1. Sen. You cannot make grofs fins look clear; To revenge is no valour, but to bear. Alc. My lords, then, under favour, pardon me, Why do fond men expofe themselves to battle, Such valour in the bearing, what make we And the afs, more captain than the lion; the fellow", If wisdom be in fuffering. O my lords, As you are great, be pitifully good: Who cannot condemn rafhness in cold blood? 5 what make we Abroad?] What do we, or what have we to do, in the field. See Vol. I. p. 275, n. 1. MALONE. JOHNSON. - if bearing carry it,] Dr. Johnfon, when he propofed to connect this hemiftich with the following line inftead of the preceding words, feems to have forgot one of our author's favourite propenfities. I have no doubt that the prefent arrangement is right. MALONE. 7. And the afs, more captain than the lion; the fellow, &c.] Mr. Pope, who rejected whatever he did not like, omitted the words more captain. They are fupported by what Alcibiades has already faid: My lords, then, under favour, pardon me, If I fpeak like a captain.-" and by Shakspeare's 66th Sonnet, where the word captain is used with at least as much harshness as in the text: And captive good attending captain ill.” Again, in another of his Sonnets: "Like ftones of worth they thinly placed are, "Or captain jewels in the carkanet." Dr. Johnfon with great probability propofes to read felon instead of fellow. MALONE. 8-fin's extremeft guft;] Guft is here in its common fenfe; the utmoft degree of appetite for fin. JOHNSON. I believe gust means rafonefs. The allufion may be to a fudden gust of wind. STEEVENS. So we fay, it was done in a sudden guft of paffion. MALONE. But, But, in defence, by mercy, 'tis moft juft". To be in anger, is impiety; But who is man, that is not angry? Weigh but the crime with this. 2. Sen. You breathe in vain. Alc. In vain his fervice done At Lacedæmon, and Byzantium, Were a fufficient briber for his life. 1. Sen. What's that? Alc. Why, I fay *, my lords, he has done fair fervice, And flain in fight many of your enemies: How full of valour did he bear himself In the laft conflict, and made plenteous wounds? 2. Sen. He has made too much plenty with 'em?, he's A fworn rioter': he has a fin that often Drowns him, and takes his valour prifoner: If there were no foes, that were enough To overcome him: in that beaftly fury He has been known to commit outrages, And cherish factions: 'Tis inferr'd to us, His days are foul, and his drink dangerous. 1. Sen. He dies. Alc. Hard fate! he might have died in war. My lords, if not for any parts in him, (Though his right arm might purchase his own time, And be in debt to none,) yet, more to move you, 8-by mercy, 'tis moft juft.] The meaning is, 1 call mercy berfelf to witness, that defenfive violence is juft. JOHNSON. The meaning, I think, is, Homicide in our own defence, by a mer ciful and lenient interpretation of the laws, is confidered as justifiable. MALONE. Why, I fay,] The perfonal pronoun was inferted by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. - 9 with 'em,] The folio, with him. JOHNSON. MALONE. 1 Afworn rioter:] A fworn rioter is a man who practises riot, as if he had by an oath made it his duty. JOHNSON. This expreffion feems to be fimilar to that of fworn brother. See Vol. V. p. 476, n. 4. MALONE. F4. Take Take my deserts to his, and join them both: 1. Sen. We are for law, he dies; urge it no more, 2. Sen. How? Alc. Call me to your remembrances. 3. Sen, What? Alc. I cannot think, but your age has forgot me ; It could not elfe be, I fhould prove fo base 3, 'To fue, and be deny'd fuch common grace: My wounds ake at you. 1. Sen. Do you dare our anger? 'Tis in few words, but fpacious in effect*; We banish thee for ever. Alc. Banish me? Banifh your dotage: banish ufury, That makes the fenate ugly. 1. Sen. If, after two days' fhine, Athens contain thee, Attend our weightier judgment. - your reverend ages love Security,] He charges them obliquely with being ufurers. So afterwards : - banish ufury, "That makes the fenate ugly." MALONE. 3fo bafe,] Bafe, for dishonour'd. WARBURTON. 4. Do you dare our anger? JOHNSON. 'Tis in few words, but spacious in effect;] This reading may pass, but perhaps the authour wrote: our anger ? 'Tis few in words, but spacious in effect. JOHNSON. And, And, not to fwell our fpirit 5, He shall be executed prefently. [Exeunt Senators. Alc. Now the gods keep you old enough; that you may live Only in bone, that none may look on you! I am worfe than mad: I have kept back their foes, 5 And, not to fwell our spirit,] I believe, means, not to put ourfelves into any tumour of rage, take our definitive refolution. So, in King Henry VIII. А& III. fc.i: "The hearts of princes kifs obedience, "So much they love it; but to stubborn fpirits, "They fwell and grow as terrible as ftorms." STEEVENS. and lay for bearts.] I do not conceive that to lay for hearts is a metaphor taken from card-play, [as Dr. Warburton thought,] or that lay fhould be changed into play [as Dr. Johnfon propofed]. We should now fay to lay out for hearts, i. e. the affections of the people; but lay is ufed fingly, as it is here, by Ben Jonfon, in The Devil is an Ajs, Vol. IV. p. 33: Lay for fome pretty principality." TYRWHITT. A kindred expreffion occurs in Marlowe's Luft's Dominion, 1657: "He takes up Spanish bearts on truft, to pay them "When he shall finger Caftile's crown." MALONE. 7 'Tis bonour, with moft lands to be at odds;] I think, with Dr. Johnson, that lands cannot be right. To affert that it is honourable to fight with the greatest part of the world, is very wild. I believe therefore our author meant that Alcibiades in his fpleen against the Senate, from whom alone he has received any injury, should say, 'Tis honour with most lords to be at odds. MALONE. I adhere to the old reading. It is furely more honourable to wrangle for a fcore of kingdoms, (as Miranda expreffes it) than to enter into quarrels with lords, or any other private adverfaries. STEEVENS. The SCENE VI. A magnificent Room in Timon's House. Mufick. Tables fet out: Servants attending. Enter divers Lords, at feveral doors. 1. Lord. The good time of day to you, fir. 2. Lord. I alfo wifh it to you. I think, this honourable lord did but try us this other day. 1. Lord. Upon that were my thoughts tiring, when we encounter'd I hope, it is not fo low with him, as he made it seem in the trial of his feveral friends. 2. Lord. It should not be, by the perfuafion of his new feafting. 1. Lord. I fhould think fo: He hath fent me an earnest inviting, which many my near occafions did urge me to put off; but he hath conjured me beyond them, and I muft needs appear. 2. Lord. In like manner was I in debt to my importunate business, but he would not hear my excufe. I am The objection to the old reading ftill in my apprehenfion remains. It is not difficult for him who is fo inclined, to quarrel with a lord; (or with any other person ;) but not fo eafy to be at odds with his land. -Neither does the obfervation juft made prove that it is honourable to quarrel, or to be at odds, with most of the lands or kingdoms of the earth, which muft, I conceive, be proved, before the old reading can be fupported. MALONE. 8 Enter divers Lords-] In the modern editions thefe are called Senators; but it is clear from what is said concerning the banishment of Alcibiades, that this must be wrong. I have therefore fubftituted Lards. The old copy has "Enter divers friends." MALONE. 9 Upon that were my thoughts tiring,] A hawk, I think, is faid to tire, when the amufes herfelf with pecking a pheafant's wing, or any thing that puts her in mind of prey. To tire upon a thing, is theresore, to be idly employed upon it. JOHNSON. I believe Dr. Johnfon is mistaken. Tiring means here, I think, fixed, faftened, as the hawk faftens its beak eagerly on its prey. So, in our author's Venus and Adonis : "Like as an empty eagle, fharp by faft, Tires with her beak on feathers, flesh, and bone,—”. MALONE. forry, |