Music.

Re-enter CUPID, with a Masque of Ladies as Ama

zons, with lutes in their hands, dancing and playing.
Apem. Hey-day,

What a sweep of vanity comes this way!
They dance! they are mad women.
Like madness is the glory of this life,

As this pomp shows to a little oil, and root."
We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves;
And spend our flatteries, to drink those men,
Upon whose age we void it up again,

With poisonous spite, and envy. Who lives, that's not
Depraved, or depraves? who dies, that bears

Not one spurn to their graves of their friends' gift ?a
I should fear, those, that dance before me now,
Would one day stamp upon me: It has been done;
Men shut their doors against a setting sun.

The lords rise from table, with much adoring of TIMON; and, to show their loves, each singles out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women; a lofty strain or two to the hautboys, and cease.

Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies,

Set a fair fashion on our entertainment,

Which was not half so beautiful and kind;

You have added worth unto't, and lively lustre,
And entertain❜d me with mine own device ;9

I am to thank you for it.

1 Lady. My lord, you take us even at the best.

Apem. 'Faith, for the worst is filthy; and would not hold taking, I doubt me.

Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet

Attends you. Please you to dispose yourselves.

All Lad. Most thankfully, my lord.

Tim. Flavius,-

Flav. My lord.

[Exe. CUPID and Ladies

Tim. The little casket bring me hither.
Flav. Yes, my lord.-More jewels yet!
There is no crossing him in his humour;
Else I should tell him,--Well,--i'faith, I should,

[Aside.

[7] "The glory of this life is very near to madness," as may be made to appear from this pomp, exhibited in a place where a philosopher is feeding on "oil and roots." When we see by example how few are the necessaries of life, we learn what madness there is in so much superfluity. JOHNSON.

[8] That is, given them by their friends. JOHNSON.

[9] The mask appears to have been designed by Timon to surprise his guests. JOHN.

When all's spent, he'd be cross'd then, an he could.' 'Tis pity, bounty had not eyes behind ;*

That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind,3

[Exit, and returns with the casket.

1 Lord. Where be our men?

Serv. Here, my lord, in readiness. 2 Lord. Our horses.

Tim. O my friends, I have one word

To say to you :-Look you, my good lord, I must
Entreat you, honour me so much, as to

Advance this jewel ;*

Accept, and wear it, kind my lord.

1 Lord. I am so far already in your gifts,All. So are we all.

Enter a Servant.

Serv. My lord, there are certain nobles of the senate Newly alighted, and come to visit you.

Tim. They are fairly welcome.

Flav. I beseech your honour,

Vouchsafe me a word; it does concern you near.
Tim. Near? why then another time I'll hear thee:

I pr'ythee, let us be provided

To show them entertainment.

Flav. [Aside.] I scarce know how.

Enter another Servant.

2 Serv. May it please your honour, the lord Lucius, Out of his free love, hath presented to you Four milk white horses, trapp'd in silver.

Tim. I shall accept them fairly: let the presents
Enter a third Servant.

Be worthily entertain'd ?-How now, what news?

3 Serv. Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman, lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him; and has sent your honour two brace of greyhounds.

Tim. I'll hunt with him; And let them be receiv'd, Not without fair reward.

Flav. [Aside.] What will this come to ?

He commands us to provide, and give great gifts,

[1] Alluding to our old silver penny, used before K. Edward the First's time, which had a cross on the reverse with a crease, that it might be more easily broken into halves and quarters, half-pence and farthings. From this penny, and other pieces, was our common expression derived, "I have not a cross about me;" i, e. not a piece of money. THEOBALD.

[2] To see the miseries that are following her.

31 For nobleness of soul.

JOHNSON.

[4] To prefer it; to raise it to honour by wearing it.

JOHNSON.

JOHNSON

And all out of an empty coffer.

Nor will he know his purse; or yield me this,
To show him what a beggar his heart is,
Being of no power to make his wishes good;
His promises fly so beyond his state,

That what he speaks is all in debt, he owes
For every word; He is so kind, that he now
Pays interest for't: his land's put to their books.
Well, 'would I were gently put out of office,
Before I were forc'd out!

Happier is he that has no friend to feed,
Than such as do even enemies exceed.
I bleed inwardly for my lord.

Tim. You do yourselves

[Exit.

Much wrong, you bate too much of your own merits :—— Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.

2 Lord. With more than common thanks I will receive it. 3 Lord. O, he is the very soul of bounty!

Timon. And now I remember me, my lord, you gave Good words the other day of a bay courser

I rode on it is yours, because you lik'd it.

2 Lord. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, in that. Tim. You may take my word, my lord; I know, no man Can justly praise, but what he does affect:

I weigh my friend's affection with mine own
I'll tell you true. I'll call on you.

All Lords. None so welcome.

Tim. I take all and your several visitations
So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give ;
Methinks, I could deal kingdoms to my friends,
And ne'er be weary.-Alcibiades,

Thou art a soldier, therefore seldom rich,
It comes in charity to thee: for all thy living
Is 'mongst the dead; and all the lands thou hast
Lie in a pitch'd field.

Alcib. Ay, defiled land, my lord."

1 Lord. We are so virtuously bound, Tim. And so

Am I to you.

2 Lord. So infinitely endear'd,

Tim. All to you.-Lights, more lights."

[5] Alcibiades is told that "his estate lies in a pitch'd field." Now" pitch (as Falstaff says) doth defile." Alcibiades therefore replies, that his estate lies" in defiled land."

JOHNSON.

[6] All good wishes, or all happiness to you. STEEVENS.

1 Lord. The best of happiness,

Honour, and fortunes, keep with you, lord Timon!

Tim. Ready for his friends.

Apem. What a coil's here!

[Exe. ALCIB. Lords, &c.

Serving of becks," and jutting out of bums'

I doubt whether their legs be worth the sums
That are given for 'em. Friendship's full of dregs:
Methinks, false hearts should never have sound legs.
Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on court'sies.
Tim. Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen,
I'd be good to thee.

Apem. No, I'll nothing for,

If I should be brib'd too, there would be none left
To rail upon thee; and then thou wouldst sin the faster.
Thou giv❜st so long, Timon, I fear me, thou

Wilt give away thyself in paper shortly :9

What need these feasts, pomps, and vain glories ?

Tim. Nay,

An you begin to rail on society once,

I am sworn, not to give regard to you.
Farewell; and come with better music.

Apem. So ;

[Exit.

Thou'lt not hear me now,-thou shalt not then, I'll lock Thy heaven from thee.' O, that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!

ACT II.

[Exit.

SCENE 1.-The same. A Room in a Senator's House. Enter a Senator, with Papers in his hand.

Sen. AND late, five thousand to Varro; and to Isidore He owes nine thousand ; besides my former sum, Which makes it five and twenty.--Still in motion Of raging waste? It cannot hold; it will not. If I want gold, steal but a beggar's dog, And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold: If I would sell my horse, and buy twenty more Better than he, why, give my horse to Timon,

[7] Beck means a salutation with the head. So Milton,

"Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles.".

JOHNSON.

To serve a beck-means, to pay a courtly obedience to a nod. STEEVENS. [8] He plays upon the word leg, as it signifies a limb, and a bow or act of obedience

[9] Be ruined by securities entered into.

[1] By his heaven he means good advice. VOL. VIII.

JOHNSON..

WARBURTON.

M. MASON.

1 2

Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me, straight,
And able horses: No porter at his gate;
But rather one that smiles, and still invites
All that pass by. It cannot hold; no reason
Can found his state in safety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I say!
Enter CAPHIS.

Caph. Here, sir; What is your pleasure?

Sen. Get on your cloak, and haste you to lord Timon; Impórtune him for my monies; be not ceas'd

With slight denial; nor then silenc'd, when-
Commend me to your master-and the cap

Plays in the right hand, thus :--but tell him, sirrah,
My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn

Out of mine own; his days and times are past,
And my reliances on his fracted dates

Has smit my credit: I love, and honour him;
But must not break my back, to heal his finger :
Immediate are my needs; and my relief
Must not be toss'd and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone :
Put on a most importunate aspéct,
A visage of demand; for, I do fear,
When every feather sticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,
Which flashes now a phoenix. Get you gone.
Caph. I go, sir.

Sen. I go, sir?-Take the bonds along with you,
And have the dates in compt.

Caph. I will, sir.

Sen. Go.

The same.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

A Hall in TIMON's House. Enter FLAVIUS,
with many bills in his hand.

Flav. No care, no stop! so senseless of expence,
That he will neither know how to maintain it,
Nor cease his flow of riot: Takes no account
How things go from him; nor resumes no care
Of what is to continue; Never mind

Was to be so unwise, to be so kind.3

[2] A gull is a bird as remarkable for the poverty of its feathers, as a phœnix is supposed to be for the richness of its plumage. STEEVENS.

[8] To make this line sense and grammar, it should be supplied thus:

Was [made] to be so unwise, [in order] to be so kind;

i. e. Nature, in order to make a profuse mind, never before endowed any man with so large a share of folly. WARBURTON.