But his occafions might have woo'd me first;
For, in my confcience, I was the first man
That e'er receiv'd gift from him:

And does he think fo backwardly of me now,
That I'll requite it laft? No: So it may prove
An argument of laughter to the rest,
And amongst lords I be thought* a fool.

I had rather than the worth of thrice the fum,
He had fent to me first, but for my mind's fake;

I had fuch a courage to do him good 7. But now return,
And with their faint reply this answer join;

Who bates mine honour, fhall not know my coin.

[Exit,

Serv. Excellent! Your lordship's a goodly villain.

The White Devil was not printed till 1612.-Hamlet had appeared in 1604. See also another imitation quoted in a note on Cymbeline, A&t IV. fc. ii.; and the laft fcene of the fourth act of The Duschefs of Malfy, which feems to have been copied from our author's King Joba, A&IV. fc. ii.

The Dutchess of Malfy had certainly appeared before 1619, for Burbage, who died in that year, acted in it; I believe, before 1616, for I imagine it is the play alluded to in Ben Jonfon's Prologue to Every Man in bis Humour, printed in that year:

To make a child new-fwaddled to proceed "Man," &c.

So that probably the lines above cited from Webster's play by Mr. Steevens, were copied from Timon before it was in print; for it first appeared in the folio, 1623. Hence we may conclude, that thrive was not an error of the prefs, but our author's original word, which Webfter imitated, not from the printed book, but from the reprefentation of the play, or the Mf. copy.

It is obfervable, that in this piece of Webfter's, the dutchess, who, like Defdemona, is ftrangled, revives after long feeming dead, fpeaks a few words, and then dies. MALONE.

* - I be thought—] The perfonal pronoun was inferted by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE.

7 I bad fuck a courage-] Such an ardour, such an eager defire.

JOHNSON.

8 Excellent! &c.] I fuppofe the former part of this fpeech to have been originally written in verfe, as well as the latter; though the players having printed it as profe, (omitting feveral fyllables neceflary to the metre) it cannot now be reftored without fuch additions as no editor is at liberty to infert in the text. STEEVINS.

I fufpe& no omiflion whatsoever here. MALONE.

The

The devil knew not what he did, when he made man politick; he crofs'd himself by't: and I cannot think, but, in the end, the villainies of man will fet him clear". How fairly this lord ftrives to appear foul? takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like thofe that, under hot ardent zeal, would fet whole realms on fire'.

Of fuch a nature is his politick love.

This was my lord's beft hope; now all are fled,
Save only the gods: Now his friends are dead,
Doors, that were ne'er acquainted with their wards
Many a bounteous year, muft be employ'd
Now to guard fure their master.

9 The devil knew not what he did, when he made man politick; be crofs'd bimself by't: and I cannot think, but, in the end, the villainies of man will fet him clear.] The meaning, I think, is this :-The devil did not know what be was about, [how much his reputation for wickednefs would be diminished] when be made man crafty and interested; be sbwarted bimfelf by it; [by thus raifing up rivals to contend with him in iniquity, and at length to furpafs him ;] and I cannot but think that at laft the enormities of mankind will rife to fuch a beight, as to make even Satan himself, in comparison, appear (what he would leaft of all with to be) fpotlefs and innocent.

Clear is in many other places ufed by our authour and the contemporary writers, for innocent. So, in The Tempest: nothing but heart's forrow

"And a clear life enfuing."

Again, in Macbeth:

This Duncan

"Hath borne his faculties fo meek, hath been
"So clear in his great office,-".

Again, in the play before us :

"Roots, ye clear gods!"

Again, in Marlowe's Luft's Dominion, 1657:

I know myself am clear

"As is the new-born infant." MALONE.

takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like thafe, &c.] This is a reflection on the puritans of that time. These people were then fet upon a project of new-modelling the ecclefiaftical and civil government according to feripture rules and examples; which makes him say, that under zeal for the word of God, they would fet 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 beft the fimilitude is an aukward one; but it fitted the audience, though not the speaker. WARBUKTON,

And

And this is all a liberal course allows;

Who cannot keep his wealth, muft keep his houfe'. [Exit.

The fame. A Hall in Timon's Houfe.

Enter two fervants of Varro, and the fervant of Lucius, meeting TITUS, HORTENSIUS, and other fervants to Timon's Creditors, waiting his coming out.

Var. Serv. Well met; good-morrow, Titus, and Hortenfius.

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

Luc. Serv. And fir Philotus too!

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 feen yet?

Luc. Serv. Not

yet.

Phi. I wonder on't; he was wont to fhine at seven. Luc. Serv. Ay, but the days are waxed fhorter with

him:

keep his boufe.] i. e. keep within doors for fear of duns.

JOHNSON.

So, in Meafure for Measure, A& III. fc. ii. "You will turn good husband now, Pompey; you will keep the boufe." STEEVENS.

. You

You must confider, that a prodigal courfe

Is like the fun's2; but not, like his, recoverable.
I fear,

"Tis deepest winter in lord Timon's purfe;
That is, one may reach deep enough, and yet
Find little.

Phi. I am of your fear for that.

Tit. I'll fhew you how to observe a strange event. Your lord fends now for money.

Hor. Moft true, he does.

Tit. And he wears jewels now of Timon's gift, For which I wait for money.

Hor. It is against my heart.

Luc. Serv. Mark, how ftrange it fhows,

Timon in this fhould pay more than he owes:
And e'en as if your lord fhould wear rich jewels,
And fend for money for 'em.

Hor. I am weary of this charge, the gods can witness: I know, my lord hath spent of Timon's wealth,

And now ingratitude makes it worse than ftealth.

1. Var. Serv. Yes, mine's three thousand crowns: What's yours?

Luc. Serv. Five thousand mine.

1. Var. Serv. 'Tis much deep: and it should seem by the fum,

Your master's confidence was above mine;

Elfe, furely, his had equall'd+.

2

a prodigal courfe

Enter

Is like the fun's ;-] That is, like him in blaze and fplendour. "Soles occidere et redire poffunt." Catul. JOHNSON.

Theobald and the fubfequent editors, elegantly enough, but without neceffity, read-a prodigal's course. We have the fame phrafe as that in the text in the laft couplet of the preceding scene:

"And this is all a liberal course allows." MALONE.

3 I am weary of this charge,] That is, of this commission, of this employment. JOHNSON.

4 Elfe, furely, bis_bad equall'd.] Should it not be, Else, furdy, mine bad equall'd. JOHNSON.

The meaning may be, "The confidential friendship fubfifting between your mafter [Lucius] and Timon, was greater than that fub

fifting

Enter FLAMINIUS.

Tit. One of lord Timon's men.

Luc. Serv. Flaminius! fir, a word: Pray, is my lord ready to come forth?

Flam. No, indeed, he is not.

Tit. We attend his lordship; pray, fignify fo much. Flam. I need not tell him that; he knows, you are too diligent. [Exit FLAMINIUS.

fifting between my mafter [Varro] and Timon; elfe furely the fum borrowed by Timon from your mafter had been equal to, and not greater than, the fum borrowed from mine; and this equality would have been produced by the application made to my mafter being raised from three thousand crowns to five thousand."

Two fums of unequal magnitude may be reduced to an equality, as well by addition to the lefler fum, as by fubtraction from the greater. Thus, if A. has applied to B. for ten pounds, and to C for five, and C requests that he may lend A precifely the fame fum as he fhall be furnished with by B, this may be done, either by C's augmenting his loan, and lending ten pounds as well as B, or by B's diminishing his loan, and, like C lending only five pounds. The words of Varro's fervant therefore may mean, Elfe furely the fame fums had been borrowed by Timon from both our mafters.

I have preferved this interpretation, because I once thought it probable, and because it may ftrike others as juft. But the true explication I believe is this (which I alfo formerly propofed). His may refer to mine. "It should feem that the confidential friendship fubfifting between your mafter and Timon, was greater than that subfisting between Timon and my master; elfe furely bis fum, i. e. the fum borrowed from my master, [the last antecedent] had been as large as the fum borrowed from yours."

The former interpretation (though I think it wrong,) I have stated thus precifely, and exactly in fubftance as it appeared feveral years ago, (though the expreffion is a little varied,) because a fhallow REMARKER has endeavoured to reprefent it as unintelligible. It may be fo to him, for the wit of fome men, like Falftaff's defert, "is too thick to shine, and too heavy to mount." This Remarker, however, it is obfervable, after a feeble attempt at jocularity, (to which our great Satyrift tells us fuch criticks are much addicted,) and faying, that he shall take no further notice of this editor's fee-faw conjectures, with great gravity proposes a comment evidently formed on the latter of them, as an original interpretation of his own, on which the reader may fafely rely. MALONE.

Enter