In our condition."

Poet. Nay, sir, but hear me on:

All those which were his fellows but of late,
(Some better than his value,) on the moment
Follow his strides, his lobbies fill with 'tendance,
Rain sacrificial whisperings in his ear,"

Make sacred even his stirrop, and through him
Drink the free air.*

Pain. Ay, marry, what of these?

Poet. When Fortune, in her shift and change of mood. Spurns down her late belov'd, all his dependants, Which labour'd after him to the mountain's top, Even on their knees and hands, let him slip down. Not one accompanying his declining foot.

Pain. "Tis common :

A thousand moral paintings I can show,5

That shall demonstrate these quick blows of fortune
More pregnantly than words. Yet you do well,
To show lord Timon, that mean eyes have seen
The foot above the head.

Trumpets sound. Enter TIMON attended; the Servant of
VENTIDIUS talking with him.

Tim. Imprison'd is he, say you?

Ven. Serv. Ay, my good lord: five talents is his debt; His means most short, his creditors most strait :

Your honourable letter he desires

To those have shut him up; which failing to him,
Periods his comfort.

Tim. Noble Ventidius! Well;

[2] Condition for art.

WARBURTON.

[3] The sense is obvious, and means, in general, flattering him. The particular kind of flattery may be collected from the circumstance of its being offered up in whispers: which shows it was the calumniating those whom Timon hated or envied, or whose vices were opposite to his own. This offering up, to the person flattered, the murdered reputation of others, Shakespeare, with the utmost beauty of thought and expression, calls sacrificial whisperings, alluding to the victims offered up to idols. WARBURTON.

By sacrificial whisperings, I should simply understand whisperings of officious servility, the incense of the worshipping parasite to the patron as to a god. Mr. Gray has excellently expresssed in his Elegy these sacrificial offerings to the great from the poetic tribe:

"To heap the shrine of luxury and pride
With incense kindled at the muse's flame."

WAKEFIELD.

[4] "To drink the air," like the haustus atherios of Virgil, is merely a poetical phrase for draw the air, or breathe. To "drink the free air," therefore, " through another," is to breathe freely at his will only; so as to depend on him for the privilege of life: not even to breathe freely without his permission. WAKEFIELD.

[5] Shakespeare seems to intend in this dialogue to express some competition between the two great arts of imitation. Whatever the poet declares himself to have shown, the painter thinks he could have shown better. JOHNSON.

[6] Inferior spectators.

TOLLET.

I do know him

I am not of that feather, to shake off
My friend when he must need me.
A gentleman, that well deserves a help,

Which he shall have: I'll pay the debt, and free him.
Ven. Serv. Your lordship ever binds him.

Tim. Commend me to him: I will send his ransome; And, being enfranchis'd, bid him come to me :— 'Tis not enough to help the feeble up,

But to support him after.-Fare you well.
Ven. Serv. All happiness to your honour!
Enter an old Athenian.

Old Ath. Lord Timon, hear me speak.
Tim. Freely, good father.

Old Ath. Thou hast a servant nam'd Lucilius.

Tim. I have so: What of him?

[Exit.

Old Ath. Most noble Timon, call the man before thee. Tim. Attends he here, or no ?—Lucilius !

Enter LUCILIUS.

Luc. Here, at your lordship's service.

Old Ath. This fellow here, lord Timou, this thy crea ture,

By night frequents my house. I am a man
That from my first have been inclin❜d to thrift;
And my estate deserves an heir more rais'd,
Than one which holds a trencher.

Tim. Well; what further?

Old Ath. One only daughter have I, no kin else,
On whom I may confer what I have got:
The maid is fair, o'the youngest for a bride,
And I have bred her at my dearest cost,

In qualities of the best.

This man of thine

Attempts her love: I pr'ythee, noble lord,

Join with me to forbid him her resort;

Myself have spoke in vain.

Tim. The man is honest.

Old Ath. Therefore he will be, Timon :7

His honesty rewards him in itself,

It must not bear my daughter.'

[6] This thought is better expressed by Dr. Madden in his elegy on archbishop Boulter:

"More than they ask'd, he gave; and deem'd it mean

Only to help the poor-to beg again." JOHNSON.

[7] The thought is closely expressed and obscure: but this seems the meaning. "If the man be honest, my lord, for that reason he will be so in this; and not en deavour at the injustice of gaining my daughter, without my consent." WARB.

Tim. Does she love him?

Old Ath. She is young, and apt :

Our own precedent passions do instruct us
What levity's in youth.

Tim. [To Luc.] Love you the maid?

Luc. Ay, my good lord, and she accepts of it.
Old Ath. If in her marriage my consent be missing,
I call the gods to witness, I will choose

Mine heir from forth the beggars of the world,
And dispossess her all.

Tim. How shall she be endow'd,

If she be mated with an equal husband?

Old Ath. Three talents, on the present; in future, all. Tim This gentleman of mine hath serv'd me long ;

To build his fortune, I will strain a little,

For 'tis a bond in men. Give him thy daughter :
What you bestow, in him I'll counterpoise,

And make him weigh with her.

Old Ath. Most noble lord,

Pawn me to this your honour, she is his.

Tim. My hand to thee; mine honour on my promise. Luc. Humbly I thank your lordship: Never may That state or fortune fall into my keeping,

Which is not ow'd to you 18 [Exe. Luc. and Old Ath.
Poet. Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your lordship!
Tim. I thank you; you shall hear from me anon :
Go not away. What have you there, my friend?

Pain. A piece of painting, which I do beseech Your lordship to accept.

Tim. Painting is welcome.

The painting is almost the natural man ;
For since dishonour traffics with man's nature,
He is but out-side: These pencil'd figures are
Even such as they give out.9 I like your

And

work;

you shall find, I like it: wait attendance Till you hear further from me.

Pain. The gods preserve you!

Tim. Well fare you, gentlemen: Give me your hand; We must needs dine together.--Sir, your jewel

Hath suffer'd under praise.

Jew. What, my lord? dispraise ?

Tim. A mere satiety of commendations.

[8] Let me never henceforth consider any thing that I possess, but as owed or due

to you; held for your service, and at your disposal.

JOHNSON.

[9] Pictures have no hypocrisy; they are what they profess to be.

JOHNSON

If I should pay you for't as 'tis extoll'd,
It would unclew me quite.'

Jew. My lord, 'tis rated

As those, which sell, would give: But you well know,
Things of like value, differing in the owners,

Are prized by their masters : believe't, dear lord,
You mend the jewel by wearing it.

Tim. Well mock'd.

Mer. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue, Which all men speak with him.

Tim. Look, who comes here.

Will you be chid ?

Enter APEMANTUS.3

Jew. We will bear, with your lordship.

Mer. He'll spare none.

Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus ! Apem. Till I be gentle, stay for thy good morrow; When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honest.* Tim. Why dost thou call them knaves? thou know'st them not.

Apem. Are they not Athenians?

Tim. Yes.

Apem. Then I repent not.

Jew. You know me, Apemantus.

Apem. Thou knowest, I do : I call'd thee by thy name. Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus.

Apem. Of nothing so much, as that I am not like Timon. Tim. Whither art going?

Apem. To knock out an honest Athenian's brains.

Tim. That's a deed thou'lt die for.

Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law.
Tim. How likest thou this picture, Apemantus?

Apem. The best, for the innocence.

Tim. Wrought he not well, that painted it?

Apem. He wrought better, that made the painter; and yet he's but a filthy piece of work.

Pain. You are a dog.

Apem. Thy mother's of my generation: What's she, if I be a dog?

Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus ?

[1] To unclew is to unwind a ball of thread. To unclew a man is to draw out the whole mass of his fortunes.

JOHNSON.

[2] Are rated according to the esteem in which their possessor is held. JOHNS. s See this character of a cynic finely drawn by Lucian, in his Auction of the Philosophers; and how well Shakespeare has copied it. WARBURTON.

[4] Apemantus means to say, that Timon is not to receive a gentle good-morrow from him till that shall happen which never will happen; till Timon is transformed to the shape of his dog, and his knavish followers become honest men. MALONE.

Apem. No; I eat not lords.

Tim. An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger ladies.

Apem. O, they eat lords; so they come by great bellies. Tim. That's a lascivious apprehension.

Apem. So thou apprehend'st it. Take it for thy labour. Tim. How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus? Apem. Not so well as plain-dealing, which will not cost a man a doit.

Tim. What dost thou think 'tis worth?

Apem. Not worth my thinking.-How now, poet? Poet. How now, philosopher?

Apem. Thou liest.

Poet. Art not one?

Apem. Yes.

Poet. Then I lie not.

Apem. Art not a poet?
Poet. Yes.

Apem. Then thou liest: look in thy last work, where thou hast feign'd him a worthy fellow.

Poet. That's not feign'd, he is so.

Apem. Yes, he's worthy of thee, and to pay thee for thy labour: He, that loves to be flattered, is worthy o the flatterer. Heavens, that I were a lord!

Tim. What wouldst do then, Apemantus ?

Apem. Even as Apemantus does now, hate a lord with my heart.

Tim. What, thyself?

Apem. Ay.

Tim. Wherefore?

Apem. That had no angry wit to be a lord.-Art thou not a merchant ?

Mer. Ay, Apemantus.

Apem. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not!
Mer. If traffic do it, the gods dó it.

Apem. Tranic's thy god, and thy god confound thee!
Trumpets sound. Enter a Servant.

Tim. What trumpet's that?

Sero. 'Tis Alcibiades, and

Some twenty horse, all of companionship.7

[5] Alluding to the proverb: " Plain-dealing is a jewel, but they that use it die beggars." STEEVENS.

[6] The meaning may be, I should hate myself for patiently enduring to be a lord. JOHNSON.

[7] This expression does not mean barely that they all belong to one company, but that they are all such as Alcibiades honours with his acquaintance, and sets on a level with himself.

STEEVENS.