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All of companionship +.

Tim. Pray, entertain them; give them guide to us.— [Exeunt Jome Attendants. You must needs dine with me:-Go not you hence, Till I have thank'd you; when dinner is done, Shew me this piece.-I am joyful of your fights.Enter ALCIBIADES, with his company.

Moft welcome, fir!

Apem. So, fo; there!

Aches contract and ftarve your fupple joints!

That there should be small love amongst these sweet knaves, And all this courtesy! The ftrain of man's bred out

Into baboon and monkey 5.

Alc. Sir, you have fav'd my longing, and I feed Moft hungrily on your fight.

Tim. Right welcome, fir:

Ere we depart", we'll fhare a bounteous time

In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.

[Exeunt all but Apemantus.

Enter two Lords.

1. Lord. What time a day is't, Apemantus? Apem. Time to be honest.

1. Lard. That time ferves ftill.

Apem. The most accursed thou, that still omit'st it. 2. Lord. Thou art going to lord Timon's feaft?

Apem. Ay; to fee meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools.

2. Lord. Fare thee well, fare thee well.

Apem. Thou art a fool, to bid me farewell twice.

2. Lord. Why, Apemantus ?

Apem. Should't have kept one to thyfelf, for I mean to give thee none.

1. Lord.

4 This expreffion does not mean barely that they all belong to one company, but that they are all fuch as Alcibiades bonours with bis acquaintance, and fets on a level with himself.

5 Man is exhaufted and degenerated; his ftrain or lineage is worn, down into monkey.

• Depart and part have the fame meaning.

1. Lord. Hang thyself.

Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding: make thy requests to thy friend.

2. Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll fpurn thee

hence.

Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the afs. [Exit. 1. Lord. He's oppofite to humanity. Come, fhall we in,

And tafte lord Timon's bounty? he out-goes

The very heart of kindness.

2. Lord. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold,
Is but his fteward: no meed 7, but he repays
Sevenfold above itself, no gift to him,
But breeds the giver a return exceeding
All ufe of quittance.

1. Lord. The nobleft mind he carries, That ever govern'd man.

2. Lord. Long may he live in fortunes! Shall we in? 1. Lord. I'll keep you company.

[blocks in formation]

[Exeunt.

The fame. A State-Room in Timon's house.

1

Hautboys playing loud mufick. A great banquet ferved in ; FLAVIUS and others attending; then Enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, LUCIUS, LUCULLUS, SEMPRONIUS, and other Athenian Senators, with VENTIDIUS and Attendants. Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS difcontentedly.

Ven. Most honour'd Timon, it hath pleas'd the gods to remember

My father's age, and call him to long peace.
He is gone happy, and has left me rich:
Then, as in grateful virtue I am bound

To your free heart, I do return thofe talents,

Doubled,

7 Meed, which in general fignifies reward or recompence, in this

place feems to mean defert.

8 i. e. All the customary returns made in discharge of obligations,

Doubled, with thanks, and service, from whofe help 1 deriv'd liberty.

Tim. O, by no means,

Honeft Ventidius: you mistake my love;
I gave it freely ever; and there's none
Can truly fay, he gives, if he receives:

If our betters play at that game, we must not dare
To imitate them; Faults that are rich, are fair.
Ven. A noble spirit.

[They all fand ceremoniously looking on Timon.

Tim. Nay, my lords,

Ceremony was but devis'd at first,

To fet a glofs on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodness, forry ere 'tis shown;

But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Pray, fit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes,
Than my fortunes to me.

[They fit. 1. Lord. My lord, we always have confefs'd it. Apem. Ho, ho, confefs'd it? hang'd it, have you not? ? Tim. O, Apemantus!-you are welcome.

Apem. No; you fhall not make me welcome:

1 come to have thee thruft me out of doors.

Tim. Fye, thou art a churl; you have got a humour there

Does not become a man, 'tis much to blame :

They fay, my lords, ira furor brevis eft,

But yond' man is ever angry.

Go, let him have a table by himself;

For he does neither affect company,

Nor is he fit for it, indeed.

Apem. Let me ftay at thine own peril, Timon; I come to obferve; I give thee warning on't.

Tim. I take no heed of thee; thou art an Athenian, therefore welcome: 1 myself would have no power'; 'pr'ythee, let my meat make thee filent.

Apem.

9 There feems to be fome allufion here to a common proverbial faying of Shakspeare's time: "Confefs and be hang'd."

I myself would have no power to make thee filent, but I wish thou would't let my meat make thee filent. Timon, like a polite landlord, difclaims all power over the meaneft or most troublefome of his guests,

Apem. I fcorn thy meat; 'twould choke me, for I fhould
Ne'er flatter thee 2.-O you gods! what a number
Of men eat Timon, and he fees them not!

It grieves me, to fee fo many dip their meat
In one's man blood3; and all the madness is,
He cheers them up too.

I wonder, men dare trust themselves with men:
Methinks, they fhould invite them without knives ;
Good for their meat, and safer for their lives.
There's much example for't; the fellow, that
Sits next him now, parts bread with him, pledges
The breath of him in a divided draught,

Is the readiest man to kill him: it has been prov'd.
If I were a huge man, I should fear to drink at meals;
Left they should spy my wind-pipe's dangerous notes:
Great men should drink with harness on their throats.
Tim. My lord, in hearts; and let the health go round.
2. Lord. Let it flow this way, my good lord.
Apem. Flow this way!

A brave fellow!-he keeps his tides well. Timon,
Thofe healths will make thee, and thy ftate, look ill.
Here's that, which is too weak to be a finner,
Honest water, which ne'er left man i'the mire :
This, and my food, are equals; there's no odds.
Feasts are too proud to give thanks to the gods.
APEMANTUS'S GRACE.

Immortal gods, I crave no pelf;
I pray for no man but myself:
Grant I may never prove fo fond,
To truft man on his oath, or bond;

Or

2 The meaning is, I could not fwallow thy meat, for I could not pay for it with flattery; and what was given me with an ill will would stick in my throat.

3 The allufion is to a pack of hounds trained to purfuit by being gra tified with the blood of an animal which they kill, and the wonder is that the animal on which they are feeding cheers them to the chafe.

4 The notes of the wind-pipe feem to be only the indications which fhew where the wind-pipe is. Shakspeare is very fond of making ufe of mufical terms, when he is fpeaking of the human body, and zwindpipe, and notes favour ftrongly of a quibble.

5 That is, my lord's health with fincerity.

Or a harlot, for her weeping;
Or a dog, that feems a fleeping s
Or a keeper with my freedom;
Or my friends, if I should need 'em.'
Amen. So fall to't:

Rich men fin, and I eat root. [Eats and drinks. Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus!

Tim. Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the field now. Ale. My heart is ever at your fervice, my lord.

Tim. You had rather be at a breakfast of enemies, than a dinner of friends.

Alc. So they were bleeding new, my lord, there's no meat like them; I could with my best friend at such a feast.

Apem. 'Would all thofe flatterers were thine enemies then; that then thou might'ft kill 'em, and bid me to 'em.

1. Lord. Might we but have that happiness, my lord, that you would once ufe our hearts, whereby we might exprefs fome part of our zeals, we should think ourselves for ever perfect.

Tim. O, no doubt, my good friends, but the gods themselves have provided that I fhall have much help from you: How had you been my friends elfe? why have you that charitable title from thousands, did not you chiefly belong to my heart?? I have told more of you to myself, than you can with modesty speak in your own behalf; and thus far I confirm you. O, you gods, think I, what need we have any friends, if we should never have need of them? they were the moft needlefs creatures living, fhould we ne'er have ufe for them: and would moft refemble fweet inftruments hung up in cafes, that keep their founds to themfelves. Why, I have often wifh'd myself poorer, that I might come nearer to you. We are born to do benefits: and what better or properer

6 That is, arrived at the perfection of happiness.

can

The meaning is probably this. Why are you diftinguished from thousands by that title of endearment, was there not a particular conmection and intercourfe of tenderness between you and me.

I fix your characters firmly in my own mind.

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