Cries, of itself, no more; now breathlefs 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 hadit power, or we had cause to fear;
We fent to thee, to give thy rages balm,
To wipe out our ingratitude, with loves
Above their quantity.

Transformed Timon to our city's love

By humble meffage, and by promis'd means,
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 thefe great tow'rs, trophies, and fchools 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

Hath

not all. The Senate had wooed
him with humble Meffage, and
Promife of general Reparation.
This feems included in the flight
change which I have made
and by promis'd 'mends. THEOB.

Dr. Warburton agrees with Mr Theobald, but the old reading may well ftand.

Shume, that they wanted
Cunning in Excess,

Hath broke their Hearts.] i. e. in other Terms,-Shame, that

By humble Meffage, and by promi'd means:] Promis'd Means mult import the recruiting they were not the cunning it his funk Fortunes; but this is Men alive, hath been the Caufe VOL. VI.

T

of

Hath broke their hearts. March on, oh, noble Lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread;
By decimation and a tithed death,

If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature loaths, take thou the deftin'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 muft fall
With those that have offended. Like a fhepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull th' infected forth,
But kill not altogether.

2 Sen. What thou wilt,

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

I Sen. Set but thy foot

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

2 Sen. Throw thy glove,

ope,

"their Hearts." THEOBALD. I have no wish to disturb the manes of Theobald, yet think fome emendation may be of fered that will make the conftruction lefs harth, and the fentence more ferious I read, Shame that they wanted coming in excefs

Or any token of thine Honour elfe,
of their Death. For Cunning in
Exc must mean this or nothing.
O brave Editors! They had
heard it faid, that too much Wit
in fome Cafes might be danger-
ous, and why not an abfolute
Want of it? But had they the
Skill or Courage to remove one
perplexing Comma, the cafy and
genuine Senfe would immediate-
ly arife.
"Shame in Excefs (i.
e. Extremity of Shame) that
they wanted Cunning (i. e. that
they were not wife enough
"not to banish you;) hath broke

66

Hath broke their hearts. Shame which they had fo long wanted, at laft coming in its utmost excess.

s-not Square-] Not regular, not equitable.

That

That thou wilt use 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;

Descend, and open your uncharged ports;
Those enemies of Timon's, and mine own,
Whom you yourselves 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 stream.
Of regular justice in your city's bounds,
But fhall be remedied to publick laws
At heaviest answer.

Both. 'Tis most nobly spoken.

Alc. Defcend, and keep your words.

Enter a Soldier.

Sol. 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 wicked caitiffs left!

Here lie I Timon, who all living men did hate,

Pafs by, and curfe thy fill, but pafs, and stay not here thy gait.

These well express in thee thy latter fpirits
Tho' thou abhor'dft in us our human griefs,

• —uncharged ports ;] That is, unguarded gates.

not a man

a foldier fhall quit his ftation, or be let loose upon you; and if any commits violence, he fhall answer

Shall pass his quarter,-] Not it regularly to the law.

T 2

Scorn'df

Scorn'dft our brain's flow, and those our droplets,

· which

7

From niggard nature fall; yet rich conceit
Taught thee to make vatt Neptune weep for aye
On thy low grave.-On-Faults forgiven.-Dead
Is noble Timon, of whofe memory

Hereafter more. Bring me into your City,
And I will ufe the Olive with my Sword;

Make war breed Peace; make Peace ftint War; make

each

Prescribe to other, as each other's Leach.
-Let our drums ftrike.

[Exeunt.

cept against his own Fortune and happy Situation in Life? But the Corruption of the Text lies only in the bad Pointing, which I have difengaged, and restored to the true Mieaning. Alcibia des's whole Speech, as the Editors might have obferv'd, is in Breaks, betwixt his Reflections on Timon's Death, and his Addreffes to the Athenian Senators: and as soon as he has comment ed on the Place of Timon's Grave, he bids the Senate fet forward; tells 'em, he has forgiven their Faults; and promifes to use them with Mercy. THEOBALD,

benefits, and buys flattery, but not friendship.

In this ragedy are many paf fages perplexed, obfcure, and probably corrupt, which I have endeavoured to rectify or explain with due diligence; but having only one copy, cannot promite myfelf that my endeavours will be much applauded.

TITUS

ANDRONICUS.