The Senators defcend, and open the gates. Sol. My noble general, Timon is dead; And, on his grave-ftone, this infculpture; which Alc. [reads.] Here lies a wretched corfe, of wretched foul bereft: Seek not my name: A plague confume you wicked caitiffs lefts! Here lie I Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate: Pafs by, and curfe thy fill; but pass, and ftay not here thy gait. These well exprefs in thee thy latter spirits: Though thou abhor'dft in us our human griefs, ➡ for my poor ignorance.] Poor is here used as a diffyllable, as door is in the Merchant of Venice. MALONE. Scaitiffs left !] This epitaph is found in Sir Thomas North's tranflation of Plutarch, with the difference of one word only, viz. wretches instead of caitiffs. STEEVENS. This epitaph is formed out of two diftinct epitaphs which Shak fpeare found in Plutarch. The first couplet is faid by Plutarch to have been compofed by Timon himself as his epitaph; the fecond to have been written by the poet Callimachus. Perhaps the flight variation mentioned by Mr. Steevens, arofe from our authour's having another epitaph before him, which is found in Kendal's Flowers of Epigrammes, 1577, and in Painter's Palace of Pleafure, Vol. I. Nov. 28. 6. ΤΙΜΟΝ HIS EPITAPHE. "My wretched caitiffe daies expired now and past, MALONE. our brain's flow,-] Our brain's flow is our tears. JOHNSON. So, in Sir Giles Goofecap, 1606: "I shed not the tears of my brain." Again, in the Miracles of Mofes, by Drayton: "But he from rocks that fountains can command, "Cannot yet say the fountains of bis brain.” STEEVENS. From From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit Hereafter more -Bring me into your city, each Prefcribe to other, as each other's leach ".- 7 war; make -on faults forgiven.] I fufpect that we ought to read: Is noble Timon, &c. [Exeunt. One fault (viz. the ingratitude of the Athenians to Timon) is forgiven, i. e. exempted from punishment by the death of the injured perfon. TYRWHITT. I formerly thought Mr. Tyrwhitt's conjecture very probable, (on being frequently printed for one in these plays,) but the old reading and punctuation, which I have followed, appear to me now fufficiently intelligible. Mr. Theobald afks, "why fhould Neptune weep over Timon's faults', or, indeed, what fault had he committed?" The faults that Timon had committed, were, 1. that boundless prodigality which his Steward fo forcibly defcribes and laments; and 2. his becoming a Mifantbrope, and abjuring the fociety of all men for the crimes of a few.-Theobald fuppofes that Alcibiades bids the fenate fet forward, affuring them at the fame time that he forgives the wrongs they have done him. On :-Faults forgiven. But how unlikely is it, that he should defert the subject immediately before him, and enter upon another quite different fubject, in these three words; and then return to Timon again? to fay nothing of the strangeness of the phrase faults forgiven, for "faults are forgiven." MALONE. 8 - leach.] . e. phyfician. STEVENS. The play of Timon is a domeftick tragedy, and therefore strongly faftens on the attention of the reader. In the plan there is not much art, but the incidents are natural, and the characters various and exact. The catastrophe affords a very powerful warning against that oftentatious liberality, which scatters bounty, but confers no benefits, and buys flattery, but not friendship. In this tragedy, are many paffages perplexed, obfcure, and probably corrupt, which I have endeavoured to rectify, or explain, with due diligence; but having only one copy, cannot promife myself that my endeavours shall be much applauded. JOHNSON. This play was altered by Shadwell, and brought upon the stage in 1678. In the modeft title-page he calls it Timon of Aibens, or the Manbater, as it is aɛled at the Duke's Theatre, made into a play. STEEVENS, PREFACE to the quarto edition of this play, 1609 A never writer, to an ever reader. Newes. Eternall reader, you have heere a new play, never ftal'd with the age, never clapper-claw'd with the palmes of the vulger, and yet paffing full of the palme comicall; for it is a birth of your [r. that] braine, that never under-tooke any thing commicall, vainely: and were but the vaine names of commedies changde for the titles of commodities, or of playes for pleas; you should see all those grand cenfors, that now ftile them fuch vanities, flock to them for the maine grace of their gravities: especially this authours commedies, that are fo fram'd to the life, that they serve for the most common commentaries of all the actions of our lives, fhewing fuch a dexteritie and power of witte, that the most displeased with playes, are pleasd with his commedies. And all fuch dull and heavy-witted worldlings, as were never capable of the witte of a commedie, comming by report of them to his reprefentations, have found that witte there, that they never found in them-felves, and have parted better-wittied then they came feeling an edge of witte fet upon them, more then ever they dreamd they had braine to grind it on. So much and such favored falt of witte is in his commedies, that they feeme (for their height of pleasure) to be borne in that fea that brought forth Venus. Amongst all there is none more witty than this: and had I time I would comment upon it, though I know it needs not, (for fo much as will make you think your testerne well bestowd) but for so much worth, as even poore I know to be stuft in it. It deferves fuch a labour, as well as the best commedy in Terence or Plautus. And beleeve this, that when hee is gone, and his commedies out of fale, you will scramble for them, and fet up a new English inquifition. Take this for a warning, and at the perill of your pleafures loffe, and judgements, refufe not, nor like this the leffe, for not being fullied with the fmoaky breath of the multitude; but thanke fortune for the fcape it hath made amongst you: fince by the grand poffeffors wills I believe you fhould have prayd for them [r. it] rather then beene prayd. And fo I leave all fuch to bee prayd for (for the states of their wits healths} that will not praife it. Vale. IN 'N Troy, there lies the fcene. From ifles of Greece With wanton Paris fleeps; And that's the quarrel. And the deep-drawing barks do there difgorge Now 1 This prologue is found only in the folio edition. MALONE. 2 The princes orgillous,] Orgillous, i. e. proud, difdainful. Orgueilleux, Fr. This word is ufed in the ancient romance of Richard Cueur de Lyon: "His atyre was orgulous." STEEVENS. 3-fulfilling bolts,] To fulfill in this place means to fill till there be no room for more. In this fenfe it is now obfolete. So, in Gower, De Confeffione Amantis, lib. V. fol. 114: Again: A luftie maide, a fobre, a meke, "Fulfilled of all curtofie." "Fulfilled of all unkindship." STEEVENS. To be fulfilled with grace and benediction, is still the language of our liturgy. BLACKSTONE. 4 Sperr up the fons of Troy.] The old copy has-Stirre. The correction was made by Mr. Theobald. To sperre, he obferves, is to shut up, to defend by bars.-The names of the gates are here exhibited as in the old copy, for the reafon affigned by Dr. Farmer; except in the inftance of Antenorides, instead of which the old copy has Antenonydus. The quotation from Lydgate fhews that was an errour of the printer. MALONE. So, |