2 Thief. I'll believe him as an enemy, and give over my trade. 1 Thief. Let us first see peace in Athens: There is no time so miserable, but a man may be true.8 Enter FLAVIUS. Flav. O you gods! [Exeunt Thieves. Is yon despis'd and ruinous man my lord? Desperate want made !9 What viler thing upon the earth, than friends, Those that would mischief me, than those that do!3 Thief, is malice to mankind, not any kindness to us, or desire to have us thrive in our mystery. Johnson. 8 Let us first see peace in Athens: There is no time so miserable, but a man may be true.] [Dr. Warburton divides this line between the two thieves.] This and the concluding little speech have in all the editions been placed to one speaker: But, it is evident, the latter words ought to be put in the mouth of the second Thief, who is repenting, and leaving off his trade. Warburton. The second Thief has just said, he 'll give over his trade. It is time enough for that, says the first Thief: let us wait till Athens is at peace. There is no hour of a man's life so wretched, but he always has it in his power to become a true, i. e. an honest man. I have explained this easy passage, because it has, I think, been misunderstood. Our author has made Mrs. Quickly utter nearly the same exbortation to the dying Falstaff: "Now I bid him not think of God; there was time enough for that yet." Malone. 9 What an alteration of honour has Desperate want made!] An alteration of honour, is an alteration of an honourable state to a state of disgrace. Johnson. 1 How rarely does it meet-] Rarely for fitly; not for seldom. Warburton. How curiously; how happily. Malone. 2 When man was wish'd to love his enemies:] We should readwill'd. He forgets his Pagan system here again. Warburton. Wish'd is right. It means recommended. See Vol. VI, p. 38, n. 7. Reed. He has caught me in his eye: I will present Tim. Away! what art thou? Flav. Have you forgot me, sir? Tim. Why dost ask that? I have forgot all men; Then, if thou grant'st thou 'rt man, I have forgot thee. Flav. An honest poor servant of yours. Tim. I know thee not: I ne'er had honest man Flav. Then The gods are witness, Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief Tim. What, dost thou weep?-Come nearer;-then Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'st 3 Grant, I may ever love, and rather woo Those that would mischief me, than those that do!] It is plain, that in this whole speech friends and enemies are taken only for those who profess friendship and profess enmity; for the friend is supposed not to be more kind, but more dangerous than the enemy. The sense is, Let me rather woo or caress those that would mischief, that profess to mean me mischief, than those that really do me mischief, under false professions of kindness. The Spaniards, I think, have this proverb: Defend me from my friends, and from my enemies I will defend myself. This proverb is a sufficient comment on the passage. Johnson. 4- thou 'rt man,] Old copy-thou 'rt a man. Steevens. 5 sake. 6 that-] I have supplied this pronoun, for the metre's Steevens. - knaves,] Knave is here in the compound sense of a servant and a rascal. Johnson. Pity's sleeping:] I do not know that any correction is necessary, but I think we might read: - eyes do never give, But thorough lust and laughter, pity sleeping: Eyes never flow (to give is to dissolve, as saline bodies in moist weather,) but by lust or laughter, undisturbed by emotions of pity. Johnson. Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with weep ing! Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my lord, To accept my grief, and, whilst this poor wealth lasts, To entertain me as your steward still. Tim. Had I a steward so true, so just, and now So comfortable? It almost turns My dangerous nature wild. Let me behold Thy face. Surely, this man was born of woman. Johnson certainly is right in reading-Pity sleeping. The following line proves it: "Alcib. on thy low grave, on faults forgiven." M. Mason. · Pity's sleeping:] So, in Daniel's second Sonnet, 1594: "Waken her sleeping pity with your crying." Malone. My dangerous nature wild.] i. e. It almost turns my dangerous nature to a dangerous nature; for, by dangerous nature is meant wildness. Shakspeare wrote: It almost turns my dangerous nature mild. i. e. It almost reconciles me again to mankind. For fear of that, he puts in a caution immediately after, that he makes an excep. tion but for one man. To which the Oxford editor says, rectè. Warburton. This emendation is specious, but even this may be controverted. To turn wild is to distract. An appearance so unexpected, says Timon, almost turns my savageness to distraction. Accordingly he examines with nicety lest his phrenzy should deceive him: "Thy face. Surely, this man was born of woman. And to this suspected disorder of the mind he alludes: "Perpetual-sober gods!" Ye powers whose intellects are out of the reach of perturbation. Johnson. He who is so much disturbed as to have no command over his actions, and to be dangerous to all around him, is already distracted, and therefore it would be idle to talk of turning such "a dangerous nature wild:" it is wild already. Besides; the baseness and ingratitude of the world might very properly be mentioned as driving Timon into frenzy: (So, in Antony and Cleopatra: "The ingratitude of this Seleucus does but surely the kindness and fidelity of his Steward was more likely to soften and compose him; that is, to render his dangerous nature mild. I therefore strongly incline to Dr. Warburton's emendation. Malone. Forgive my general and exceptless rashness, One honest man,—mistake me not, but one; Methinks, thou art more honest now, than wise; Thou might'st have sooner got another service: Upon their first lord's neck. But tell me true, If not a usuring1 kindness; and as rich men deal gifts, Expecting in return twenty for one? Flav. No, my most worthy master, in whose breast Doubt and suspect, alas, are plac'd too late: You should have fear'd false times, when you did feast Suspect still comes where an estate is least. That which I show, heaven knows, is merely love, Duty and zeal to your unmatched mind, Care of your food and living: and, believe it,. My most honour'd lord, For any benefit that points to me, Either in hope, or present, I'd exchange For this one wish, That you had power and wealth To requite me, by making rich yourself, Tim. Look thee, 'tis so!--Thou single honest man, 9 Perpetual-sober] Old copy, unmetrically You perpetual &c. Steevens. 1 If not a usuring —] If not seems to have slipt in here, by an error of the press, from the preceding line. Both the sense and metre would be better without it. Tyrwhitt. I do not see any need of change. Timon asks-Has not thy kindness some covert design? Is it not proposed with a view to gain some equivalent in return, or rather to gain a great deal more than thou offerest? Is it not at least the offspring of avarice, if not of something worse, of usury? In this there appears to me no difficulty. Malone. My opinion most perfectly coincides with that of Mr. Tyrwhitt. The sense of the line, with or without the contested words, is nearly the same; yet, by the omission of them, the metre would. become sufficiently regular. Steevens. Here, take the gods out of my misery Have sent thee treasure. Go, live rich, and happy : But let the famish'd flesh slide from the bone, What thou deny'st to men; let prisons swallow them, And so, farewel, and thrive. Flav. O, let me stay, If thou hat'st Curses, stay not; fly, whilst thou 'rt bless'd and free: Ne'er see thou man, and let me ne'er see thee. [Exeunt severally. ACT V..... SCENE I. The same. Before Timon's Cave. Enter Poet and Painter; TIMON behind, unseen. Pain. As I took note of the place, it cannot be far where he abides. 2 -from men;] Away from human habitations. Johnson. 3 Debts wither them:] Old copy: Debts wither them to nothing: I have omitted the redundant words, not only for the sake of metre, but because they are worthless. Our author has the same phrase in Antony and Cleopatra: "Age cannot wither her, -." Steevens. 4 Enter Poet and Painter;] The Poet and the Painter were within view when Apemantus parted from Timon, and might then have seen Timon, since Apemantus, standing by him could see them: But the scenes of the Thieves and Steward have passed before their arrival, and yet passed, as the drama is now conducted, within their view. It might be suspected, that some scenes. are transposed, for all these difficulties would be removed by introducing the Poet and Painter first, and the thieves in this place. Yet I am afraid the scenes must keep their present order, for the Painter alludes to the Thieves when he says, he likewise enriched poor straggling soldiers with great quantity. This impropriety is now heightened by placing the Thieves in one Act, and the Poet and |