Trumpets sound. Enter a Servant. TIM. What trumpet's that? SERV. 'Tis Alcibiades, and Some twenty horse, all of companionship.1 TIM. Pray, entertain them; give them guide to [Exeunt some Attendants. You must needs dine with me:-Go not you hence, Till I have thank'd you; and, when dinner's done, Show me this piece.-I am joyful of your sights. us. Enter ALCIBIADES, with his Company. Most welcome, sir! APEM. So, so; there! [They salute. Aches contract and starve your supple joints!— That there should be small love 'mongst these sweet knaves, And all this court'sy! The strain of man's bred out Into baboon and monkey.3 ALCIB. Sir, you have sav'd my longing, and I feed Most hungrily on your sight. TIM. Right welcome, sir: —all of companionship.] This expression does not mean barely that they all belong to one company, but that they are all such as Alcibiades honours with his acquaintance, and sets on a level with himself. STEEVENS. —and, when dinner's done,] And, which is wanting in the first folio, is supplied by the second. STEEVENS. The strain of man's bred out Into baboon and monkey.] Man is exhausted and degenerated; his strain or lineage is worn down into a monkey. JOHNSON. Ere we depart, we'll share a bounteous time In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in. [Exeunt all but APEMANTUS. Enter Two Lords. 1 LORD. What time a day is't, Apemantus? APEM. Time to be honest. 1 LORD. That time serves still. 5 APEM. The most accursed thou, that still omit'st it. 2 LORD. Thou art going to lord Timon's feast. APEM. Ay; to see meat fill knaves, and wine heat fools. 2 LORD. Fare thee well, fare thee well. APEM. Thou art a fool, to bid me farewell twice. 2 LORD. Why, Apemantus? APEM. Shouldst have kept one to thyself, for I mean to give thee none. Ere we depart,] Who depart? Though Alcibiades was to leave Timon, Timon was not to depart. Common sense favours my emendation. THEOBALD. Mr. Theobald proposes-do part. Common sense may favour it, but an acquaintance with the language of Shakspeare would not have been quite so propitious to his emendation. Depart and part have the same meaning. So, in King John: "Hath willingly departed with a part.' i. e. hath willingly parted with a part of the thing in question. See Vol. X. p. 407, n. 5. STEEvens. The most accursed thou,] Read: RITSON. So, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona: "The more degenerate and base art thou-." STEEVENS. 1 LORD. Hang thyself. APEM. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend. 2 LORD. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence. APEM. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. [Exit. 1 LORD. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes 2 LORD. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold, Is but his steward: no meed, but he repays 1 LORD. The noblest mind he carries, That ever govern'd man. 2 LORD. Long may he live in fortunes! Shall we in? 1 LORD. I'll keep you company. [Exeunt. "no meed,] Meed, which in general signifies reward or recompense, in this place seems to mean desert. So, in Heywood's Silver Age, 1613: "And yet thy body meeds a better grave." i. e. deserves. Again, in a comedy called Look about you, 1600: "Thou shalt be rich in honour, full of speed; "Thou shalt win foes by fear, and friends by meed." See Vol. XIV. p. 49, n. 6. STEEVens. 7 All use of quittance.] i. e. all the customary returns made in discharge of obligations. WARBURTON. SCENE II. The same. A Room of State in Timon's House. Hautboys playing loud Musick. A great Banquet served in; FLAVIUS and others attending; then enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, LUCIUS, LUCULlus, SEMPRONIUS, and other Athenian Senators, with VENTIDIUS, and Attendants. Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly. 8 VEN. Most honour'd Timon, 't hath pleas'd the gods remember9 My father's age, and call him to long peace. TIM. O, by no means, Honest Ventidius: you mistake I 8 -discontentedly.] The ancient stage-direction adds-like himself. STEEvens. 9 Most honour'd Timon, 't hath pleas'd the gods remember-] The old copy reads-to remember. But I have omitted, for the sake of metre, and in conformity to our author's practice on other occasions, the adverb-to. Thus, in King Henry VIII. Act IV. sc. ii. Vol. XV. p. 166: 66 -Patience, is that letter "I caus'd you write, yet sent away?" Every one must be aware that the particle-to was purposely left out, before the verb-write. STEEVENS. 1 Can truly say, he gives, if he receives: If our betters play at that game, we must not dare To imitate them; Faults that are rich, are fair.' 1 If our betters play at that game, we must not dare To imitate them; Faults that are rich, are fair.] These two lines are absurdly given to Timon. They should be read thus: Tim. If our betters play at that game, we must not. Apem. Dare to imitate them. Faults that are rich are fair. This is said satirically, and in character. It was a sober reflection in Timon; who by our betters meant the gods, which require to be repaid for benefits received; but it would be impiety in men to expect the same observance for the trifling good they do. Apemantus, agreeably to his character, perverts this sentiment; as if Timon had spoke of earthly grandeur and potentates, who expect largest returns for their favours; and therefore, ironically replies as above. WARBURTON. I cannot see that these lines are more proper in any other mouth than Timon's, to whose character of generosity and condescension they are very suitable. To suppose that by our betters are meant the gods, is very harsh, because to imitate the gods has been hitherto reckoned the highest pitch of human virtue. The whole is a trite and obvious thought, uttered by Timon with a kind of affected modesty. If I would make any alteration, it should be only to reform the numbers thus: Our betters play that game; we must not dare JOHNSON. The faults of rich persons, and which contribute to the increase of riches, wear a plausible appearance, and as the world goes are thought fair; but they are faults notwithstanding. HEATH. Dr. Warburton with his usual love of innovation, transfers the last word of the first of these lines, and the whole of the second to Apemantus. Mr. Heath has justly observed that this cannot have been Shakspeare's intention, for thus Apemantus would be made to address Timon personally, who must therefore have seen and heard him; whereas it appears from a subsequent speech that Timon had not yet taken notice of him, as he salutes him with some surprize "O, Apemantus !-you are welcome." |