art defpis'd for the contrary. There's a medlar for thee, eat it. Tim. On what I hate, I feed not. Adem. Doft hate a medlar? 8 Tim. Ay, though it look like thee. Apem. An thou hadst hated medlers fooner, thou fhouldft have loved thyfelf better now. What man didft thou ever know unthrift, that was belov'd after his means? Tim. Who, without thofe means thou talk'ft of, didft thou ever know beloved? Apem. Myself. Tim. I understand thee; thou had'ft fome means to keep a dog. Apem. What things in the world canft thou nearest compare to thy flatterers ? Tim. Women neareft; but men, men, are the things themselves. What wouldst thou do with the world, Apemantus, if it lay in thy power? Apem. Give it the beafts, to be rid of the men. Tim. Wouldft thou have thyfelf fall in the confu flon of men, and remain a beaft with the beafts? Apem. Ay, Timon. Tim. A beaftly ambition, which the Gods grant thee to attain to! If thou wert a lion, the fox would beguile thee: if thou wert the lamb, the fox would eat Ay, though it look like thre.] Timon here fuppofes that an ob jection against hatred, which through the whole tenor of the converfation appears an argument for it. One would have expected him to have answered, Yes, for it looks like thre. The old edition, which always gives the pronoun inftead of the affirinative particle, has it, 9 thee if thou wert the fox, the lion would fufpect thee, when, peradventure, thou wert accus'd by the afs: if thou wert the afs, thy dulnefs would torment thee; and ftill thou liv'dft but as a breakfast to the wolf. If thou wert the wolf, thy greediness would afflict thee; and oft thou shouldst hazard thy life for thy dinner. Wert thou the unicorn, pride and wrath would confound thee, and make thine own felf the conqueft of thy fury. Wert thou a bear, thou wouldst be kill'd by the horse; wert thou a horse, thou wouldst be feiz'd by the leopard; wert thou a leopard, thou wert' german to the lion, and the spots of thy kindred were jurors on thy life. All thy fafety, were remotion; and thy defence, abfence. What beaft couldst thou be that were not subject to a beast ? and what a beast art thou already, and seest not thy lofs in transformation? Apem. If thou couldft please me with speaking to me, thou might'ft have hit upon it here. The commonwealth of Athens is become a forest of beasts. Tim. How has the afs broke the wall, that thou art out of the city? Apem. Yonder comes a poet, and a painter. The plague of company light upon thee! I will fear to catch it, and give way. When I know not what else to do, I'll fee the again. Tim. When there is nothing living but thee, thou • the unicorn, &c.] The account given of the unicorn is this: that he and the lion being enemies by nature, as foon as the lion fees the unicorn he betakes himself to a tree: the unicorn in his fury, and with all the fwiftnefs of his course, running at him, sticks his horn faft in the tree, and then the lion falls upon him and kills him. Gefner Hift. Animal. HANMER. thou wert german to the lion,] This feems to be an allufion to Turkifli policy: I Bears, like the Turk, no brother near the throne."-Pope. STEEVENS. fhalt fhalt be welcome. I had rather be a beggar's dog, than Apemantus. Арет. "Thou art the cap of all the fools alive. Tim. 'Would thou wert clean enough to fpit upon, 3 A plague on thee! Apem. Thou art too bad to curfe. Tim. All villains, that do ftand by thee, are pure. I'll beat thee;-but I fhould infect my hands. Apem. 'Would thou wouldst burst! Tim. Away, Thou tedious rogue! I am forry I shall lofe A stone by thee. Apem. Beast! Apem. Toad! Tim. Rogue! rogue! rogue [Apemantus retreats backward, as going I am fick of this falfe world; and will love nought 2 Thou art the cap, &c.] i. e. the property, the bubble. WARBURTON. I rather think, the top, the principal. 3 A plague on thee! Apem. Thou art too bad to curfe.] JOHNSON: In the former editions, this whole verfe was placed to Apemantus: by which, abfurdly, he was made to curfe Timon, and immeTHEOBALD. diately to subjoin that he was too bad to curse. Lie where the light foam of the fea may beat [Looking on the gold. 'Twixt natural fon and fire! thou bright defiler Of Hymen's pureft bed! thou valiant Mars! Thou ever young, fresh, lov'd, and delicate wooer, 3 Whose blush doth thaw the confecrated fnow, That lies on Dian's lap! thou visible God, That fold'reft clofe impoffibilities, And mak'ft them kifs! that speak'st with every tongue, Apem. 'Would 'twere fo. But not till I am dead! I'll fay, thou haft gold: Tim. Throng'd to? Apem. Ay. Tim. Thy back, I pr'ythee. Apem. Live, and love thy mifery! Tim. Long live fo, and fo die! I am quit, * 'Twixt natural fon and fire ! -] Διὰ τῦτον ἐκ ἀδελφός ANAC. JOHNSON. Διὰ τῦτον εἰ τοχίες. 5 Whose blufb doth thaw the confecrated fnow, The imagery is here exquifitely beautiful and fublime. WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton might have faid-Here is a very elegant turn given to a thought more coarfely expreffed in King Lear: -yon fimpering dame, "Whofe face between her forks prefages fnow." STEEVENS. Oh, thoa touch of hearts!] Touch, for touchfione. STEEV. More More things like men ?-Eat, Timon, and abhor them. [Exit Apemantus. Enter Thieves. 1 Thief. Where fhould he have this gold? It is fome poor fragment, fome flender ort of his remainder. The meer want of gold, and the falling off of friends, drove him into this melancholy. 2 Thief. It is nois'd, he hath a mass of treasure. 3 Thief. Let us make the affay upon him; if he care not for't, he will fupply us eafily; if he covetously reserve it, how fhall's get it? 2 Thief. True; for he bears it not about him; 'tis hid. 1 Thief. Is not this he? All. Where? 2 Thief. 'Tis his defcription. All. Soldiers; not thieves. Tim. Both too, and womens' fons. All. We are not thieves, but men that much do want. Tim, Your greatest want is, you want much of meat, Why 6 More things like men ?— -] This line, in the old edition, is given to Apemantus, but it apparently belongs to Timon. Hanmer has tranfpofed the foregoing dialogue according to his own mind, not unfkilfully, but with unwarrantable licence. 7 JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon is certainly right. Timon fays, in the line before, I am quit. We must therefore fuppofe Apemantus gone. T. T. -you want much of meat.] Thus both the player and poetical editor have given us this paffage; quite fand-blind, as honeft Launcelot fays, to our author's meaning. If these poor thieves wanted meat, what greater want could they be curfed with, as they could not live on grafs, and berries, and water? but I dare warrant the poet wrote, Bb3 you |