Apem. No; I eat not lords.

Tim. An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger ladies.

Apem. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies. Tim. That's a lascivious apprehension.

Apem. So thou apprehend'st it. Take it for thy labour. Tim. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus? Apem. Not so well as plain-dealing, which will not cost a man a doit.

Tim. What dost thou think 'tis worth?

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

Apem. Thou liest.

Poet. Art not one?

Apem. Yes..

Poet. Then I lie not.

Apem. Art not a poet?

Poet. Yes.

Apem. Then thou liest: look in thy last work, where thou hast feign'd him a worthy fellow.

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

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

Tim. What wouldst 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.Art thou not a merchant?

Mer. Ay, Apemantus.

Apem. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not!

Mer. If traffic do it, the gods do it.

Apem. Traffic's thy god, and thy god confound thee! Trumpets sound.

Tim. What trumpet's that?

Serv. 'Tis Alcibiades, and

Enter a Servant.

Some twenty horse, all of companionship."

2

[5] Alluding to the proverb: "Plain-dealing is a jewel, but they that use it die beggars." STEEVENS.

[6] The meaning may be, I should hate myself for patiently enduring to be a lord. JOHNSON.

This expression does not mean barely that they all belong to one company, but that they are all such as Alcibiades honours with his acquaintance, and sets on a level with himself.

STEEVENS.

Tim. Pray, entertain them; give them guide to us.
[Exeunt some Attendants
-You must needs dine with me :-Go not you hence,
Till I have thank'd you; and, when dinner's done,
Show me this piece. I am joyful of your sights.-
Enter ALCIBIADES, with his Company.

Most welcome, sir!

Apem. So, so; there !—

Aches contract and starve your supple joints !

[They salute.

That there should be small love 'mongst these sweet knaves, And all this court'sy! The strain of man's bred out

Into baboon and monkey."

Alcib. Sir, you have sav'd my longing, and I feed Most hungrily on your sight.

Tim. Right welcome, sir:

9

Ere we depart, we'll share a bounteous time

In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.

[Exeunt all but АPEN.

Enter two Lords.

1 Lord. What time a day is't, Apemantus?

Apem. Time to be honest.

1 Lord. That time serves still.

Apem. The most accursed thou,' that still omit'st it.

2 Lord. Thou art going to lord Timon's feast?

Apem. Ay; to see 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. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none.

I 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 spurn thee hence, Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. [Exit. 1 Lord. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes

The very heart of kindness

2 Lord. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold,

[8] Man is exhausted and degenerated; his strain of lineage is worn down into a monkey.

[9] Depart, and part, mean the same thing. So in King John:

"Hath willingly departed with a part."

1. e. bath willingly parted with a part of the thing in question. [1] Read: The more accursed thou, &c. RITSON.

VOL. V.

25

STEEVENS.

Is but his steward: no meed, but he repays
Seven fold above itself; no gift to him,
But breeds the giver a return exceeding
All use of quittance.

1 Lord. The noblest 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.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

The same. A Room of State in TIMON's House. Hautboys playing loud music. A great Banquet served 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, discontentedly.

Ven. Most honour'd Timon, 't hath pleas'd the gods

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 those talents,
Doubled, with thanks, and service, from whose help
I deriv'd liberty.

Tim. O, by no means,

Honest Ventidius: You mistake my love;

I gave it freely ever; and there's none

Can truly say, 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 stand ceremoniously looking on TIMON.

Tim. Nay, my lords, ceremony

Was but devis'd at first, to set a gloss

On faint deeds, hollow welcomes,

Recanting goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown;

But where there is true friendship, there needs none.

Pray, sit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes,

Than my fortunes to me.

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

Meed in this place means desert.

STEEVENS.

[S] All the customary returns made in discharge of obligations.

WARBURTON.

Apem. No,

You shall not make we welcome :

I come to have thee thrust 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 say, my lords, that ira furor brevis est,

But yond' man's 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 stay at thine own peril, Timon ;

I come to observe; I give thee warning on't.

;

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

Apem. I scorn thy meat; 'twould choak me, for I should
Ne'er flatter thee.-O you gods! what a number
Of men eat Timon, and he sees them not!

It grieves me, to see so many dip their meat
In one man's blood; and all the madness is,

He cheers them up too.

I wonder, men dare trust themselves with men :
Methinks, they should 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, and 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;
Lest they should spy my windpipe's dangerous notes:
Great men should drink with harness on their throats."
Tim. My lord, in heart; and let the health go round.
1 Lord. Let it flow this way, my good lord.

Apem. Flow this way!

A brave fellow !-he keeps his tides well. Timon,
Those healths will make thee, and thy state, look ill.

[4] I claim no extraordinary power in right of my being master of the house I wish not by my commands to impose silence on any one: but tho' I myself do not enjoin you to silence, let my meat stop your mouth. MALONE.

[5] The allusion is to a pack of hounds trained to the pursuit by being gratified with the blood of the animal which they kill, and the wonder is, that the animal on JOHNSON. which they are feeding cheers them to the chase.

[6] It was the custom in our author's time for every guest to bring his own knife, which he occasionally whetted on a stone that hung behind the door. One of these whetstones may be seen in Parkinson's museum They were strangers at that pe riod to the use of forks.

RITSON.

[7] That is, armour. STEEV. [8] My lord's health with sincerity. JOHN.

Here's that, which is too weak to be a sinner,
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 so fond,
To trust man on his oath or bond;
Or a harlot, for her weeping;
Or a dog, that seems a sleeping;
Or a keeper with my freedom;
Or my friends, if I should need 'em.
Amen. So fall to't:

Rich men sin, and I eat root.

[Eats and drinks.

Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus!

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

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

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

Apem. 'Would all those flatterers were thine enemies then; that then thou might'st kill 'em, and bid me to 'em. 1 Lord. Might we but have that happiness, my lord, that you would once use our hearts, whereby we might express some 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 shall have much help from you: How had you been my friends else? why have you that charitable title from thousands, did you not 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

That is, arrived at the perfection of happiness. [2] Charitable signifies dear, endearing. So Milton: "Relations dear, and all the charities

Of father, son, and brother"-

JOHNSON.

Alms, in English, are called charities, and from thence we may collect that our ancestors knew well in what the virtue of alms-giving consisted; not in the act, but in the disposition. WARBURTON.--The meaning is probably this: Why are you distinguished from thousands, by that title of endearment, was there not a particular connexion and intercourse of tenderness between you and me? [S] I fix your characters firmly in my owu mind.

JOHNSON.