A thousand moral paintings I can fhew 3,

That shall demonftrate these quick blows of fortune's
More pregnantly than words. Yet you do well,
To fhew lord Timon, that mean eyes have seen
The foot above the head.

Trumpets found. Enter TIMON, attended; the fervant of Ventidius talking with him.

Tim. Imprifon'd is he, fay you?

Ven. Serv. Ay, my good lord: five talents is his debt; His means moft fhort, his creditors moft ftrait:

Your honourable letter he defires

To thofe have shut him up; which failing,

Periods his comfort.

Tim. Noble Ventidius! Well;

I am not of that feather, to shake off

My friend when he muft need me, I do know him
A gentleman, that well deferves a help,

Which he shall have: I'll pay the debt, and free him.
Ven. Serv. Your lordship ever binds him.

Tim. Commend me to him: I will fend his ranfom; And, being enfranchis'd, bid him come to me :— 'Tis not enough to help the feeble up,

But to fupport him after.-Fare you well.
Ven. Serv. All happiness to your honour ?!

Enter an old Athenian..

Old Ath. Lord Timon, hear me speak..

Tim. Freely, good father..

Old Ath. Thou haft a fervant nam'd Lucilius.

Tim. I have fo: What of him?

[Exit.

Old Ath. Moft noble Timon, call the man before thee. Tim. Attends he here, or no?-Lucilius!

3 Shakspeare feems to intend in this dialogue to exprefs fome competition between the two great arts of imita ion. Whatever the poet declares himself to have fhewn, the painter thinks he could have fhewn better.

4 The common addrefs to a lord in our author's time, was you bonour which was indifferently ufed with your lordship..

Enter LUCILIUS.

Luc. Here, at your lordship's fervice.

Old Ath. This fellow here, lord Timon, this thy crea

ture,

By night frequents my house. I am a man

That from my first have been inclin❜d to thrift;
And my
eftate deferves an heir moré rais'd,

Than one which holds a trencher.

Tim. Well; what further?

Old Ath. One only daughter have I, no kin else,
On whom I may confer what I have got:
The maid is fair, o' the youngeft for a bride,
And I have bred her at my dearest coft,
In qualities of the beft. This man of thine
Attempts her love: I pr'ythee, noble lord,
Join with me to forbid him her refort;
Myfelf have fpoke in vain.

Tim. The man is honeft.

Old Ath. Therefore he will be, Timon: His honefty rewards him in itself,

It must not bear my daughter.

-Tim. Does the love him?

Old Ath. She is young, and apt:

Our own precedent paffions do inftruct us
What levity's in youth.

Tim. [to Lucil.] Love you the maid?

Luc. Ay, my good lord, and fhe accepts of it.

Old Ath. If in her marriage my consent be miffing,

I call the gods to witnefs, I will choose

Mine heir from forth the beggars of the world,

And difpoffefs her all.

Tim. How fhall she be endow'd,

If the be mated with an equal husband ?

Old Ath. Three talents, on the present; in future, all. Tim. This gentleman of mine hath ferv'd me long; To build his fortune, I will strain a little,

For 'tis a bond in men. Give him thy daughter:
What you bestow, in him I'll counterpoife,
And make him weigh with her.

Old Ath.

Old Ath. Most noble lord,

Pawn me to this your honour, fhe is his.

Tim. My hand to thee; mine honour on my promife. Luc. Humbly I thank your lordship: Never may That ftate or fortune fall into my keeping,

Which is not ow'd to you ! [Exeunt Luc. and old Ath..
Poet. Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your lordship!
Tim. I thank you; you fhall hear from me anon:
Go not away. What have you there, my friend?
Pain. A piece of painting; which I do befeech
Your lordship to accept.

Tim. Painting is welcome.

The painting is almoft the natural man;
For fince difhonour trafficks with man's nature,
He is but outfide: Thefe pencil'd figures are
Even fuch as they give our. I like your work;
And you fhall find, I like it: wait attendance
Till you hear further from me.

Pain. The gods preferve you!
Tim. Well fare you, gentleman:

Give me your hand;

We must needs dine together.-Sir, your jewel.
Hath fuffer'd under praife.

Jew. What, my lord? difpraife?

Tim. A meer fatiety of commendations.. If I fhould pay you for't as 'tis extoll'd, It would unclew me quite 7.

Jew. My lord, 'tis rated

As thofe, which fell, would give: But you well know
Things of like value, differing in the owners,

Are prized by their mafters: believe it, dear lord,
You mend the jewel by the wearing it.

Tim. Well mock'd.

Mer. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue,.

К 6.

Which

5 The meaning is, let me never henceforth confider any thing that I. poffefs, but as owed or due to you; held for your service, and at your difpofal.

• Pictures have no hypocrify; they are what they profess to be..

7. To unclew, is to unwind a ball of thread. To unclew a man, is to draw out the whole mafs of his fortunes.

Are rated according to the esteem in which their poffeffor is held.

Which all men speak with him.

Tim. Look, who comes here. Will you be chid ?

Enter APEMANTUS?.

few. We will bear, with your lordship. Mer. He'll fpare none.

Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus !
Apem. Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good morrow;
When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honest.
Tim. Why doft thou call them knaves? thou know'ft
them not.

Apem. Are they not Athenians?
Tim. Yes.

Apem. Then I repent not.

Jew. You know me, Apemantus.

Apem. Thou know'ft, I do; I call'd thee by thy name. Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus.

Apem. Of nothing fo much, as that I am not like Timon.
Tim. Whither art going?

Apem. To knock out an honeft Athenian's brains. “
Tim. That's a deed thou'lt die for.

Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law.
Tim. How likeft thou this picture, Apemantus?

Apem. The beft, for the innocence.

Tim. Wrought he not well, that painted it?

Apem. He wrought better, that made the painter; and yet he's but a filthy piece of work.

Poet. You are a dog.

Apem. Thy mother's of my generation; What's she, if I be a dog?

Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus ?

Apem. No; I eat not lords.

Tim. An thou fhould'st, thou'dft anger ladies.

Apem. O, they eat lords; fo they come by great bellies.
Tim. That's a lafcivions apprehenfion.

Apem.

See this character of a cynic finely drawn by Lucian, in his Auction of the Philofophers; and how well Shakspeare has copied it.

* When thou haft gotten a better character, and instead of being Timon, as thou art, fhalt be changed to Timon's dog, and become worthy of kindness and falutation.

5.

Apem. So thou apprehend'ft it: Take it for thy labour. Tim. How doft thou like this jewel, Apemantus ? Apem. Not fo well as plain-dealing 2, which will not coft a man a doit.

Tim. What doft thou think 'tis worth?

Apem. Not worth my thinking.-How now, poet?
Poet. How now, philofopher?

Apem. Thou lieft.

Poes. Art not one?
Apem. Yes.

Poet. Then I lie not.

Apem. Art not a poet?

Poet. Yes.

Apem. Then thou lieft: look in thy laft work, where thou haft feign'd him a worthy fellow.

Poet. That's not feign'd, he is fo.

Apem. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy labour: He, that loves to be flatter'd, is worthy o'the flatterer. Heavens, that I were a lord!

Tim. What would'ft do then, Apemantus?

Apem. Even as Apemantus does now, hate a lord with my heart.

Tim. What, thyself?

Apem. Ay.

Tim. Wherefore?

Apem. That I had no angry wit to be a lord 3.-Art

thou not a merchant?

Mer. Ay, Apemantus.

Apem. Traffick confound thee, if the gods will not!
Mer. If traffick do it, the gods do it.

Apem. Traffick's thy god, and thy god confound thee!
Trumpets found. Enter a Servant.

Tim. What trumpet's that?

Serv. 'Tis Alcibiades, and some twenty horse,

All

2 Alluding to the proverb: "Plain dealing is a jewel, but they that ufe it die beggars."

3 The meaning may be, I should hate myself for patiently enduring to be a lord. This is ill enough expreffed. Perhaps fome happy change may fet it right. I have tried, and can do nothing. JoHNSON.