Apem. Thou weep'it' to make them drink, Timon. Lucul. Joy had the like conception in our eyes, And, at that inftant, like a babe fprung up. Apem. Ho, ho! I laugh to think that babe a bastard. 3 Lord. I promile you, my lord, you mov'd me much. Apem. Much! Sound Tucket. Tim. What means that trump? How now? Enter a Servant. Serv. Please you, my lord, there are certain ladies moft defirous of admittance. Tim. Ladies? What are their wills? Serv. There comes with them a fore-runner, my lord, which bears that office to fignify their pleasures, Tim. I pray, let them be admitted. Enter Cupid. Cup. Hail to thee, worthy Timon; and to all That of his bounties tafte! The five beft fenfes Acknowledge thee their patron; and come freely -to-make them drink,] Hanmer reads, -to make them drink thee, and is again followed by Dr. Warburton, I think without fufficient reafon. The covert fenfe of Apemantus is, what thou lofeft, they JOHNSON. get. I like a babe- -] That is a weeping babe. JOHNSON. I question if Shakespeare meant the propriety of allufion to be carried quite fo far. To look for babies in the eyes of another, is no uncommon expreffion. So in Love's Miftrefs, by Heywood, 1636, "Joy'd in his looks, look'd babies in his eyes." Again in The Chriflian turn'd Turk, 1612, She makes him fing fongs to her, looks fortunes in his 66 fifts, and babies in his eyes." STEEVENS. To To gratulate thy plenteous bofom : The ear, taste, touch, fmell, pleas'd from thy table rise, They only now come but to feaft thine eyes. Tim. They are welcome all; let 'em have kind admittance. Mufick, make their welcome. [Exit Cupid. Luc. You fee, my lord, how amply you are belov'd. Mufick. Re-enter Cupid, with a masque of Ladies as Amazons, with lutes in their hands, dancing and playing. Apem. Heyday! what a fweep of vanity comes this way! 3 + There tafle, touch, all pleas'd from thy table rife, They only now Like The five fenfes are talked of by Cupid, but three of them only are made out; and thofe only in a very heavy unintelligible manner. It is plain therefore we should read, TH'EAR, taste, touch, SMELL, pleas'd from thy table rife, i. e, the five fenfes, Timon, acknowledge thee their patron; four of them, viz. the bearing, taste, touch, and smell, are all feated at thy board; and thefe ladies come with me to entertain your fight in a mafque. Maflinger, in his Duke of Millaine, copied the paffage from Shakespeare; and apparently before it was thus corrupted; where, fpeaking of a banquet, he says, -All that may be had To please the eye, the ear, tafte, touch, or fmell, Are carefully provided. 3 They dance! They are mad women. Like madness, is the glory of this life; As this pomp fhews to a little oil and root.] WARBURTON. This is Apemantus's reflection on the mafque of ladies its obfcurity, would become any Pagan philofopher. U 4 line Like madness is the glory of this life, With poisonous fpite and envy. Who lives that's not Not one fpurn to their graves, of their friends gift?" line is a complete fentence: the fecond is the beginning of a new reflection; and the third, the conclufion of it by a fimilitude. Hence it appears, that fome lines are dropt out and loft from between the fecond and third verfes. I conjecture the fenfe of the whole might be this, The glory of human life is like the madness of this mask; it is a falfe aim at happiness, which is to be obtained only by fobriety and temperance in a private and retired life. But fuperficial judges will always prefer pomp and glory; because in outward appearance it has fo much the advantage: as great as this pompous fupper appears to have above my oil and root. This, in my opinion, was the fentiment that connected the second and third lines together: which for the future fhould be read with afterisks between them. WARBURTON. When I read this paffage, I was at firft of the fame opinion with this learned man; but, upon longer confideration, I grew lefs confident, because I think the prefent reading fufceptible of explanation, with no more violence to language than is frequently found in our author. The glory of this life is very near to madness, as may be made appear from this pomp, exhibited in a place where a philofopher is feeding on oil and roots. When we fee by example how few are the neceffaries of life, we learn what madness there is in fo much fuperfluity. JOHNSON. 4 They dance!] I believe They dance to be a marginal note only; and perhaps we fhould read,' Thefe are mad women. T. T. Of their friends gift?] That is, given them by their friends. JOHNSON. The The Lords rife from table, with much adoring of Timon,' and to fhew their loves, each fingles out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women; a lofty strain or two to the bautboys, and ceafe. Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies, Set a fair fashion on our entertainment, Which was not half fo beautiful and kind; 3 1 Lady. My lord, you take us even at the best. Apem. 'Faith, for the worst is filthy, and would not hold Taking, I doubt me. Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you. Please you to difpofe yourselves. All Lad. Moft thankfully, my lord. Tim. Flavius, Flav. My lord. Tim. The little cafket bring me hither. [Exeunt. -mine own device:] The mafk appears to have been de JOHNSON. fign'd by Timon to furprise his guests. 7 My lord, - This answer feems rather to belong to one of the ladies. It was probably only mark'd L in the copy. JOHNSON. In the old copy this speech is given to the 1 Lord. I have ventured to change it to 1 Lady, as the author of the Revisal, and Mr. Edwards, as well as the late editor, concur in the emendation. STEEVENS. So A& III. Sc. 6. T. T. Take us even at the best, I believe, means, you have seen the best we can do. They are fuppofed to be hired dancers, and therefore there is no impropriety in fuch a confeffion. STEEVENS. Flav. Yes, my lord. More jewels yet? There is no croffing him in his humour, Elfe I fhould tell him,-well,-i'faith, I should, 9 [Afide. When all's spent, he'd be crofs'd then, if he could: 'Tis pity, bounty has not 'eyes behind; That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind. Lucul. Where be our men? Serv. Here, my lord, in readiness. Tim. O my friends, I have one word To fay to you:-Look you, my good lord, I must Intreat you, honour me fo much, as 3 to Advance this jewel; accept, and wear it, kind my lord. Luc. I am fo far already in your gifts, All. So are we all. Enter a Servant. Serv. My lord, there are certain nobles of the fenate Newly alighted, and come to visit you. Tim. They are fairly welcome, -he'd be cross'd then, if he could:] The poet does not mean here, that he would be cross'd in humour, but that he would have his hand cross'd with money, if he could. He is playing on the word, and alluding to our old filver penny, used before K. Edward the firft's time, which had a cross on the reverfe with a creafe, that it might be more eafily broke into halves and quarters, half-pence and farthings. From this penny, and other pieces, was our common expreffion derived, I have not a cros about me; i.e. not a piece of money. THEOBALD. -eyes behind;] To fee the miferies that are following I To prefer it; to raife it to honour by wearing it. JOHNSON, Re |