Good even, Varro:] It is observable, that this good evening is before dinner: for Timon tells Alcibiades, that they will go forth again, as soon as dinner's done, which may prove that by dinner our author meant not the cœna of ancient times, but the mid-day's repast. I do not suppose the passage corrupt: such inadvertencies neither author nor editor can escape. There is another remark to be made. Varro and Isidore sink a few lines afterwards into the servants of Varro and Isidore. Whether servants, in our author's time, took the names of their masters, I know not. Perhaps it is a slip of negligence. JOHNSON. In the old copy it stands: "Enter Caphis, Isidore, and Varro.” In like manner in the fourth scene of the next Act the servant of Lucius is called by his master's name; but our author's intention is sufficiently manifested by the stage-direction in the fourth scene of the third Act, where we find in the first folio, (p. 86, col. 2,) "Enter Varro's man, meeting others." I have therefore always annexed Serv. to the name of the master. MALONE. Good even, or, as it is sometimes less accurately written, Good den, was the usual salutation from noon, the moment that good morrow became improper. This appears plainly from the following passage in Romeo and Juliet, Act II. sc. iv: "Nurse. God ye good morrow, gentlemen. "Mercutio. God ye good den, fair gentlewoman. "Merc. 'Tis no less I tell you; for the.....hand of the dial is now upon the..... of noon." So, in Hamlet's greeting to Marcellus, Act I. sc. i. Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton, not being aware, I presume, of this wide sense of Good even, have altered it to Good morning; without any necessity, as from the course of the incidents, precedent and subsequent, the day may well be supposed to be turned of noon. TYRWHITT. CAPH. It is;-And yours too, Isidore? Enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, and Lords, &c. TIM. So soon as dinner's done, we'll forth again,5 My Alcibiades. With me? What's will? your 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 succession of new days this month: My master is awak'd by great occasion, To call upon his own; and humbly prays you, That with your other noble parts you'll suit, 6 we'll forth again,] i. e. to hunting, from which diversion, we find by Flavius's speech, he was just returned. It may be here observed, that in our author's time it was the custom to hunt as well after dinner as before. Thus, in Laneham's Account of the Entertainment at Kenelworth Castle, we find, that Queen Elizabeth always, while there, hunted in the afternoon: "Monday was hot, and therefore her highness kept in 'till five a clok in the evening; what time it pleaz'd her to ryde forth into the chase, to hunt the hart of fors; which found anon, and after sore chased," &c. Again: "Munday the 18th of this July, the weather being hot, her highness kept the castle for coolness. 'till about five a clok, her majesty in the chase hunted the hart (as before) of forz," &c. So, in Tancred and Gismund, 1592: "He means this evening in the park to hunt." REED. That with your other noble parts you'll suit,] i. e. that you will behave on this occasion in a manner consistent with your other noble qualities. STEEVENS. Mine honest friend, In giving him his right. TIM. I pr'ythee, but repair to me next morning. CAPH. Nay, good my lord, TIM. Contain thyself, good friend. VAR.SERV. One Varro's servant, my good lord, ISID. SERV. From Isidore; He humbly prays your speedy payment," CAPH. If you did know, my lord, my master's wants, VAR. SERV. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, six weeks, And past, ISID. SERV. Your steward puts me off, my lord; And I am sent expressly to your lordship. TIM. Give me breath: I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on; [Exeunt ALCIBIADES and Lords. I'll wait upon you instantly.-Come hither, pray [TO FLAVIUS. How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd With clamorous demands of date-broke bonds,8 you. He humbly prays your speedy payment,] As our author does not appear to have meant that the servant of Isidore should be less civil than those of the other lords, it is natural to conceive that this line, at present imperfect, originally stood thus: He humbly prays your lordship's speedy payment. of date-broke bonds,] The old copy has: of debt, broken bonds. STEEVENS. Mr. Malone very judiciously reads-date-broken. For the sake of measure, I have omitted the last letter of the second word. So, in Much Ado about Nothing: "I have broke [i. e. broken] with her father." STEEVENS. To the present emendation I should not have ventured to give And the detention of long-since-due debts, FLAV. TIM. Do so, my friends: [Exit TIMON. See them well entertain'd. FLAV. I pray, draw near. Enter APEMANTUS and a Fool.9 CAPH. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus; let's have some sport with 'em. VAR. SERV. Hang him, he'll abuse us. APEM. Dost dialogue with thy shadow? a place in the text, but that some change is absolutely necessary, and this appears to be established beyond a doubt by a former line in the preceding scene: "And my reliances on his fracted dates." The transcriber's ear deceived him here as in many other places. Sir Thomas Hanmer and the subsequent editors evaded the difficulty by omitting the corrupted word-debt. MALOne. 9 Enter Apemantus and a Fool.] I suspect some scene to be lost, in which the entrance of the Fool, and the page that follows him, was prepared by some introductory dialogue, in which the audience was informed that they were the fool and page of Phrynia, Timandra, or some other courtezan, upon the knowledge of which depends the greater part of the ensuing jocularity. JOHNSON. VAR. SERV. I speak not to thee. APEM. No; 'tis to thyself,-Come away. ISID. SERV. [To VAR. Serv.] hangs on your back already. [To the Fool. There's the fool APEM. No, thou stand'st single, thou art not on him yet. CAPH. Where's the fool now? APEM. He last asked the question.-Poor rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between gold and want!1 ALL SERV. What are we, Apemantus? APEM. Asses. ALL SERV. Why? APEM. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourselves.-Speak to 'em, fool. FOOL. How do you, gentlemen? 1 Poor rogues, and usurers' men! bawds &c.] This is said so abruptly, that I am inclined to think it misplaced, and would regulate the passage thus: Caph. Where's the fool now? Apem. He last asked the question. All. What are we, Apemantus? All. Why? Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know your selves. Poor rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between gold and want! Speak &c. Thus every word will have its proper place. It is likely that the passage transposed was forgot in the copy, and inserted in the margin, perhaps a little beside the proper place, which the transcriber wanting either skill or care to observe, wrote it where it now stands. JOHNSON. The transposition proposed by Dr. Johnson is unnecessary. Apemantus does not address these words to any of the others, but mutters them to himself; so that they do not enter into the dialogue, or compose a part of it. M. MASON. |