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the unicorn, pride and wrath would confound thee, and make thine own self the conquest of thy fury: wert thou a bear, thou would'st be killed by the horse; wert thou a horse, thou would'st be seized by the leopard; wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion *, and the spots of thy kindred were jurors on thy life: all thy safety were remotion ; and thy defence, absence. What beast could'st thou be, that were not subject to a beast? and what a beast art thou already, that seest not thy loss in tranformation?

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APEM. If thou could'st please me with speaking to me, thou might'st have hit upon it here: The commonwealth of Athens is become a forest of beasts.

TIM. How has the ass broke the wall, that thou art out of the city?

APEM. Yonder comes a poet, and a painter: The plague of company light upon thee! I will fear to catch it, and give way: When I know not what else to do, I'll see thee again.

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the unicorn, &c.] The account given of the unicorn is this: that he and the lion being enemies by nature, as soon as the lion sees the unicorn he betakes himself to a tree: the unicorn in his fury, and with all the swiftness of his course, running at him, sticks his horn fast in the tree, and then the lion falls upon him and kills him. Gesner Hist. Animal. HANMER. See a note on Julius Cæsar, vol. xii. p. 50, n. 1.

STEEVENS.

thou wert german to the lion,] This seems to be an allusion to Turkish policy:

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Bears, like the Turk, no brother near the throne." Pope.

STEEVENS.

were REMOTION;] i. e. removal from place to place. So, in King Lear:

""Tis the remotion of the duke and her." STEEVENS. Remotion means, I apprehend, not a frequent removal from place to place, but merely remoteness, the being placed at a distance from the lion. See vol. ix. p. 28, n. 7. MALONE.

TIM. When there is nothing living but thee, thou shalt be welcome. I had rather be a beggar's dog, than Apemantus.

APEM. Thou art the cap of all the fools alive.
TIM. 'Would thou wert clean enough to spit

upon.

APEM. A plague on thee, thou art too bad to curse 7

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TIM. All villains, that do stand by thee, are

pure 8.

APEM. There is no leprosy but what thou speak'st.

TIM. If I name thee.

I'll beat thee,-but I should infect my hands.
APEM. I would, my tongue could rot them off!
TIM. Away, thou issue of a mangy dog!
Choler does kill me, that thou art alive;

I swoon to see thee.

АРЕМ.

TIM.

'Would thou would'st burst!

Thou tedious rogue! I am sorry, I shall lose

A stone by thee.

Away,

[Throws a Stone at him.

JOHNSON. but I believe our MALONE.

6 Thou art the cap, &c.] The top, the principal. The remaining dialogue has more malignity than wit. Dr. Johnson's explication is, I think, right; author had also the fool's cap in his thoughts. In All's Well That Ends Well, "the cap of the time," apparently means-the foremost in the fashion. STEEVENS.

7 Apem. A plague on thee, thou art too bad to curse.] Thus the old copies, and, I think, rightly. Mr. Theobald, however, is of a contrary opinion; for, according to the present regulation, says he, Apemantus is "made to curse Timon, and immediately to subjoin that he was too bad to curse." He would therefore give the former part of the line to Timon. STEEvens.

• All villains, that do stand by thee, are pure. The same sentiment is repeated in King Lear:

"Those wicked creatures yet do look well-favour'd,

"When others are more wicked." STEEVENS.

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Rogue, rogue, rogue

e!

Toad!

[APEMANTUS retreats backward, as going. I am sick of this false world; and will love nought But even the mere necessities upon it. Then, Timon, presently prepare thy grave; Lie where the light foam of the sea may beat Thy grave-stone daily: make thine epitaph, That death in me at others' lives may laugh. O thou sweet king-killer, and dear divorce

[Looking on the Gold. "Twixt natural son and sire9! thou bright defiler Of Hymen's purest bed! thou valiant Mars! Thou ever young, fresh, lov'd, and delicate wooer, Whose blush doth thaw the consecrated snow That lies on Dian's lap1! thou visible god,

That solder'st close impossibilities,

And mak'st them kiss! that speak'st with every tongue,

To every purpose! O thou touch of hearts 2!
Think, thy slave man rebels; and by thy virtue

9 'Twix't natural son and sire !]

Διὰ τῦτον ἐκ ἀδελφὸς

Διὰ τᾶτον 3 τοκῆες. Anac. JOHNSON. I Whose blush doth thaw the consecrated snow

That lies on Dian's lap!] The imagery is here exquisitely beautiful and sublime. WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton might have said-Here is a very elegant turn given to a thought more coarsely expressed in King Lear:

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yon simpering dame,

"Whose face between her forks presages snow."

STEEVENS.

O thou TOUCH of hearts!] Touch, for touchstone. So,

in King Richard III :

"O, Buckingham, now do I play the touch,

"To try if thou be'st current gold--." STEEVENS.

Set them into confounding odds, that beasts
May have the world in empire!

АРЕМ.

'Would 'twere so ;

But not till I am dead!—I'll say, thou hast gold: Thou will be throng'd to shortly.

TIM.

APEM.

TIM. Thy back, I pr'ythee.

АРЕМ.

Throng'd to?

Ay.

Live, and love thy misery! TIM. Long live so, and so die!-I am quit.

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Exit APEMANtus. More things like men ?-Eat, Timon, and abhor them.

Enter Thieves 4.

1 THIEF. Where should he have this gold? It is some poor fragment, some slender ort of his remainder: The mere want of gold, and the fallingfrom of his friends, drove him into this melancholy. 2 THIEF. It is noised, he hath a mass of trea

sure.

3 THIEF. Let us make the assay upon him; if he

3 More things like men ?] This line, in the old edition, is given to Apemantus, but it apparently belongs to Timon. Sir Thomas Hanmer has transposed the foregoing dialogue according to his own mind, not unskilfully, but with unwarrantable licence. JOHNSON.

I believe, as the name of Apemantus was prefixed to this line, instead of Timon, so the name of Timon was prefixed to the preceding line by a similar mistake. That line seems more proper in the mouth of Apemantus; and the words-" I am quit," seem to mark his exit. MALONE.

The words" I am quit," in my opinion, belong to Timon, who means that he is quit or clear, has at last got rid of Apemantus; is delivered from his company. This phrase is yet current among

the vulgar. STEEVENS.

4 Enter Thieves.] ditti." STEEVens,

The old copy reads, "Enter the Ban

care not for't, he will supply us easily; If he covetously reserve it, how shall's get it?

2 THIEF. True; for he bears it not about him, 'tis hid.

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1 THIEF. Is not this he?

THIEVES. Where?

2 THIEF. 'Tis his description. 3 THIEF. He; I know him. THIEVES. Save thee, Timon. TIM. Now, thieves?

THIEVES. Soldiers, not thieves.

TIM. Both too; and women's sons.

THIEVES. We are not thieves, but men that much do want.

TIM. Your greatest want is, you want much of

--

meat

-you want much of MEAT.] Thus both the player and poetical editor have given us this passage: quite sand-blind, as honest Launcelot says, to our author's meaning. If these poor Thieves wanted meat, what greater want could they be cursed with, as they could not live on grass, and berries, and water? but I dare warrant the poet wrote:

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i. e. Much of what you ought to be; much of the qualities befitting you as human creatures. THEOBALD.

Such is Mr. Theobald's emendation, in which he is followed by Dr. Warburton. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads:

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They have been all busy without necessity. Observe the series of the conversation. The Thieves tell him, that they are men that much do want. Here is an ambiguity between much want, and want of much. Timon takes it on the wrong side, and tells them that their greatest want is, that, like other men, they want much of meat; then telling them where meat may be had, he asks, Want? why want? JOHNSON.

Perhaps we should read:

"Your greatest want is, you want much of me." rejecting the two last letters of the word. The sense will then be-your greatest want is that you expect supplies of me from whom you can reasonably expect nothing. Your necessities are indeed desperate, when you apply for relief to one in my situation. Dr.

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