridge  quite  away 

Of  him  that,  his  particular  to  foresee, 

Smells    from     the    general    weal :    make    curl'd-pate 

ruffians  bald ; 

And  let  the  unscarr'd  braggarts  of  the  war  1 60 

Derive  some  pain  from  you :  plague  all, 
That  your  activity  may  defeat  and  quell 
The  source  of  all  erection.     There 's  more  gold  ; 
Do  you  damn  others,  and  let  this  damn  you, 
And  ditches  grave  you  all!  165 

Phr,,  Timan.  More   counsel  with   more  money,  bounteous 

Timon. 
Tim.  More  whore,  more  mischief  first ;  I  have  given  you 

earnest. 
Alcib.  Strike   up  the    drum    towards    Athens  !      Farewell, 

Timon : 

If  I  thrive  well,  I  '11  visit  thee  again. 
Tim.  If  I  hope  well,  I  '11  never  see  thee  more.  170 

I5^»  159.  Of  him  .  .  ,  -weal}  John-  i.e.  of  him  who  scents  his  own  loss  or 
son  says,  ''The  metaphor  is  apparently  woe  as  resulting  from  the  general  wel- 
incongruous,  but  the  sense  is  good.  fare.  If  "  loss  "  were  written  with  the 
To  foresee  his  particular  \s  to  provide  long  s,  "  lofs  or  woe"  would  closely 
for  his  private  advantage,  for  which  he  approximate  to  "to  foresee"  ;  the  con- 
leaves  the  right  scent  of  public  good,  trast  of  weal  and  woe  occurs  three 
In  hunting  when  hares  have  crossed  times  in  Shakespeare.  Capell  gives 
one  another,  it  is  common  for  some  of  "not  foresees,  Smells  for."  The 
the  hounds  '  to  smell  from  the  general  breaking  down  of  the  bridge  of  the 
weal,  and  foresee  their  own  particular.'  nose  is  of  course  another  of  the 
Shakespeare,  who  seems  to  have  been  syphilitic  sequelae, 
a  skilful  sportsman,  and  has  often  160,  161.  And  let  .  .  .  you]  and 
alluded  to  falconry,  perhaps  alludes  may  those  boastful  fellows  who  have 
here  to  hunting."  So,  then,  the  bridge  escaped  from  battle  without  a  wound, 
of  his  nose  is  to  be  broken  who  in  find  that  you  are  foes  more  dangerous 
order  to  foresee,  smells,  etc. ,  and  one  is  than  any  they  have  encountered  in  war. 
invited  to  ascribe  to  Shakespeare  this  165.  grave]  entomb  ;  cp.  Richard II. 
beautiful  confusion  of  metaphor  as  to  III.  ii.  140,  "  graved  in  the  hollow 
the  same  person  or  animal  and  as  to  ground."  Steevens  quotes  Chapman's 
a  single  action  !  I  suggest,  Iliad,  xv.  315,  "the  throtes  of  dogs 

"  Of  him  that  his  particular  loss  or  woe  shall  grave  His  manless  lims." 

Smells  from  the  general  weal ";  170.  If  I  hope  .  .  .  more]    if   the 


108  TIMON   OF   ATHENS          [ACTIV. 

Alcib.  I  never  did  thee  harm. 

Tim.   Yes,  thou  spok'st  well  of  me. 

Alcib.  Call'st  thou  that  harm  ? 

Tim.  Men  daily  find  it.     Get  thee  away,  and  take 
Thy  beagles  with  thee. 

Alcib.  We  but  offend  him.     Strike  ! 

[Drum  beats.     Exeunt  Alcibiades, 
Phrynia,  and  Timandra. 

Tim.  That  nature,  being  sick  of  man's  unkindness,          175 
Should  yet  be  hungry !     Common  mother,  thou, 

[Digging. 

Whose  womb  unmeasurable,  and  infinite  breast, 
Teems,  and  feeds  all ;  whose  self-same  mettle, 
Whereof  thy  proud  child,  arrogant  man,  is  puff'd, 
Engenders  the  black  toad  and  adder  blue,  1 80 

The  gilded  newt  and  eyeless  venom'd  worm, 
With  all  the  abhorred  births  below  crisp  heaven 
Whereon  Hyperion's  quickening  fire  doth  shine  ; 
Yield  him,  who  all  thy  human  sons  doth  hate, 
From  forth  thy  plenteous  bosom,  one  poor  root !     185 

hope  I  cherish  prove  a  good  omen,  I  inflates  arrogant  man  with  a  sense  of 

shall,  etc.  his  superiority. 

174.   Thy  beagles]    these    strumpets        181.  newt}    properly     "an    ewt"; 

who   follow   and  fawn   upon  you  like  conversely,     "an   adder"   is   properly 

spaniels;    a    "beagle"    was    a   small  "a  nadder." 

variety  of  hound  tracking  by  scent  and         181.  eyeless  worm']  the  blind  worm, 

used   in   the  hunting   of  hares,    much  so    called    from   the   smallness    of    its 

the   same    as   the  harriers   of  modern  eyes,  the  Cacilia,  or  Anguis  fragilis  of 

days,  and  the  term  was  constantly  used  naturalists  ;    cp.    Macbeth,    IV.    i.     16, 

by  the   dramatists  in   a   contemptuous  "Adder's  fork  and  blindworm's  sting." 
sense,  especially  of  women.  182.  crisp]  curled,  sc.  in  the  folds  of 

178.    Teems}    bears    in    abundance;  clouds;  cp.    The    Tempest,  i.   ii.   192, 

for  this  transitive  sense,  cp.  Macbeth,  iv.  "the  curled  clouds"  ;  so  of  the  waters 

iii.  176,  "each  minute  teems  a  new  one."  of  a  stream,  1  Henry  IV.   I.  iii.  106. 

178.  mettle']     and      "metal"      are  Steevens    quotes      The     Philosopher's 
doublets,  the  former  being  now  used  in  Satires,  by  Robert  Anton  : 

a  figurative,  the  latter  in  a  literal,  sense.         "Her    face    as    beauteous    as     the 

179.  Whereof  .    .    .   puff'd}   which  crisped  morn." 


sc.m.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  109 

Ensear  thy  fertile  and  conceptious  womb, 

;Let  it  no  more  bring  out  ingrateful  man  ! 

Go  great  with  tigers,  dragons,  wolves,  and  bears  ; 

Teem  with  new  monsters,  whom  thy  upward  face 

Hath  to  the  marbled  mansion  all  above  190 

Never  presented  !     O,  a  root ;  dear  thanks  ! 

Dry  up  thy  marrows,  vines,  and  plough-torn  leas ; 

Whereof  ingrateful  man,  with  liquorish  draughts 

And  morsels  unctuous,  greases  his  pure  mind, 

That  from  it  all  consideration  slips !  195 

Enter  APEMANf  US. 

More  man  ?     Plague  !  plague  ! 
Apem.  I  was  directed  hither :  men  report 

Thou  dost  affect  my  manners,  and  dost  use  them. 
Tim,  'Tis  then  because  thou  dost  not  keep  a  dog 

Whom  I  would  imitate:  consumption  catch  thee  !   200 
Apem.  This  is  in  thee  a  nature  but  infected ; 

A  poor  unmanly  melancholy  sprung 

From  change  of  fortune.     Why  this  spade  ?  this  place  ? 

1 86.  Ensear]    dry    up.         Steevens  "leas";  and  in  iv.  i.  26,  above,  the 

quotes  Lear,  I.  iv.  301  :  plural  is  used  in  the  same  sense.    Rowe 

"Dry  up  in  her  the  organs  of  in-  gave    "marrows,    veins";     Hanmer, 

crease."  "  meadows,       vineyards,"       omitting 

190.  mansion   all]    Walker    conjee-  "and";        Warburton,         "harrow'd 

tured  "mansion-hall."  veins";    Collier,   "meadows,  vines"; 

192.  Dry  up  .  .  .  leas]  Dyce,  quot-  Keightley,    "married   vines";    Heath 
ing  Cotgrave,  "  Moelleux.    Marrowie,  conjectured  "marrow'd  veins." 
pithie,  full  of  strength  or  strong  sap,"  195.  consideration]  regard  for  others, 
suggests  that  the   plural  "marrowes"  or  for  other  things  than  sensual  plea- 
may    be    a   mistake    for    "marrowie"  sures. 

(marrowy),  as  an  epithet   to  "vines."  200.    Whom    .    .    .    imitate]    sc.    as 

We  certainly  thus  obtain  an  apt  anti-  being     an     animal     more     worthy    of 

thesis;  the  "marrowy  vines"  produc-  imitation  than  a  human  animal,  especi- 

ing    the    "liquorish  draughts"  as   the  ally  one  like  Apemantus. 

"  plough-torn  leas  "  produce  the  "mor-  201.  infected]  probably  combines  the 

sels  unctuous."     But  "marrows"  may  idea  of  "tainted"  and  of  "affected," 

be    in    apposition   with   "vines"  and  "put  on." 


110  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

This  slave-like  habit  ?  and  these  looks  of  care  ? 

Thy  flatterers  yet  wear  silk,  drink  wine,  lie  soft,      205 

Hug  their  diseas'd  perfumes,  and  have  forgot 

That  ever  Timon  was.     Shame  not  these  woods 

By  putting  on  the  cunning  of  a  carper. 

Be  thou  a  flatterer  now,  and  seek  to  thrive 

By  that  which  has  undone  thee  :  hinge  thy  knee,    210 

And  let  his  very  breath,  whom  thou  'It  observe, 

Blow  off  thy  cap ;  praise  his  most  vicious  strain, 

And  call  it  excellent :  thou  was  told  thus ; 

Thou  gav'st  thine  ears,  like  tapsters  that  bid  welcome, 

To  knaves  and  all  approachers :  'tis  most  just         215 

That  thou  turn  rascal ;  hadst  thou  wealth  again, 

Rascals  should  have  't.     Do  not  assume  my  likeness. 

Tim.  Were  I  like  thee  I  'd  throw  away  myself. 

Apem.  Thou  hast  cast  away  thyself,  being  like  thyself; 

A  madman  so  long,  now  a  fool.      What,  think'st    220 
That  the  bleak  air,  thy  boisterous  chamberlain, 
Will  put  thy  shirt  on  warm  ?  will  these  moss'd  trees, 

206.  Hug.  .  .perfumes']  "i.e.  their  212.  strain}  natural  bent ;  cp.  Troilus 

diseas'd  perfumed  mistresses"  (Malone).  and  Cressida,  II.  ii.  154: 

Steevens  compares  Othello,  iv.  i.  150  :  "  Can  it  be 

"  "Pis  such  another  fitchew  ;  marry,  That  so  degenerate  a  strain  as  this 

a  perfumed  one. "  Should   once   set  footing  in  your 

208.  the  cunning  .  .  .  carper]  seems  generous  bosoms  ?  " 

to  mean  the  speciality  of  a  fault-finder,  213.  thou  .  .  .  thus]  such  were  the 

not  the  "  insidious  art"  (Steevens),  or  flattering    tales    told    to   you   in  your 

the  "affected  superiority  in  judgment"  prosperous  days. 

(Clarke),  or   the   "counterfeit  appear-  214.  like  tapsters]  ready  to  welcome 

ance "   (Johnson).       Warburton    takes  all  and  do  their  bidding.     Malone  com- 

"  carper"  for  "cynic,"  to  which   sect  pares  Venus  and  Adonis,  849: 

Apemantus  belonged.  "Like  shrill-tongu'd  tapsters  answer- 

210.  hinge  thy  knee]  Cp.  Hamlet,  III.  ing  every  call, 

ii.  66,  "crook  the  pregnant  hinges  of  Soothing  the  humour  of  fantastic 

the  knee.'"  wits." 

211.  observe]    do    homage    to;    cp.  Cp.  also  1  Henry  IV.  ii.  iv.  28-30. 
Troilus  and  Cressida,  II.  iii.  137:  217.  should  have  V]  would  be  certain 

"And  underwrite  in  an  observing  kind     to  get  it  into  their  hands. 
His  humourous  predominance. "  222.    Will   put   .    .    .    warm?]  will 


sc.ni.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  ill 

That  have  outliv'd  the  eagle,  page  thy  heels 

And  skip  when  thou  point'st  out  ?  will  the  cold  brook, 

Candied  with  ice,  caudle  thy  morning  taste  225 

To  cure  thy  o'er-night's  surfeit  ?     Call  the  creatures 

Whose  naked  natures  live  in  all  the  spite 

Of  wreakful  heaven,  whose  bare  unhoused  trunks, 

To  the  conflicting  elements  exposed, 

Answer  mere  nature;  bid  them  flatter  thee;  230 

O  !  thou  shall  find— 

Tim.  A  fool  of  thee.     Depart. 

Apem.  I  love  thee  better  now  than  e'er  I  did. 

Tim.  I  hate  thee  worse. 

Apem.  Why  ? 

Tim.  Thou  flatter'st  misery. 

Apem.   I  flatter  not,  but  say  thou  art  a  caitiff. 

bring  you  your  shirt  warm  from  the  256,   "  Cawdled  like  a  Haberdasher's 

fire  and  help  you  to  put  it  on  ?  Wife  That  lies  in   of  her  first   child  " 

222.  moss'd]  overgrown  with  moss;  (quoted  in  the  New  English  Dictionary). 
cp.  As  You  Like  It,  IV.  iii.  105.  227.    Whose  naked  natures]  who  in 

223.  That    .    .    .    eagle~\    "  Aquilce  their  natural  nakedness. 

Senectus   is   a  proverb.     I   learn  from  227.  in  all  the  spite}  a  mark  for  all 

Turberville's  Book  of  Falconry,   1575,  the  bitterness. 

that  the  great  age  of  this  bird  has  been  228.  wreakful  ]  vengeful ;  cp.  Titus 

ascertained   from   the   circumstance   of  Andronicus,  V.  ii.  32. 

its  always  building  its  eyrie,  or  nest,  in  230.  Answer  mere  nature}  cope  with 

the  same  place  "  (Steevens).  nature  in  all  its  stark  rigour ;  cp.  Lear, 

224.  skip  .  .   .  out]  be  eager  to  do  III.  iv.   106,  "Why,  thou  were  better 
your  every  hest.  in  thy  grave  than  to  answer  with  thy 

225.  Candied}  congealed;   cp.    The  uncovered  body  this   extremity  of  the 
Tempest,  n.  i.  279;  '"originally,"  says  skies."     Hudson   explains,   ''Have  no 
Schmidt,  "to  make  white  (with  sugar  more   than   the   absolute   necessities   of 
or  hoar-frost)."  nature  require  "  ;  but  surely  the  words 

225.  caudle  .  .  .  taste]  offer  a  caudle  cannot  bear  such  a  sense.     Rolfe,  too, 

to  your  morning  palate  "furred"  with  for   "mere  nature,"  gives   "the  mere 

your   over-night    debauch;    "caudle,"  demands,    or    necessities,    of    nature." 

literally  a    hot    drink,  from   calidtim,  Neither      explanation      accounts      for 

neuter    of    callidus,    hot.      These   re-  "answer." 

cuperatives,  so  often  mentioned  in  the  231.  A  fool  of  thee]  a  fool  in  your 

dramatists,  were  taken  by  our  ancestors  person  ;  cp.  Julius  Ccesar,  n.  i.  157  ; 

at  various  hours  of  day  and  night,  and  All^s  Well,  v.  iii.  I. 

with   various   objects.     For   the   verb,  234.  caitiff]  literally  a  "captive"; 

cp.  Davenant,  Love  and  /70«02«r(i673),  then,  any  mean,  low  wretch. 


112  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Tim.  Why  dost  thou  seek  me  out  ? 

Apem.  To  vex  thee.          235 

Tim.  Always  a  villain's  office,  or  a  fool's. 
Dost  please  thyself  in  't  ? 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  What !  a  knave  too  ? 

Apem.   If  thou  didst  put  this  sour-cold  habit  on 
To  castigate  thy  pride,  'twere  well ;  but  thou 
Dost  it  enforcedly  ;  thou  'dst  courtier  be  again        240 
Wert  thou  not  beggar.     Willing  misery 
Outlives  incertain  pomp,  is  crown'd  before ; 
The  one  is  filling  still,  never  complete ; 
The  other,  at  high  wish :  best  state,  contentless, 
Hath  a  distracted  and  most  wretched  being,  245 

Worse  than  the  worst,  content. 
Thou  should'st  desire  to  die,  being  miserable. 

Tim.  Not  by  his  breath  that  is  more  miserable. 

Thou  art  a  slave,  whom  Fortune's  tender  arm 

With  favour  never  clasp'd,  but  bred  a  dog.  250 

237.    What!  .  .  .  too]  "  when, "  says  one  is  ever  filling,  never  full,  the  other 

Johnson,  ' '  Apemantus   tells  him  that  as  brimful  as  heart  could  desire  ;   cp. 

he  comes  to  vex  him,  Timon  determines  Cymbeline,  i.  vi.  47-49  : 
that  to  vex  is  either  the  office  of  a  "  The  cloyed  will, 

villain  or  a  fool  ;  that  to  vex  by  design  That  satiate  yet  unsatisfied  desire, 

is  villainy,  to   vex   without    design   is  that  tub 

folly.      He   then   properly  asks    Ape-  Both  fill'd  and  running "  ; 

mantus   whether  he    takes   delight    in  an  allusion  in  both  cases  to  the  tubs  of 

vexing,   and    when    he    answers,  yes,  the  Danaids. 

Timon     replies,     '  What !      a     knave         244-246.  best  state  .  .  .  content']  the 

too  ? '     I  before  only  knew  thee  to  be  amplest  good   fortune,    if  not  accom- 

a  fool,  but  I  now  find  thee  likewise  a  panied  by  contentment,  is,  in  its  uneasy 

knave."  restlessness,    far   more   wretched    than 

241,    242.     Willing    .    .    .    before]  the  worst  ill-fortune,  if  attended  by  a 

wretchedness  cheerfully  accepted    has  contented  mind. 

a  longer  lease  of  life,  and  finds  its  full         247.    Thou    .    .    .    miserable]    you, 

fruition  sooner,  than   pomp  which  the  since  your  wretchedness  has   no   such 

merest  accident  may  put  an  end  to.  solace  as  contentment,  ought  to  wish 

243,  244.   The  one   .    .    .   wish]  the  to  end  it  by  death. 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


113 


Hadst  thou,  like  us,  from  our  first  swath,  proceeded 
The  sweet  degrees  that  this  brief  world  affords 
To  such  as  may  the  passive  drugs  of  it 
Freely  command,  thou  would'st  have  plung'd  thyself 
In  general  riot ;  melted  down  thy  youth  255 

In  different  beds  of  lust ;  and  never  learn 'd 
The  icy  precepts  of  respect,  but  follow'd 
The  sugar'd  game  before  thee.     But  myself, 
Who  had  the  world  as  my  confectionary, 
The    mouths,  the    tongues,  the    eyes    and    hearts    of 
men  260 


251.  our  first  swath\  our  earliest 
infancy,  when  we  were  first  wrapped 
in  swathing  clothes;  for  "swath,"  cp. 
Jonson,  The  Magnetic  Lady,  in. 
iv.  :  , 

"Well  could  they  teach  each  other 

how  to  win 

In  their  swath  bands  "  ; 
Heywood,  The  Brazen  Age,  II.  i., 
"  Prince  Menelaus  in  his  swaths  at 
home "  ;  and  figuratively,  Greene,  A 
Looking-Glass  for  London,  etc.,  p. 
146/2,  ed.  Dyce,  " swathing  clouts  of 
shame." 

251,  252.  proceeded  .  .  .  degrees'} 
The  technical  language  at  Oxford  and 
Cambridge,  where  members  are  said 
to  "proceed"  M.A.,  D.D.,  etc.  The 
synonymous  term,  "to  go  out,"  is  fre 
quent  in  the  dramatists,  e.g.,  Jonson, 
The  Staple  of  News,  n.  i.  : 

"  went  out  master  of  arts  in 
a  throng 

At  the  university  "  ; 
Massinger,     The     Duke     of    Milan, 
iv.  i.  : 

"With   one   that  hath  commenced, 

and  gone  out  doctor  "  ; 
where  "commence  "  also  is  used  techni 
cally.  In  Middleton,  Michaelmas 
Term,  ill.  iv.  91-94,  and  Dekker,  The 
Roaring  Girl,  vol.  iii.  p.  188,  Pearson's 
Reprint,  we  have  a  burlesque  of  the 
"degrees"  which  prisoners  "pro 


ceeded  "  in  the  Counter ;  and  in  Jonson, 
The  New  Inn,  I.  i.  : 
"  He  may  perhaps  take  a  degree  at 

Tyburn  .  .  . 
And  so  go  forth  a  laureat  in  hemp 

circle." 

253.  drugs}  another  form  of  "drud 
ges."  The  New  English  Dictionary 
quotes  Huloet  (1552),  "Drudge  or 
drugge,  or  vile  servant  in  a  house, 
whych  doth  all  the  vyle  service  "  ;  and 
Greene,  Disput.  31,  "these  wyse 
words  spoken  by  so  base  a  drug  as 
his  mayd." 

256.  different}  various. 

257.  The  icy  .  .  .  respect}  the  cold 
admonitions  of  reflection ;  cp.  Troilus 
and  Cressida,  II.  ii.  49,  50 : 

' '  reason  and  respect, 
Make    livers  pale    and   lustihood 
deject." 

258-261.  But  myself  .  .  .  employ 
ment}  This  sentence  before  being  com 
pleted  passes  into  another  with  a 
different  construction,  and  the  words 
"But  myself"  are  not  really  taken  up 
till  line  265,  "I,  to  bear  this,"  etc. 

259.  confectionary}  place  where  con 
fections,  preserves,  are  made.  The 
New  English  Dictionary  quotes  Surfl. 
and  Markh.  (1616),  Country  Farme, 
585,  "The  Confectionarie  or  Closet  of 
sweet  meats";  cp.  pantry,  buttery, 
spicery,  etc. 


114  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

At  duty,  more  than  I  could  frame  employment, 

That  numberless  upon  me  stuck  as  leaves 

Do  on  the  oak,  have  with  one  winter's  brush 

Fell  from  their  boughs  and  left  me  open,  bare 

For  every  storm  that  blows;   I,  to  bear  this,  265 

That  never  knew  but  better,  is  some  burden : 

Thy  nature  did  commence  in  sufferance,  time 

Hath  made  thee  hard  in  't.     Why  should'st  thou  hate 

men? 

They  never  flatter'd  thee :  what  hast  thou  given  ? 
If  thou  wilt  curse,  thy  father,  that  poor  rag,  270 

Must  be  thy  subject,  who  in  spite  put  stuff 
To  some  she  beggar  and  compounded  thee 
Poor  rogue  hereditary.     Hence  !  be  gone  ! 
If  thou  hadst  not  been  born  the  worst  of  men, 
Thou  hadst  been  a  knave  and  flatterer. 

Apem.  Art  thou  proud  yet ?   275 

Tim.  Ay,  that  I  am  not  thee. 

Apem.  I,  that  I  was 

No  prodigal. 

Tim.  I,  that  I  am  one  now  : 

Were  all  the  wealth  I  have  shut  up  in  thee, 

261.  At  duty]  at  my  service,  at  beck  270.  rag]     worthless     thing;      cp. 

and  call.  Jonson,      Cynthia     Revels,      v.      ii., 

261.  more    .    .    .    employment}    an  "Heart,    who   let   in   that    rag   there 
ellipsis  of  "for."  amongst     us?"       Ford,     The    Lady's 

262.  That    .    .    .    stuck]  these  that  Trial,  v.  i.  : 

numberless,  etc.  "Was   ever  such   a  tatter'd  rag  of 

263.  brush}  stormy  sweep  ;  cp.  Trot-  man's  flesh 

lus    and    Cressida,    V.    iii.    34,    "the  Fatch'd   up   for  copesmate  of  my 

brushes  of  the  war."  niece's  daughter  ?  " 

264.  Fell]  for  this  irregular  partici-         274.  worst]  most  basely  born. 

pial  formation,  cp.  Lear,  IV.  vi.  54.  277.  /,  that  .  .   .  now]  sc.  in  being 

265.  266.  /,  to  bear  .  .  .  burden]  a  willing  to  fling  all  his  wealth  to  the 
mixture  of  constructions,  ( I )  for  me  to  dogs  if  in  so  doing  he  could  consign 
bear   this   is  some  burden,  (2)  that  I  Apemantus  to  the  same  fate. 

should  bear  this  is,  etc. 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


115 


I  'd  give  thee  leave  to  hang  it.     Get  thee  gone. 

That  the  whole  life  of  Athens  were  in  this  !  2  80 

Thus  would  I  eat  it.  [Eating  a  root. 

Apem.  Here ;  I  will  mend  thy  feast. 

Tim.  First  mend  my  company,  take  away  thyself. 
Apem.  So  I  shall  mend  mine  own,  by  the  lack  of  thine. 
Tim.  'Tis  not  well  mended  so,  it  is  but  botch'd  ; 

If  not,  I  would  it  were.  285 

Apem.  What  would'st  thou  have  to  Athens? 
Tim.  Thee  thither  in  a  whirlwind.     If  thou  wilt, 

Tell  them  there  I  have  gold ;  look,  so  I  have. 
Apem.  Here  is  no  use  for  gold. 
Tim.  The  best  and  truest ; 

For  here  it  sleeps,  and  does  no  hired  harm.  290 

Apem.  Where  liest  o'  nights,  Timon  ? 
Tim.  Under  that 's  above  me. 

Where  feed'st  thou  o'  days,  Apemantus? 
Apem.  Where    my    stomach   finds  meat ;    or,  rather, 

where   I   eat  it. 

Tim.  Would  poison  were  obedient  and  knew  my  mind  !   295 
Apem.  Where  would'st  thou  send  it  ? 


280.   That  ]  would  that ! 

284,  285.  'Tis  not  .  .  .  were}  This 
seems  to  mean,  "even  then  (when 
mended  by  lack  of  my  company)  your 
company,  being  the  company  of  your 
self  alone,  cannot  be  said  to  be  well 
mended,  but  only  to  be  clumsily 
patched,  a  mere  piece  of  botchery ;  if 
not,  I  wish  you  might  find  it  so." 
But  Rolfe  explains  the  latter  line  as 
"even  it  were  not  well  mended  so, 
I  wish  it  were  mended  imperfectly 
by  thy  absence ;  or,  perhaps,  if  not 
yet  thus  botched  (since  you  have  not 
yet  gone),  I  wish  the  job  were  finished 
by  your  departure";  thus  taking 


"it"  to  refer  to  "Timon's"  com 
pany. 

286.  What  .  .  .  Athens?']  what 
commission  would  you  give  me  now 
that  I  am  setting  out  for  Athens  ?  what 
in  the  direction  of  Athens  would  be 
your  desire  ?  Cp.  The  Two  Gentlemen 
of  Verona,  I.  i.  67  : 

"  To  Milan  let  me  hear  from  thee 

by  letters," 

i.e.  by  letters  sent  to  Milan.  A  some 
what  similarly  pregnant  construction 
occurs  in  Coriolanus,  I.  iii.  32  : 

"  Methinks  I  hear  hither  your  hus 
band's  drum," 
i.e.  the  sound  "borne  hither." 


116 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACT  iv. 


Tim.  Tp  sauce  thy  dishes. 

Apem.  The  middle  of  humanity  thou  never  knewest, 
but  the  extremity  of  both  ends.  When  thou 
wast  in  thy  gilt  and  thy  perfume,  they  mocked  300 
thee  for  too  much  curiosity ;  in  thy  rags  thou 
knowest  none,  but  art  despised  for  the  contrary. 
There 's  a  medlar  for  thee ;  eat  it. 

Tim.  On  what  I  hate  I  feed  not. 

Apem.  Dost  hate  a  medlar?  305 

Tim.  Ay,  though  it  look  like  thee. 

Apem.  An  thou  hadst  hated  meddlers  sooner,  thou 
should'st  have  loved  thyself  better  now.  What 
man  didst  thou  ever  know  unthrift  that  was 
beloved  after  his  means? 


298.  The    middle  of  humanity}    a 
medium  between  prosperity  and    ad 
versity. 

299.  the    extremity  .  .  .  ends'}    the 
two  extremes  ;  somewhat  pleonastic. 

301.  curiosity  ]  fastidiousness  of  taste 
in  all  your  belongings,  dress  among  them. 

306.  though  .  .  .  thee}  though  it 
be  as  handsome  as  yourself ;  a  double- 
headed  shaft,  since  a  medlar  is  not 
without  likeness  to  a  ^narling  dog  with 
teeth  and  gums  barely 'though"  is  by 
some  taken  as  =  since,  for,  or  because, 
but  supposing  the  conjunction  could  be 
so  used,  if  it  were  here  inferential,  we 
should  have  the  indicative  "looks," 
not  the  subjunctive,  "look." 

308-310.  What  man  .  .  .  means?] 
Commentator  follows  commentator  in 
explaining  this  to  mean,  What  prodigal 
didst  thou  ever  know  who  was  loved 
after  his  means  were  spent  ?  To  such 
an  interpretation  there  seem  to  me  to 
be  two  serious  objections.  In  the  first 
place,  it  would  be  necessary  to  show 
that  "after  his  means"  is,  or  can  be, 
equivalent  to  "after  his  means  were 
spent"  ;  for  "after  "  =  later  than,  pos 
terior  to,  is  logical  with  (a)  an  event, 


310 

(/>)  a  point  of  time,  but  not  with  a  con 
crete  thing  like  "means."  Secondly, 
there  is  a  still  stronger  objection  on 
the  score  of  grammatical  construction  ; 
for  "unthrift"  is  here  a  predicate.  It 
is  not,  What  unthrift  hast  thou  known  ? 
but,  What  man  hast  thou  known  to  be 
unthrift  ?  Moreover,  the  gibe  is  aimed 
less  at  Timon's  prodigality  than  at  his 
weakness  in  not  having  driven  from 
his  side  the  sycophant  crew  who  had 
forced  themselves  into  his  intimacy 
in  numbers  greater  than  his  wealth 
could  bear.  In  fact,  the  second  sen 
tence  of  the  speech  is  a  direct  rider  on  the 
first.  I  therefore  understand  the  words 
to  mean,  What  man  did  you  ever  know  , , 
to  be  prodigal  who  was  loved  in  pro 
portion  to  his  means?  i.e.  no  man 
ever  wasted  his  substance  as  you  have 
done  unless  courted  and  flattered  by  a 
herd  of  parasites  whom  his  means  were 
inadequate  to  satisfy.  There  is  a  some 
what  similar  thought  in  Marston's  East 
ward Ho  !  i.  L,  "  How  could  gentlemen 
be  unthrifts  if  their  humours  were  not 
fed?"  "After,"  in  the  sense  I  give 
it,  is  too  frequent  in  Shakespeare  to 
need  illustration. 


sc.m.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  117 

Tim.  Who,  without  those  means  thou  talkest  of,  didst 
thou  ever  know  beloved  ? 

Apem.  Myself. 

Tim.   I  understand  thee ;  thou  hadst  some  means  to 

keep  a  dog.  315 

Apem.  What  things  in  the  world  canst  thou  nearest 
compare  to  thy  flatterers? 

Tim.  Women  nearest ;  but  men,  men  are  the  things 
themselves.  What  would'st  thou  do  with  the 
world,  Apemantus,  if  it  lay  in  thy  power?  320 

Apem.  Give  it  the  beasts,  to  be  rid  of  the  men. 

Tim.  Would'st  thou  have  thyself  fall  in  the  confusion 
of  men,  -and  remain  a  beast  with  the  beasts  ? 

Apem.  Ay,  Timon. 

Tim.  A  beastly  ambition,  which  the  gods  grant  thee  325 
t'  attain  to.  If  thou  wert  the  lion,  the  fox  would 
beguile  thee ;  if  thou  wert  the  lamb,  the  fox  would 
eat  thee ;  if  thou  wert  the  fox,  the  lion  would 
suspect  thee,  when  peradventure  thou  wert  accused 
by  the  ass;  if  thou  wert  the  ass,  thy  dulness  330 
would  torment  thee,  and  still  thou  livedst  but 
as  a  breakfast  to  the  wolf;  if  thou  wert  the  wolf, 
thy  greediness  would  afflict  thee,  and  oft  thou 
should'st  hazard  thy  life  for  thy  dinner ;  wert 
thou  the  unicorn,  pride  and  wrath  would  confound  335 

314,  315.  thou  hadst  .  .  .  dog]  you  335.  unicorn}  "The  account  given 

were  once  able  to  keep  a  dog  and  he  of  the  unicorn  is  this  :  that  he  and  the 

would  fawn  on  you,  which  none  but  a  lion  being  enemies  by  nature,  as  soon 

dog  would  do.  as  the  lion  sees  the  unicorn,  he  betakes 

322,  323.  fall .  .  .  men]  share  in  the  himself  to  a  tree  :  the  unicorn  in  his 

general  ruin  of  mankind.  fury,  and  with  all  the  swiftness  of  his 

322.  confusion]  ruin,  as  frequently  in  course,  running  at  him,  sticks  his  horn 

Shakespeare.  fast  in  the  tree,  and  then  the  lion  falls 

331.  livedst]  would  live.  upon   him    and    kills   him.      Gesner, 


118  TIMON    OF  ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

thee  and  make  thine  own  self  the  conquest  of 
thy  fury ;  wert  thou  a  bear,  thou  would'st  be 
killed  by  the  horse ;  wert  thou  a  horse,  thou 
would'st  be  seized  by  the  leopard ;  wert  thou  a 
leopard,  thou  wert  german  to  the  lion,  and  the  340 
spots  of  thy  kindred  were  jurors  on  thy  life ;  all 
thy  safety  were  remotion,  and  thy  defence  absence. 
What  beast  could'st  thou  be  that  were  not 
subject  to  a  beast  ?  and  what  a  beast  art  thou 
already,  that  seest  not  thy  loss  in  transforma-  345 
tion  ! 

Apem.  If  thou  could'st  please  me  with  speaking  to 
me,  thou  might'st  have  hit  upon  it  here ;  the 
commonwealth  of  Athens  is  become  a  forest  of 
beasts.  350 

Tim.  How  has  the  ass  broke  the  wall,  that  thou  art 
out  of  the  city  ? 

Apem.  Yonder    comes    a    poet    and    a    painter :     the 
plague  of  company  light  upon  thee  !     I  will  fear 
to   catch  it,  and  give  way.     When    I   know  not   355 
what  else  to  do,  I  '11  see  thee  again. 

Hist.  Animal"  (Hanmer).   Cp.  Julius  Lear,  it.   iv.   115,  "Tis  the  remotion 

Casar,  n.  i.  204  :  of  the  duke  and  her." 

"  for  he  loves  to  hear  344-346.   what    .    .    .    transforma- 

That  unicorns  may  be  betrayed  by  tion]  what  a  beast  by  nature  you  must 

trees."  be   if   you   do   not   see  that   in  being 

340.  german]     closely     related     to.  transformed   into   a   beast    you    would 

"The    spots,"   says    Clarke,    "which  fall  lower  even  than  you  now  are. 

testify  thy  royal  relationship,  would  be  353.    Yonder  .  .   .  painter]  See    In- 

the  means  of  condemning  thee  to  lose  troduction. 

thy  life."     Steevens    sees   allusion    to  354,  355.  /  will  .  .  .  it}  I  will  show 

Turkish  policy,  and  quotes  Pope,  Prol.  you  how  I  dread  catching  it  by  taking 

to  Salt.,  line  198  :  myself  off. 

"  Bear,   like   the   Turk,   no   brother  355,   356.  When   .    .    .    again]  Cp. 

near  the  throne."  Jonson,  Every  Alan   in  his  Humour, 

342.  remotion]    removal    of    thyself  I.  i.,  "Ay,  when  I  cannot  shun  you, 

from   the  lion's  neighbourhood.     Cp.  we  will  meet  again." 


sc.m.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  119 

Tim.  When  there  is  nothing  living  but  thee,  thou  shalt 

be   welcome.      I    had  rather  be  a  beggar's   dog 

than  Apemantus. 

Apem.  Thou  art  the  cap  of  all  the  fools  alive.  360 

Tim.  Would  thou  wert  clean  enough  to  spit  upon  ! 
Apem.  A  plague  on  thee !  thou  art  too  bad  to  curse. 
Tim.  All  villains  that  do  stand  by  thee  are  pure. 
Apem.  There  is  no  leprosy  but  what  thou  speak'st. 
Tim.   If  I  name  thee.  365 

I  '11  beat  thee,  but  I  should  infect  my  hands. 
Apem.  I  would  my  tongue  could  rot  them  off! 
Tim.  Away,  thou  issue  of  a  mangy  dog  ! 

Choler  does  kill  me  that  thou  art  alive ; 

I  swoon  to  see  thee.  370 

Apem.  Would  thou  would'st  burst ! 

Tim.  Away,  thou  tedious  rogue !      I  am  sorry  I  shall  lose 
a  stone  by  thee.  [Throws  a  stone  at  him. 

Apem.  Beast ! 
Tim.  Slave ! 

Apem.  Toad  !  375 

Tim.  Rogue,  rogue,  rogue  ! 

I  am  sick  of  this  false  world,  and  will  love  nought 

But  even  the  mere  necessities  upon  't. 

Then,  Timon,  presently  prepare  thy  grave ; 

Lie  where  the  light  foam  of  the  sea  may  beat         380 

360.  cap\   top ;  cp.    Hamlet,    n.    ii.  infect   my  hand.      For    this    irregular 

233.     Malone  sees  an  allusion  to   the  sequence  of  tenses,  cp.  Hamlet,  II.  ii. 

fool's  cap.  157,  158;  1  Henry  VI.  n.  iv.  98. 

365.  If  I  name  thee~\  yes,    I   grant         379.  presently]  at  once.     In  Shake- 
that  there  is  leprosy  in  my  mouth,  if  I  speare  the  word  seldom  has  the  modern 
name  thee.  sense  of  "in  a  short  time."     So,  too, 

366.  /'//    beat  .  .  .  hands\    I    will  with  him,   "by  and  by"  means  "al- 
beat  you,  "  or  rather  I  would  beat  you,"  most  immediately." 

if  it  were  not  that  in  doing  so  I  should 


120  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Thy  grave-stone  daily :  make  thine  epitaph, 
That  death  in  me  at  others'  lives  may  laugh. 
[Looking  on  the  gold.~\  O  thou  sweet  king-killer,  and 

dear  divorce 

'Twixt  natural  son  and  sire !  thou  bright  defiler 
Of  Hymen's  purest  bed  !  thou  valiant  Mars  !  385 

Thou  ever  young,  fresh,  lov'd,  and  delicate  wooer, 
Whose  blush  doth  thaw  the  consecrated  snow 
That  lies  on  Dian's  lap  !  thou  visible  god, 
That  solder'st  close  impossibilities, 
And  mak'st  them  kiss  !  that  speak'st  with  every  tongue, 
To  every  purpose  !     O  thou  touch  of  hearts  !  391 

Think  thy  slave  man  rebels ;  and  by  thy  virtue 
Set  them  into  confounding  odds,  that  beasts 
May  have  the  world  in  empire ! 

Apem.  Would  'twere  so ! 

But  not  till  I  am  dead  ;   I  '11  say  thou  'st  gold  :        395 
Thou  wilt  be  throng'd  to  shortly. 

Tim.  Throng'd  to? 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  Thy  back,  I  prithee. 

Apem.  Live,  and  love  thy  misery  ! 

Tim.  Long  live  so,  and  so  die !  [Exit  Apemantus. 

I  am  quit. 

384.  son  and  sire]  Rowe  ;  Sunne  and  fire  Ff  I,  2,  3  ;  Sun  and  Fire  Ff  4. 

384.  natural]  bound  by  the  closest  them  at  such  odds   that   their  mutual 

ties  of  nature.     The  sense  of  "illegit-  destruction  shall  be  complete. 

imate  "  is  not  found  in  Shakespeare.  398.  /  ant  quit}  he  has  gone  at  last. 

389.  close}  closely.  In  the  folios  the  next  line  is  given  to 

389.  impossibilities'}  things  ap-  Apemantus.  It  is  possible  that  Timon's 

parently  incapable  of  union.  words  are  said  as  the  cynic  moves  off, 

391.  touch}  touchstone.  and  that  he,  looking  back,  has  a  last 

392i  393-  by  thy  virtue  .  .  .  odds'}  fling  at  Misanthropes  on  seeing  the 

by  your   power,  natural   efficacy,    set  approach  of  creatures  so  abhorrent  to 


f  ; 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


121 


Moe    things    like    men !       Eat,    Timon,    and    abhor 
them. 

Enter  Thieves. 

First  Thief.  Where  should  he  have  this  gold  ?      It  is  400 
some  fragment,  some  slender  ort  of  his  remainder. 
The  mere  want  of  gold,  and  the  falling-from  of 
his  friends,  drove  him  into  this  melancholy. 

Second  Thief.  It  is  noised  he  hath  a  mass  of  treasure. 

Third  Thief.  Let  us  make  the  assay  upon  him  :  if  he  40  5 
care   not   for't,  he  will  supply  us  easily;    if  he 
covetously  reserve  it,  how  shall 's  get  it? 

Second  Thief.  True ;  for   he  bears  it  not  about   him, 
'tis  hid. 

First  Thief.  Is  not  this  he?  410 

All.  Where? 

Second  Thief.  'Tis  his  description. 


400.  them]  Rowe,  then  Ff. 

him.  Hanmer  first  gave  the  line  to 
Timon,  and  the  editors  generally  ac 
quiesce.  Apemantus's  exit  is  in  the 
folios  placed  after  "  them,"  line  399. 

400.  should  he  have  .  .  .  ?]  can   he 
possibly  have  .   .  .  ? 

401.  orf]    scrap.      "  The    word    is 
seldom  found  in  the  singular.     '  Orts, 
Fragmenta,  Mensa  reliquia.'      Coles's 
Lat.     and  Eng.    Diet.  :    '  Orts,    The 
refuse  of  hay  left  in  the  stall  by  cattle,' 
Craven     Dialect"     (Dyce,     Glossary}. 
"  The   word   is   completely  solved  by 
the  fuller  form  found  in  O.  Du. ,  viz. 
oorete,   ooraete,  a  piece  left  uneaten  at 
meals.    This  is  a  compound  word  made 
up  of  O.  Du.  oor-,  cognate  with  A.-S. 
or-  .  .  .  preposition    signifying    '  out ' 
or  '  without ' ;  and  Du.    eten,   cognate 
with  E.  eat.     Thus  the  sense  is  '  what 
is  left  in  eating,'  an  'out-morsel,'  if  we 
may  so  express  it"  (Skeat,  Ety.  Diet.}. 
Cp.  Troilus  and  Cresstda,  V.  ii.  158  : 


"  The  fractions  of  her  faith,  arts  of 

her  love  "  ; 
and  Jonson,  The  New  Inn,  V.  i.  : 

"  Hang  thee,  thou  parasite,  thou  son 

of  crumbs 
And  arts. " 

402.  falling  -from']  i.q.  falling  off 
from.  Hanmer  hyphened  the  words. 

405.  make  .  .  .  hi»i\  test  the  truth 
of  the  rumour  by  questioning  him  ;  with 
perhaps  an  allusion  to  the  assaying  of 
metals  or  to  the  cutting  up  of 
game. 

407.  shall' s}  On  this  colloquialism, 
Abbott,  S.  G.,  §  215,  writes,  "  Shall, 
originally  meaning  necessity  or  obliga 
tion,  and  therefore  not  denoting  an 
action  on  the  part  of  the  subject,  was 
used  in  the  South  of  England  as  an 
impersonal  verb.  ...  So  Chaucer,  '  us 
oughte,'  and  we  also  find  'a 
i.e.  'as  it  is  pleasing  to  us.'" 


122  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

Third  Thief.   He ;   I  know  him. 

All.  Save  thee,  Timon. 

Tim.  Now,  thieves  ?  415 

All.  Soldiers,  not  thieves. 

Tim.  Both  too  ;  and  women's  sons. 

All.  We  are  not  thieves,  but  men  that  much  do  want. 

Tim.  Your  greatest  want  is,  you  want  much  of  meat. 

Why    should    you    want?      Behold,    the   earth    hath 

roots ; 

Within  this  mile  break  forth  a  hundred  springs ;     420 
The  oaks  bear  mast,  the  briers  scarlet  hips ; 
The  bounteous  housewife,  nature,  on  each  bush 
Lays  her  full  mess  before  you.     Want !  why  want  ? 

First  Thief.  We  cannot  live  on  grass,  on  berries,  water, 

As  beasts  and  birds  and  fishes.  425 

Tim.  Nor  on  the  beasts  themselves,  the  birds,  and  fishes ; 

\       You  must  eat  men.     Yet  thanks  I  must  you  con 

415.  Now,  thieves?'}  Capell,  Now  Theeues  Ff. 

418.  you   want    .    .    .    meat]   Many  "  muck  of  me,"  and  other  conjectures, 

editors    follow     Hanmer    in    reading  will  be  found  in  the  Cambridge  Shake- 

"  men  "  for  "  meat,"  with  an  equivoque  speare. 

of  "you   are   wanting  much   in    that  421.  mast']    here    acorns;    literally, 

which  constitutes  a  man. "    They  justify  edible  fruit ;  used  also  of  the  fruit  of 

the  alteration  by  the  words  of  line  427,  the  beech,  pine,  etc.     Cp.  Jonson,  The 

"You   must    eat    men."      But    those  Sad  Shepherd,  II.  i.  : 

words  are  said  only  after  the  banditti  "An  aged  oak,  the  king  of  all  the 

have  declared  themselves  unable  to  eat  field, 

the   food   which   Timon   tells  them  is  With   a  broad  beech   there   grows 

so  easily  to  be  had.     Timon  means,  I  afore  my  dur, 

think,  You  talk  about  wanting  much,  That  mickle  mast  unto  the   ferm 

but  in  reality  all  you  want  is  to  satisfy  doth  yield." 

your  voracious  appetites  ;  you  have  no  423.  mess]  O.  P\  mes,  a  dish, 

higher  wants   than   those   of    a    mere  427.    Yet  thanks  .  .  .  con]  Cp.  All's 

animal  craving.  If  we  read  "men  "with-  Well,  IV.  iii.  174.     To  "con  thanks" 

out  an  equivoque,  the  words  are  point-  is   a   very  common  old  expression  for 

less ;  if  with  one,  the  connection  with  to    acknowledge    one's  gratitude,    but 

what  follows  is  impaired.      Theobald  "  con  "  is  to  study  carefully,  and  per- 

gave    "meet,"   i.e.    what   is   suitable;  haps  Timon  means  ironically  that  it  is 

Steevens  conjectured  "me"  ;  Farmer,  no  offhand  perfunctory  thanks  that  are 

"much. — Of  meat  why,"  etc.;  Eltze,  due  to  them. 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


123 


That  you  are  thieves  profess'd,  that  you  work  not 
In  holier  shapes ;  for  there  is  boundless  theft 
In  limited  professions.     Rascal  thieves,  430 

Here 's  gold.     Go,  suck  the  subtle  blood  o'  the  grape, 
Till  the  high  fever  seethe  your  blood  to  froth. 
And  so  'scape  hanging :  trust  not  the  physician ; 
His  antidotes  are  poison,  and  he  slays 
More  than  you  rob :  take  wealth  and  lives  together ; 
Do  villany,  do,  since  you  protest  to  do't,  .. 

Like  workmen.      I  '11  example  you  with  thievery : 
The  sun's  a  thief,  and  with  his  great  attraction 
Robs  the  vast  sea ;  the  moon 's  an  arrant  thief, 

436.  villany}  Rowe  ;  villaine,  Ff  I ,  2  ;  villain,  Ff  3,  4. 


430.  limited   professions]     probably 
those  avocations  which   profess   to   be 
bound   by  certain   restrictions,    unlike 
yours  which  make  no  such  hypocritical 
excuses.     Malone  explains  "regular," 
"  orderly  "  ;       Warburton,       "  legal." 
There  is  of  course  an  antithesis  between 
"  boundless  "  and  "  limited." 

431.  subtle]  treacherously  making  its 
way  to  the  brain.    Cp.  "  subtle-potent," 
Troilus  and  Cressida,  in.  ii.  25,  and 
FalstafFs  description  of  the  virtues  of 
sherris-sack,  2  Henry  IV.  iv.  iii.  102  ff. 

433.  And  so  .  .  .  hanging]  sc.  by 
dying  of  fever. 

433-435.  trust  not  .  .  .  together] 
Ingleby,  The  Still  Lion,  p.  144,  dis 
cussing  III.  iii.  II,  12,  "  His  friends 
.  .  .  o'er,"  cites  this  passage  as  a 
parallel.  "Timon,"  he  says,  "ad 
vises  the  robbers  to  take  the  physicians 
as  their  example,  who  thrive  by  their 
patients'  wealth  first,  and  leave  them 
to  die  of  their  drugs  afterwards.'5  The 
application  seems  to  me  a  different  one. 
Referring  to  their  dying  of  fever, 
Timon  thinks  of  physicians,  and  says, 
Put  no  trust  in  physicians ;  they 
profess  curing,  but  their  victims  are 
more  numerous  than  yours ;  you  avow 


villany ;  be,  then,  thorough  in  its 
practice,  both  rob  and  kill.  For  "  pro 
test,"  Theobald  gives  "profess";  but 
"protest"  is  more  forcible. 

437.  example  .  ,  .  thievery]  furnish 
you  with  parallels  of  thievery. 

439.  arrant]  "a  variant  of  errant, 
'wandering,  vagrant,  vagabond,' which 
from  its  frequent  use  in  such  expres 
sions  as  arrant  thief,  became  an  in 
tensive,  '  thorough,  notorious,  down 
right,'  especially,  from  its  original 
associations,  with  opprobrious  names  " 
( The  New  Eng.  Diet. ).  Though  much 
more  frequent  in  a  bad  sense,  it  was 
also  used  in  a  good  one.  Cp.  Ford, 
The  Fancies  Chaste  and  Noble,  in. 
ii.  : 

"'Tis  scarcely  possible 
To  distinguish    one  of  these  vile 

naughty  packs 

From  true  and  arrant  ladies." 
So,  too,  Ford,  Love's  Sacrifice,  n.  ii. ; 
Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  The  Loyal  Sub 
ject,  in.  v.  ;  The  Little  French  Lawyer, 
iv.  iv.  4.  In  Jonson,  The  Staple  of 
News,  I.  ii.,  we  have  the  form  "  errant " 
in  the  same  sense,  "  He  is  an  errant 
learned  man,"  and  the  same  phrase 
in  The  Magnetic  Lady,  III.  iv. 


124 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS 


[ACT  iv. 


And  her  pale  fire  she  snatches  from  the  sun ;  440 

The  sea  's  a  thief,  whose  liquid  surge  resolves 
The  moon  into  salt  tears ;  the  earth 's  a  thief, 
That  feeds  and  breeds  by  a  composture  stolen 
From  general  excrement ;  each  thing 's  a  thief ; 
The    laws,    your    curb     and    whip,    in    their    rough 
power  445 

Have  uncheck'd  theft.  //  Love  not  yourselves ;  away  ! 
Rob  one  another.     There  's  more  gold.     Cut  throats  ; 
All  that  you  meet  are  thieves :  to  Athens  go, 
Break  open  shops ;  nothing  can  you  steal 
But  thieves  do  lose  it:  steal  no  less  for  this  450 

I  give  you ;  and  gold  confound  you  howsoe'er ! 
Ameno 


441.  resolves]  melts  ;  cp.  King  John, 
V.  iv.  25. 

442.  moon]    This    was    altered    by 
Theobald  to  "  mounds,"  and  by  Capell 
to  "earth,"  both  unhappy  conjectures. 
Malone   well   remarks,    "Shakespeare 
knew  that  the  moon  was  the  cause  of 
the  tides,  .  .  .  and  in  that  respect  the 
liquid  surge,  that  is,  the  waves  of  the 
sea  rising  one  upon  another  in  the  pro 
gress  of  the  tide,  may  be  said  to  resolve 
the  moon  into  salt  tears  ;  the  moon,  as 
the  poet  chooses  to  state  the   matter, 
losing  some  part  of  her  humidity,  and 
the  accretion  to  the  sea,  in  consequence 
of  her  tears,   being   the   cause   of  the 
liquid  surge.     Add  to  this  the  popular 
notion,  yet  prevailing,  of  the  moon's  in 
fluence  on  the  weather ;  which  together 
with    what   has  been  already  stated, 
probably  induced  our  author  here  and 
in  other  places  to  allude  to  the  watry 
quality  of  that  planet.  ..." 

443.  composture']  compost,    manure. 
Apparently  a  coinag"  of  Shakespeare. 

444.  excrement]  properly  that  which 
grows  out  of  or  is  thrown   off  some 
thing  ;  Lat.    excrementum,   excrescere  ; 
hence  faeces,  hair,  nails,  etc.     In  Ford's 


Perkin   Warbeck,  iv.  iv.,  we  have  the 
word  of  worms,  figuratively  : 

"Thoughts  busied  in  the  sphere  of 

royalty 

Fix  not  on  creeping  -worms  with 
out  their  stings 
Mere  excrements  of  earth." 
445,  446.   The  laws  .  .  .  theft]  the 
laws  which  curb  and  punish  you,  are, 
in  their  tyrannous  execution,  guilty  of 
unlimited   robbery,    exactions    covered 
over  with  the  pretence  of  public  interest. 
451.  howsoe'er]  in  any  case  ;  cp.  The 
'  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,  I.  i.  34  : 
"  If  lost,  why  then  a  grievous  labour 

won ; 
However,  but  a  folly  bought  with 

wit"; 

Massinger,  The  Renegado,  iv.  i.: 
"This  penitence  is  not  counterfeit: 

howsoever, 
Good  actions  are    in    themselves 

rewarded  " ; 
Shirley,  The  Ball,  IV.  iv. : 

"  Lord  Ra.  Did  you  spare  him 

For  that  consideration  ? 
Bo.  Howsoever, 

What  honour  had  it  been  for  me 
to  quarrel  .  .  .  ?  " 


SC.IIL]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  125 

Third  Thief.  He  has   almost  charmed  me  from   my 

profession,  by  persuading  me  to  it. 
First  Thief.  'Tis  in  the  malice   of  mankind   that   he  455 

thus  advises  us ;    not  to  have  us  thrive  in   our 

mystery. 
Second  Thief.  I  '11  believe  him  as  an  enemy,  and  give 

over  my  trade. 
First  Thief.  Let  us  first  see  peace  in  Athens ;  there  is  460 

no  time  so  miserable  but  a  man  may  be  true. 

\Exeunt  Thieves. 

Enter  FLAVIUS. 
Flav.  O  you  gods  ! 

Is  yond  despis'd  and  ruinous  man  my  lord  ? 

Full  of  decay  and  failing  ?     O  monument 

And  wonder  of  good  deeds  evilly  bestow'd  !  465 

What  an  alteration  of  honour 

Has  desperate  want  made  ! 

What  viler  thing  upon  the  earth  than  friends 

Who  can  bring  noblest  minds  to  basest  ends  ! 

How  rarely  does  it  meet  with  this  time's  guise,        470 

When  man  was  wish'd  to  love  his  enemies ! 

Grant  I  may  ever  love,  and  rather  woo 

Those  that  would  mischief  me  than  those  that  do  ! 

457-  mystery]  See  note  on  iv.  i.  18,  love  one's  enemies  accord  with  the 

above.  fashion  of  the  times  ! "  (Rolfe). 

458.  /'//  believe  .  .  .  enemy]  ap-  472,  473.  Grant  .  .  .  do!]  Johnson 

parently  a  reference  to  the  proverbial  explains,  "  Let  me  rather  woo  or  caress 

fas  est  et  ab  hoste  doceri,  those  that  -would  mischief,  that  profess 

464,  465.  monument  .  .  .  wonder]  to  mean  me  mischief,  than  those  that 
almost  a  hendiadys  for  "wonderful  really  do  me  mischief,  under  false  pro- 
monument,"  example,  fessions  of  kindness.  The  Spaniards,  I 

466,  467.  What  .  .  .  made  /]  how  think,  have  this  proverb  :  '  Defend  me 

terribly  changed  by  want  is  he,  once  so  from  my  friends,  and  from  my  enemies 

honoured,  now  sunk  so  low  !  I  will  defend  myself.'  This  proverb  is 

470,  47 1 .  How  rarely  .  .  .  enemies  /]  a  sufficient  comment  on  the  passage. " 

"how  admirably  does  the  injunction  to  I  suppose  that  Johnson  is  right,  but  the 


126  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTIV. 

He  has  caught  me  in  his  eye :  I  will  present 

My  honest  grief  unto  him  ;  and,  as  my  lord,  475 

Still  serve  him  with  my  life.      My  dearest  master ! 

TlMON  comes  forward. 

Tim.  Away  !  what  art  thou  ? 

Flav.  Have  you  forgot  me,  sir  ? 

Tim.  Why  dost  ask  that  ?      I  have  forgot  all  men  ; 

Then,  if  thou  grant'st  thou  'rt  a  man,  I  have  forgot 

thee. 

Flav.  An  honest  poor  servant  of  yours. 
Tim,  Then  I  know  thee  not:  480 

I  I  never  had  honest  man  about  me,  I ;  all 

I  kept  were  knaves,  to  serve  in  meat  to  villains. 
Flav.  The  gods  are  witness, 

Ne'er  did  poor  steward  wear  a  truer  grief 
For  his  undone  lord  than  mine  eyes  for  you.  485 

Tim.  What !  dost  thou  weep  ?     Come  nearer ;  then  I  love 

thee, 

Because  thou  art  a  woman,  and  disclaim'st 
Flinty  mankind  ;  whose  eyes  do  never  give, 
But  thorough  lust  and  laughter.     Pity 's  sleeping : 
Strange    times,    that   weep   with    laughing,    not   with 
weeping !  490 

last  clause  of  his  explanation  assumes  a  make  myself  known  to  him,  and  show 

good  deal.      We  have  the  proverb  in  how  truly  I  sorrow  at  his  state. 

Marston,  The  Malcontent,   IV.   ii.    20,  482.  to  serve  .  .  .  villains']  employed 

21,   "  Mai.  Now,  God  deliver  me  from  to  no  other  purpose  than  to,  etc.    John- 

my  friends  !   Pietro.  Thy  friends  !    Mai.  son  points   out  that  ' '  knave  "  is  here 

Yes,    from   my  friends  ;    for  from   my  used  in  the  double  sense  of  servant  and 

enemies    I'll     deliver    myself."      For  rascal. 

"woo,"   Warburton   gave  "too,"  and  488.  give~\   give   way,    yield,    sc.    to 

for  "do,"  "woo."     Gould  conjectures  tears. 

"sue"  .   .  .   "woo."  489,  490.  Pity  .  .   .  times, ~\  For  the 

474)  475-  I  W*H  •  •  •  him\    I   will  folio     reading,    Johnson    conjectured, 


SC.  III.] 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


127 


Flav.  I  beg  of  you  to  know  me,  good  my  lord, 

To  accept  my  grief  and  whilst  this  poor  wealth  lasts 
To  entertain  me  as  your  steward  still. 

Tim.  Had  I  a  steward 

So  true,  so  just,  and  now  so  comfortable?  495 

It  almost  turns  my  dangerous  nature  mild. 

Let  me  behold  thy  face.     Surely,  this  man 

Was  born  of  woman. 

Forgive  my  general  and  exceptless  rashness, 

You  perpetual-sober  gods!      I  do  proclaim  500 

One  honest  man — mistake  me  not — but  one ; 

No  more,  I  pray, — and  he's  a  steward. 

How  fain  would  I  have  hated  all  mankind ! 

And  thou  redeem'st  thyself:  but  all,  save  thee, 

I  fell  with  curses.  505 

Methinks  thou  art  more  honest  now  than  wise ; 

For,  by  oppressing  and  betraying  me, 

Thou  might'st  have  sooner  got  another  service : 

For  many  so  arrive  at  second  masters 


"  laughter,  pity  sleeping."  Staunton, 
"laughter,  pity's  steeping."  Hanmer 
put  the  two  lines  in  the  margin. 
Possibly  we  might  read  ' '  Pity 's 
keeping  Strange  times,"  etc.,  "keep 
ing"  being  taken  in  the  sense  so  fre 
quent  in  Shakespeare,  of  observing, 
celebrating,  as,  e.g.,  Othello,  in.  iii. 
140: 

' '  who  has  a  breast  so  pure, 
But  some  uncleanly  apprehensions 
Keep  leets  and   law  days  and  in 

session  sit 

With  meditations  lawful  ?  " 
495.  comfortable"}  full  of  comfort  to 
another.  For  adjectives  in  -ble  having 
an  active  and  a  passive  meaning,  see 
Abbott,  S.  G.,  §  3,  and  compare  "  un- 
meritable,"  Richard  III.  in.  vii.  155, 
Julius  Casar,  IV.  i.  12  ;  "  medicinable, " 


Troilus  and  Cressida,  in.  iii.  44  ;  "de- 
ceivable,  Richard  II.  11.  iii.  84, 
Twelfth  Night,  iv.  iii.  21. 

496.  dangerous]  savage,  disposed  to 
violence. 

496.  mild}  Thirlby's  conjecture  for 
"wilde"  or  "wild"  of  the  folios,  first 
edited  by  Hanmer,  and  now  usually 
adopted.  Delius  and  Rolfe  retain 
"wild,"  the  latter,  with  Verplanck, 
taking  "dangerous"  as  "unsafe." 

499.  exceptless}  that  would  make  no 
exception  in  its  curses. 

502.  /  pray}  Lettsom  conjectures 
"I  say"  ;  but  "I  pray"  is  merely  a 
parenthetic  apostrophe  to  the  gods. 

504.  redeem'st  thyself}  sc.   from  my 
curse. 

505.  fell}  strike  down. 
507.  oppressing}  injuring. 


128  TIMON   OF  ATHENS          [ACTIV. 

Upon  their  first  lord's  neck.     But  tell  me  true —     510 

For  I  must  ever  doubt,  though  ne'er  so  sure — 

Is  not  thy  kindness  subtle,  covetous, 

A  usuring  kindness,  and  as  rich  men  deal  gifts, 

Expecting  in  return  twenty  for  one  ? 

Flav'\  No,  my  most  worthy  master ;  in.  whose  breast       515 
Doubt  and  suspect,  alas,  are  plac'd  too  late : 
You    should    have   fear'd  false    times   when   you   did 

feast ; 

Suspect  still  comes  where  an  estate  is  least. 
That  which  I  show,  heaven  knows,  is  merely  love, 
Duty  and  zeal  to  your  unmatched  mind,  52° 

Care  of  your  food  and  living ;  and,  believe  it, 
My  most  honour'd  lord, 
For  any  benefit  that  points  to  me, 
Either  in  hope,  or  present,  I  'd  exchange 
For  this  one  wish,  that  you  had  power  and  wealth   525 
To  requite  me  by  making  rich  yourself. 

Tim.  Look  thee,  'tis  so  !     Thou  singly  honest  man, 
Here,  take :  the  gods  out  of  my  misery 
Have  sent  thee  treasure.     Go,  live  rich  and  happy ; 
But  thus  condition'd  :  thou  shalt  build  from  men  ;   530 

510.    Upon   .    .    .    neck]    mounting  "ill,"   i.e.  it  is  no  time  for  suspicion 

their  first  lord's  shoulders  in  order  to  when  good  fortune  has  wholly  deserted 

climb  into,  etc.  you.      He  had  just  said   "in    whose 

513.  A  usuring ...  gifts}  With  Pope,  breast  .  .  .  too  late." 

I  have  ejected  the  words  "If  not  "at  519.  merely']  purely. 

the   beginning   of   the    line,  believing  523-525.  For  any  .  .  .  •wish']  There 

them   to   have  been  caught  from  "Is  is  a  slight  confusion  of  thought  between 

not "  just  above.     Both  sense  and  metre  "  As  regards  any  benefit  .  .  .   I  would 

seem     thus    improved.     Walker    con-  exchange   it  for  this   one  wish,"  etc., 

jectured  "  Gifts  to  catch  gifts"  ending  and    "  For   any  benefit  ...   I  would 

the  lines  at  " deal"  .  .  .   "return."  exchange  this  one  wish,"  etc. 

516.  suspect]  suspicion.    Cp.  Sonnets,  530.  But  thus  conditioned]  but  upon 

Ixx.  3  ;  Marston,  The  Malcontent,  I.  i.  this  condition  that,  etc. 

222,  "  Dissemblance  and  suspect"  530.  froni\  away  from. 

518.  still]  Surely  we    should    read 


sc.in.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  129 

Hate  all,  curse  all,  show  charity  to  none, 

But  let  the  famish'd  flesh  slide  from  the  bone 

Ere  thou  relieve  the  beggar  ;  give  to  dogs 

What  thou  deny'st  to  men  ;  let  prisons  swallow  'em, 

Debts  wither  'em  to  nothing  ;  be  men  like  blasted  woods, 

And  may  diseases  lick  up  their  false  bloods  !  536 

And  so  farewell  and  thrive. 

Flav.  O  !  let  me  stay 

And  comfort  you,  my  master. 

Tim.  If  thou  hatest 

Curses,  stay  not  ;  fly,  whilst  thou  art  bless'd  and  free  : 
Ne'er  see  thou  man,  and  let  me  ne'er  see  thee.         540 

\Exeunt  severally. 


ACT  v         v^^r 

SCENE   I.  —  The  Woods.     Before  Timoris  Cave. 

Enter  Poet  and  Painter. 

Pain.  As  I  took  note  of  the  place,  it  cannot  be  far 

where  he  abides. 
Poet.  What  's    to    be    thought    of   him  ?      Does    the 

rumour  hold  for  true  that  he  's  so  full  of  gold  ? 
Pain.   Certain  :    Alcibiades    reports   it  ;    Phrynia    and        5 

5.  Phrynia}  Rowe,  ed.  2  ;  Phrynica  F  I  ;  Phrmia  Ff  2,  3,  4. 

535.  Debts    .    .    .    woods']   Believing  IV.    iv.    15.      The    sense   is   thus   im- 

that  "be  men"  has  been  caught  from  proved,  I  think,  by  bringing  "wither" 

the  line  above,  and  in  order  to  mend  and  "blasted"  into  close  conjunction, 

the  metre,  I  suggest  "  Debts  wither  'em  whereas   by  the   present   reading    and 

to  nothing  like  blasted  woods  ";  accent-  punctuation  the  words  "be  men  .  .   . 

ing  "nothing"  on  the  first  syllable,  as  woods"  do  not  cohere  well  with  "And 

in  Richard  III.  I.  ii.  236;  Cymbeline,  may  .  .   .  bloods!" 

9 


130  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTV. 

Timandra  had  gold  of  him :  he  likewise  en 
riched  poor  straggling  soldiers  with  great  quantity. 
Tis  said  he  gave  unto  his  steward  a  mighty 
sum. 

Poet.  Then  this  breaking  of  his  has  been  but  a  try  for      i  o 
his  friends. 

Pain.  Nothing  else ;  you  shall  see  him  a  palm  in 
Athens  again,  and  flourish  with  the  highest. 
Therefore  'tis  not  amiss  we  tender  our  loves  to 
him,  in  this  supposed  distress  of  his :  it  will  show  I  5 
honestly  in  us,  and  is  very  likely  to  load  our 
purposes  with  what  they  travail  for,  if  it  be  a 
just  and  true  report  that  goes  of  his  having. 

Poet.  What  have  you  now  to  present  unto  him  ? 

Pain.  Nothing  at  this  time  but  my  visitation ;  only  I      20 
will  promise  him  an  excellent  piece. 

Poet.  I  must  serve  him  so  too ;  tell  him  of  an  intent 
that's  coming  toward  him. 

Pain.  Good  as  the  best.     Promising  is  the  very  air  o* 

the  time ;  it  opens  the  eyes  of  expectation  ;  per-      2  5 
formance  is  ever  the  duller  for  his  act ;  and,  but 
in   the   plainer  and  simpler  kind  of  people,  the 
deed  of  saying  is  quite  out  of  use.      To  promise 

6.  Timandra}  Timandylo  F  I. 

7.  poor  .  .  .  soldiers']    the    banditti        14.  tender]  See    note  on   I.    i.    57, 
who  in  IV.  iii.  411,  above,  indignantly    above. 

deny  that  they  are  thieves  and  claim  to  16,  17.  load  .    .    .  for']   plenteously 

be   soldiers,   though   later    on    in    the  reward    our    labour;     "travail"    and 

scene  they  acknowledge  their  true  char-  "travel"    are    doubtlets,    in    the    old 

acter.  editions  used  indiscriminately. 

10,  II.  a  try  .  .  .  friends]  an  experi-  18.  having]  See  note  on  II.  ii.  143, 

ment  upon  the  character  of  his  pretended  above, 

friends.  27,  28.  the  deed  of  saying]   "doing 

12.  a     palm\     Steevens     compares  what  one  says  he  will  do"  (Rolfe),  com- 

Psalms  xcii.  II,   "The  righteous  shall  paring  Hamlet,  I.  iii.  26,  "  May  give  his 

flourish  like  a/a/w-tree."  saying  deed." 


sc.i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  131 

is   most   courtly    and    fashionable ;    performance 

is  a  kind  of  will  or  testament   which  argues  a      30 

great  sickness  in  his  judgment  that  makes  it. 

Enter  TlMON  from  his  cave. 

Tim.   \Aside^\    Excellent   workman !    thou   canst    not 
paint  a  man  so  bad  as  is  thyself. 

Poet.  I  am  thinking  what  I  shall  say  I  have  provided 

for  him:  it  must  be  a  personating  of  himself;  a      35 
satire   against   the   softness    of   prosperity,   with 
a  discovery  of  the  infinite  flatteries  that  follow 
youth  and  opulency. 

Tim.  [Aside.'}  Must  thou  needs  stand  for  a  villain  in 

thine  own  work  ?     Wilt  thou    whip    thine    own     40 
faults  in  other  men?     Do  so,  I  have   gold   for 
thee. 

Poet.  Nay,  let 's  seek  him  : 

Then  do  we  sin  against  our  own  estate, 

When  we  may  profit  meet,  and  come  too  late.  45 

Pain.  True ; 

When  the  day  serves,  before  black-corner'd  night, 
Find  what  thou  want'st  by  free  and  offer'd  light. 
Come. 

Tim.  [Aside]  I  '11  meet  you  at  the  turn.     What  a  god 's  gold, 

35.  a  personating  of  himself]  "per-  47.  black-corner'd]     perhaps     "that 
sonating,  for  representing  simply.     For  shrouds  everything  as  in  dark  corners  "  ; 
the  subject  of  this  projected  satire  was  "  -corneted,"    " -coroned,"    "-coned," 
Timon's  case,   not  his  person"  (War-  "-crowned,"      "-covered,"      "-cur- 
burton),  tain'd,"   " -collied,"  and  various  other 

36.  softness']  want  of  pith,  insubstan-  changes  have  been  proposed.    The  sense 
tiality.  I  have  given  (taking  the  passive  parti- 

37.  discovery]  exposure.  ciple  for  the  active)  is  intended  as  an 
39,  40.   stand  \.    .    .    work?]  sc.   by    antithesis  to  "  free  and  offer'd  light,"  a 

exposing     the     hollowness     of     your     hendiadys  for  "  freely  offered  light. " 
flattery.  50.  the  turn]  sc.  in  the  road. 


132 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACTV. 


That  he  is  worshipp'd  in  a  baser  temple  5 1 

Than  where  swine  feed  ! 

'Tis  thou  that  rigg'st  the  bark  and  plough'st  the  foam, 

Settlest  admired  reverence  in  a  slave : 

To  thee  be  worship ;  and  thy  saints  for  aye  5  5 

Be  crown'd  with  plagues  that  thee  alone  obey. 

Fit  I  meet  them.  [Advancing. 

Poet.  Hail,  worthy  Timon  ! 

Pain.  Our  late  noble  master  ! 

Tim.  Have  I  once  liv'd  to  see  two  honest  men  ? 

Poet.  Sir,  60 

Having  often  of  your  open  bounty  tasted, 
Hearing  you  were  retired,  your  friends  fall'n  off, 
Whose  thankless  natures — O  abhorred  spirits ! 
Not  all  the  whips  of  heaven  are  large  enough — 
What !  to  you,  65 

Whose  star-like  nobleness  gave  life  and  influence 
To  their  whole  being !      I  am  rapt,  and  cannot  cover 
The  monstrous  bulk  of  this  ingratitude 
With  any  size  of  words. 

Tim.  Let  it  go  naked,  men  may  see  't  the  better :  70 

55.  •worship']  Rowe  ;  -worshipt  Ff  I,  2,  3  ;   -worship' t  F  4.         64.  enough — ] 
Rowe  ;  enough,  Ff  2,  3,  4.         70.  go  naked,  men]  Theobald,  go,  Naked  men  Ff. 


51.  temple'}  here  of  the  human  body, 
as  often  in  Shakespeare. 

54.  Settlest  .  .  .  slave]  apparently, 
establishes,  makes  firm,  the  admiring 
reverence  which  a  slave  has  for  his 
master. 

61.  open]  free-handed. 

63,  64.  Whose  .  .  .  enough]  A  change 
of  construction  due  to  change  of  thought, 
or  perhaps  only  an  ellipsis  of  "  for,"  as 
Clarke  understands.  Cp.  The  Winter's 
Tale,  V.  ii.  94,  "One  of  the  prettiest 
touches  of  all  ...  was  when,  at  the 


relation  of  the  queen's  death  .  .  .  how 
attentiveness  wounded  his  daughter" 
(quoted  by  Abbott,  S.  G.,  §  415). 

66.  influence]  here  used  in  its  tech 
nical  (astrological)  sense. 

67.  rapt']     See    note    on    I.    i.    21, 
above. 

69.  With  any  .  .  .  words}  with  any 
words  however  large-embracing. 

70.  naked}  Timon  is  playing  upon  the 
word  "  bulk  "  in  the  sense  of  body  ;  cp. 
Richard  III.   I.   iv.   40,   "  within   my 
panting  bulk." 


sc.i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  133 

You  that  are  honest,  by  being  what  you  are, 
Make  them  best  seen  and  known. 

Pain.  He  and  myself 

Have  travell'd  in  the  great  shower  of  your  gifts, 

And  sweetly  felt  it. 

Tim.  Ay,  you  are  honest  men. 

Pain.  We  are  hither  come  to  offer  you  our  service.  75 

Tim.  Most  honest  men  !     Why,  how  shall  I  requite  you  ? 

Can  you  eat  roots  and  drink  cold  water  ?  no. 
Both.  What  we  can  do,  we  '11  do,  to  do  you  service. 
Tim.  Ye  're  honest  men.  Ye  Ve  heard  that  I  have  gold  ; 

I  am  sure  you  have :  speak  truth ;  ye  're  honest  men. 
Pain.  So  it  is  said,  my  noble  lord  ;  but  therefore  8 1 

Came  not  my  friend  nor  I. 
Tim.  Good  honest  men  !     Thou  draw'st  a  counterfeit 

Best  in  all  Athens :  thou  'rt,  indeed,  the  best ; 

Thou  counterfeit'st  most  lively. 

Pain.  So,  so,  my  lord.      85 

Tim.  E'en  so,  sir,  as  I  say.     And,  for  thy  fiction, 

Why,  thy  verse  swells  with  stuff  so  fine  and  smooth 

That  thou  art  even  natural  in  thine  art. 

But,  for  all  this,  my  honest-natur'd  friends, 

I  must  needs  say  you  have  a  little  fault :  90 

Marry,  'tis  not  monstrous  in  you,  neither  wish  I 

You  take  much  pains  to  mend. 
Both.  Beseech  your  honour 

79.    Ye  're  .  .  .  ye  've\  Dyce,  Y  'are  .  .  .    Y  'have  Ff. 

73.  Have  .  .  .  gifts]  have  had  full  in    Shakespeare,    but    with     a     quib- 

experience  of  the  plenteous  rain  of  your  ble. 

generosity  ;  cp.  line  16,  above,  "  to  load         88.    That  thou  .   .  .  art]  that  even  in 

our  purposes  with  what  they  may  travail  that  which  is  a  work  of  art  you  show 

for.  yourself  in  your  true  nature,  sc.  that  of 

83.  counterfeit]    portrait,     as     often  a  hypocrite. 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTV. 

To  make  it  known  to  us. 

Tim.  You  '11  take  it  ill. 

Both.  Most  thankfully,  my  lord. 

Tim.  Will  you  indeed  ? 

Both.  Doubt  it  not,  worthy  lord.  95 

Tim.  There 's  never  a  one  of  you  but  trusts  a  knave, 
That  mightily  deceives  you. 

Both.  Do  we,  my  lord  ? 

Tim.  Ay,  and  you  hear  him  cog,  see  him  dissemble, 
Know  his  gross  patchery,  love  him,  feed  him, 
Keep  in  your  bosom ;  yet  remain  assured  I  oo 

That  he's  a  made-up  villain. 

Pain.  I  know  none  such,  my  lord. 

Poet.  Nor  I. 

Tim.  Look  you,  I  love  you  well ;  I  '11  give  you  gold, 
Rid  me  these  villains  from  your  companies : 
Hang  them  or  stab  them,  drown  them  in  a  draught,    1 05 
Confound  them  by  some  course,  and  come  to  me, 
I  '11  give  you  gold  enough. 

Both.  Name  them,  my  lord  ;  let 's  know  them. 

Tim.  You  that  way  and  you  this,  but  two  in  company ; 

Each  man  apart,  all  single  and  alone,  1 1  o 

Yet  an  arch-villain  keeps  him  company. 

98.  tog]    deceive  ;     sometimes    used  105.  draught}  a  jakes  ;  cp.  Jonson, 
transitively,  as  in  Marston,  Antonio  and  Cynthids  J?eve/s,v.  ii. ,  "  You  shall  bury 
Mellida,  Pt.  I.  in.  i.  99,  "  to  cog  a  die."  them  in  a  muckhill,  a  draught"  ;  Mars- 

99.  patchery]    knavish   contrivance  ;  ton,  The  Malcontent,  IV.  ii.  143,  "  'tis 
cp.  Troilus  and   Cressida,  II.   iii.   77,  but  the  draught  wherein  the  heavenly 
"  Here  is  such  patchery,  such  juggling  bodies  discharge  their  corruption." 
and  such  knavery. "  109.  but  .  .   .  company']  but  still  two 

101.  made-up]  complete;  cp.  Richard  together  ;  for,  as  he  goes  on  to  explain, 

///.  I.  i.  21,  "scarce  half  made  up"  ;  though  they  are  apart,  yet  with  each  of 

Cymbeline,   v.    ii.    109,    "being  scarce  them  " an  arch'- villain  keeps  him  com- 

made  up,  I  mean,  to  man  "  ;  Hey  wood,  pany."     Hanmer's  alteration  of  "  but " 

The   English    Traveller,   III.    i.,    "So  to  " not "  utterly  spoils  the  humour  of 

every  way  accomplished  and  made  up,"  the  passage. 


SC.L]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  135 

If,  where  thou  art,  two  villains  shall  not  be, 
Come  not  near  him.     If  thou  would'st  not  reside 
But  where  one  villain  is,  then  him  abandon. 
Hence !   pack  !  there 's  gold ;  you  came  for  gold,  ye 
slaves :  115 

You  have  work  for  me,  there 's  payment :  hence  ! 
You  are  an  alchemist,  make  gold  of  that. 
Out,  rascal  dogs ! 

\Beats  them  out  and  then  retires  to  his  cave. 

Enter  FLAVIUS  and  tivo  Senators. 

Flav.  It  is  in  vain  that  you  would  speak  with  Timon ; 

For  he  is  set  so  only  to  himself,  120 

That  nothing  but  himself,  which  looks  like  man, 
Is  friendly  with  him. 

First  Sen.  Bring  us  to  his  cave : 

It  is  our  part  and  promise  to  the  Athenians 
To  speak  with  Timon. 

Second  Sen.  At  all  times  alike 

Men  are  not  still  the  same :  'twas  time  and  griefs    125 
That  framed  him  thus :  time,  with  his  fairer  hand, 
Offering  the  fortunes  of  his  former  days, 
The  former  man  may  make  him.     Bring  us  to  him, 
And  chance  it  as  it  may. 

Flav.  Here  is  his  cave. 

Peace  and  content  be  here !    Lord  Timon!  Timon!   130 
Look  out,  and  speak  to  friends :  the  Athenians, 

112.  If,  -where  .  .  .  be]  if  you  are  cerns ;  or,  so  wholly  "wrapt  up  in 
determined  that  where  you  are  there  self-contemplation,"  as  Schmidt  ex- 
shall  not  be  two  villains,  etc.  plains. 

1 20.  For  he  .  .  .  himself}  for  he  is  123.  our  .  .  .  promise]  the  part  we 

so  intently  bent  upon  his  own  con-  undertook  to  play. 


136  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTV. 

By  two  of  their  most  reverend  senate,  greet  thee : 
Speak  to  them,  noble  Timon. 

Re-enter  TlMON  from  his  cave, 

Tim.  Thou  sun,  that  comfort'st,  burn !    Speak,  and  be  hang'd  : 
For  each  true  word,  a  blister !  and  each  false          135 
Be  as  a  cauterizing  to  the  root  o'  the  tongue, 
Consuming  it  with  speaking  ! 

First  Sen.  Worthy  Timon, — 

Tim.  Of  none  but  such  as  you,  and  you  of  Timon. 

Second  Sen.  The  senators  of  Athens  greet  thee,  Timon. 

Tim.  I    thank    them ;    and    would    send    them    back    the 
plague,  1 40 

Could  I  but  catch  it  for  them. 

First  Sen.  O  !  forget 

What  we  are  sorry  for  ourselves  in  thee. 
The  senators  with  one  consent  of  love 
Entreat  thee  back  to  Athens ;  who  have  thought 
On  special  dignities,  which  vacant  lie  145 

For  thy  best  use  and  wearing. 

Second  Sen.  They  confess 

Toward  thee  forgetfulness  too  general,  gross  ; 
Which  now  the  public  body,  which  doth  seldom 
Play  the  recanter,  feeling  in  itself 
A  lack  of  Timon's  aid,  hath  sense  withal  150 

Of  it  own  fail,  restraining  aid  to  Timon ; 

136.  cauterizing]  Rowe  ;  Cantherizing  F  I  ;  Catherizing  Ff  2,  3,  4. 

142.  in  thee]  in  regard  to  you.  especially  when  a  child  is  mentioned, 

146.  For  thy  .  .  .  wearing]  for  you  or    when   any   one   is   contemptuously 

to  use  and  wear  as  no  one  could  do  so  spoken  of  as  a  child  "  (Abbott,  6".  G,, 

fitly.  §  228),  as  in  The  Winter's  Tale,  in. 

151.  it]  "an   early  provincial   form  ii.  109;  Lear,  i.  iv.  235.    Most  editors 

of  the  old  genitive,  is  found  for   its,  here  alter  to  "  its,"  and  perhaps  rightly, 


sc.i.]  T1MON   OF  ATHENS  137 

And  send  forth  us,  to  make  their  sorrowed  render, 

Together  with  a  recompense  more  fruitful 

Than  their  offence  can  weigh  down  by  the  dram  ; 

Ay,  even  such  heaps  and  sums  of  love  and  wealth    155 

As  shall  to  thee  blot  out  what  wrongs  were  theirs, 

And  write  in  thee  the  figures  of  their  love, 

Ever  to  read  them  thine. 

Tim.  You  witch  me  in  it; 

Surprise  me  to  the  very  brink  of  tears : 
Lend  me  a  fool's  heart  and  a  woman's  eyes,  160 

And  I  '11  beweep  these  comforts,  worthy  senators. 

First  Sen.  Therefore  so  please  thee  to  return  with  us, 
And  of  our  Athens,  thine  and  ours,  to  take 
The  captainship,  thou  shalt  be  met  with  thanks, 
Allow'd  with  absolute  power,  and  thy  good  name   165 
Live  with  authority :  so  soon  we  shall  drive  back 
Of  Alcibiades  the  approaches  wild  ; 
Who,  like  a  boar  too  savage,  doth  root  up 
His  country's  peace. 

Second  Sen.  And  shakes  his  threat'ning  sword 

Against  the  walls  of  Athens. 

First  Sen.  Therefore  Timon, —    1 70 

though   "its"  is  very  rarely  used   by  the  dram  being  one  of  the  smallest  of 

Shakespeare.  weights. 

151.  fail}    shortcomings;      Capell's  158.  Ever  .   .  .  thine]   so   that  you 

correction  of  the  folio  reading,  "fall."  will   ever  recognise   them   (the   public 

Hanmer  gave  "fault."  body)  as  wholly  yours,  wholly  devoted 

151.  restraining.  .  .  Timoii\  in  having  to  you. 

prevented  help  being  given  to  Timon  at  165.  Allow'd  .    .    .  power'}  be  con- 

his   need ;   Johnson   conjectured   "  re-  firmed    in    absolute   power.      Schmidt 

framing."  explains     "Allowed"     as     "trusted, 

152.  sorrowed  render}  submissive  and  invested  by  public  authority." 
sorrowful  confession  of  their  fault ;  cp.  165,  166.  and  thy   .    .    .    authority} 
Cytnbeliiif,  iv.  iv.  ii:  and  you  enjoy  reputation  with  authority. 

"may  drive  us  to  a  re>tder  168.  like  a  boar}  Steevens  compares 

Where  we  have  lived."  Psalms  Ixxx.   13,  "The  wild  boar  out 

154.  by  the  dram}  if  carefully  weighed;     of  the  wood  doth  root  it  up." 


138  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  [ACTV. 

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.     But  if  he  sack  fair  Athens, 
And  take  our  goodly  aged  men  by  the  beards,        175 
Giving  our  holy  virgins  to  the  stain 
Of  contumelious,  beastly,  mad-brain'd  war, 
Then  let  him  know,  and  tell  him  Timon  speaks  it, 
In  pity  of  our  aged  and  our  youth 
I  cannot  choose  but  tell  him,  that  I  care  not,          1 80 
And   let   him  take 't  at  worst ;  for  their  knives  care 

not 

While  you  have  throats  to  answer  :  for  myself, 
There 's  not  a  whittle  in  the  unruly  camp 
But  I  do  prize  it  at  my  love  before 
The  reverend'st  throat  in  Athens.    So  I  leave  you    1 8  5 
To  the  protection  of  the  prosperous  gods, 
As  thieves  to  keepers. 

Flav.  Stay  not ;  all 's  in  vain. 

171.    Well,  sir,  .  .  .  thus:}  the  pre-  dleton,  The  Widow,  in.  ii.  76,  "here's 

tended  hesitation  is  meant  to  tantalise  the  length  of  one  of  their  whittles. " 

the  Senator  with  the  hope  that  Timon  184.  at  my  love']  at  the  value  of  my 

is  about  to  yield  to  his  prayer.  love.     It  is  a  mistake  to  alter  "at"  to 

174.  Bui\  Here  again  Timon  begins  "  in,"  with  Hanmer  ;  cp.  Hamlet,  iv. 

as  though  he  were  going  to  say  that  iii.  60: 

though  he  would  do  nothing  to  help  his  "And,   England,  if  my   love    thou 

countrymen,  in  the  case  of  his  country-  hold'st  at  aught." 

women  he  will  interfere  to  save  them.  186.  prosperous]     propitious,     bene- 

So,  again,  at  line  194,  we  have  a  long  ficent.     Cp.   The  Winter's  Tale,   V.  i. 

prelude    to    a    like     derisive     conclu-  161 : 

sion.  ' '  A  prosperous  south-wind  friendly  " ; 

181.  And  let  .   .  .  worst]  ironically  Massinger,  The  Bashful  Lover,  it.  iv.  : 

pretending  to  hurl  defiance  at  him.  "  though  I  have  done  you 

181,   182.  for  their  .    .    .    answer]  Some  prosperous  service  that  hath 

continuing  his  savage  irony,  he  says,  as  found  your  favour." 

for  their  knives,  you  need  not  trouble  187.  As  .  .   .  keepers]  i.e.  that  they 

yourselves  about  them  so  long  as  you  may  mete  out  to  you  such  mercy  as 

have  throats  to  be  cut.  jailers  mete  out  to  thieves,  sc,  none  at 

183.  •whittle']  clasp-knife  ;    cp.  Mid-  all. 


sc.i.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  139 

Tim.  Why,  I  was  writing  of  my  epitaph ; 

It  will  be  seen  to-morrow :  my  long  sickness 

Of  health  and  living  now  begins  to  mend,  1 90 

And  nothing  brings  me  all  things.     Go ;  live  still : 

Be  Alcibiades  your  plague,  you  his, 

And  last  so  long  enough  ! 

First  Sen.  We  speak  in  vain. 

Tim.  But  yet  I  love  my  country,  and  am  not 

One  that  rejoices  in  the  common  wreck,  195 

As  common  bruit  doth  put  it. 

First  Sen.  That 's  well  spoke. 

Tim.  Commend  me  to  my  loving  countrymen, — 

First  Sen.  These  words   become  your   lips   as  they   pass 
through  them. 

Second  Sen.  And  enter  in  our  ears  like  great  triumphers 
In  their  applauding  gates. 

Tim.  Commend  me  to  them  ;   200 

And  tell  them  that,  to  ease  them  of  their  griefs, 
Their  fears  of  hostile  strokes,  their  aches,  losses, 
Their  pangs  of  love,  with  other  incident  throes 

195.  wreck}  Theobald  (ed.  2) ;  wracke  Ff  I,  2  ;  wrack  Ff  3,  4. 

1 88.    Why,   .    .    .   epitaph}  It  is  not  "To  die  is  nothing, 'tis  but  parting  with 

easy  to  supply  the  suppressed  connec-  A  mountain  of  vexations." 

tion    here.      Perhaps   the   thought   is,  193.  And  .  .  .  enough]  An  echo  of 

"Don't  wonder  at  the  comfort  I  give  Alcibiades's  words  to  the  Senators,  in 

you ;    it   is    the    very   comfort    I    am  in.  v.  105,  106. 

preparing  to  administer  to  myself.     In  196.  bruit]  rumour  ;  cp.  Troilus  and 

proof  of  this  let  me  tell  you  that,  as  Cressida,  v.  ix.  4. 

you  came,  I  was  writing  my  epitaph."  198.  through]      The      folios      give 

Then,    a   few   lines    later,    he   fiercely  "  thorow " ;    Rowe   printed    "  thro' " ; 

imprecates  upon  them  the  fate  of  still  I  follow  Delius. 

living    on,    plagued   by  Alcibiades    as  199.  triumphers]    accented    on    the 

Alcibiades  is  to  be  plagued  with  them  ;  penultimate,     as    always    by    Jonson, 

for   "of,"  with  the   verbal   noun,   see  Massinger,  and  other  of  the  dramatists. 

Abbott,  S.  G.,  §  178.  An  allusion,  of  course,  to  a  triumphal 

189-191.    my     long  sickness    .    .    .  entry  into  a  city. 

things}  Cp.  Massinger,  The  Rcncgado,  202.  aches}  a  dissyllable,  as  in  I.  i. 

iv.  ii.  :  250,  above. 


140  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  [ACTV. 

That  nature's  fragile  vessel  doth  sustain  204 

In  life's  uncertain  voyage,  I  will  some  kindness  do  them  : 
I  '11  teach  them  to  prevent  wild  Alcibiades'  wrath. 

Second  Sen.  I  like  this  well ;  he  will  return  again. 

Tim.  I  have  a  tree  which  grows  here  in  my  close, 
That  mine  own  use  invites  me  to  cut  down, 
And  shortly  must  I  fell  it;  tell  my  friends,  210 

Tell  Athens,  in  the  sequence  of  degree, 
From  high  to  low  throughout,  that  whoso  please 
To  stop  affliction,  let  him  take  his  haste, 
Come  hither,  ere  my  tree  hath  felt  the  axe, 
And  hang  himself.     I  pray  you,  do  my  greeting.   215 

Flav.  Trouble  him  no  further ;  thus  you  still  shall  find  him. 

Tim.  Come  not  to  me  again  ;  but  say  to  Athens, 
Timon  hath  made  his  everlasting  mansion 
Upon  the  beached  verge  of  the  salt  flood  ; 
Who  once  a  day  with  his  embossed  froth  220 

The  turbulent  surge  shall  cover  :  thither  come, 
And  let  my  grave-stone  be  your  oracle. 
Lips,  let  sour  words  go  by  and  language  end  : 

223.  sour]  Rowe,/0M/-<:  or  four  Ft. 

206.  prevent]  to  their  ears  =  frustrate,  fication  of  irrational  antecedents,  see 

in  his  mind  =  anticipate.  Abbott,  S.  G.,  §  264. 

208.  close]  enclosure.  220.  embossed]    foaming,    blown    up 

211.  in  the  .  .  .  degree]  in  regular  into  foam  globules.      In  this  sense,  the 
gradation.  word  is  from  Fr.  embosser,  to  swell  or 

212.  please]  subjunctive.  rise  in  bunches ;   cp.    The  Taming  of 

213.  take    his    haste]    an     unusual  the  Shrew,  Induction,  i.  17,  "the  poor 
phrase,   but  not  questionable.      Grant  cur  isemooss'd"  ;  as  used  in  All's  Well, 
White,    quoted    by    Rolfe,    compares  III.  vi.  107,  "we  have  almost  embossed 
A   Midsummer- Nighfs  Dream,    v.    i.  him, "it  is  from  Fr.  embosquer,  to  shroud 
243,  "take  his  gait."     Malone  points  in  a  wood. 

out  that  Shakespeare  is  here  following  223.    sour]      Walker's      conjecture, 

the  story  as  given  by  Plutarch  in  his  "your,"    seems"    to    me    anything  but 

Life  of  Antony.  an    improvement.       Timon    in    effect 

220.    W/40]  =  whom,    i.e.   which,    re-  says,  Enough  of  bitter  words,  nay,  let 

ferring  to  mansion.     For  the  personi-  words  of  every  kind  be  silent. 


SC.H.]  TIMON   OF  ATHENS  141 

What  is  amiss  plague  and  infection  mend ! 

Graves  only  be  men's  works  and  death  their  gain  !    225 

Sun,  hide  thy  beams !     Timon  hath  done  his  reign. 

[Exit. 
First  Sen.  His  discontents  are  unremoveably 

Coupled  to  nature. 
Second  Sen.  Our  hope  in  him  is  dead  :  let  us  return, 

And  strain  what  other  means  is  left  unto  us  230 

In  our  dear  peril. 
First  Sen.  It  requires  swift  foot.          \Exeunt. 


SCENE  II. — Before  the  Walls  of  Athens. 

Enter  two  Senators  and  a  Messenger. 

First  Sen.  Thou  hast  painfully  discover'd ;  are  his  files 

As  full  as  thy  report? 
Mess.  I  have  spoke  the  least ; 

Besides,  his  expedition  promises 

Present  approach. 

Second  Sen.  We   stand    much    hazard   if  they   bring    not 
Timon.  5 

Mess.  I  met  a  courier,  one  mine  ancient  friend, 

Whom,  though  in  general  part  we  were  oppos'd, 

6.  courier]  Rowe,  Currier  Ff. 

227,228.  His  discontents  .  .  .  nature]  tion   you  have    made   is   a   distressing 

his  bitter  thoughts  are  part  and  parcel  one. 

of  his  nature.  3.  expedition']  haste. 

231.  dear]    intensive,    as    often    in  7-9.    Whom  .   .   .  friends']  elliptical 

Shakespeare;  e.g.  Hamlet,  I.  ii.  182:  for  "as  to  whom,"  or  a  confusion  of 

"Would  I  could  meet  my  dearest  foe  constructions  due  to  the  parenthetical 

in  heaven  .   .  .  !"  insertion.       Pope      gave      "Who"  ; 

c  Hanmer,  "And";  Singer,  "When": 

for    "made,"    line    8,    Hanmer    gave 

I.   Thou  .  .  .  discover'd]  the  revela-  "had";    and    for    "made,"    line    9, 


142  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  [ACTV. 

Yet  our  old  love  made  a  particular  force, 

And  made  us  speak  like  friends :  this  man  was  riding 

From  Alcibiades  to  Timon's  cave,  10 

With  letters  of  entreaty,  which  imported 

His  fellowship  i'  the  cause  against  your  city, 

In  part  for  his  sake  moved. 

Enter  the  Senators  from  TlMON. 

First  Sen.  Here  comes  our  brothers. 

Third  Sen.  No  talk  of  Timon,  nothing  of  him  expect. 

The  enemy's  drum  is  heard,  and  fearful  scouring       1 5 
Doth  choke  the  air  with  dust.      In,  and  prepare : 
Ours  is  the  fall,  I  fear ;  our  foes  the  snare.       [Exeunt. 


SCENE  III.— The  Woods.     Timon's  Cave,  and 
a  rude  tomb  seen. 

Enter  a  Soldier,  seeking  TlMON. 

Sold.  By  all  description  this  should  be  the  place. 

Who 's  here  ?  speak,  ho  !     No  answer  !  what  is  this  ? 
Timon  is  dead,  who  hath  outstretch'd  his  span  : 
1  Some  beast  read  this ;  there  does  not  live  a  man. 

Jackson     conjectured     "  bade "  ;     for 

"made  .  .  .  force,"  Staunton  suggests  Scene  ill. 

"book  .  .  .  truce."  3,  4.    Timon  .    .    .    man]  Johnson, 

7.  in  general  part]  in  public  matters,  retaining  "  read  this,"  explains  that  the 

11-13.  which  imported  .  .  .  moved}  soldier  sees  the  tomb  and  the  inscrip- 

the  purport  of  which  was  to  show  that  tion  upon  it,  but,  not  being  able  to  read, 

Timon  ought  to  make  common  cause  and,  not  finding  any  one  to  do  so  for 

with    a    movement   that   to   a  certain  him,  exclaims  peevishly,  "some  beast 

extent   had    been   set   on   foot   in    his  read  this,"  for  it  must  be  read,  and  in 

behalf.  this  place  it  cannot  be  read  by  man. 

15.  scouring]    hurrying    hither    and  Staunton  also  retains  "read,"  but  takes 

thither.  the  two  lines  as  being  ' '  an  inscription 


sc.iv.]  TIMON    OF   ATHENS  143 

Dead,   sure  ;    and    this   his    grave.     What  's  on    this 
tomb  5 

I  cannot  read  ;  the  character  I  '11  take  with  wax  : 
Our  captain  hath  in  every  figure  skill  ; 
An  aged  interpreter,  though  young  in  days. 
Before  proud  Athens  he's  set  down  by  this, 
Whose  fall  the  mark  of  his  ambition  is.        [Exit.      i  o 


SCENE  IV.—  Before  the  Walls  of  Athens. 

Trumpets  sound.     Enter  ALCIBIADES  with  his  Powers. 

Alcib.  Sound  to  this  coward  and  lascivious  town 

Our  terrible  approach.  [A  parley  sounded. 

Enter  Senators  on  the  walls. 

Till  now  you  have  gone  on,  and  fill'd  the  time 
With  all  licentious  measure,  making  your  wills 
The  scope  of  justice  ;  till  now  myself  and  such  5 

by  Timon  to   indicate  his  death  and  unintelligible  to  the  Soldier  only  because 

point  to  the  epitaph  on  his  tomb  "...  he  cannot  read  any  sort  of  writing  (in 

which,   unlike    the   inscription    which  the  next  scene  he  confesses  his  'poor 

he  has  just  read,  is  in  a  language  the  ignorance  ').     Why  should  Timon  en- 

soldier  was  unacquainted  with.     War-  grave  his  epitaph  in  characters  which 

burton    conjectured    "rear'd,"   which,  were  to  be  deciphered  by  the  learned 

with  Theobald,  Dyce  adopts,  explain-  alone?"      For    "read,"    Delius   gives 

ing    thus:    "By  all    description    this  "made."      But    there    can    be    littl^ 

should  be  the  place  where  I  am  directed  doubt  that  the  whole  scene,  which  is 

to  fold  Timon.  —  Who's  here?   speak,  quite  irrelevant,  is  an  interpolation. 

ho  !  —  No   answer  ?  —  What   is   this  ?    a  6.  character]  impression  of  the  letters. 

sepulchral    mound   of    earth  !      Then  7.  every  figure]  all  kinds  of  writing. 

Timon  is  dead,  who  has  outstretched  q.  by  this}  sc.  time. 
his  span  :    and  it  would  almost  seem 

that  some  beast  reared  this  mound,  for  Scene  iv 
here  does  not  live  a  man  to  have  done 

so.      Yes,  he  is  dead,  sure,  and  this  his  4,   5.   making  .   .   .  justice]   making 

grave,"  etc.    .    .    .    "I  think  it  quite  the  limits  of  your  will   and  of  justice 

plain,  "he  goes  on,  "that  the  insculpture  identical;  cp.  Hamlet,  in.  ii.  229: 

on  Timon's  tomb   is   in   the   common  '  '  An  anchor's  cheer  in  prison  be  my 

language  of  the  country,  and  that  it  is  scope  !  " 


144 


TIMON   OP   ATHENS 


[ACT  v. 


As  slept  within  the  shadow  of  your  power 

Have     wander'd     with      our     traversed      arms,     and 

breathed 

Our  sufferance  vainly.     Now  the  time  is  flush, 
When  crouching  marrow,  in  the  bearer  strong, 
Cries  of  itself,  "  No  more  " :  now  breathless  wrong     I  o 
Shall  sit  and  pant  in  your  great  chairs  of  ease, 
And  pursy  insolence  shall  break  his  wind 
With  fear  and  horrid  flight. 

First  Sen.  Noble  and  young, 

When  thy  first  griefs  were  but  a  mere  conceit, 
Ere  thou  hadst  power  or  we  had  cause  of  fear,  1 5 

We  sent  to  thee  to  give  thy  rages  balm, 
To  wipe  out  our  ingratitude  with  loves 
Above  their  quantity. 


6.  slept]  lived  our  darkened  lives. 

7.  traversed"]    usually    explained    as 
"  folded,"   sc.   in  dejection.      Crosby, 
apud    Rolfe,    suggests    that   it   means 
with    our    military  arms  reversed,   or 
idle. 

8.  flush]  lusty  ;  cp.  Hamlet,  in.  iii. 
8l,  "flush  as  May." 

9.  10.    When  crouching  .   .    .   more] 
when  resolution,  so  far  crouching,  now 
grown  strong,  spontaneously  asserts  its 
demand    that   such   a  state   of   things 
shall  cease  ;  for  "  marrow,"  cp.  Hamlet, 
I.  iv.  22 : 

"The  pith  and  marrow  of  our  attri 
bute." 

10-13.  now  breathless  .  .  .  flight} 
now  those  wronged  ones  who  were 
wont  to  flee  your  presence  in  headlong 
flight,  shall  recover  their  breath,  seated 
in  your  comfortable  places ;  while  in 
solence,  short-winded  in  the  effort, 
shall  gasp  for  breath,  as  terror-stricken 
it  seeks  to  elude  pursuing  justice. 

12.  pursy}  "  O.  F.  pourcif  .  .  . 
which  is  a  variant  .  .  .  of  O.  F. 


poulsif,  '  pursie,  short  -  winded,'  Cot. 
.  .  .  Lat.  pulsare.  The  word  has 
reference  to  the  pantings  or  quick  pul 
sations  of  breath  made  by  a  pursy  per 
son"  (Skeat,  Ety.  Diet.).  In  Jonson's 
Magnetic  Lady,  in.  iv.,  Rut,  the 
physician,  puns  thus : 

' '  Let 's  feel  your  pulse  ; 
It  is  a  pursiness,  a  kind  of  stop 
page 
Or  tumour  of  the  purse,  for  want 

of  exercise  "  ; 

cp.  Chapman,  Byroris  Conspiracy,  I.  i.  : 
' '  Peace      must      not     make      men 

cowards,  or  keep  calm 
Her   pursy   regiment   with   men's 
smothered  breaths." 

13.  horrid]  shuddering  with  fright ; 
cp.  1  Henry  IV.  i.  i.  1-3. 

14.  conceit}  fancy. 

1 8.  their}  a  confusion  of  proximity 
due  to  the  intervening  plural,  "loves"  ; 
an  irregularity  very  common  in  Shake 
speare.  Cp.  Julius  C&sar,  v.  I.  33: 

"The posture  of  your  blows  are  yet 
unknown  "  ; 


sc.iv.]  TIMON   OF   ATHJENS  145 

Second  Sen.  So  did  we  woo 

Transformed  Timon  to  our  city's  love 
By  humble  message  and  by  promis'd  means :  20 

We  were  not  all  unkind,  nor  all  deserve 
The  common  stroke  of  war. 

First  Sen.  These  walls  of  ours 

Were  not  erected  by  their  hands  from  whom 
You  have  receiv'd  your  griefs ;  nor  are  they  such 
That  these  great  towers,  trophies,  and  schools  should 

fall 
For  private  faults  in  them. 

Second  Sen.  Nor  are  they  living       26 

Who  were  the  motives  that  you  first  went  out ; 
Shame,  that  they  wanted  cunning,  in  excess 
Hath  broke  their  hearts.     March,  noble  lord, 
Into  our  city  with  thy  banners  spread :  30 

By  decimation,  and  a  tithed  death, 
If  thy  revenges  hunger  for  that  food 
Which  nature  loathes,  take  thou  the  destin'd  tenth, 

24.  griefs}  Theobald;  greefe  Ff  I,  2;  grief  Ff  3,  4.  28.  Shame  .  .  . 

excess}  Theobald  (Shame  that  they  wanted,  cunning  in  excesse)  F  I  ;   Shame 
(that  they  wanted  cunning  in  excesse)  Ff  2,  3,  4. 

conversely,  The  Comedy  of  Errors,  v.  "  Am   I   the  motive  of  these  tears, 

I.  69,  70:  my  lord?" 

"  The  venom  clamours  of  a  jealous  and     Antony    and    Cleopatra,    II.    ii. 

woman  96. 

Poisons  more  deadly  than  a  mad  28,  29.  Shame   that   .    .    .    hearts} 

dog's  tooth."  Theobald,  to  whom  we  owe  the  correc- 

Malone  referred   "their"  to  "griefs,"  tion  of  the  punctuation  here,  explains 

line  14;  Warburton,  to  "rages, "line  16.  "Shame  in  excess   (i.e.    extremity  of 

24.  griefs}  grievances.  shame)thattheywantedcunning(z'.e.  that 

24.  they}  the  grievances.  they  were  not  wise  enough  not  to  banish 

26.  them}  sc.  "  those  from  whom  .  .  .  you)   hath   broke   their   hearts."    For 
griefs."  "cunning"— wisdom,  cp.  Othello,  in. 

27.  the    motives    .    .    .    out}    "  the  iii.  49. 

authors  of  your  banishment"    (Rolfe),         31.  a  tithed  death}  decimation, 
comparing  Othello,  IV.  ii.  43 : 

10 


146 


TIMON   OF  ATHENS 


[ACTV. 


And  by  the  hazard  of  the  spotted  die 
Let  die  the  spotted. 

First  Sen.  All  have  not  offended ;  3  5 

For  those  that  were,  it  is  not  square  to  take 
On  those  that  are,  revenges :  crimes,  like  lands, 
Are  not  inherited.     Then,  dear  countryman, 
Bring  in  thy  ranks,  but  leave  without  thy  rage : 
Spare  thy  Athenian  cradle,  and  those  kin  40 

Which  in  the  bluster  of  thy  wrath  must  fall 
With  those  that  have  offended :  like  a  shepherd, 
Approach  the  fold  and  cull  the  infected  forth, 
But  kill  not  all  together. 

Second  Sen.  What  thou  wilt. 

Thou  rather  shalt  enforce  it  with  thy  smile  45 

Than  hew 't  out  with  thy  sword. 

First  Sen.  Set  but  thy  foot 

Against  our  rampired  gates,  and  they  shall  ope, 
So  thou  wilt  send  thy  gentle  heart  before, 
To  say  thou  'It  enter  friendly. 

Second  Sen.  Throw  thy  glove, 

Or  any  token  of  thine  honour  else,  50 

That  thou  wilt  use  the  wars  as  thy  redress 
And  not  as  our  confusion,  all  thy  powers 

46.  hew 't  out]  Daniel  conj.  ;  hew  too  V  Ff  I,  2  ;  hew  to  't  Ff  3,  4. 


35.  the  spotted}  those    tainted  with 
guilt;    cp.    Richard  II.    in.   ii.    134, 
"  their  spotted  souls"  ;  Massinger,  The 
Virgin  Martyr,  II.  ii.,  "  a  fry  til  speckled 
villanies." 

36.  square]  equitable. 
39.  without]  outside. 

41.  in  the  .  .  .  wrath]  if  your  wrath 
is  allowed  its  full  rage. 

47.  rampired]  protected  by  ramparts. 
Cf.  Marlowe,  Dido,  II.  ii.  ; 


"  Enforce'd  a  wide  breach   in  that 

rampir'd  wall." 

But  the  dramatists  generally  use  this 
form  of  the  word,  whether  as  a  sub 
stantive  or  a  verb. 

48.  So]  provided  that. 

50.  token  .  .  .  honour]  token  pledg 
ing  your  honour. 

52.  powers}  military  forces  ;  as  con 
stantly. 


SC.  IV.J 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


147 


Shall  make  their  harbour  in  our  town,  till  we 
Have  seal'd  thy  full  desire. 

Alcib.  Then  there 's  my  glove ; 

Descend,  and  open  your  uncharged  ports  :  5  5 

Those  enemies  of  Timon's,  and  mine  own, 
Whom  you  yourselves  shall  set  out  for  reproof, 
Fall,  and  no  more ;  and,  to  atone  your  fears 
With  my  more  noble  meaning,  not  a  man 
Shall  pass  his  quarter,  or  offend  the  stream  60 

Of  regular  justice  in  your  city's  bounds, 
But  shall  be  render'd  to  your  public  laws 
At  heaviest  answer. 

Both.  'Tis  most  nobly  spoken. 

Alcib.  Descend,  and  keep  your  words. 

[The  Senators  descend,  and  open  the  gates. 

Enter  a  Soldier. 

Sold.  My  noble  general,  Timon  is  dead  ;  65 

Entomb'd  upon  the  very  hem  o'  the  sea : 
And  on  his  grave-stone  this  insculpture  which 
With  wax  I  brought  away,  whose  soft  impression 
Interprets  for  my  poor  ignorance. 

62.  rendered  to  your]  Chedworth  conj.  ;  remedied  to  your  F  i  ;  remedied  by 
your  Ff  2,  3,  4. 


55.  uncharged]  The  commentators 
agree  in  explaining  this  as  "un- 
assaulted."  I  believe  the  construction 
to  be  proleptic,  and  ' '  uncharged  "  to 
mean  "not  barred  up";  open  your 
gates  so  that  they  will  no  longer  be 
fastened  up. 

57.  reproof]  condemnation. 

58.  atone]  make  one  with,  reconcile  ; 
as  in  Othello,   iv.  i.  244 ;  Cymbeline, 
i.  iv.  42. 


60.  his  quarter]  the  billet  assigned 
to  him ;  cp.  Airs  Well,  in.  vi.  70. 

63.  At  .  .  .  answer]  to  pay  the 
heaviest  penalty  you  may  condemn 
him  to;  "at,"  says  Abbott,  S.  G., 
%  144,  "  when  used  in  adverbial  ex 
pressions,  now  rejects  adjectives  and 
genitives  as  interfering  with  adverbial 
brevity.  Thus  we  can  say  '  at  free 
dom,'  but  not  '  At  honest  freedom,'  " 
Cymbeline,  III.  iii.  71. 


148 


TIMON   OF   ATHENS 


[ACTV. 


Alcib.  Here  lies  a  wretched  corse,  of  wretched  soul  bereft  .-70 
Seek    not    my    name  :    a  plague    consume  you  wicked 

caitiffs  left  ! 
Here  lie   I,    Timon  ;   who,   alive,   all  living  men   did 

hate  : 
Pass  by  and  curse  thy  fill  ;  but  pass  and  stay  not  here 

thy  gait. 

These  well  express  in  thee  thy  latter  ""spirits  : 
Though  thou  abhorr'dst  in  us  our  human  griefs,        75 
Scorn'dst    our    brain's    flow   and   those    our    droplets 

which 

From  niggard  nature  fall,  yet  rich  conceit 
Taught  thee  to  make  vast  Neptune  weep  for  aye 
On  thy  low  grave,  on  faults  forgiven.     Dead 
Is  noble  Timon  ;  of  whose  memory  80 

Hereafter  more.     Bring  me  into  your  city, 
And  I  will  use  the  olive  with  my  sword  ; 

72.  alive]  F  i  ;  omitted  Ff  2,  3,  4.  73.  pass  and  ]  F  i  ;  omitted  Ff  2,  3,  4  ; 
gait]  Johnson  gate  Ff.  79.  grave  .  .  .  Dead]  Ff.  grave.  —  On  :  faults  for 
given,  —  Dead  Theobald,  grave  our  faults  —  forgiven,  since  dead  Hanmer. 
grave.  —  One  fault  's  forgiven.  —  Dead  Tynvhitt  conj.  grave  o'er  faults  forgiven. 
Dead  Hudson. 


70-73.  Here  lies  .  .  .  gait]  "  The 
first  couplet  [with  wretches  for  caitiffs} 
is  said  by  Plutarch  to  have  been  com 
posed  by  Timon  himself  as  his  epitaph  ; 
the  second  to  have  been  written  by 
the  poet  Callimachus  ..."  (Malone). 
Rolfe  remarks,  ' '  They  are  inconsistent 
with  each  other,  and  Shakespeare  can 
not  have  meant  to  use  more  than  one  of 
them.  He  seems  to  have  written  both 
in  the  MS.  when  hesitating  between 
them,  and  afterwards  to  have  neglected 
to  strike  one  out  ..." 

76.  our  brairis  flow\  the  tears  wrung 
from  our  very  brains. 

76.  droplets}  in  contrast  with  the 
perpetual  flow  of  the  ocean. 


79.  On  .  .  .  on~\  Various  alterations 
(see  cr.  note)  have  been  edited  or  pro 
posed  here.  But  Shakespeare  by  a 
kind  of  zeugma  elsewhere  uses  the 
same  preposition  in  two  different  senses, 
and  the  second  "  on  "  may  well  bear  the 
sense  of  "over." 

82.  use  .  .  .  sword]  will  combine 
peace  with  war  ;  "use,"  more  properly 
applicable  to  "sword"  is  made  to  do 
duty  with  ' '  olive  "  also  ;  cp.  line  5 1 , 
above,  "use  the  wars."  For  "use," 
Walker  conjectured  "twine,"  a  more 
common  expression  and  therefore  less 
likely. 


sc.iv.]  TIMON   OF   ATHENS  149 

Make  war  breed  peace ;  make  peace  stint  war ;  make 

each 

Prescribe  to  other  as  each  other's  leech. 
Let  our  drums  strike.  85 

[Exeunt. 

83.  stint]  check ;  a  word  more  fre-         84.  leech]  physician, 
quently  used  of  something  trivial. 


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Shakespeare,  William 
Timon  of  Athens 


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