Into our city with thy banners spread :
By decimation and a tithed death,
If thy revenges hunger for that food
Which nature loaths, take thou the destin'd tenth ;
And by the hazard of the spotted die,
Let dié the spotted.

1 Sen. All have not offended:
For those that were, it is 8 not square, to take
On those that are, revenge. Crimes, like to lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage :
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin,
Which in the blufter of thy wrath must fall
With those that have offended. Like a shepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull the infected forth,
But kill not altogether.

2 Sen. What thou wilt, Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile, Than hew to't with thy sword.

I Sen. Set but thy foot

cess must mean this or nothing. O brave editors! They had heard it said, that too much wit in some cases might be dangerous, and why not an absolute want of it? But had they the skill or courage to remove one perplexing comma, the easy and genuine sense would immediately arise. “Shame in excess (i. e. extremity “ of fame) that they wanted cunning (i. e. that they were not “ wise enough not to banish you) hath broke their hearts.”

THEOBALD. I have no wish to disturb the manes of Theobald, yet think fome emendation may be offered that will make the construction less harsh, and the sentence more serious. I read,

Shame that they wanted, coming in excess,

Haih broke their hearts, Sbame which they had so long wanted at las coming in its utm-4 excess.

JOHNSON. not square Not regular, not equitable.

Johnson.

Against

Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope,
So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before,
To say, thou'lt enter friendly.

2 Sen. Throw thy glove,
Or any token of thine honour else,
That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress,
And not as our confusion, all thy powers
Shall make their harbour in our town, 'till we
Have seal'd thy full desire.

Alc. Then there's my glove;
Descend and open your uncharged ports :
Those enemies of Timon's, and mine own,
Whom you yourselves shall fet out for reproof,
Fall, and no more : and to atone your fears
With my more noble meaning, 'not a man
Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream
Of regular justice in your city's bounds,
But shall be remedied to publick laws
At heaviest answer.

Both. 'Tis most nobly spoken.
Alc. Descend, and keep your words.

Enter a Soldier.

Sol. My noble general, Timon is dead;
Entomb’d upon the very hem o' the sea :
And on his grave-stone this insculpture, which
With wax I brought away, whose soft impression
Interpretech for my poor ignorance.

-uncharged ports;] That is, unguarded gates.

JOHNSON,

1

not a man

Shall pass his quarier,

] Not a soldier shall quit his station, or be let loose upon you; and, if any commits violence, he shall answer it regularly to the law.

JOHNSON.

[Alcibiades reads the epitapb.] Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched Joul bereff : Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked caitiffs

left !?
Here lie I Timon, who alive all living men did hate,
Pass by, and curse thy fill; but pass, and Atay not bere

tby gait.
These well express in thee thy latter spirits:
Tho' thou abhor'dft in us our human griefs,
Scorn'dft' our brain's Aow, and those our droplets,

which
From niggard nature fall; 4 yet rich conceit

4

2 caitiffs left!] This epitaph is found in fir Tho. North's translation of Plutarch, with the difference of one word only, viz. wretches instead of caitiffs.

STEEVENS. 3-our brain's flow,-) Hanmer and Dr. Warburton read,

-brine's flow,
Our brain's flow is our trars; but we may read our brine's flow,
our falt tears. Either will serve.

JOHNSON
-yet rich conceit
Taught thee to make vasi Neptune weep for aye
On ihy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
Is noble Timon, of wbose memory

Hereafter more. --]
All the editors, in their learning and sagacity, have suffered an
unaccountable absurdity to pass them in this paffage. Why was
Neptune to weep on Timon's faults forgiven? Or, indeed, what
faults had Timon committed, except against his own fortune and
happy situation in life? But the corruption of the text lies only
in the bad pointing, which I have disengaged and restored to the
true meaning. Alcibiades's whole speech, as the editors might
have observed is in breaks, betwixt his reflections on Timon's
death and his addresses to the Athenian senators : and as soon as
he has commented on the place of Timon's grave, he bids the se-
nate set forward ; tells 'em, he has forgiven their faults; and pro-
mises to use them with mercy.

THEOBALD.

Taught

Taught thee to make vaft Neptune weep for aye
On thy low grave.—On : Faults forgiven. -Dead
Is noble Timon, of whose memory
Hereafter more.-Bring me into your city,
And I will use the olive with

my

sword : Make war breed peace ; make peace stint war; make

each Prescribe to other, as each other's leach. -Let our drums strike.

[Exeunt.

On:-Faults forgiven.) I would read,

-One fault's forgiven. Intimating, perhaps, that though he could forgive their fault of himself, he could not so easily forgive their ingratitude to Timon.

T. T.

THE play of Timon is a domestic tragedy, and therefore strongly fastens on the attention of the reader. In the plan there is not much art, but the incidents are natural, and the characters various and exact. The catastrophe affords a very powerful warning against that oftentatious liberality, which scatters bounty, but confers no benefits, and buys flattery, but not friendship.

In this tragedy are many passages perplexed, obscure, and probably corrupt, which I have endeavoured to rectify, or explain, with due diligence; but having only one copy, cannot promise myself that my endeavours shall be much applauded. JOHNSON.

This play was altered by Shadwell, and brought upon the stage in 1678. In the modeft title-page he calls it Timon of Arbens, or i he Man-bater, as it is atted at the Duke's Theatre, made into a play.

STBBVENS.