need not lend to another; for were your godheads to borrow of men, men would forsake the gods. When the dishes are expofed, filled only with warm water, he thus expreffes his refentment, in just description and apt epithets, for fuch guests. May you a better feaft never behold, You knot of mouth-friends; fmoke, and luke-warm water Your reeking villainy. Live loathed, and long, Courteous deftroyers, affable wolves, meek bears, In this Scene, another of Timon's fervants, or rather one of Shakespeare's §, delivers himself moft affectionately and affectingly, upon the unhappy condition of his master. As we do turn our backs From our companion, thrown into his grave, So his familiars from his buried fortunes With his difeafe of all-fhunned poverty, SCENE III. There are so many unfavourable pictures of the world already given by Shakespeare, that though each of them may be very proper, in its refpective place, to adorn the fable, and maintain the characters in the feveral Dramas; yet some of them, it may be thought, might be spared in a work of this ge Machines of motion, which require frequent winding up; or a phrase framed for time-fervers. See my note following Sempronius's fpeech, in Scene III. of the foregoing A&t. neral Thai ftay at home; If bearing carry it, then is the afs More captain than the lion; and the felon, I fhall fubmit this difficult punctilio of honour to the decifion of my male Readers; for, as a woman, I cannot be fuppofed to be a competent judge of it. However, I fhall venture to proceed fo far as to obferve, that as this piece of antient chivalry is faid to have been originally instituted for our defence, I must confefs, I think it should have refted there. Alcibiades then concludes the above fpeech, by petitioning again for mercy: Oh, my lords, As you are great, be pitifully good; Who cannot condemn rafhnefs, in cold blood? To kill, I grant, is fin's extremeft guit, But, in defence, by mercy 'tis most juft. To be in anger is impiety; But who is man that is not angry? Weigh but the crime with this. When Timon meets his late delinquent friends at the mock banquet he had prepared and preffed them to, he makes a juft farcafm, as well as a juftly provoked one, upon the infincerity of their profeffions. Senator. The fwallow foliows not fammer more willingly than we your lordship. Timon, afide. Nor more willingly leaves winter-Such fummerbirds are men. He again carries on the fame ftrain, in the firft part of the grace he pronounces before the covers are taken off. Timon. The gods require our thanks You great benefactors, fprinkle our fociety with thankfulness. For your own gifts make yourfelves praifed; but referve ftill to give, left your deities be defpifed. Lend to each man enough, that one The text has been much improved in this latter part, by Doctor Johnson. † Duelling, need Tether one of Locke Deare's & deliver afeboaty and afting, Pondition of his mater. As we do surn our backs upon the From our comparias, thrown into his grave, 5 ink ad away; leave their false vows with Ez, With his difcale of all-Lunzed poverty, SCENE III. There are so many unfavourable pictures of the world already given by Shakespeare, that though each of them may be very proper, in its respective place, to adorn the fable, and maintain the charactes in the feveral Dramas; yet fome of them, it may be thought, might be fpared in a work of this ge | Machines of motion, which require frequent winding up; or a phrafe framed for time Servers, 4 See my note following Sempronius's fpeech, in Scene III. of the foregoing Act. neral neral kind, which requires not fuch minute attentions: but as my scope here is not only to inftruct the ignorant, to warn the unwary, and inculcate the moral of our author, both from his precepts and examples, but to do him honour alfo as a writer, I think it would be a fort of injuftice in me to fuffer any paffage in him to remain unnoted, which, befides conducing to fuch great ends, may ferve to fhew the fecundity of his powers and genius, which has enabled him to treat the fame fubject in fo many different ways, with ftill new thoughts, and varied expreffion. The following fpeech is a beautiful inftance of this obfervation. Timon. Twinned brothers of one womb, Whofe procreation, refidence, and birth Scarce is dividant, touch with feveral fortunes, Raife me this beggar, and denude † that lord, The beggar native § honour. It is the pafture lards the wether's fides, The want that makes him lean . Who dares, who dares, And fay, This man's a flatterer? If one be, So are they all; for every greeze ¶ of fortune In the Sixth Scene following, he exclaims against the world again : But myself, Who had the world as my confectionary, This fentence is obfcure. It means, that men, tho' conscious of the imperfection of human nature, when puffed up by fortune will defpife others for their common imperfections, as if they were themselves exempt from them. + Denude, frip, or deprive him of his poffeffions. He uses the word bereditary here, with the fame latitude he has done before. See note 4th on Scene V. of Second Act. In this place it means, that contempt is the ufual portion or patrimony of poverty. தி Native, is ufed in the fame fenfe with bereditary, as above explained. The text has been cleared of its difficulty, and much improved in its fenfe, in this paffage, by Doctor Warburton. Greeze, ftep, or degree. The wrong, right; as way this eir heads". and break religion; haets in' accurfed; That makes the mourning † widow wed again. Come, damned earth, Thou common whore of mankind, that putt'it odds Among the rout of nations, I will make thee Do thy right nature . [Barying it. And again, in the Sixth Scene of this A&, ixiing on the gold, he renews the fame reflections. O thou fweet king-killer, and dear divorce And mak`t them kiss! that peas`k wiem zuga, them before that 'mom. in the word ter veitt |