That feeds and breeds by a compofture ftolen From general excrement. Each thing's a thief. The laws, your curb and whip, in their rough power Have uncheck'd theft. Love not yourselves; away, Rob one another. There's more gold: cut throats; All that you meet are thieves. To Athens, go, Break open fhops, for nothing can you steal But thieves do lofe it. Steal not lefs, for this I give you, and gold confound you howfoever! Amen. 3 Thief. He has almost charm'd me from my pro[Exit. feffion, by perfuading me to it. 1 Thief. 3' is in the malice of mankind, that he thus advifes us; not to have us thrive in our mystery. 2 Thief. Where (left it should be found) turn'd to red nectar, 'Tis by a thousand thievifp veins convey'd, And bid in fefe, nerves, bones, muscles, and finews, In tendons, fkin, and hair; fo that the property Thus alter'd, the theft can never be difcover'd. Now ali thefe pilf'ries, couch'd and compos'd in order, Frame thee and me. Man's a quick mass of thievery, Puttenham, in his Arte of English Porfie, 1589, quotes fome one STEEVENS. of a reasonable good facilitie in tranflation, who finding certaine of Anacreon's odes very well tranflated by Ronfard the French poet-comes our minion, and tranflates the fame out of French into English" and his ftrictures upon him evince the publication. Now this identical ode is to be met with in Ronfard! and as his works are in few hands, I will take the liberty of tranfcribing it. "La terre les eaux va boivant, L'arbre la boit par fa racine, La mer falee boit le vent, Et le foleil boit la mar no. 66 Le foleil eft beu de la lune, Tout boit foit en haut ou en bas : Suivant cefte reigle commune, Pourquoy donc ne boirons-nous pas ?" Edit. fol. p. 507. FARMER. 3'Tis in the malice of mankind, that he thus advifes us; not to have us thrive in our mystery.] i, e. 'Tis the common malice of mankind that 2 Thief. I'll believe him as an enemy; and give over my trade. 1 Thief. Let us first fee peace in Athens. 2 Thief. There is no time fo miserable, but a man may be true. [Exeunt. ACT V. SCENE I. The Woods, and Timon's Cave. H, you Gods! OF Enter Flavius. FLAVIU S. Is yon defpis'd and ruinous man my lord! that makes one give fuch advice to another, as may prove to his detriment. One would think this eafy enough. But the Oxford editor reads, 'Tis in his malice to mankind, that he thus advises us, not to have us thrive in our mystery. Which is making compleat nonfenfe of the whole reflection: For if Timon gave this advice out of his malice to his fpecies, he was in earnest, and fo far from having any defign that they should not thrive in their myflery, that his utmost wish was that they might. WARBURTON. Hanmer's emendation, though not neceffary, is very probable, and very unjustly charged with nonfenfe. The reafon of his advice, fays the thief, is malice to mankind, not any kindness to us, or defire to have us thrive in our mystery, JOHNSON. Let us firft fee peace in Athens, &c.] This and the concluding little fpeech have in all the editions been placed to one speaker: But, it is evident, the latter words ought to be put in the mouth of the second thief, who is repenting, and leaving off his trade. WARBURTON. What 5 What an alteration of honour has Desperate want made! What viler thing upon the earth, than friends, Who can bring nobleft minds to basest ends! • How rarely does it meet with this time's guise, 7 When man was wifh'd to love his enemies: Grant, I may ever love, and rather woo Thofe that would mischief me, than those that do! He 5 What change of honour desperate rant has made !] We should read, What an alteration of humour The original copy has, WARBURTON. What an alteration of honour has defperate want made! The present reading is certainly better, but it has no authority. To change honour to humour is not neceffary. An alteration of bonour, is an alteration of an honourable state to a state of difgrace. I have replaced the old reading. JOHNSON. STEEVENS. How rarely does it meet-] Rarely for fitly; not for seldom. "When man was wish'd-] We should read will'd He forgets his Pagan fyftem here again. WARBURTON. 8 Grant, I may ever love, and rather woo Thofe that would mischief me, than those that do!] But why fo? Was there ever fuch an afs, I mean, as the tranfcriber. Shakespeare wrote it, Grant, I may ever love, and rather too, Thofe that would mischief me, than those that woo! The fteward, affected with his mafter's misfortunes and meditating on the cause of it, fays, What an excellent precept is that of loving our enemies; grant that I might love them to chufe, rather than flatterers. All here is fenfible, and to the purpose, and makes the whole coherent. But when once the tranfcribers had blundered too to woo in the first line, they were obliged, in their own defence, in the fecond line, to alter woo to do. WARBURTON. In defiance of this criticifm, I have ventured to replace the former reading, as more fuitable to the general fpirit of thefe fcenes, and as free from the abfurdities charged upon it. It is plain, that in this whole fpeech fiends and enemies are taken only for thofe who profefs friendship and profefs enmity; for the friend is I fuppofed He has caught me in his eye: I will present Tim. Away! what art thou? Flav. Have you forgot me, fir? Tim. Why doft thou afk that? I have forgot all men. Then, if thou granteft that thou art a man, I have forgot thee. Flav. An honeft poor fervant of yours. Tim. Then I know thee not: I ne'er had honeft man about me, all I kept were 9 knaves, to ferve in meat to villains. Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'st Flinty mankind; whofe eyes do never give Pity's fleeping: Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with weeping! Flav. fuppofed not to be more kind, but more dangerous than the enemy. In the emendation, thofe that would mischief are placed in oppofition to thofe that woo, but in the speaker's intention thofe that woo are thofe that mischief most. The fenfe is, Let me rather woo or carefs thofe that would mischief, that profess to mean me mifchief, than thofe that really do me mischiefs under falfe profeffions of kindness. The Spaniards, I think, have this proverb; Defend me from my friends, and from my enemies I will defend myself. This proverb is a fufficient comment on the paffage. JOHNSON. Knave is here in the compounded fenfe of a fervant and a rafcal. JOHNSON -Pity's fleeping :] I do not know that any correction is necessary, but I think we might read, -eyes do never give But thorough luft and laughter, pity fleeping. Eyes Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my lord, To accept my grief, and, whilft this poor wealth lafts, To entertain me as your fteward ftill. Tim. Had I a steward So true, fo juft, and now fo comfortable? Was born of woman. Surely, this man Forgive my general and exceptless rashness, One honeft man :-Miftake me not.-But one; Eyes never flow (to give is to diffolve as faline bodies in moift weather) but by luft or laughter, undisturbed by emotions of pity. JOHNSON. 2 It almoft turns my dangerous nature wild.] i. e. It almost turns my dangerous nature to a dangerous nature; for, by dangerous nature is meant wildness. Shakespeare wrote, It almoft turns my dangerous nature mild. i. e. It almoft reconciles me again to mankind. For fear of that, be puts in a caution immediately after, that he makes an exception but for one man. To which the Oxford editor fays, recè. WARBURTON, This emendation is fpecious, but even this may be controverted. To turn wild is to diftract. An appearance fo unexpected, fays Timon, almoft turns my favageness to distraction. Accordingly he examines with nicety left his phrenzy, fhould deceive him, Let me behold thy face. Surely this man Was born of woman. And to this fufpected diforder of mind he alludes, Perpetual, fober, Gods!. Yé powers whofe intellects are out of the reach of perturbation. JOHNSON. |