And let my grave-stone be your oracle. Lips, let sour words go by, and language end: Graves only be men's works; and death, their gain! Coupled to nature. 2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead: let us return, And strain what other means is left unto us In our dear1 peril. 1 Sen. It requires swift foot. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The Walls of Athens. Enter Two Senators, and a Messenger. 1 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. 2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon. Mess. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend :Whom, though in general part we were oppos'd, Yet our old love made a particular force, And made us speak like friends1:—this man was riding 14 So in Twelfth Night, Act v. Sc. 1, vol. i. p. 382:- Hast made thy enemies.' See note on that passage. Again, in Love's Labour's Lost, vol. ii. p. 411: Deaf'd with the clamour of their own dear groans.' 1 This passage Steevens, with great reason, considers corrupt, the awkward repetition of the verb made, and the obscurity of the whole, countenances his opinion. Might we not read : 'Yet our old love had a particular force, - From Alcibiades to Timon's cave, With letters of entreaty, which imported 1 Sen. Enter Senators from TIMON. Here come our brothers. 3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful scouring Doth choke the air with dust: in and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes, the snare. [Exeunt, SCENE IV. The Woods. Timon's Cave, and a Tombstone seen. Enter a Soldier, seeking Timon. Sol. 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: Some beast rear'd this1; there does not live a man. Dead, sure; and this his grave.— What's on this tomb I cannot read; the character Our captain hath in every figure skill; [Exit, 1 The old copy has Some beast read this.' The emendation is Warburton's. It is evident that the soldier, when he first sees Timon's everlasting dwelling, does not know it to be a tomb. He concludes Timon must be dead, because he receives no answer. It is evident that when he utters the words some beast, &c. he has not seen the inscription. 'What can this be? (says the soldier) Timon is certainly dead: Some beast must have rear'd this; a man could not live in it. Yes, he is dead sure enough, and this must be his tomb; What is this writing upon it?' SCENE V. Before the Walls of Athens. Trumpets sound. Enter ALCIBIADES, and Forces. 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 Have wander'd with our travers'd arms 1, and breath'd Our sufferance vainly: Now the time is flush2, Noble and young, 1 Sen. To wipe out our ingratitude with loves 2 Sen. So did we woo Transformed Timon to our city's love, By humble message, and by promis'd means *; 1 Travers'd arms are arms crossed. The image occurs in The Tempest: 'His arms in this sad knot.' 2 Flush is mature, ripe, or come to full perfection. 3 Their refers to griefs. considered as parenthetical. To give thy rages balm' must be 4 i. e. by promising him a competent subsistence. We were not all unkind, nor all deserve The common stroke of war. 1 Sen. These walls of ours Were not erected by their hands, from whom fall For private faults in them. 2 Sen. Nor are they living, (If thy revenges hunger for that food, Which nature loathes), take thou the destin'd tenth; And by the hazard of the spotted die, Let die the spotted. 1 Sen. All have not offended: For those that were, it is not square7, to take, 5 The motives that you first went out,' i. e. those who made the motion for your exile. This word is used in the same manner in Troilus and Cressida : her wanton spirits look out At every joint and motive of her body.' 6 Cunning is used in its old sense of skill or wisdom, extremity of shame that they wanted wisdom in procuring your banishment hath broke their hearts. Theobald had nearly thus interpreted the passage; and Johnson thought he could improve it by reading Shame that they wanted, coming in excess Hath broke their hearts.' Johnson perhaps was not aware of the old meaning of cunning. 7 i. e. not regular, not equitable. 8 Jovis incunabula Crete. Ovid Metam. viii. 99. With those that have offended: like a shepherd, 2 Sen. What thou wilt, Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile, Than hew to't with thy sword. Set but thy foot 1 Sen. Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope; So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before, To say, thou'lt enter friendly. Or 2 Sen. Throw thy glove; any token of thine honour else, 10 Alcib. Then there's my glove; Descend, and open your uncharged ports9; Those enemies of Timon's, and mine own, Whom you yourself 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 Of regular justice in your city's bounds, But shall be remedied, to your public laws At heaviest answer11. 9 i. e. Unattacked gates. 10 i. e. to reconcile them to it. The general sense of this word in Shakspeare. Thus in Cymbeline :—' I was glad I did atone my countryman and you.' All attempts to extract a meaning from this passage as it stands must be vain. We should certainly read : 'But shall be remitted to your public laws At heaviest answer.' It is evident that the context requires a word of this import: remanded might serve. The comma at remedied is not in the old copy. Remedied to, as Steevens observes, is nonsense. Johnson's explanation will then serve, 'Not a soldier shall quit his station, or commit any violence, but he shall answer it regularly to the law.' |