Were it all yours to give it in a breath,
How quickly were it gone!

TIM.

You tell me true.

FLAV. If you suspect my husbandry or falsehood,
Call me before the exactest auditors,

And set me on the proof. So the gods bless me,
When all our offices have been oppress'd

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy;
I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,

And set mine eyes at flow.b

TIM.

Pr'ythee, no more.

FLAV. Heavens, have I said, the bounty of this lord!

How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants,

This night englutted! Who is not Timon's?

What heart, head, sword, force, means, but is lord Timon's?

Great Timon! noble, worthy, royal Timon!

Ah! when the means are gone, that buy this praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made:
Feast-won, fast-lost; one cloud of winter showers,
These flies are couch'd.

TIM.

Come, sermon me no further:

No villainous bounty yet hath pass'd my heart;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.

Why dost thou weep? Canst thou the conscience lack,
To think I shall lack friends? Secure thy heart;

If I would broach the vessels of my love,

And try the argument of hearts by borrowing,

You tell me true.] This is, you estimate or rate me truly. So in a previous scene, Act I. Sc. 2:

b

"I'll tell you true. I'll call to you."

I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,
And set mine eyes at flow.]

This is one of those humiliating passages occasionally found in the first folio, the meaning of which, from no involution or abstruseness of language in the poet, but through some trivial error on the part of copyist or compositor, has foiled the penetration of every commentator. Pope boldly cut the knot by reading "lonely room" for "wasteful cock," but this daring substitution never got beyond his own edition. Hanmer explained the doubtful words to signify “a cock-loft or garret, lying in waste;” (!) and Mr. Collier's annotator changes "wasteful cock" to "wasteful nook; an alteration not likely to fare better than Pope's, since everybody who reads the context feels, we apprehend, instinctively, that "a wasteful cock," i.e. the tap of a wine butt turned on to waste, is an image so peculiarly suitable in the steward's picture of prodigate dissipation, that it must be right. In default of any satisfactory explication, we hazard a sugges– tion that the passage might originally have been printed thus,

So the gods bless me,

When all our offices have been oppress'd

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy,
I have retir'd (me too a wasteful cock,)

And set mine eyes at flow."

Secure thy heart ;] Assure, make confident, thy heart.

Men and men's fortunes could I frankly use,

As I can bid thee speak.

FLAV.

Assurance bless your thoughts!

TIM. And, in some sort, these wants of mine are crown'd,

That I account them blessings; for by these

Shall I try friends: you shall perceive, how you

Mistake my fortunes; I am wealthy in my friends.—
Within there,-Flaminius! Servilius!

Enter FLAMINIUS, SERVILIUS, and other Servants.

SERV. My lord? my lord?—

TIM. I will despatch you severally.-You, to lord Lucius,-to lord Lucullus you; I hunted with his honour to-day ;-you, to Sempronius; commend me to their loves; and, I am proud, say, that my occasions have found time to use 'em toward a supply of money: let the request be fifty talents.

FLAM. As you have said, my lord.

FLAV. Lord Lucius and Lucullus? hum!

TIM. Go you, sir, [To another Serv.] to the senators,
Of whom, even to the state's best health, I have
Deserv'd this hearing, bid 'em send o' the instant
A thousand talents to me.

(For that I knew it the most general way)
To them to use your signet and your name;
But they do shake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.

FLAV. They answer, in a joint and corporate voice,
That now they are at fall-want treasure-cannot
Do what they would-are sorry-you are honourable,—
But yet they could have wish'd-they know not-
Something hath been amiss-a noble nature

May catch a wrench-would all were well-'t is pity ;-
And so, intending other serious matters,

After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,

With certain half-caps, and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence.

TIM.
You gods, reward them!—
Pr'ythee, man, look cheerly. These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary :
Their blood is cak'd, 't is cold, it seldom flows;
"T is lack of kindly warmth they are not kind;
And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull, and heavy.-

[Aside.

Go to Ventidius:-[To a Serv.] Prythee, [To FLAVIUS.] be not sad,

(*) Old text, Flavius.

Intending-] That is, pretending. So in "Richard III." Act. III. Sc. 5,—

"Tremble and start at wagging of a straw,

Intending deep suspicion."

SCENE II.-The same. A Public 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 and past, and his estate shrinks from him.

LUC. Fie 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;a nay, urged extremely for 't, and showed what necessity belonged to 't, and yet was denied.

Luc. How!

2 STRAN. I tell you, denied, my lord.

LUC. What a strange case was that! now, before the gods, I am ashamed on 't. Denied that honourable man! there was very little honour showed in't. For my own part, I must needs confess, 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 occasion so many talents.

Enter SERVILIUS.

SER. See, by good hap, yonder's my lord; I have sweat to see his honour. My honoured ford,[To LUCIUS. Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, sir. Fare thee well-commend me to thy honourable, virtuous lord, my very exquisite friend. SER. May it please your honour, my lord hath sent

Luc. Ha! what has he sent ? I am so much endeared to that lord; he's ever sending: how shall I thank him, think'st thou? and what has he sent now?

SER. H'as only sent his present occasion now, my lord; requesting your lordship to supply his instant use with so many talents.

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

ŠER. But in the mean time he wants less, my lord.

If his occasion were not virtuous,

I should not urge it half so faithfully.

Luc. Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius?

SER. Upon my soul, 't is true, sir.

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 happened, that I should purchase the day before for a little part," and undo a great deal of honour.-Servilius, now before

So many talents;] That is, certain talents. The expression occurs twice again in the present scene. See also note (c), p. 21.

A little part,-] Part seems a palpable misprint. We should, perhaps, as Mason

the gods, I am not able to do; the more beast, I say:-I was sending 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, sir, I shall.

Luc. I'll look you out a good turn, Servilius.True, as you said, Timon is shrunk indeed; And he that's once denied will hardly speed. 1 STRAN. Do you observe this, Hostilius? 2 STRAN.

[Exit SERVILIUS.

[Exit LUCIUS.

Ay, too well.

1 STRAN. Why this is the world's soul; 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,

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 silver treads upon his lip;
And yet, (0, see 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.
1 STRAN.

I never tasted Timon in my life,

For mine own part,

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,
So much I love his heart: but, I perceive,

Men must learn now with pity to dispense,

For policy sits above conscience.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-The same. A Room in Sempronius' House.

Enter SEMPRONIUS, and a Servant of TIMON's.

SEM. Must he needs trouble me in 't ?-hum !—'bove all others? He might have tried lord Lucius or Lucullus;

And now Ventidius is wealthy too,

suggested, read, "a little port," that is, ostentation, show, and the like. Theobald proposed, "a little dirt." Johnson, "a little park."

Spirit.] An emendation by Theobald; the old text has, sport.

They have all been touch'd, and found base metal;
For they have all denied him!

SEM.

How! have they denied him?

Has Ventidius and Lucullus denied him?
And does he send to me? Three? hum!-

It shows but little love or judgment in him.

Must I be his last refuge? His friends, like physicians,
Thrice give him over; must I take the cure upon me?
H'as much disgrac'd me in 't; I'm angry at him,
That might have known my place: I see no sense for 't,
But his occasions might have woo'd me first;
For, in my conscience, I was the first man
That e'er received gift from him:

And does he think so backwardly of me now,
That I'll requite it last? No: so it may prove
An argument of laughter to the rest,

And amongst lords I be thought a fool.

I had rather than the worth of thrice the sum,
H'ad sent to me first, but for my mind's sake ;
I'd such a courage to do him good. But now return,
And with their faint reply this answer join;
Who bates mine honour, shall not know my coin.

[Exit. SERV. Excellent! Your lordship's a goodly villain. The devil knew not what he did when he made man politic,-he crossed himself by 't: and I cannot think, but, in the end, the villainies of man I will set him clear. How fairly this lord strives to appear foul! takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like those that, under hot ardent zeal, would set whole realms on fire. Of such a nature is his politic love. "This was my lord's best hope; now all are fled,

Save the gods only:* now his friends are dead,
Doors, that were ne'er acquainted with their wards
Many a bounteous year, must be employ'd

(*) Old text, onely the Gods.

His friends, like physicians,

Thrice give him over;

Thrice is an emendation of Johnson's; the old text having Thrive.

b

So it may prove

An argument of laughter to the rest,
And amongst lords Ĩ be thought a fool ;]

I was introduced by the second folio. We believe, however, the original error arose from the trifling misprint of it for I, and that the passage once stood,

Compare: "Well, if ever thou dost fall from this faith, thou wilt prove a notable argument."-Much Ado about Nothing, Act I. Sc. 1. The same misprint occurs in “King John," Act I. Sc. 1:

"It would not be sir Nob in any case;"

which, in the second folio, is corrected to,

"I would not be," &c.