And able horses. s No porter at his gate;
But rather one that fmiles, and still invites
All that pafs by. It cannot hold; no reason
Can found his ftate in fafety. Caphis, ho!
Caphis, I fay !

Enter Caphis.

Caph. Here, fir; what is your pleasure ?
Sen. Get on your cloak, and hafte you to lord
Timon;

Importune him for my monies; be not ceas'd
With flight denial; nor then filenc'd," when-
"Commend me to your mafter."-and the cap
Plays in the right hand, thus :-But tell him, firrah,
My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn
Out of mine own; his days and times are paft,
And my reliances on his fracted dates,

Has finit my credit. I love, and honour him

which Theobald would alter, means only this. If I give my borfe to Timon, it immediately foals, and not only produces more, but able borfes. STEEVENS.

No porter at his gate;

But rather one that fmiles, and ftill invites]

imagine that a line is loft here, in which the behaviour of a furly porter was defcribed.

6

-no reason

Can found bis ftate in safety.-]

JOHNSON.

The fuppofed meaning of this muft be, No reafon, by founding, fathoming, or trying, his fate, can find it fafe. But as the words ftand, they imply, that no reason can safely found his state. I read thus,

no reason

Can found his fate in fafety.

Reafon cannot find his fortune to have any fafe or folid foundation. The types of the first printer of this play were fo worn and defaced, that ƒ and are not always to be diftinguished. JOHNSON. -j Thus the oldest copy, I would

7

read,

-nor then filenc'd,

-nor thou filenc'd,·

T. T.

But

But must not break my back, to heal his finger :
Immediate are my needs, and my relief
Muft not be toft and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate. Get you gone:
Put on a most importunate afpect,
A vifage of demand; for, I do fear,
When every feather fticks in his own wing,
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull.
*Which flashes now a phoenix.
Caph. I go, fir.

Get you gone.

Sen. I go, fir ?— Take the bonds along with you, And have the dates in compt.

Caph. I will, fir.

Sen. Go.

SCENE

II.

Changes to Timon's ball.

[Exeunt.

Enter Flavius, with many bills in his hand.

Flav. No care, no ftop! So fenfelefs of expence,
That he will neither know how to maintain it,
Nor ceafe his flow of riot: Takes no account

How things go from him; and resumes no care
Of what is to continue.

Never mind
Was to be so unwife, to be so kind.

What

* Which flashes, &c.] Which, the pronoun relative, relating to things, is frequently used, as in this inftance, by Shakespeare, in ftead of who, the pronoun relative, applied to perfons. I he use of the former instead of the latter is ftill preferved in the Lord's prayer. STEEVENS.

8

-Take the bonds along with you,

And have the dates in. Come.] Certainly, ever fince bonds were given, the date was put in when the bond was entered into: and thefe bonds Timon had already given, and the time limited for their payment was lapfed. The fenator's charge to his fervant must be to the tenour as I have amended the text; Take good notice of the dates, for the better computation of the intereft due upon them. THEOBALD.

What shall be done? He will not hear, till feel:
I must be round with him, now he comes from hunting.

Enter Capbis, with the jervants of Ifidore and Varro. Fy, fy, fy, fy!

1

Caph. Good even, Varro. What, you come for money?

Var.

Nothing can be worse, or more obfcurely expreffed and all for the fake of a wretched rhime. To make it sense and grammar, it fhould be fupplied thus,

-Never mind

Was [made] to be fo unwife, [in order] to be so kind.

i. e. Nature, in order to make a profufe mind, never before endowed any man with fo large a fhare of folly. WARBURTON.

Of this mode of expreffion converfation affords many examples: "I was always to be blamed, whatever happened." "I am in the lottery, but I was always to draw blanks." JOHNSON.

1 Good even, Varro.] It is obfervable, that this good evening is before dinner; for Timon tells Alcibiades, that they will go forth again as foon as dinner's done, which may prove that by dinner our author meant not the cena of ancient times, but the mid-day's repaft. I do not fuppofe the paffage corrupt: fuch inadvertencies neither author nor editor can efcape.

There is another remark to be made. Varro and Ifidore fink a few lines afterwards into the fervants of Varro and Ifidore. Whether fervants, in our author's time, took the names of their masters, I know not. Perhaps it is a flip of negligence.

JOHNSON. In the old copy it ftands, Enter Caphis, Ifidore, and Varro. STEEVENS.

Good even, or, as it is fometimes lefs accurately written, Good den, was the ufual falutation from noon, the moment that Good morrow became improper. This appears plainly from the following paffage. Romeo and Juliet, Act II. Scene 4.

Nurfe. God ye good morrow, gentlemen.

Mercutio. God ye good den, fair gentlewoman.
Nur. Is it good den?

Merc. 'Tis no lefs I tell you; for the ..... hand of the dial is now upon .... noon.

So in Hamlet's greeting to Marcellus. Act I. Scene 1. Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton, not being aware, I prefume, of this wide fenfe of Good even, have altered it to Good morning; without

any

Var. Is't not your business too?

Caph. It is: And your's too, Ifidore?
Ifid. It is fo.

Caph. 'Would we were all difcharg'd!
Var. I fear it.

Caph. Here comes the lord.

Enter Timon, and his train.

Tim. So foon as dinner's done, we'll forth again, My Alcibiades. With me, what is your will? [They prefent their bills. Caph. My lord, here is a note of certain dues. Tim. Dues? Whence are you?

Caph. Of Athens here, my lord.

Tim. Go to my steward.

Caph. Please it your lordship, he hath put me off To the fucceffion of new days this month:

My mafter is awak'd by great occafion,

To call upon his own; and humbly prays you,
That with your other noble parts you'll fuit,"
In giving him his right.

Tim. Mine honest friend,

I pr'ythee, but repair to me next morning.
Caph. Nay, good my lord,-

Tim. Contain thy felf, good friend.

Var. One Varro's fervant, my good lord,

Ifid. From Ifidore.

He humbly prays your speedy payment,

Caph. If you did know, iny lord,my master's wants,Var. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, fix weeks, And past.

Ifid. Your steward puts me off, my lord, and I

any neceffity, as from the courfe of the incidents, precedent and fubfequent, the day may well be fuppofed to be turn'd of noon.

Obfervations and Conjectures, &c. printed at Oxford, 1765. 2 That with your other noble parts you'll fuit,] i. e. that you will behave on this occafion in a manner confiftent with your other noble qualities.

STEEVENS.

Am fent exprefly to your lordship.

Tim. Give me breath:

-I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on;

[Exeunt Lords.

I'll wait upon you inftantly.-Come hither, pray you.

[To Flavius.

How goes the world, that I am thus encountred,.
With clamorous demands of broken bonds,3
And the detention of long-fince-due debts,
Against my honour?

Flav. Please you, gentlemen,

The time is unagreeable to this business:
Your importunacy ceafe, till after dinner;
That I may make his lordship understand
Wherefore you are not paid.
Tim. Do fo, my friends.
tain'd.

Flay Pray draw near.

See them well enter

[Exit Timon.

[Exit Flavius.

Enter Apemantus and a Fool.

Caph. Stay, ftay, here comes the fool with Ape

mantus;

Let's have fome fport with 'em.

Var. Hang him, he'll abuse us.
Ifid. A plague upon him, dog!
Var. How doft, fool?

Apem. Doft dialogue with thy fhadow?
Var. I fpeak not to thee.

Apem. No, 'tis to thyfelf.-Come away.

3 of broken bonds,] The firft folio reads, -of debt; broken bonds.

[To the Fool.

STEEVENS.

4 Enter Apemantus and a Fool.] I fufpect fome fcene to be loft, in which the entrance of the fool, and the page that follows him, was prepared by fome introductory dialogue, in which the audience was informed that they were the fool and page of Phrynia, Timandra, or fome other courtefan, upon the knowledge of which de pends the greater part of the enfuing jocularity. JOHNSON.