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Tim. My worthy friends, will you draw near? 3 Sen. I'll tell you more anon.

fealt toward.

2 Sen. This is the old man still.

Here's a noble

3 Sen. Will't hold? 'will't hold?
Sen. It does, but time will, and fo
3 Sen. I do conceive.

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Tim. Each man to his stool with that fpur as he would to the lip of his mistress: your diet fhall be in all places alike. Make not a city-feast of it, tỏ let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place. Sit, fit.

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The gods require our thanks.

"You great benefactors, fprinkle our fociety "with thankfulness. For your own gifts make "yourselves praised: but referve ftill to give, left your deities be defpifed. Lend to each man enough, that one need not lend to another. For were your godheads to borrow of men, men "would forfake the gods. Make the meat belo"ved more than the man that gives it. Let no

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affembly of twenty be without a fcore of villains, "If there fit twelve women at the table, let a dozen "of them be as they are.----The rest of your fees, "O gods, the fenators of Athens, together with "the common lag of people, what is amifs in them, you gods, make fuitable for deftruction. For thefe my friends---as they are to me nothing, fo in nothing blefs them, and to nothing are they "welcome."

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Uncover dogs, and lap.

Some speak. What does his Lordship mean♪
Some other. I know not.

Tim. May you a better feast never behold,

You knot of mouth-friends: fmoke, and lukewarm Is your perfection. This is Timon's laft; [water

Who ftuck and fpangled you with flatteries,
Washes it off, and sprinkles in your faces
Your reeking villainy. Live loathed, and long,
Moft fmiling, finooth, detefted parafitès,

Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,”
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time-flies,
Cap-and-knee flaves, vapours, and minute-jacks, (20).
Of man and beast the infinite malady

Cruft you quite o'er !-What, dost thou go?
Soft, take thy physic first-thou too—and thou-
[Throwing the dishes at them, and drives 'em out.
Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.
What! all in motion? Henceforth be no feast,.
Whereat a villain's not a welcome guest..
Burn houfe, fink Athens, henceforth hated be
Of Timon, man, and all humanity!

Re-enter the Senators.

1 Sen. How now, my Lords?

[Exit.

2. Sen. Know you the quality of Lord. Timon's

(20)

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fury!

-and minute jacks.

Of man and beat, the infinite malady

Cruft you quite o'er !] I had reformed the bad pointing of this paffage in my Shakespeare Reftored, and have accordingly rectified it here. In what fenfe could the fenators be called minute-jacks of man and beaft? The Poet just beforecalls them vapours, and certainly means to inforce that image, by faying they were jacks not of a minute's truft or dependance, Then what could the infinite malady fignify, with out fomething fubjoined to give us a clearer idea of it? As I point the paffage, it plainly means, may the whole catalogue, the infinite number of diftempers, that have ever invaded either man or beast, all be joined to plague you. Coriolanus curfes his cowardly followers, in our Author's tragedy fo called, in a manner not much unlike;

All the contagion of the South light on you,

You thames of Rome, you! herds of boils and plagues-
Plaister you o'er, that you may be abhorred
Farther than feen! &c.

3 Sen. Pfha! did you fee my cap? 4 Sen. I've loft my gown.

i Sen. He's but a mad Lord, and nought but

humour fways him.

He gave me a jewel the other day, and now he has beat it out of my cap. Did you fee my jewel?

2 Sen. Did you see my cap?

3

Sen. Here 'tis.

4 Sen. Here lyes my gown. i Sen. Let's make no stay. 2 Sen. Lord Timon's mad.

3

Sen. I feel't upon my bones.

4 Sen. One day he gives as diamonds, next day

ftones.

[Exeunt.

L

ACT V..

SCENE, without the Walls of Athens.

Enter TIMO N.

ET me look back upon thee, O thou wall,

That girdleft in those wolves! dive in the earth, And fence not Athens! matrons, turn incontinent; Obedience fail in children; flaves and fools Pluck the

grave wrinkled fenate from the bench, And minifter in their fteads: to general filths (21) Convert o' th' instant, green virginity!

Do't in your parents eyes. Bankrupts, hold fast;

(21) To general filths

Convert o' th' inftant, &c.] This paffage was very faulty in the pointing, till I first reformed it in my Shakespeare Reftored; and Mr Pope vouchsafed to copy my correction in his laft edition.

Rather than render back, out with your knives, (22)
And cut your trufters throats. Bound fervants, fteal;
Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law. Maid, to thy mafter's bed;.
Thy mistress is o' th' brothel. Son of fixteen,
Pluck the lined crutch from thy old limping fire,
And with it beat his brains out! fear and pity,
Religion to the gods, peace, juftice, truth,
Domestic awe, night-reft, and neighbourhood,
Inftruction, manners, myfteries and trades,
Degrees, obfervances, cuftoms and laws,
Decline to your confounding contraries!
And let confufion live !--plagues, incident to men,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap

On Athens, ripe for ftroke! thou cold Sciatica,
Cripple our fenators, that their limbs may balt
As lamely as their manners.
Luft and liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,
That 'gainft the ftream of virtue they may ftrive,
And drown themselves in riot! itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bofoms, and their crop
Be general leprofy: breath infect breath,
That their fociety (as their friendship) may
Be merely poifon. Nothing I'll bear from thee, t
But nakedness, thou deteftable town!

Take thou that too, with multiplying banns:
Timon will to the woods, where he fhall find
The unkindeft beaft much kinder than mankind.

(22)

-Bankrupts, hold faft,

Rather than render back; out with your knives,

and cut your trufers throats.] Thus has this paffage hitherto been moft abfurdly pointed, even by the poetical editors, Mr Rowe and Mr Pope. I had reformed the pointing; but am, however, to make my acknowledgments to fome anonymous gentleman, who by letter advised me to point it as I have done in the text.

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The gods confound (hear me, ye good gods all)
The Athenians both within and out that wall;
And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may grow
To the whole race of mankind, high and low !
[Exit.

SCENE changes to Timon's Houfe.

Enter FLAVIUS, with two or three Servants.
1 Ser. Hear you, good master steward, where's
our master?

Are we undone, caft off, nothing remaining?
Flav. Alack, my fellows, what thould I fay to you?
Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,
I am as poor as you.

1 Ser. Such a houfe broke!

So noble a master fallen! all gone! and not
One friend to take his fortune by the arm,
And go along with him?

2 Serv. As we do turn our backs From our companion, thrown into his So his familiars to his buried fortunes

grave,

Slink all away; leave their false vows with him,
Like empty purfes picked: and his poor felf,
A dedicated beggar to the air,

With his difease of all-fhunned poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone.---More of our fellows.
Enter other Servants.

Flav. All broken implements of a ruined houfe!
3 Serv. Yet do our hearts wear Timon's livery,
That fee I by our faces; we are fellows, fill,
Serving alike in forrow. Leaked is our bark,
And we, poor mates, ftand on the dying deck,
Hearing the furges threat: we must all part
Into the fea of air.

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