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 mine own words to him?

SER. Yes, sir, I shall.

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

[Exit SERVILIUS.

True, as you said, Timon is shrunk, indeed;
And he, that's once denied, will hardly speed.

Exit LucIUS.

1 STRAN. Do you observe this, Hostilius 7 ? author's manner. 'By purchasing what brought me but little honour, I have lost the more honourable opportunity of supplying the wants of my friend.' Dr. Farmer, however, suspects a quibble between honour in its common acceptation, and honour (i. e. the lordship of a place,) in a legal sense. See Jacob's Dictionary. STEEVENS.

I am neither satisfied with the amendments proposed, or with Steevens's explanation of the present reading; and have little doubt but we should read " purchase for a little port," instead of part, and the meaning will be-" How unlucky was I to have purchased but the day before, out of a little vanity, and by that means disabled myself from doing an honourable action." Port means show, or magnificence. M. MASON.

I believe Dr. Johnson's reading is the true one. I once suspected the phrase "purchase for;" but a more attentive examination of our author's works and those of his contemporaries, has shown me the folly of suspecting corruptions in the text, merely because it exhibits a different phraseology from that used at this day. MALONE.

7 Do you observe this, Hostilius?] I am willing to believe, for the sake of metre, that our author wrote:

"Observe you this, Hostilius?

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Ay, too well." STEEVENS.

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? for, in
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

8 flatterer's SPIRIT.]

This is Dr. Warburton's emendation.

The other [modern] editions read:

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Why, this is the world's soul;

"And just of the same piece is every flatterer's sport." Mr. Upton has not unluckily transposed the two final words, thus: Why, this is the world's sport;

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"Of the same piece is every flatterer's soul."

The passage is not so obscure as to provoke so much enquiry. "This," says he, "is the soul or spirit of the world: every flatterer plays the same game, makes sport with the confidence of his friend." JOHNSON.

Mr. M. Mason prefers the amendment of Dr. Warburton to the transposition of Mr. Upton. STEEVENS.

The emendation, spirit, belongs not to Dr. Warburton, but to Mr. Theobald. The word was frequently pronounced as one syllable, and sometimes, I think, written sprite. Hence the corruption was easy; whilst on the other hand it is highly improbable that two words so distant from each other as soul and sport [or spirit] should change places. Mr. Upton did not take the trouble to look into the old copy; but finding soul and sport the final words of two lines in Mr. Pope's and the subsequent editions, took it for granted they held the same situation in the original edition, which we see was not the case. I do not believe this speech was intended by the author for a verse. MALONE.

After all, the reading of the old copy has not been mentioned. It is thus arranged:

"Why, this is the world's soul;

And just of the same piece

Is every flatterer's sport," &c.

9 that dips in the same dish?]

BOSWELL.

This phrase is scriptural : "He that dippeth his hand with me in the same dish." St. Matthew, xxvi. 23. STEEVENS.

When he looks out in an ungrateful shape!)
He does deny him, in respect of his ',
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 2,

-in respect of his,] i. e. considering Timon's claim for what he asks. WARBURTON.

"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. JOHNSON.

Does not his refer to the lip of Timon?-Though Lucius himself drink from a silver cup which was Timon's gift to him, he refuses to Timon, in return, drink from any cup. HENLEY.

2 I would have put my wealth into DONATION,

And the best half should have RETURN'D to him,] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads:

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"I would have put my wealth into partition,

"And the best half should have attorn'd to him,Dr. Warburton receives attorn'd. The only difficulty is in the word return'd, which, since he had receiv'd nothing from him, cannot be used but in a very low and licentious meaning. JOHNSON.

'Had his necessity made use of me, I would have put my fortune into a condition to be alienated, and the best half of what I had gained myself, or received from others, should have found its way to him.' Either such licentious exposition must be allowed, or the passage remain in obscurity, as some readers may not choose to receive Sir Thomas Hanmer's emendation.

The following lines, however, in Hamlet, Act II. Sc. II. persuades me that my explanation of—" put my wealth into donation"-is somewhat doubtful:

"Put
your dread pleasures more into command
"Than to entreaty."

So much I love his heart: But, I perceive,
Men must learn now with pity to dispense :
For policy sits above conscience.

Again, in Cymbeline, Act. III. Sc. IV. vol. xiii. p. 121:
"And mad'st me put into contempt the suits

"Of princely fellows," &c.

[Exeunt.

Perhaps the Stranger means to say, I would have treated my wealth as a present originally received from him, and on this occasion have returned him the half of that whole for which I supposed myself to be indebted to his bounty. Lady Macbeth has nearly the same sentiment :

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in compt

"To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
"Still to return your own." STEEVENS.

The difficulty of this passage arises from the word return'd. Warburton proposes to read attorn'd; but that word always relates to persons, not to things. It is the tenant that attorns, not the lands. The meaning of the passage appears to be this:"Though I never tasted of Timon's bounty, yet I have such an esteem for his virtue, that had he applied to me, I should have considered my wealth as proceeding from his donation, and have returned half of it to him again." To put his wealth into donation, means, to put it down in account as a donation, to suppose it a donation. M. MASON.

I have no doubt that the latter very happy interpretation given by Mr. Steevens is the true one, 'Though' (says the speaker) I never tasted Timon's bounty in my life, I would have supposed my whole fortune to have been a gift from him,' &c. So, in the common phrase,-Put yourself [i. e. suppose yourself] in my place. The passages quoted by Mr. Steevens fully support the phrase-into donation.

"Return'd to him" necessarily includes the idea of having come from him, and therefore can not mean simply—found its way, the interpretation first given by Mr. Steevens. MALONE.

I am dissatisfied with my former explanation; which arose from my inattention to a sense in which our author very frequently uses the verb to return; i. e. to reply. Thus in King Richard II. : "Northumberland, say-thus the king returns ;

Again, in Troilus and Cressida :

"Returns to chiding fortune:"

i. e. replies to it. Again, in King Henry V.:

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The Dauphin

The

"Returns us-that his powers are not yet ready." The sense of the passage before us therefore will be:best half of my wealth should have been the reply I would have made to Timon: I would have answered his requisition with the best half of what I am worth.' STEEVENS.

SCENE III.

The Same. A Room in SEMPRONIUS's House.

Enter SEMPRONIUS, 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 prison3: All these
Owe their estates unto him.

SERV.

My lord,

4

They have all been touch'd3, and found base metal;

3 And now Ventidius is wealthy too,

Whom he redeem'd from prison,] This circumstance likewise occurs in the anonymous unpublished comedy of Timon: "O yee ingrateful! have I freed yee

"From bonds in prison, to requite me thus,

"To trample ore mee in my misery ?" MALONE.

4 - these THREE-] The word three was inserted by Sir T. Hanmer to complete the measure; as was the exclamation O, for the same reason, in the following speech. STEEVENS.

5 They have all been TOUCH'D,] That is tried, alluding to the touchstone. JOHNSON.

So, in King Richard III.:

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'O Buckingham, now I do play the touch, "To try, if thou be current gold, indeed."

STEEVENS.

Has Ventidius, &c.] With this mutilated and therefore rugged speech no ear accustomed to harmony can be satisfied. Sir Thomas Hanmer thus reforms the first part of it:

"Have Lucius and Ventidius, and Lucullus, "Denied him all? and does he send to me?" Yet we might better, I think, read with a later editor : "Denied him, say you? and does he send to me? "Three? humph!

"It shows," &c.