88. "And kept his credit with his purse." A foot is wanting here: I suppose it was, "And kept his credit with his purse afloat."

His," Mr. Henley supposes, refers to "lip;" and Timon's lip; but such a meaning, I believe, must with difficulty be extorted; it relates, I think, obviously to the wealth or means of bounty (derived indeed from Timon) belonging to Lucius.

"Nor came any of his bounties over me."

It was incumbent upon the editor either to correct this line, or apologise for its want of metre. I suppose we should read:

Nor e'er came any of his bounties o'er me." "When he looks out in an ungrateful shape." When he shews-forth-exposes himself.

89.

"And honourable carriage to the world."

"I would have put my wealth into donation, "And the best half should have return'd to him."

By putting his wealth into donation, I understand, rendering it fit to be made a gift-of, turning it into money. The difficulty in the second line rests, as Dr. Johnson has remarked, upon the word "returned;" but I see no great difficulty in it-the generous stranger says, If Timon's necessity "had made use of me," (i. e. if he had sent to me for money,) I would, in reply, have returned him what was wanted.

90. "For policy sits above conscience,"

Did the editor suppose, here, as in many other instances he seems to do, that ten syllables, howsoever associated, will form an heroic line? This is no verse. I suppose it was,

"For policy still sits 'bove conscience,"

"And does he send to me? three? humph!"

I would regulate

How! have they denied him? "Ventidius! and Lucullus, too, denied him! "And does he send to me now! but third! humph!

"It shews, &c.

"I, his last refuge! his friends, like physicians, Thrive, give him o'er; must I take cure upon me ?"

93. "That e'er received gift from him."

A foot and a half is wanting; perhaps, " princely gift."

a

94. "I had such a courage to do him good," &c. More prose exhibited in the shape of verse. I would read,

“I had such a courage then to do him good; "But now, to their faint answer, this adjoin, "Who bates mine honour shall not know my coin."

The devil knew not what he did, when he made man politic; he cross'd himself by't," &c.

Of all the various comments on this contested passage, that of Mr. Ritson I think the most strained and inadmissible, and that of Dr. Johnson the most rational and convenient, dismissing the negative, which is a careless obtrusion of the transcriber; but the error, I believe, is not confined to that word; the conjunction following should be " but," instead of "and;" and I am clearly of opinion, with Mr. Steevens, that this whole speech, as well as the rest of the dialogue, was originally metrical. Will this attempt to restore the sense, as well as the measure, be accepted ?

"O excellent! your lordship is indeed

"A goodly villain: the devil knew what he did, "When he did make man politic; he cross'd "Himself by't; but then, in the end,

86 The villanies of man will set him clear "How fairly this lord strives to appear foul! "Takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like "Those men that, under hot and ardent zeal, "Would ruin work, and set whole realms on fire."

95. "Takes virtuous copies to be wicked."

Quotes holy texts to countenance vice, or pervert the maxims of morality. A single and short sentence from our poet himself, will, perhaps, better than Dr. Warburton's note, explain this

passage. Antonio, in The Merchant of Venice, says, on a specious quotation of Shylock's

"Mark you this

"The devil can cite scripture to his purpose."

97. "Doors, that were ne'er acquainted with their wards.”

By "wards," I suppose, we are to understand the fixed firm posts against which the doors are closed; or is the word put to denote the intricacies of the lock-the key and the lock never met-the doors were continually open.

SCENE IV.

98. "Good day at once."

This, at once, should be omitted, as only encumbering the verse.

There is no need of this fear, to interrupt the metre; Lucius knew, to a certainty, what he was going to say: Philotus, in his reply, would naturally say,

99. "Most true, he does."

"Most" is superfluous; but the disorder inI would regulate,

creases.

Again

"And send for money for them."

Hor. "

I am weary

"Of this, my charge, the gods can witness for me," &c.

Five thousand mine."

"Mine," here, is a stupid interpolation.Varro's servant asks the servant of Lucius what is the amount of his demand on Timon? and is told, distinctly, in reply, five thousand crowns. "'Tis much deep."

This is miserably lame. I suppose the line ran, ""Tis much too deep; and it should seem by the

sum.

"Your master's confidence was above mine; "Else, surely, his had equall'd.”

This is, indeed, not very accurately expressed; but how Dr. Johnson, or any one else, could miss the meaning, appears strange. Varro's servant had said that his master had lent Timon three thousand crowns, and, hearing that the claim of Lucius was five thousand, remarks, that Lucius had more confidence in Timon than his master had; else his master's demand would have been five thousand crowns also,

101. "

You do yourselves but wrong."

I would read, metrically,

"Into their gluttonous maws; you wrong yourselves."

102, "O, here's Servilius; now we shall know."