SCENE, the WOODS. Enter Timon. Bleffed, breeding Sun, draw from the earth Tim Rotten humidity: below thy fifter's orb Infect the air. Twinn'd brothers of one womb, But by contempt of nature. Raife me this beggar, and denude that lord, (17) The beggar native honour: It is the Pafture lards the Weather's fides, (18) And fay, this man's a flatterer ? if one be, (17) Raife me this Beggar, and deny't that Lord,] Where is the Senfe and English of deny't that Lord? Deny him what? What preceding Noun is there, to which the Pronoun It is to be referr'd? And it would be abfurd to think the Poet meant, deny. to raife that Lord. The Antithefis must be, let Fortune raise this Beggar, and let her frip, and despoil that Lord of all his Pomp and Ornaments, c. which Senfe is compleated by this flight Alteration, -and denude that Lord. Mr. Warburton. (18) It is the Pafture lards the Beggar's Sidus,] This, as the Editors have order'd it, is an idle Repetition at the best; fuppofing it did, indeed, contain the fame Sentiment as the foregoing Lines. But Shakespeare meant a quite different Thing: and having, like a fenfible Writer, made a smart Obfervation, he illuftrates it by a Similitude thus: It is the Pafture lards the Weather's Sides, And the Similitude is extremely beautiful, as conveying this. Satirical Reflexion; there is no more Difference between Man and Man in the Efteem of fuperficial or corrupt Judgments, than between a fat Sheep and a lean one, Mr. Warburton. So So are they all, for every greeze of fortune Roots, you clear heav'ns! thus much of this will make Bafe, noble: old, young; coward, valiant. You Gods! why this? what this? you Gods! why, this Will knit and break religions; blefs th' accurs'd; That makes the wappen'd widow wed again; Do thy right nature.[March afar off] Ha, a drum? But yet I'll bury theethou'lt go, (ftrong thief) Nay, ftay thou out for earnest. [Keeping fome gold.. Enter Alcibiades with drum and fife in warlike manner, and Phrynia and Timandra.. Alc. What art thou there? speak. Tim. A beaft, as thou art. Cankers gnaw thy heart, For For fhewing me again the eyes of man! Alc. What is thy name? is man fo hateful to thee, That art thy felf a man? Tim. I am Mifanthropos, and hate mankind. For thy part, I do wish thou wert a dog, That I might love thee fomething. Alc. I know thee well : But in thy fortunes am unlearn'd, and strange. Tim. I know thee too, and more than that I know thee, I not defire to know. Follow thy drum, With man's blood paint the ground; gules, gules; — Then what should war be? this fell whore of thine Phry. Thy lips rot off! Tim. I will not kifs thee, then the Rot returns Alc. How came the noble Timon to this change? Alc. Noble Timon, what friendship may I do thee? Alc. What is it, Timon? If Tim. Promise me friendship, but perform none. thou wilt not promife, the Gods plague thee, for thou art, a man if thou doft perform, confound thee, for thou art a man! Alc. I've heard in fome fort of thy miferies. Tim. Thou faw'ft them when I had prosperity. Alc. I fee them now, then was a blessed time. Tim. As thine is now, held with a brace of harlots. Timan. Is this th' Athenian minion, whom the world Voic'd fo regardfully ? Tim. Art thou Timandra? Timan. Yes. Tim. Be a whore ftill: they love thee not, that ufe thee: Give them diseases, leaving with thee their luft : Make Make use of thy falt hours, season the flaves For tubs and baths, bring down the rofe-cheek'd youth To th' Tub-faft, and the diet. (19) Timan. Hang thee, monster! Alc. Pardon him, fweet Timandra, for his wits I have but little gold of late, brave Timon, Alc. Why, fare thee well, Here's gold for thee. Tim. Keep it, I cannot eat it. Alc. When I have laid proud Athens on a heap- Alc. Ay, Timon, and have cause. (19) To the Fubfaft, and the Diet.] One might make a very long and vain Search, yet not be able to meet with this prepofterous Word Fubfast, which has notwithstanding pass'd current with all the Editors. The Author is alluding to the Lues Venerea, and its Effects. At that Time, the Cure of it was perform'd either by Guaiacum, or Mercurial Unctions: and in both Cafes the Patient was kept up very warm and close; that in the first Application the Sweat might be promoted; and left, in the other, he should take Cold, which was fatal. "The Regimen "for the Course of Guaiacum (says Dr. Friend in his Hißt, of “Phyfick, Vol. 2. p. 380.) was at first strangely circumstantial; " and fo rigorous, that the Patient was put into a Dungeon in "order to make him fweat; and in that manner, as Fallopias expresses it, the Bones and the very Man himself was mace"rated." And as for the Unction, it was fometimes continued for thirty feven days; (as he observes, p. 375.) and during this Time there was neceffarily an extraordinary Abftinence requir'd. Mr. Warburton. Tim. The Gods confound them all then in thy Conqueft, Tim. That by killing of villains Will o'er fome high-vic'd city hang his poison Hér felf's a bawd. Let not the virgin's cheek Set them down horrible traitors. Spare not the babe, Hath doubtfully pronounc'd thy throat fhall cut, I'll take the gold thou giv'ft me, not thy counsel. Both. Give us fome gold, good Timon: haft thou more ? (20) That thro' the Window barn bore at men's Eyes.] I cannot for my Heart imagine, what Idea our wife Editors had of a Virgin's Breast thro' a Windowu barn: which I am fatisfied, muft be a corrupt Reading. In fhort, the Poet is alluding to the decent Custom in his Time of the Women covering their Necks and Bofom either with Lawn, or Cyprus; both which being tranĺparent, the Poet beautifully calls it the Window-Lawn. |