Apein. Thou weep'ít 'to make them drink, Timon. Lucul. Joy had the like conception in our eyes, And, at that instant, 'like a babe sprung up. Apem. Ho, ho! I laugh to think that babe a bastard. 3 Lord. I promise you, my lord, you mov'd me much, Apem. Much! Sound Tucket. Enter a Servant. Serv. Please you, my lord, there are certain ladies most desirous of admittance. Tim. Ladies? What are their wills? Serv. There comes with them a fore-runner, my lord, which bears that office to signify 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 best fenfes Acknowledge thee their patron; and come freely 1 to make them drink, Harmer reads, to make ebam drink thee, and is again followed by Dr. Warburton, I think without sufficient reason. The covert sense of Apemantus is, wbot thou lofejl, they JOHNSON. like a babes -] That is a weeping babe. JOHNSON. I question if Shakespeare meant the propriety of allusion to be carried quite so far. To look for babies in the eyes of another, is no uncommon expression. So in Love's Mistress, by Heywood, 1636, "Joy'd in his looks, look'd babies in his eyes.” Again in Time Cérifiian tunid Turk, 1612, “ She makes him fing songs to her, looks fortunes in his “ fifts, and babies in his eyes.” STEEVENS. Το way! To gratulate thy plenteous bosom : · The ear, taste, touch, smell, pleas'd from thy table rise, They only now come but to feast thine eyes. Tim. They are welcome all; let 'em have kind ad mittance. Musick, make their welcome. [Exit Cupid. Luc. You see, 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 Apein. Heyday! what a sweep of vanity comes this 3 They dance !+ They are mad women. Like - In former copies : There tafle, touch, all pleas'd from thy table rise, -] The five senses are talked of hy Cupid, but three of them only are made out ; and those only in a very heavy unintelligible manner. It is plain therefore we should read, Tr’EAR, taste, touch, smell, pleas'd from thy table rise, These cnly now, &c. i. e, the five fenfes, Timon, acknowledge thee their patron ; four of them, viz. the hearing, tajte, touch, and smell, are all feasted at thy board; and these ladies come with me to entertain your fight in a masque. Mafinger, in his Duke of Millaine, copied the passage from Shakespeare; and apparently before it was thus corrupted; where, speaking of a banquet, he says, All that may be had WARBURTON, As this pomp shews to a little oil and root.] This is A pemantus's reflection on the masque of ladies : and for its obscurity, would become any Pagan philosopher. The first line U4 ATHENS. Like madness is the glory of this life, As this pomp shews to a little oil and root. We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves; And spend our Batteries to drink those men, Upon whose age we void it up again, With poisonous spite and envy. Who lives that's not Depraved, or depraves? who dies, that bears Not one spurn to their graves, of their friends gift ? I should fear, those, that dance before me now, Would one day itamp upon me. It has been done; Men shut their doors against the setting fun. line is a complete sentence: the second is the beginning of a new reflection ; and the third, the conclusion of it by a limilitude. Hence it appears, that some lines are dropt out and loft from be. tween the second and third verses. I conjecture the fense of the whole might be this, The glory of human life is like the madness of this mak; it is a false aim at happiness, which is to be obtained only by fobriety and temperance in a private and retired life. But superficial judges will always prefer pomp and glory; because in outward appearance it has so much the advantage : as great as this pompous supper appears to have above my oil and root. This, in my opinion, was the sentiment that connected the second and third lines together: which for the future should be read with alterisks between them. WARBURTON. When I read this passage, I was at first of the same opinion with this learned man; but, upon longer confideration, I grew less confident, because I think the present reading susceptible of explanation, with no more violence to language than is frequently found in our author. The glory of this life is very near to masness, as may be made appear from this pomp, exhibited in a place where a philosopher is feeding on oil and roors. When we see by example how few are the necessaries of life, we learn what madness there is in so much fuperfluity. JOHNSON. 4 They dance !-) I believe They dance to be a marginal note only; and perhaps we should read, There are mad women. T. T. s Of their friends gift?] That is, given them by their friends. JOHNSON. The The Lords rise from table, with much adoring of Timon,' and to shew their loves, each singles out an Amazon, fair ladies, 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. Most thankfully, my lord. (Exeunt. 7 6 —mine own device :) The mak appears to have been deligo'd by Timon to surprise his guests. Johnson. My lord, -j This answer seems 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 Lord. I have ventured to change it to i Lady, as the author of the Revifal, and Mr. Edwards, as well as the late editor, concur in the emendation. STEEVENS. even at the beft.] Perhaps we should read, -ever at the beft. So Act III. Sc. 6. Ever at the best. T. T. Take us even at the best, I believe, means, you have seen the best we can do. They are supposed to be hired dancers, and therefore there is no impropriety in such a confesion. STEEVENS. Flav. Yes, my lord. More jewels yet ? Lucul. Where be our men ? Tim. O my friends, I have one word lord. Luc. I am so far already in your gifts, All. So are we all, Enter a Servant. Serv. My lord, there are certain nobles of the senate Newly alighted, and come to visit you. Tim. They are fairly welcome, hi'd be cross'd then, if he could:] The poet does not mean here, that he would be crossd 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 first's time, which had a cross on the reverfe with a crease, that it might be more easily broke into halves and quarters, half-pence and farthings. From this penny, and other pieces, was our common expreffion derived, I have not a cross about me ; i. e. not a piece of money. THEOBALD. -eyes behind ;] To see the miseries that are following her, JOHNSON. -for his mind.) For nobleness of soul. JOHNSON Advance this jewel ; Johnson, Re |