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TIMON OF ATHENS.

VOL. VIII.

PUBLIC
LIBRARY

B

Perfons Represented.

Timon, A noble Athenian.

Lucius,

Lucullus, Lords, and flatterers of Timon.

Sempronius,

Ventidius, one of Timon's falfe Friends.
Apemantus, a churlish Philofopher.
Alcibiades, an Athenian General.

Flavius, Steward to Timon.

Flaminius,

Lucilius,

Servilius,

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Caphis,

Philotus,

Titus,

Servants to Timon's Creditors:

Lucius,

Hortenfius,

Two fervants of Varro, and the fervant of Ifidore; twe of Timon's Creditors.

Cupid and Mafkers. Three Strangers.

Poet, Painter, Jeweller, and Merchant.
An old Athenian. A Page. A Fool.

Phrynia,

Timandra,

}Mistresses to Alcibiades.

Other Lords Senators, Officers, Soldiers, Thieves, and

SCENE; At

and

the Woods adjoining.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

Athens. A Hall in Timon's Houfe.

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

Poet. Good day, fir.

Pain. I am glad you are well.

Poet

1 The story of the Mifanthrope is told in almost every collection of the time, and particularly in two books, with which Shakspeare was intimately acquainted; the Palace of Pleafure, and the English Plutarch. Indeed from a paffage in an old play, called Jack Drum's Entertainment, I conjecture that he had before made his appearance on the stage. FARMER.

Shakspeare undoubtedly formed this play on the paffage in Plutarch's Life of Antony relative to Timon, and not on the twenty-eighth novel of the first volume of Painter's Palace of Pleasure; because he is thereby merely defcribed as " a man-hater, of a ftrange and beaftly nature," without any caufe affigned; whereas Plutarch furnished our authour with the following hint to work upon. "Antonius forfook the citie, and companie of his friendes,-faying, that he would lead Timon's life, because he had the like wrong offered him, that was offered unto Timon; and for the unthankfulness of those be bad done good unto, and whom he tooke to be his friendes, be was angry with all men, and would truft no man."

To the manufcript play mentioned by Mr. Steevens, our authour, I have no doubt, was also indebted for fome other circumstances. Here he found the faithful steward, the banquet-scene, and the story of Timon's being poffeffed of great fums of gold which he had dug up in the woods: a circumftance which he could not have had from Lucian, there being then no translation of the dialogue that relates to this subject. Spon fays, there is a building pear Athens, yes remaining, called Timon's Tower.

Timon of Athens was written, I imagine, in the year 1610. See An Attempt to ascertain the order of Shakipeare's plays, Vol. I. MALONE. The paffage in Jack Drum's Entertainment or Pasquil and Katharine, 1601, is this:

"Come, I'll be as fociable as Timon of Athens."

But the allufion is fo flight, that it might as well have been borrowed from Plutarch or the Novel.

Mr. Strutt the engraver, to whom our antiquaries are under no inconfiderable

B 2

Poet. I have not feen you long; How goes the world ? Pain. It wears, fir, as it grows.

Poet. Ay, that's well known:

But what particular rarity? what strange3,

Which

inconfiderable obligations, has in his poffeffion a Mf. play on this subject. It appears to have been written, or tranfcribed, about the year 1600. There is a feene in it refembling Shakspeare's banquet given by Timon to his flatterers. Inftead of warm water he fets before them ftones painted like artichokes, and afterwards beats them out of the room. He then retires to the woods attended by his faithful steward, who (like Kent in King Lear) has difguifed himself to continue his fervices to his mafter. Timon, in the laft act is followed by his fickle mistress, &c. after he was reported to have discovered a hidden treasure by digging. The piece itfelf (though it appears to be the work of an academick) is a wretched one. The perfonæ dramatis are as follows. The actors names.

Timon.

Laches, his faithful fervant.

Eutrapelus, a diffolute young man.

Gelafimus, a cittie heyre.

Pfeudocheus, a lying travailer.

Demeas, an orator.

Philargurus, a covetous churlish ould man.

Hermogenes, a fidler.

Abyffus, an ufurer.

Lollio, a countrey clowne, Philargurus' fonne.

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3 But what particular art &c.] Dr. Johnfon, because the poet afks a queftion, and stays pot for an answer," would give the word Jee in his fpeech to the painter. But there is, in my opinion, not the leaft occafion for fuch a licentious regulation of the text. The poet is led by what the painter bas-Jaid, to ask whether any thing very strange and unparalleled had lately happened, without any expectation that any fuch had happened and is prevented from waiting for an anfwer by

obferving

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