To fet a glofs on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
Recanting goodness, forry ere 'tis fhown;

But where there is true friendship, there needs none.
Pray, fit; more welcome are ye to my fortunes,
Than they to me.

[They fit. Luc. My lord, we always have confest it.

Apem. Ho, ho, confeft it? hang'd it, have you not? Tim. O, Apemantus !-you are welcome. Apem. No; you fhall not make me welcome. I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.

Tim. Fy, thou art a churl; you have got a humour there

Does not become a man, 'tis much to blame :-
They fay, my lords, Ira furor brevis eft,
But yonder man is ever angry,-
Go, let him have a table by himself,
For he does neither affect company,
Nor is he fit for it, indeed.

Apem. Let me ftay at thine own peril, Timon.
I come to obferve. I give thee warning on't.

Tim. I take no heed of thee; thou art an Athenian, Therefore welcome: 'I myself would have no power. -Pr'ythee, let my meat make thee filent.

Apem. I fcorn thy meat, 'twould choak me, for I

fhould

Ne'er flatter thee. O you Gods! what a number

Of

•-1 myself would have no power.] If this be the true reading, the fenfe is, all Athenians are welcome to share my fortune: I would myfelf have no exclufive right or power in this boufe. Perhaps we might read, I myself would have no poor. I would have every Athenian confider himfelf as joint poffeffor of my fortune. JOHNSON.

11 fcorn thy meat; 'twould choak me, FOR I should
NE'ER flatter thee.-

-]

A very

290

8

Of men eat Timon, and he fees them not!
It grieves me to fee fo many dip their meat
In one man's blood; and all the madness is,
He cheers them up too.

I wonder, men dare truft themselves with men :
Methinks, they should invite them without knives;
Good for their meat, and fafer for their lives.
There's much example for't; the fellow, that
Sits next him now, parts bread with him, pledges
The breath of him in a divided draught,

Is the readiest man to kill him. It has been prov'd.
If I were a huge man, I should fear to drink at meals,
Left they should spy my wind-pipe's dangerous notes:
Great men fhould drink with harnefs on their throats.
Tim.1 My lord, in heart; and let the health go round.

Lucul.

A very pretty reafon why his meat would choak him, because he fhould never flatter him. We fhould read and point this nonfenfe thus,

I forn thy meat: 'twould choak me 'FORE
I bould E'ER flatter thee.

i. e. before I fhould ever flatter thee.

WARBURTON: The meaning is, I

Of this emendation there is little need. could not fwallow thy meat, for I could not pay for it with flattery; and what was given me with an ill will would flick in my throat.

8

fo many dip their meat
-}

In one man's blood;

JOHNSON.

The allufion is to a pack of hounds trained to purfuit by being
gratified with the blood of the animal which they kill, and the
wonder is that the animal on which they are feeding cheers them
JOHNSON.
to the chafe.
wind-pipe's dangerous notes:] The notes of the wind-pipe
feem to be only the indications which fhew where the wind-pipe is.
JOHNSON.
Shakespeare is very fond of making ufe of mufical terms, when
he is fpeaking of the human body, and wind-pipe and notes favour
very frongly of a quibble.

STEEVENS.

My lord, in heart;] That is, my lord's health with fincerity. An 'emendation has been propofed thus:

M

Lucul. Let it flow this way, my good lord,
Apem. Flow this way!

A brave fellow!-he keeps his tides well. Timon,
Thofe healths will make thee, and thy ftate, look ill.
Here's that, which is too weak to be a finner,
Honeft water, which ne'er left man i' the mire :
This and my food are equals. There's no odds.
Feafts are too proud to give thanks to the Gods,

APEMANTUS'S GRACE.

Immortal Gods, I crave no pelf;
I pray for no man but myself:
Grant, I may never prove fo fond
To trust man on his oath, or bond,
Or a harlot for her weeping;
Or a dog, that seems a fleeping;
Or a keeper with my freedom;
Or my friends, if I fhould need 'em,
Amen; fo fall to't

Rich men fin, and I eat root.

[Eats and drinks

Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus!
Tim. Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the field

now.

Alc. My heart is ever at your fervice, my lord. Tim. You had rather been at a breakfaft of enemies, than a dinner of friends.

Alc. So they were bleeding new, my lord, there's no meat like 'em. I could with my best friend at fuch a feast.

My love in heart;

but it is not neceffary.

JOHNSON.

U 2

Apem.

Apem. Would all these flatterers were thine enemies then; that thou might'ft kill 'em, and bid me to 'em.

Luc. Might we but have that happiness, my lord, that you would once use our hearts, whereby we might exprefs fome part of our zeals, we fhould think ourfelves for ever perfect.

2

Tim. Oh, no doubt, my good friends, but the Gods themselves have provided that I fhould have much help from you: how had you been my friends elfe? why have you that charitable title from thousands, 4 did not you chiefly belong to my heart? I have

told

2 for ever perfe&.] That is, arrived at the perfection of happiness. JOHNSON.

3 how bad you been my friends elfe? why have you that charitable title from thousands,] The Oxford editor alters charitable title to character and title. He did not knw that charitable fignifies, dear, endearing; nor confequently understood what Milton meant by, Relations dear, and all the charities "Of father, fon, and brother

Alms, in English, are called charities, and from thence we may collect that our ancestors knew well in what the virtue of almsgiving confifted; not in the act, but the difpofition. WARE.

+ aid not you chiefly belong to my heart?] I think it should be inverted thus: did not chiefly belong to your hearts. Lucius wishes that Timon would give him and the reft an opportunity of expreffing fome part of their zeals. Timon anfwers that, doubtles the Gods have provided that I should have help from you; how elfe are you my friends? why are you ftiled my friends, if-what? if I de not love you. Such is the prefent reading; but the confequence is not very clear; the proper close must be, if you do not love me, and to this my alteration reftores it. But, perhaps, the old reading may fland. JOHNSON.

Why have you that charitable title from thousands, did not you chiefly belong to my heart?] I believe Shakespeare wrote, "Why have you not that charitable title from thousands, did you not chiefly belong to my heart?" i. e. Why do not thousands more give you that charitable tile of friends, if it were not that my heart bath a peculiar and principal claim to your friendship? REVISAL. Why have you, &c.] The meaning is probably this. Why are

you

6

told more of you to myfelf, than you can with modefty speak in your behalf; and thus far I confirm you. Oh, you Gods, think I, what need we have any friends, if we should never have need of 'em? they were the most needlefs creatures living, fhould we ne'er have ufe for them: and would moft refemble sweet inftruments hung up in cafes, that keep their founds to themfelves. Why, I have often with'd myself poorer, that I might come nearer to you. We are born to do benefits: and what better or properer can we call our own, than the riches of our friends? O, what a precious comfort 'tis, to have so many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes! O joy, e'en made away, ere it can be born! 'Mine eyes cannot hold water, methinks to forget their faults, I drink to you.

you diftinguished from thoufands by that title of endearment, was there not a particular connection and intercourfe of tenderness between you and me. JOHNSON.

5 I confirm you.] I fix your characters firmly in my own mind.

JOHNSON.

6 they were the most needlefs creatures living, should we ne'er have ufe for them: and-] This paffage I have reftored from the old copy. STEEVENS.

O joy, e'en made away ere't can be born!] For this Hanmer writes, O joy, e'en made a joy ere't can be born; and is followed by Dr. Warburton. I am always inclinable to think well of that which is approved by fo much learning and fagacity, yet cannot receive this alteration. Tears being the effect both of joy and grief, fupplied our author with an opportunity of conceit, which he feldom fails to indulge. Timon, weeping with a kind of tender pleasure, cries out, O joy, e'en made away, deftroyed, turned to tears, before it can be born, before it can be fully poffeffed. JOHNSON.

Mine eyes, &e] In the original edition the words stand thus: Mine eyes cannot hold out water, methinks. To forget their faults, I drink to you. Perhaps the true reading is this, Mine eyes cannot bold out; they water. Methinks, to forget their faults, I will drink to you. Or it may be explained without any change. Mine eyes cannot hold out water, that is, cannot keep water from breaking in upon them.

JOHNSON.