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Apem. The most accursed thou, that still omit'st it.

2 Lord. Thou art going to lord Timon's feast.

Apem. Ay; to see meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools. 2 Lord. Fare thee well; fare thee well.

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

2 Lord. Why, Apemantus?

Apem. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none.

1 Lord. Hang thyself.

Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding: make thy requests to thy friend.

2 Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog! or I'll spurn thee hence. Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. [Exit. 1 Lord. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes

The very heart of kindness.

2 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,

But breeds the giver a return, exceeding
All use of quittance 1o.

1 Lord.

10

The noblest mind he carries,

That ever govern'd man.

2 Lord. Long may he live in fortunes! Shall we in? 1 Lord. I'll keep you company.

[Exeunt.

7 The MOST accursed thou,] "The more accursed thou" in the corr. fo. 1632, but we make no alteration, because Apemantus may have wished to make it appear that the 1 Lord was superlatively accursed.

8 Away, UNPEACEABLE dog!] So all the folios, and "unpeaceable" may have been Shakespeare's epithet, but the corr. fo. 1632 tells us to read unappeasable, which on some accounts seems the more appropriate word. We are not aware that any change of “unpeaceable" has hitherto been proposed.

9

no MEED,] i. e. No desert. See Vol. iv. pp. 136 and 194 for similar uses of the word, which generally signifies reward. In this respect Shakespeare was not peculiar it was the language of his time, as many instances would establish. T. Heywood, in his "Silver Age," 1613, employs to meed as to deserve :—

"And yet thy body meeds a better grave."

According to Richardson's Dict., Sir Thomas Wyatt also uses the verb medeth, but we recollect no other example.

10 All use of quittance.] Possibly, we ought to read "All use or quittance," meaning all interest or payment of the principal. "Of" and or were not unfrequently confounded, and “use of quittance" is hardly intelligible; but we have no authority for the alteration.

SCENE II.

The Same. A Room of State in TIMON'S House.

Hautboys playing loud music.

A great banquet served in;

FLAVIUS and others attending: then, enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, LUCIUS, LUCULLUS, SEMPRONIUS, and other Athenian Senators, with VENTIDIUS, whom TIMON redeemed from prison, and Attendants: then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly, 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.
He is gone happy, and has left me rich:

Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound

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

Tim.

Oh! by no means,

Honest Ventidius: you mistake my love.

I gave it freely ever; and there's none

Can truly say, he gives, if he receives :

If our betters play at that game, we must not dare
To imitate them: faults that are rich are fair.
Ven. A noble spirit!

Tim.

Nay, my lords,
Ceremony was but devis'd at first

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.

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

[They sit.

Apem. Ho, ho! confess'd it? hang'd it, have you not? Tim. Oh, Apemantus!-you are welcome.

Apem. No, you shall not make me welcome:

I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.

Tim. Fie! thou'rt a churl: you have 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;

For he does neither affect company,
Nor is he fit for't, 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 art an Athenian, therefore, welcome. I myself would have no power; pr'ythee, let my meat make thee silent.

Apem. I scorn thy meat; 'twould choke me, for I should ne'er flatter thee.-Oh you gods! what a number of men eat Timon, and he sees them not! It grieves me, to see so many dip their meat 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;
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 breath of him in a divided draught, is the readiest man to kill him: it has been proved. If I were a huge man, I should fear to drink at meals,

Lest they should spy my windpipe's dangerous notes:
Great men should drink with harness on their throats 3.
Tim. My lord, in heart; and let the health go round.

1 But yond' man is EVER angry.] "Very angry" in the folios. Rowe made the change, which seems necessary, and the Rev. Mr. Dyce ("Remarks," p. 178) supplies the following quotation in support of it from Beaumont and Fletcher's "Valentinian," A. iii. sc. 3:

64

If my good master be not ever angry,
You shall command again."

Very is likewise altered to "ever " in the corr. fo. 1632.

2

-

at thine APPERIL,] This word occurs in the same sense three times in Ben Jonson. See Works, by Gifford, Vol. v. p. 137; vi. pp. 117 and 159. It also is met with in "The Case is Altered," which, though printed in 1609, Ben Jonson did not include in the folio of his productions. "Apperil" is also used by Middleton, in his "Michaelmas Term," 1607, edit. Dyce, Vol. i. p. 427. 3 with HARNESS on their throats.] "Harness" is of course armour. We have printed this speech, with the exception of the closing couplet, as it stands in the folio, 1623, the most ancient authority for this play. The only lines that seem to run metrically are those which have come down to us in that volume as verse: the rest of the speech may have been originally measure, but in passing from one manuscript to another, and ultimately from manuscript to print, the lines have lost that character. The same remark, as may be seen hereafter, will apply to various other portions of this play.

My lord, in heart;] We must suppose Timon here pledging one of his noble guests.

2 Lord. Let it flow this way, my good lord.

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 fire',

Honest water, which ne'er left man i' the mire :
This and my food are equals, there's no odds,
Feasts are too proud to give thanks to the gods.

APEMANTUS' GRACE.

Immortal gods, I crave no pelf;
I pray for no man, but myself.
Grant I may never prove so fond,
To trust man on his oath or bond;
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.
Amen, 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.
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 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 mightst kill 'em, and bid me to 'em3.

5 Here's that, which is too weak to be a FIRE,] An excellent emendation from the corr. fo. 1632: both rhyme and sense show that it was the poet's word. Apemantus speaks of intoxicating and inflaming liquor as "a fire," and how "fire" came to be misprinted sinner (as it stands in every folio) it is impossible to guess. The confusion between the ƒ and the long s may in some way have contributed to the blunder.

6 Rich men sin, and I eat root.] The moral of this line seems to be, that because rich men sinned they feasted, while he, who was poor, and committed no such offences, was obliged to feed upon roots.

7 Much good DICH thy good heart,] So printed in all the old copies; an apparent corruption of d'it for do it, but it has not been met with elsewhere. In the last line but one of the "Grace" we have ventured to interpolate "amen," for the sake of the measure. The old printer probably omitted it, thinking it an accidental repetition in the MS.

8 — and BID me to 'em.] i. e. Invite me to 'em. To "bid" was constantly

1 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. Oh! no doubt, my good friends; but the gods 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 you not chiefly belong to my heart? I have told more of you to myself, than you can with modesty speak in your own behalf; and thus far I confirm you. Oh, 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 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 properer can we call our own, than the riches of our friends? Oh! what a precious comfort 'tis, to have so many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes. Oh joy, e'en made away ere 't can be born! Mine eyes cannot hold out water, methinks to forget their faults, I drink to you.

Apem. Thou weep'st to make them drink, Timon. 2 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. 3 Lord. I promise you, my lord, you mov'd me much. Apem. Much!

[Tucket sounded.

Tim. What means that trump ?-How now!

Enter a Servant.

Serv. Please you, my lord, there are certain ladies most desirous of admittance.

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

used in this sense. In St. Luke's Gospel we read, "None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper," ch. xiv. ver. 24.

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