Who feeks for better of thee, fauce his palate Roots, you clear heav'ns! thus much of this will make Bafe, noble; old, young; coward, valiant. You gods! why this? what this? you gods! why, this Will knit and break religions; bless th' accurs'd; That makes the wrappen'd widow wed again; Do thy right nature.[March afar off] Ha, a drum? thou'rt quick, But yet I'll bury thee-thou'lt go, (ftrong thief) Nay, ftay thou out for earnest. [Keeping fome gold. Enter Alcibiades with drum and fife in warlike manner, and Phrynia and Timandra. Ale. What art thou there? speak. Tim. A beaft, as thou art. Cankers gnaw thy heart, For fhewing me again the eyes of man! Alc. What is thy name? is man fo hateful to thee, That art thyfelf a man? Tim. I am Mifanthropos, and hate mankind. For thy part, I do with thou wert a dog, That I might love thee fomething. Alc. I know thee well: But in thy fortunes am unlearn'd, and ftrange. Tim. I know thee too, and more than that I know thee, I I not defire to know. Follow thy drum, With man's blood paint the ground; gules, gules;Religious canons, civil laws are cruel; Then what should war be? this fell whore of thine Phry. Thy lips rot off! Tim. I will not kifs thee, then the rot returns To thine own lips again. Alc. How came the noble Timon to this change? Tim. As the moon does, by wanting light to give: But then renew I could not, like the moon; There were no funs to borrow of. Alc. Noble Timon, what friendship may I do thee? Tim. None, but to maintain my opinion. Alc. What is it, Timon? If Tim. Promise me friendship, but perform none. thou wilt not promife, the gods plague thee, for thou art a man: if thou dost perform, confound thee, for thou art a man! Alc. I've heard in fome fort of thy miseries. Tim. As thine is now, held with a brace of harlots. Timan. Is this th' Athenian minion, whom the world Voic'd fo regardfully? Tim. Art thou Timandra? Timan. Yes. Tim. Be a whore ftill: they love thee not, that ufe thee: Give them difeafes, leaving with thee their luft: Make use of thy falt hours, season the slaves For tubs and baths, bring down the rose-cheek'd youth To th' tub-faft, and the diet. (24) Timan. (24) To the fubfaft, and the diet.] One might make a very long and vain fearch, yet not be able to meet with this prepofterous word fubfat, which has notwithstanding pafs'd current with all the editors. The author is alluding to the Lues Venerea, and its effects. At that time, the cure of it was perform'd either by Guaiacum, or Mercurial unctions: and in both cafes the patient was kept up very warm and clofe; that in the first application the fweat might be promoted; and H 2 leaft, Timan. Hang thee, monfter! Alc. Pardon him, sweet Timandra, for his wits I have but little gold of late, brave Timon, Alc. Why, fare thee well, Here's gold for thee. Tim. Keep it, I cannot eat it. Alc. When I have laid proud Athens on a heap- Alc. Ay, Timon, and have caufe. Tim. The gods confound them all then in thy conqueft, And, after, thee, when thou haft conquered! Alc. Why me, Timon? leaft, in the other, he should take cold, which was fatal. "The regimen for the courfe of Guaiacum (lays Dr. Friend in his bift. of “phyfick, Vol. 2. p. 380.) was at firft ftrangely circumftantial; and "fo rigorous, that the patient was put into a dungeon in order to make him fweat; and in that manner, as Fallopius expreffes it, the bones and the very man himself was macerated.' And as for the unction, it was fometimes continued for thirty-feven days; (as he obferves, p. 375) and during this time there was neceffarily an extraordinary abflinence requir'd. Mr. Warburton. Shakespeare himself, I remember, in another of his plays, alludes to the cultom of this tub difcipline. Meaf. for Meaf. Act 3. where the clown is fpeaking of the bawd; Truth, Sir, fhe hath eaten up all her beef, and fhe is herfelf in the tub. And Beaumont and Fletcher in the Knight of the Burning Pefile; Prifners of mine, whom I in diet keep, Send lower down into the cave, And in a tub, that's heated fmoaking hot, And afterwards, in the fame play, fome of these pin'd prifoners are produc'd, complaining of their tub-faveat, and spare-diet. But enough of thefe unfavoury proofs. Tim. That by killing of villains Thou waft born to conquer my country. Will o'er fome high-vic'd city hang his poison Herfelf's a bawd. Let not the virgin's cheek Set them down horrible traitors. Spare not the babe, Hath doubtfully pronounc'd thy throat fhall cut, (25) That thro' the window-barn bore at men's eyes.] I cannot for my heart imagine, what idea our wife editors had of a virgin's breast thro' a window-barn: which, I am fatisfied, must be a corrupt reading. In short, the poet is alluding to the decent cuftom in his time of the women covering their necks and bofom either with Lawn, or Cyprus; both which being transparent, the poet beautifully calls it the window-lawn. Vid. Twelfth night, A 3. -to one of your receiving Enough is fhewn; a Cyprus, not a bosom, Hides my poor heart. Beaumont and Fletcher in their Scornful Lady. Lady. Pray, put in good words then. El. Love. The worlt are good enough for such a trifle, such a proud B. forfon in his Sejanus, poken by Agrippina. And in his Every Man out of bis Humour. -She fpeaks, as he goes tir'd, in cobweb-lawn, light thin: And in his Every Man bis Humour. and shadow her glory as a milliner's wife does her wrought fomacher with a fmoaky Lawn, or a black Cyprus. H 3 Nor Nor fight of priest in holy veftments bleeding, I'll take the gold thou giv'ft me, not thy counfel. And be no turn-coats: yet may your pains fix months Be quite contrary. Make falfe hair, and thatch Your poor thin roofs with burdens of the dead, (Some that were hang'd, no matter :-) Wear them, betray with them; and whore on ftill. Paint till a horfe may mire upon your face; A pox of wrinkles! Both. Well, more gold-what then? Believe, that we'll do any thing for gold. In hollow bones of man, ftrike their fharp fhins, (26) And to make a whore a bard.] The power of gold, indeed, may be fuppos'd great, that can make a whore forfake her trade but what mighty difficulty was there in making a whore turn bawd? And yet, 'tis plain, here he is defcribing the mighty power of gold. He had before fhewn, how gold can perfuade to any villany; he now fhews that it has ftill a greater force, and can ever turn from vice to the practice, or, at leaft, the femblance of virtue. We must therefore read, to reftore tenfe to our author, And to make whole a bard. i. e. not only make her quit her calling, but thereby reftore her to reputation. Mr. Warburton. |