forry, when he fent to borrow of me, that my provifion

was out.

1. Lord. I am fick of that grief too, as I understand how all things go.

2. Lord. Every man here's fo. What would he have borrow'd of you?

1. Lord. A thousand pieces.

2. Lord. A thousand pieces! 1. Lord. What of you?

3. Lord. He fent to me, fir,-Here he comes.

Enter TIMON, and Attendants.

Tim. With all my heart, gentlemen both :-And how fare you?

1. Lord. Ever at the beft, hearing well of your lordship. 2. Lord. The fwallow follows not summer more willing, than we your lordship.

Tim. [Afide.] Nor more willingly leaves winter; fuch fummer-birds are men.-Gentlemen, our dinner will not recompenfe this long stay: feaft your ears with the mufick awhile; if they will fare fo harshly on the trumpet's found: we fhall to't prefently.

1. Lord. I hope, it remains not unkindly with your lordship, that I return'd you an empty meffenger. Tim. O, fir, let it not trouble

2. Lord. My noble lord,

you.

Tim. Ah, my good friend! what cheer?

[The banquet brought in. 2. Lord. My moft honourable lord, I am e'en fick of fhame, that, when your lordship this other day fent to me, I was fo unfortunate a beggar.

Tim. Think not on't, fir.

2. Lord. If you had fent but two hours before,Tim. Let it not cumber your better remembrance. Come, bring in all together.

2. Lord. All cover'd dishes !

1. Lord. Royal cheer, I warrant you.

3. Lard. Doubt not that, if money, and the season can yield it.

1, Lord. How do you? What's the news?

.

3. Lord

3. Lord. Alcibiades is banish'd: Hear you
1. 2. Lord. Alcibiades banish'd!
3. Lord. 'Tis fo, be fure of it.
1. Lord. How? how?

2. Lord. 1 pray you, upon what?
Tim. My worthy friends, will you
3. Lord. I'll tell you more anon.

toward.

of it?

draw near?

Here's a noble feast

2. Lord. This is the old man ftill.
3. Lord. Will't hold? will't hold?
2. Lord. It does: but time will-and fo
3. Lord. I do conceive,

Tim. Each man to his ftool, with that fpur as he would to the lip of his mistress: your diet fhall be in all places alike'. Make not a city feaft of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place: Sit, fit. The gods require our thanks.

You great benefactors, sprinkle our fociety with thankfulnefs. For your own gifts, make yourselves praised: but referve fill to give, left your deities be defpifed. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another: for, were your godbeads to borrow of men, men would forfake the gods. Make the meat be beloved, more than the man that gives it. Let no affembly of twenty be without a score of villains: If there fit twelve women at the table, let a dozen of them be as they are.-The rest of your fees2, O gods, the fenators of Athens, together with the common lag of people,-what is amifs in them, you gods, make fuitable for deftruction. For these my prefent friends,—as they are to me nothing, so in nothing bless them, and to nothing are they welcome.

#

Uncover, dogs, and lap.

[The dishes uncovered are full of warm water.

your diet fhall be in all places alike.] See a note on the Winter's Tale, A&t I. fc. i. STEEVENS.

The reft of your fees,] We should read-foes. WARBURTON. -the common lag-] Old Copy-leg. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

Some

Some speak. What does his lordship mean?

Some other. I know not.

Tim. May you a better feast never behold,

You knot of mouth-friends!fmoke, and luke-warm water
Is your perfection 3. This is Timon's last;
Who ftuck and fpangled you with flatteries,
Washes it off, and sprinkles in your faces

[Throwing water in their faces. Your reeking villainy. Live loath'd, and long*, Moft smiling, fmooth, detefted parafites,

Courteous deftroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time's flies
Cap and knee flaves, vapours, and minute-jacks!
Of man, and beaft, the infinite malady?

Cruft you quite o'er!-What, doft thou go?
Soft, take thy phyfick firft,-thou too,-and thou ;-
[Throws the dishes at them, and drives them out.
Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.-
What, all in motion? Henceforth be no feast,
Whereat a villain's not a welcome gueft.

Burn, houfe; fink, Athens! henceforth hated be
Of Timon, man, and all humanity!

[Exit.

3 Is your perfection.] Your perfection, is the bigbeft of your excellence. JOHNSON.

4

fore:

Again:

5

6

-Live loath'd, and long,] This thought has occurred twice be

"let not that part

"Of nature my lord paid for, be of power

"To expel fickness, but prolorg bis bour!

"Gods keep you old enough," &c. STEEVENS.
time's flies,] Flies of a feafon. JOHNSON.

minute jacks!] A minute-jack is what was called formerly a Jack of the clock-boufe; an image whofe office was the fame as one of thofe at St. Dunstan's church in Fleet-ftreet. See Sir John Hawkins's note on a paffage in King Richard III. A&IV. fc. ii. STEEVENS. ʼn ➡the infinite malady] Every kind of disease incident to man and heaft. JOHNSON.

Re-enter

Re-enter the Lords, with other Lords and Senators.

1. Lord. How now, my lords ?

2. Lord. Know you the quality of lord Timon's fury? 3. Lord. Pith! did you fee my cap?'

4. Lord. I have lost my gown.

3. Lord. He's but a mad lord,

and nought but humour

fways him. He gave me a jewel the other day, and now he has beat it out of my hat :-Did you fee my jewel? 4. Lord. Did you see my cap?

2. Lord. Here 'tis.

4. Lord. Here lies my gown.
i. Lord. Let's make no stay.
2. Lord. Lord Timon's mad.
3. Lord. I feel't upon my bones.

4. Lord. One day he gives us diamonds, next day

ftones.

[Excunt.

SCENE I.

Without the walls of Athens.

Enter TIMON.

Tim. Let me look back upon thee, O thou wall, That girdleft in those wolves! Dive in the earth, And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent; Obedience fail in children! flaves, and fools, Pluck the grave wrinkled fenate from the bench, And minifter in their fteads! to general filths Convert o' the inftant, green virginity! Do't in your parents' eyes! bankrupts, hold faft; Rather than render back, out with your knives, And cut your trufters' throats! bound fervants, steal! Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,

• How now, my lords ] This and the next fpecch are spoken by the newly arrived lords, MALONE.

4

And

And pill by law! maid, to thy mafter's bed;
Thy mistress is o' the brothel fon of fixteen,
Pluck the lin'd crutch from thy old limping fire,
With it beat out his brains! piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, juftice, truth,
Domeftick awe, night-reft, and neighbourhood,
Inftruction, manners, myfteries, and trades,
Degrees, obfervances, cuftoms, and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries,
And yet confufion live-Plagues, incident to men,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap

On Athens, ripe for ftroke! thou cold fciatica,
Cripple our fenators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners! luft and liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth;
That 'gainst the ftream of virtue they may strive,
And drown themselves in riot! itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bofoms; and their crop
Be general leprofy! breath infect breath;
That their fociety, as their friendship, may
Be merely poifon! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou déteftable town!

Take thou that too, with multiplying banns!
Timon will to the woods; where he fhall find
The unkindeft beat more kinder than mankind.
The gods confound (hear me, you good gods all,)
The Athenians both within and out that wall!

9- the brothel!] The meaning is, go to thy mafter's bed, for he is alone; thy mifrefs is now of the brothel; is now there. the old copy, i'tb', o'tb', and a'tb', are written with very little care, or rather feem to have been fet down at random in different places. MALONE

The fenfe is, Go, maid, with fecurity to thy mafter's bed, for thy miftrefs is a bawd to thy amours. STEEVENS.

If the miftrefs was bawd to the maid, the maid muft have known it without a prompter. MASON.

I-yet confufion live!] Hanmer reads, ler confufion: but the meaning may be, though by such confufion all things feem to haften to diffolusion, yet let not diffolution come, but the mifcries of confufion continue.

JOHNSON.
And