FLAM. May these add to the number that may fcald thee! Let molten coin be thy damnation, 3 Let molten coin be thy damnation,) Perhaps the poet alludes to the punishment inflicted on M. Aquilius by Mithridates. In The Shepherd's Calendar, however, Lazarus declares himself to have seen in hell " a great number of wide cauldrons and kettles, full of boyling lead and oyle, with other hot metals molten, in the which were plunged and dipped the covetous men and women, for to fulfill and replenish them of their infatiate covetise." Again, in an ancient bl. 1. ballad, entitled, The Dead Man's Song: "And ladles full of melted gold "Were poured downe their throates." Mr. M. Mason thinks that Flaminius more " probably alludes to the story of Marcus Craffus and the Parthians, who are faid to have poured molten gold down his throat, as a reproach and punishment for his avarice." STEEVENS. 4 Thou disease of a friend,] So, in King Lear: my daughter; "Or rather, a disease" &c. STEEVENS. 5 It turns in less than two nights ?) Alluding to the turning or acefcence of milk. JOHNSON. paffion!] i. e. suffering. So, in Macbeth: i. e. prolong his suffering. STEEVENS. 1 Unto his honour,) Thus the old copy. What Flaminius seems to mean is, This slave (to the honour of his character) has, &c. The modern editors read-Unto this hour, which may be right. STEEVENS. I should have no doubt in preferring the modern reading, unto this hour, as it is by far the stronger expreffion, so probably the right one. M. MASON. Mr. Ritson is of the same opinion. STEEVENS. When he is turn'd to poifon? O, may diseases only work upon't! And, when he is fick to death, let not that part of nature9 Which my lord paid for, be of any power To expel fickness, but prolong his hour! [Exit. 8 to death,] If these words, which derange the metre, were omitted, would the sentiment of Flaminius be impaired ? STEEVENS. of nature-] So the common copies. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads-nurture. JOHNSON. 9 Of nature is furely the most expressive reading. Flaminius confiders that nutriment which Lucullus had for a length of time received at Timon's table, as constituting a great part of his animal system. STEEVENS. 2 his hour!] i. e. the hour of fickness. His for its. STEEVENS. His in almost every scene of these plays is used for its, but here I think "his hour" relates to Lucullus, and means his life. " If my notion be well founded, we must understand that the Steward wishes that the life of Lucullus ma may be prolonged only for the purpose of his being miferable; that fickness may play the torturer by small and small," and "have him nine whole years in killing."-" Live loath'd and long!" says Timon in a subsequent scene; and again: " Decline to your confounding contraries, This indeed is nearly the meaning, if, with Mr. Steevens, we understand his hour to mean the hour of fickness: and it must be owned that a line in Hamlet adds support to his interpretation: "This phyfick but prolongs thy fickly days." MALONE. Mr. Malone's interpretation may receive further support from a passage in Coriolanus, where Menenius fays to the Roman sentinel: "Be that you are, long; and your misery increase with your age." STEEVENS. SCENE II. The same. A publick Place. Enter LUCIUS, with three Strangers. Luc. Who, the lord Timon? he is my very good friend, and an honourable gentleman. 1. STRAN. We know him for no less, though we are but strangers to him. But I can tell you one thing, my lord, and which I hear from common rumours; now lord Timon's happy hours are done 4 and past, and his estate shrinks from him. Luc. Fye, no, do not believe it; he cannot want for money. 2. STRAN. But believe you this, my lord, that, not long ago, one of his men was with the lord Lucullus, to borrow so many talents; nay, urged 3 We know him for no less,] That is, we know him by report to be no less than you represent him, though we are strangers to his perfon. JOHNSON. To know, in the present, and several other instances, is used by our author for-to acknowledge. So, in Coriolanus, Act V. fc. v: 4 5 You are to know "That profperously I have attempted, and "With bloody passage led your wars-" &c. STEEVENS. - are done-] i. e. confumed. See Vol. IX. p. 623, n. 8. MALONE. - to borrow so many talents ;) Such is the reading of the old copy. The modern editors read arbitrarily-fifty talents. So many is not an uncommon colloquial expression for an indefinite number. The stranger might not know the exact sum. STEEVENS. So, Queen Elizabeth to one of her parliaments : "And for me, it shall be fufficient that a marble stone declare that a queen having extremely for't, and show'd what necessity belong'd to't, and yet was denied. Luc. How? 2. STRAN. I tell you, denied, my lord. Luc. What a strange cafe was that? now, before the gods, I am asham'd on't. Denied that honourable man? there was very little honour show'd in't. For my own part, I must needs confefs, I have received some small kindnesses from him, as money, plate, jewels, and such like trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet, had he mistook him, and sent to me, I should ne'er have denied his occafion so many talents." reigned fuch a time, [i. e. the time that she should have reigned, whatever time that might happen to be,] lived and died a virgin."" So, Holinshed: "The bishop commanded his servant to bring him the book bound in white vellum, lying in his study, in fuch a place." We should now write-in a certain place. Again, in the Account-book, kept by Empson in the time of Henry the Seventh, and quoted by Bacon in his History of that king: "Item, Received of fuch a one five marks, for a pardon to be procured, and if the pardon do not pass, the money to be repaid." "He fold so much of his estate, when he came of age," (meaning a certain portion of his eftate,) is yet the phraseology of Scotland. MALONE. yet, had he mistook him, and sent to me,] We should read: mislook'd him, i. e. overlooked, neglected to send to him. WARBURTON. I rather read, yet had he not mistook him, and fent to me. JOHNSON. Mr. Edwards proposes to read yet had he missed him. Lucius has just declared that he had had fewer presents from Timon, than Lucullus had received, who therefore ought to have been the firft to affift him. Yet, says he, had Timon mistook him, or overlooked that circumstance, and fent to me, I should not have denied &c. STEEVENS. That is, "had he (Timon) mistaken himself and fent to me, I would ne'er" &c. He means to infinuate that it would have been a kind of mistake in Timon to apply to a person who had received Enter SERVILIUS. SER. See, by good hap, yonder's my lord; I have sweat to fee his honour. - My honour'd lord, [To LUCIUS. Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, fir. Fare thee well:-Commend me to thy honourable-virtuous lord, my very exquisite friend. SER. May it please your honour, my lord hath fent Luc. Ha! what has he sent? I am so much endear'd to that lord; he's ever sending: How shall I thank him, think'st thou? And what has he sent now? SER. He has only fent his present occafion now, my lord; requesting your lordship to fupply his instant use with so many talents.* such trifling favours from him, in preference to Lucullus, who had received much greater; but if Timon had made that mistake, he should not have denied him so many talents. M. MASON. Had he mistook him means, had he by mistake thought him under less obligations than me, and fent to me accordingly. HEATH. I think with Mr. Steevens that him relates to Timon, and that mistook him is a reflective participle. MALONE. 7 コー - denied his occafion fo many talents.] i. e. a certain number of talents, fuch a number as he might happen to want. This paffage, as well as a former, (fee n. 6, p. 534,) shews that the text below is not corrupt. MALONE. 8 with fo many talents.] Such again is the reading with which the old copy supplies us. Probably the exact number of talents wanted was not expressly fet down by Shakspeare. If this was the cafe, the player who reprefented the character, spoke of the first number that was uppermost in his mind; and the printer, who copied from the playhouse books, put down an indefinite for the definite sum, which remained unspecified. The modern editors read again in this instance, fifty talents. Perhaps the servant brought a note with him which he tendered to Lucullus. STEEVENS, |