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Luc. I know, his lordship is but merry with me; He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.

SER. But in the mean time he wants less, my lord. If his occafion were not virtuous, I should not urge it half fo faithfully.*

Luc. Doft thou speak seriously, Servilius?

SER. Upon my foul, 'tis true, fir.

Luc. What a wicked beast was I, to disfurnish myself against such a good time, when I might have shown myself honourable? how unluckily it happen'd, that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour?'

There is, I am confident, no error. I have met with this kind of phraseology in many books of Shakspeare's age. In Julius Cæfar we have the phrase used here. Lucilius says to his adverfary: "There is so much, that thou wilt kill me straight."

MALONE.

If his occafion were not virtuous,] Virtuous for strong, forcible, preffing. WARBURTON.

The meaning may more naturally be-If he did not want it for a good ufe. JOHNSON.

Dr. Johnson's explication is certainly right. We had before : "Some good neceffity touches his friend." MALONE.

2

balf faithfully.] Faithfully for fervently. Therefore, without more ade, the Oxford editor alters the text to fervently. But he might have seen, that Shakspeare used faithfully for fervently, as in the former part of the sentence he had used virtuous for forcible. WARBURTON.

Zeal or fervour ufually attending fidelity. MALONE.

3

- that I should purchase the day before for a little part, and undo a great deal of honour?] Though there is a feeming plaufible antithesis in the terms, I am very well assured they are corrupt at the bottom. For a little part of what? Honour is the only fubstantive that follows in the sentence. How much is the antithefis improved by the sense which my emendation gives? "That I should purchase for a little dirt, and undo a great deal of honour!"

THEOBALD.

Servilius, now before the gods, I am not able to do't; the more beast, I say :-I was fending to use lord Timon myself, these gentlemen can witness; but I would not, for the wealth of Athens, I had done it now. Commend me bountifully to his good lordship; and I hope, his honour will conceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to be kind:-And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions, say, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good Servilius, will you befriend me so far, as to use mine own words to him?

SER. Yes, fir, I shall.

Luc. I will look you out a good turn, Servilius.— [Exit SERVILIUS.

This emendation is received, like all others, by Sir T. Hanmer, but neglected by Dr. Warburton. I think Theobald right in fufpecting a corruption; nor is his emendation injudicious, though perhaps we may better read, purchase the day before for a little park. JOHNSON.

I am fatisfied with the old reading, which is sufficiently in our author's manner. By purchasing what brought me but little honour, I have loft the more honourable opportunity of fupplying the wants of my friend. Dr. Farmer, however, suspects a quibble between honour in its common acceptation, and honour (i. e. the lordship of a place,) in a legal fenfe. See Jacobs's Dictionary.

STEEVENS.

I am neither fatisfied with the amendments propofed, or with Steevens's explanation of the present reading; and have little doubt but we should read " purchase for a little port," instead of part, and the meaning will then be-" How unlucky was I to have pur. chafed, but the day before, out of a little vanity, and by that means disabled myself from doing an honourable action." Port means show, or magnificence. M. MASON.

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I believe Dr. Johnfon's reading is the true one. I once suspected the phrafe purchase for;" but a more attentive examination of our author's works and those of his contemporaries, has shewn me the folly of fufpecting corruptions in the text, merely because it exhibits a different phraseology from that used at this day.

True, as you faid, Timon is shrunk, indeed;
And he, that's once denied, will hardly speed.

[Exit Lucius.

1. STRAN. Do you observe this, Hoftilius? 2. STRAN. Ay, too well.

1. STRAN. Why this

Is the world's foul; and just of the same piece
Is every flatterer's spirit. Who can call him
His friend, that dips in the same dish? for, in
My knowing, Timon has been this lord's father,

4 Do you observe this, Hoftilius?] I am willing to believe, for the fake of metre, that our author wrote:

Obferve you this, Hoftilius?

Ay, too well. STEEVENS.

5-flatterer's spirit.) This is Dr. Warburton's emendation.

The other [modern] editions read:

Why, this is the world's foul;

And just of the same piece is every flatterer's sport.

Mr. Upton has not unluckily transposed the two final words, thus:

Why, this is the world's sport;

Of the fame piece is every flatterer's foul.

The passage is not so obscure as to provoke so much enquiry. This, fays he, is the foul or spirit of the world: every flatterer plays the fame game, makes sport with the confidence of his friend.

JOHNSON.

Mr. M. Mason prefers the amendment of Dr. Warburton to the transposition of Mr. Upton. STEEVENS.

The emendation, Spirit, belongs not to Dr. Warburton, but to Mr. Theobald. The word was frequently pronounced as one fyllable, and fometimes, I think, written sprite. Hence the corruption was easy; whilft on the other hand it is highly improbable that two words fo diftant from each other as foul and Sport [or Spirit] should change places. Mr. Upton did not take the trouble to look into the old copy; but finding foul and sport the final words of two lines in Mr. Pope's and the subsequent editions, took it for granted they held the same situation in the original edition, which we fee was not the cafe. I do not believe this speech was intended by the author for verse. MALONE.

6

- that dips in the fame dish?] This phrafe is scriptural. "He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish." St. Matthew, xxvi. 23. STEEVENS.

And kept his credit with his purse;
Supported his estate; nay, Timon's money
Has paid his men their wages: He ne'er drinks,
But Timon's filver treads upon his lip;
And yet, (O, fee the monstrousness of man
When he looks out in an ungrateful shape!)
He does deny him, in respect of his,'
What charitable men afford to beggars.

3. STRAN. Religion groans at it.

I. STRAN.

For mine own part,

I never tafted Timon in my life,

Nor came any of his bounties over me,

To mark me for his friend; yet, I protest,

For his right noble mind, illustrious virtue,

And honourable carriage,

Had his necessity made use of me,

I would have put my wealth into donation,

And the best half should have return'd to him,

1

-in respect of his,] i. e. confidering Timon's claim for what he afks. WARBURTON.

In respect of his fortune: what Lucius denies to Timon is in proportion to what Lucius possesses, less than the usual alms given by good men to beggars. JOHNSON.

Does not his refer to the lip of Timon? -Though Lucius himself drink from a filver cup which was Timon's gift to him, he refuses to Timon, in return, drink from any cup. HENLEY.

8 I would have put my wealth into donation,

And the best half should have return'd to him,] Sir T. Hanmer

reads:

I would have put my wealth into partition,

And the best half should have attorn'd to him,.

Dr. Warburton receives attorn'd. The only difficulty is in the word return'd, which, fince he had receiv'd nothing from him, cannot be used but in a very low and licentious meaning.

JOHNSON.

Had his neceffity made use of me, I would have put my fortune into a condition to be alienated, and the best half of what I had gained myself, or received from others, should have found its way to him. Either

So much I love his heart: But, I perceive,
Men must learn now with pity to dispense;
For policy fits above confcience.

[Exeunt.

such licentious exposition must be allowed, or the passage remain in obscurity, as some readers may not choose to receive Sir Thomas Hanmer's emendation.

The following lines, however, in Hamlet, Act II. fc. ii. perfuade me that my explanation of put my wealth into donation-is fomewhat doubtful:

"Put your dread pleasures more into command
"Than to entreaty."

Again, in Cymbeline, Act III. sc. iv:

" And mad'st me put into contempt the suits
" Of princely fellows," &c.

Perhaps the stranger means to say, I would have treated my wealth as a present originally received from him, and on this occafion have returned him the half of that whole for which I supposed myself to be indebted to his bounty. Lady Macbeth has nearly the fame sentiment:

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"To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
" Still to return your own." STEEVENS.

The difficulty of this passage arifes from the word return'd. Warburton proposes to read attorn'd; but that word always relates to perfons, not to things. It is the tenant that attorns, not the lands. The meaning of the passage appears to be this:-" Though I never tafted of Timon's bounty, yet I have such an esteem for his virtue, that had he applied to me, I should have confidered my wealth as proceeding from his donation, and have returned half of it to him again." To put his wealth into donation, means, to put it down in account as a donation, to suppose it a donation.

M. MASON.

I have no doubt that the latter very happy interpretation given by Mr. Steevens is the true one. Though (fays the speaker) I never tasted Timon's bounty in my life, I would have supposed my whole fortune to have been a gift from him, &c. So, in the common phrafe, Put yourself (i. e. suppose yourself) in my place. The passages quoted by Mr. Steevens fully support the phrase-into donation.

"Return'd to him" necessarily includes the idea of having come from him, and therefore can not mean fimply-found its way, the interpretation first given by Mr. Steevens. MALONE.

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