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 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 and often I have 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 honesty is his ;3 I have told him on't, but I could never get him from it.

Re-enter Servant, with wine.

Serv. Please your lordship, here is the wine.

Lucul. Flaminius, I have noted thee always wise. Here's to thee.

Flam. Your lordship speaks your pleasure.

Lucul. I have observed thee always for a towardly prompt spirit,-give thee thy due, and one that knows what belongs to reason and canst use the time well, if the time use thee well: good parts in thee.-Get you gone, sirrah. [To the Servant, who goes out.]-Draw nearer, honest Flaminius. Thy lord's a bountiful gentle-man: but thou art wise; and thou knowest well enough, although thou comest to me, that this 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 saw'st me not. Fare thee well.

Flam. Is't possible, the world should so much differ; And we alive, that liv'd 4 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 [Exit LUCULLUS. Flam. May these add to the number that may scald thee! Let molten coin be thy damnation,5

master.

Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!»
Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,

M. MASON.

[3] Honesty does not here mean probity, but liberality.
[4] And we who were alive then, alive now. As much as to say,

short a time. WARB.

in so,

[5] Perhaps the poet alludes to the punishment inflicted on M. Aquilius by Mithridates. In The Shepherd's Calendar, however, Lazarus declares himself to have seen in hell a great number of wide cauldrons and kettles full of boyling lead and oyle, with other hot metals molten, in the which were plunged and dipped the covetous men and women for to fulfill and replenish them of their insatiate covetise.. STEEV.

It turns in less than two nights 6 O you gods,
I feel my master's passion! This slave

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 is sick to death, let not that part of nature Which my lord paid for, be of any power

To expel sickness, but prolong his hour!

SCENE II.

[Exit.

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.

1 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 rumours; now lord Timon's happy hours are done and past, and his estate shrinks from him.

Luc. Fye, no, do not believe it; he cannot want for money.

8

2 Stran. But believe you this, my lord, that, not 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?

2 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 honourable man? there was very little honour showed in't. For my own part, I must needs confess, I have received some small kindnesses from him, as money, plate, jewels, and such like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet, had he mistook him, and sent to me, I should ne'er have denied his occasion so many talents.

Enter SERVILIUS.

Ser. See, by good hap, yonder's my lord; I have sweat to see his honour.-My honour'd lord,- [To LUCIUS. Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, sir. Fare thee

JOHNS.

6] Alluding to the turning or acescence of milk. [7] That is, we know him by report to be no less than you represent him, though we are strangers to his person. JOHNS.

[8 A certain number of talents, such a number as he might happen to want. MAL.

1

well:-Commend me to thy honourable-virtuous lord, my very exquisite friend.

Ser. May it please your honour, my lord hath sentLuc. 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 has he sent now?

Ser. He 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; he cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.

Ser. But in the mean time he wants less, my lord. If his occasion were not virtuous,9

I should not urge it half so faithfully.'

Luc. Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius?

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 have shown myself honourable? how unluckily it happened, that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour?-Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do't; 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 Athens, I had done it 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, say, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far, as to use my own words to him?

Ser. Yes, sir, I shall.

Luc. I will look you out a good turn, Servilius.

[Exit SER.

-True, as you said, Timon is shrunk, indeed;
And he, that's once denied, will hardly speed.
1 Stran. Do you observe this, Hostilius?
2 Stran. Ay, too well.

1 Stran. Why this:

Is the world's soul; And just of the same piece
Is every flatterer's spirit. Who can call him
His friend, that dips in the same dish ?2 for, in

[9] If he did not want it for a good use.

[1] Faithfully for fervently, WARB.

JOHNS.

[Exit.

[2] This phrase is scriptural: "He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish." St Mat. xxvi. 23.

STEEV.

My knowing, Timon has been this lord's father,
And kept his credit with his purse;

Supported his estate; nay, Timon's money
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, 3
What charitable men afford to beggars.
3 Stran. Religion groans at it.

1 Stran. For mine own part,
I never tasted Timon in my life,
Nor came any of his bounties over me,
To mark me for his friend; yet, I protest,
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,
So much I love his heart: But, I perceive,
Men must learn now with pity to dispense:
For policy sits above conscience.

The same.

SCENE III.

+

[Exeunt.

A Room in SEMPRONTUS's House. Enter SEMPRO-
NIUS, and a Servant of TIMON's.

Sem. Must he needs trouble me in't? Humph! '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 three
Owe their estates unto him.

Serv. O my lord,

They have all been touch'd,
They have all denied him.

and found base metal; for

Sem. How! have they denied him?
Has Ventidius and Lucullus denied him?
And does he send to me? Three? humph!-
It shows but little love or judgment in him.

[3] That is, in respect of his fortune, what Lucius denies to Timon is in proportion to what Lucius possesses, less than the usual alms given by good men to beggars. JOHNS.

[4] The best half of my wealth should have been the reply, I would have answered his requisition with the best half of what I am worth. [5] That is, tried, alluding to the touchstone. STEEV. JOHNS.

4

VOL. VII.

Must I be his last refuge? His friends, like physicians,
Thrive, give him over;' Must I take the cure upon me?
He has much disgrac'd me in't; I am angry at him,
That might have known my place : I see no sense for't,
But his occasions might have woo'd me first;
For, in my conscience, I was the first man
That e'er receiv'd gift from him:

And does he think so backwardly of me now,
That I'll requite it last? No So it may prove
An argument of laughter to the rest,

And I amongst the lords be thought a fool.

I had rather than the worth of thrice the sum,
He had sent to me first, but for my mind's sake ;
I had such a courage to do him good. But now return,
And with their faint reply this answer join;

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 man politic; he crossed himself by't: and I cannot think, but, in the end, the villainies of man will set him clear. 3 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 ! 4 Of such a nature is his politic love.

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.

And this is all a liberal course allows;

Who cannot keep his wealth, must keep his house. 5

[Exit.

His friends like physicians, thrive by his bounty and fees, and either relinquish, and forsake him, or give his case up as desperate.

[2] Such an ardour, such an eager desire. JOHNS.

STEEV.

[3] The devil's folly in making man politic, is to appear in this, that he will at the long run be too many for his old master, and yet free of his bonds. The villainies of man are to set himself clear, not the devil, to whom he is supposed to be in thraldom. RITSON.

[1] This is a reflection on the puritans of that time. These people were then set upon a project of new-modelling the ecclesiastical and civil government according to scripture rules and examples; which makes him say,that under zeal for the word of God, they would set whole realms on fire. So Sempronius pretended to that warm affection and generous jealousy of friendship, that is affronted, if any other be applied to before it. At best the similitude is an awkward one: but it fitted the audience,though not the speaker. WARB. 45] Keep within doors for fear of duns. JOHNS.