Fla. Vex him no further, thus you ftill fhall find him.
Tim. Come not to me again, but fay to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting manfion

Upon the beached verge of the falt flood;
Which once a-day with his emboffed froth
The turbulent furge fhall cover: Thither come,
And let my grave-tone be your oracle.

Lips, let four words go by, and language end:
What is amifs, plague and infection mend!
Graves only be men's works, and death their gain!
Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his Reign.
[Exit Timon.
1 Sen. His difcontents are unremoveably coupled to

his nature.

2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead; let us return, And ftrain what other means is left unto us

In our dear peril.

1 Sen. It requires fwift foot.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Walls of Athens.

1 Sen.

Enter two other Senators, with a Messenger.

HOU haft painfully discover'd; are his files
As full as thy report?

TH

Mef. I have spoke the least.

Befides, his expedition promifes

Prefent Approach.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon.

Mef. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend; Who, though in general part we were oppos'd,

Yet our old love made a particular force,

And made us fpeak like friends. This man was riding From Alcibiades to Timon's Cave,

With letters of intreaty, which imported

His fellowship i'th' Caufe against your City
In part for his fake mov'd.

Enter

Enter the other Senators.

1 Sen. Here come our Brothers.

3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.The enemies' Drum is heard, and fearful Scouring Doth choak the air with duft. In, and prepare; Ours is the fall, I fear, our foes the fnare.

[Exeunt.

Enter a Soldier in the woods, feeking Timon. Sol. By all Defcription this should be the place. Who's here? fpeak, ho.. -No answer?

What is this?

Timon is dead, who hath out-ftretch'd his fpan;
Some beaft rear'd this; here does not live a man. (31)
Dead, fure, and this his grave; what's on this tomb?
I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax;
Our Captain hath in every figure skill,
An ag'd interpreter, tho' young in days:
Before proud Athens he's fet down by this,
Whofe Fall the mark of his ambition is.

SCENE, before the Walls of Athens.

[Exit.

Trumpets found. Enter Alcibiades with his Powers

Alc.

S

OUND to this coward and lafcivious town
Our terrible Approach.

[Sound a parley. The Senators appear upon the wall. "Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious meafure, making your wills The scope of justice. 'Till now my felf, and fuch

(31) Some beaft read this: bere does not live a Man.] Some Beaft read what? The Soldier had yet only feen the rude Pile of Earth heap'd up for Timon's Grave, and not the Infcription upon it. My Friend Mr. Warburton ingeniously advis'd me to amend the Text, as I have done. The Soldier, feeking by Order for Timon, fees fuch an irregular Mole, as he concludes muft have been the Workmanship of fome Beaft inhabiting the Woods; and fuch a Cavity, as either muft have been fo over-arch'd, or happen'd by the casual Falling in of the Ground.

As

As flept within the fhadow of your Power,
Have wander'd with our traverft arms, and breath'd
Our fufferance vainly. Now the time is flufh,
When crouching marrow in the bearer strong
Cries, of itself, no more: now breathless wrong
Shall fit and pant in your great Chairs of eafe,
And purfy Infolence fhall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.

1 Sen. Noble and

young,

When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit,
Ere thou hadst power, or we had caufe to fear;
We fent to thee, to give thy rages balm,`
To wipe out our ingratitude, with loves.
Above their quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo (32) Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble meffage, and by promis'd 'mends:
We were not all unkind, nor all deferve
The common ftroke of war.

1 Sen. These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they fuch,
That these great tow'rs, trophies, and schools fhould fall
For private faults in them.

2 Sen. Nor are they living,

Who were the motives that you first went out:
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excess (33)

So did we wooe

(32)
Transformed Timon to our City's Love

Hath

By bumble Meffage, and by promis'd means:] Promis'd Means must import a Supply of Subftance, the recruiting his funk For tunes; but that is not all, in my Mind, that the Poet would aim at. The Senate had wooed him with humble Meffage, and Promife of general Reparation for their Injuries and Ingratitude. This seems included in the flight Change which I have made———— and by promis'd 'mends: and this Word, apostrophe'd,, or otherwife, is used in common with Amends.

(33) Shame, that they wanted Cunning in Excess, Hath broke their Hearts.] i, e, in other Terms,

Shame, that

they

Hath broke their hearts. March on, oh, noble lord, Into our city with thy banners fpread;

By decimation and a tithed death,

If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature loaths, take thou the destin'd tenth
And by the hazard of the spotted die,

Let die the fpotted.

1 Sen. All have not offended:

For those that were, it is not fquare to take
On those that are, revenge: Crimes, like to lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage;
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin,
Which in the blufter of thy wrath must fall
With those that have offended; like a fhepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull th' infected forth;
But kill not all together.

2 Sen. What thou wilt,

Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy fmile,
Than hew to't with thy fword.

1 Sen. Set but thy foot

Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope:
So thou wilt fend thy gentle heart before,
To fay, thou'lt enter friendly.

Or

2 Sen. Throw thy glove,

any token of thine Honour else,

That thou wilt ufe the wars as thy redress,

And not as our confufion: all thy Powers
Shall make their harbour in our town, till we
Have feal'd thy full defire.

Alc. Then there's my glove;

they were not the cunning'st Men alive, hath been the Cause of their Death. For Cunning in Excefs must mean this or nothing. O brave Editors! They had heard it faid, that too much Wit in fome Cafes might be dangerous, and why not an abfolute Want of it? But had they the Skill or Courage to remove one perplexing Comma, the eafy and genuine Senfe would immediately arife."Shame in Exeefs (i. e. Extremity of Shame) that "they wanted Cunning (i. e, that they were not wife enough nos to banish you ;) hath broke their Hearts."

Descend,

Defcend, and open your uncharged ports;
Thofe enemies of Timon's, and mine own,
Whom you your felves fhall fet out for reproof,
Fall, and no more; and to atone your fears
With my more noble meaning, not a man
Shall pafs his quarter, or offend the ftream
Of regular justice in your city's bounds;
But shall be remedied by publick laws
At heaviest answer.

Both. "Tis moft nobly spoken.

Alc. Defcend, and keep your words.

Enter a Soldier.

Sold. My noble General, Timon is dead;
Entomb'd upon the very hem o'th' fea;
And on the grave-ftone this Infculpture, which
With wax I brought away; whofe foft impreffion
Interpreteth for my poor ignorance.

[Alcibiades reads the epitaph.]

Here lies a wretched coarfe, of wretched foul bereft:
Seek not my name: a plague confume you caitiffs left!
Here lie I Timon, who all living men did hate,
Pafs by, and curfe thy fill, but fay not here thy gaite.

These well exprefs in thee thy latter spirits:
Tho' thou abhor'dft in us our human griefs,

Scorn'dft our brains' flow, and those our droplets, which
From niggard nature fall; yet rich conceit (34)
Taught

-get rich Conceit

(34)-
Taught thee to make vaft Neptune weep for aye
On thy low Grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
Is noble Timon, of whofe Memory

Hereafter more. -] All the Editors, in their Learning and Sagacity, have suffer'd an unaccountable Absurdity to pass them in this Paffage. Why was Neptune to weep on Timon's Faults forgiven? Or, indeed, what Faults had Timon committed, except against his own Fortune and happy Situation in Life? But the Corruption of the Text lies only in the bad Pointing, which