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6

Why should you want? behold, the earth hath roots;
Within this mile break forth an hundred fprings;
The oaks bear maft, the briars fcarlet hips:
The bounteous hufwife nature on each bufh
Lays her full mefs before you. Want? why want?
iThief. We cannot live on grafs, on berries, water,
As beafts, and birds, and fifhes.

Tim. Nor on the beafts themselves, the birds and fishes;

You must eat men. Yet thanks I muft you con,
That you are thieves profeft, that you work not
In holier shapes; for there is boundless theft
7 In limited profeflions. Rafcals, thieves,

Here's gold. Go, fuck the fubtle blood o'th' grape,
'Till the high fever feeth your blood to froth,
And fo 'fcape hanging. Truft not the physician,
His antidotes are poifon, and he flays

8

More than you rob, takes wealth and life together.

neft Launcelot says, to our Authour's Meaning. If thefe poor Thieves wanted Meat, what greater Want could they be curs'd with, as they could not live on grafs, and berries, and. water? but I dare warrant, the Poet wrote,

-you want much of meet. i. e. Much of what you ought to be: much of the Qualities befitting you as human creatures.

THEOBALD.

Such is Mr. Theobald's emendation, in which he is followed by Dr. Warburton. Sir T. Hanmer reads, you want much of men. They have been all bufy without neceffity. Obferve the series of the converfation. The thieves tell him, that they are men that much do want. Here is an ambiguity between much want and want of much. Timon takes it on the wrong fide, and tells them

that their greateft want is, that, like other men, they want much of meas; then telling them where meat may be had, he afks, Want? avhy avant?

What need is there now of emendation ?

6-the earth bath roots, &c.]
Vile olus, et duris hærentia
mora rubetis
Pugnantis fomachi compofuere
famem:

Flumine vicino ftultus fitit.
I do not fuppofe thefe to be imi-
tations, but only to be fimilar
thoughts on fimilar occafions.

7 In limited profeffions.-] Limited, for legal. WARBURTON. 8 takes wealth and life together.] Hanmer. The firft

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Do villainy, do, fince you profefs to do't,
Like workmen, I'll example you with thievery
The Sun's a thief, and with his great attraction
Robs the vaft Sea. The moon's an arrant thief,
And her pale fire fhe fnatches from the Sun.
9 The Sea's a thief, whofe liquid furge refolves
The Moon into falt tears. The earth's a thief,
That feeds and breeds by a composture ftoln
From gen'ral excrements. Each thing's a thief.
The laws, your curb and whip, in their rough power
Have uncheck'd theft. Love not yourfelves, away,
Rob one another. There's more gold; cut throats;
All that you meet are thieves. To Athens go,
Break open fhops, for nothing can you fteal
But thieves do lofe it. Steal not lefs, for this

I give you, and gold confound you howfoever! Amen. [Exit. 3 Thief. H'as almoft charm'd me from my profeffion, by perfuading me to it.

I

Thief. Tis in the malice of mankind, that he thus advises us; not to have us thrive in our mystery.

9 The Sea's a thief, whofe liquid furge refolves The Moon into falt tears.-] The Sea melting the Moon into tears, is, I believe, a fecret in philofophy, which no body but Shakespear's deep Editors ever dream'd of. There is another opinion which 'tis more reafonable to believe that our Author may allude to, viz. that the faltnefs of the Sea is caufed by feveral ranges, or Mounds of rockfalt under water, with which refolving liquid the Sea was impregnated. This I think a fufficient authority for changing Moon into MOUNDS. WARB.

I am not willing to receive

2 Thief.

mounds, which would not be understood but by him that had fuggefted it. The moon is fuppofed to be humid, and perhaps a fource of humidity, but cannot be refolved by the furges of the fea. Yet I think moon is the true reading. Here is a circulation of thievery defcribed the fun, moon, and sea, all rob, and are robbed.

'Tis in the malice of mankind, that he thus advises us; not to have us thrive in our mystery.]. i. e. 'Tis the common malice of mankind that makes One give fuch advice to Another, as may prove to his Detriment. One would think this eafy enough.. But the Oxford Editor reads, 'Tis

in

1⁄2 Thief. I'll believe him as an enemy; and give over my trade.

2

1 Thief. Let us first see peace in Athens.

2 Thief. There is no time fo miferable, but a man may be true.

[Exeunt.

Ο

ACT V.

SCENE I.

The Woods, and Timon's Cave.

H, you

Enter FLAVIUS.

Gods!

Is yon defpis'd and ruinous man my Lord?
Full of decay and failing?

Oh, monument and wonder of good deeds,
Evilly bestow'd!

What change of honour defp'rate want has made?

in his malice to mankind, that he thus advifes us, not to have us thrive in our mystery. Which is making compleat nonfenfe of the whole reflection: For if Timon gave this advice, out of his mafice to his fpecies, he was in earneft, and fo far from having any defign that they should not thrive in their mystery, that his utmoft wifh was that they might.

WARBURTON. Hanmer's emendation, though not neceffary, is very probable, and very unjustly charged with nonsense. The reafon of his advice, fays the thief, is malice to mankind, not any kindness to ns, or defire to have us thrive in our mystery.

Let us firft fee peace in Athens,
This and the concluding
VOL. VI.

little fpeech have in all the edi tions been placed to one fpeaker: But, 'tis evident, the latter words ought to be put in the mouth of the fecond thief, who is repenting, and leaving off his trade. WARBURTON.

3 What change of HONOUR defp'rate want has made ?]

We should read,

What change of HUMOUR-
WARBURTON.

The original copy has, what an alteration of honour bas defperate want made. The prefent reading is certainly better, but it has no authority. To change honour to humour is not neceffary. Achange of honour, is a change of an honourable fate to a state of difgrace.

S

What

What viler thing upon the earth, than friends,
Who can bring noblet minds to bafeft ends;
+ How rarely does it meet with this time's guife,
When man was wifht to love his enemies:
Grant, I may ever love, and rather woo
Thofe that would mifchief me, than thofe that do!
H'as caught me in his eye; I will prefent
My honeft grief to him; and, as my Lord,
Still ferve him with my life.-My dearest mafter!

200

A How rarely does it meet-cond line, to alter woe to do. Rarely, for fitly; not for feldom.

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WARBURTON.

In defiance of this criticifin I have ventured to replace the forrer reading, as more fuitable to the general fpirit of thefe fcenes, and as free from the absurdities charged upon it. It is plain, that in this whole fpeech friends and enemies are taken only for those who profefs friendship and profefs enmity; for the friend is fuppofed not to be more kind but more dangerous than the ene 72 V. In the emendation thefe that would mischief are placed in oppofition to thofe that avoo, but in the fpeaker's intention theft that who are those that mischief moft. The fente is, Let me ra ther woo or caress those that would mifchief, that profefs to mean me mischief, than thofe that really do me mifchiefs under falje profefions of kindness. The Spaniaras, I think, have this proverb; Defend me from my friends, and from my enemies I will defend myself. This proverb is a fufficient comment on the paffage.

Timon comes forward from his Cave.

Tim. Away! what art thou?

Flav. Have you forgot me, Sir?

Tim. Why dost thou afk that? I have forgot all men. Then, if thou granteft that thou art a man,

I have forgot thee.

Flav. An honeft poor fervant of yours.

Tim. Then I know thee not:

I ne'er had honeft man about me, all

I kept were knaves, to ferve in meat to villains.
Flav. The Gods are witnefs,

Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief

For his undone Lord, than mine eyes for you. Tim. What, doft thou weep? Come nearer, then I love thee,

Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'ft

Flinty mankind; whofe eyes do never give
But thorough luft and laughter. 7 Pity's fleeping;
Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with
weeping!

Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my Lord, T'accept my grief, and, whilst this poor wealth lafts, To entertain me as your steward still.

Tim. Had I a steward

So true, fo juft, and now fo comfortable?
* It almost turns my dangerous nature wild.

• Knave is here in the compounded fenfe of a fervant and a rafcal.

7-Pity's fleeping;] I do not know that any correction is neceffary, but I think we might read,

-eyes do never give But thorough luft and laughter, pity fleeping.

-Let

weather) but by luft or laughter, undisturbed by emotions of pity. 3 It almost turns my dangerous

nature. WILD.] i.e. It almoft turns my dangerous nature to a dangerous nature; for, by dangerous nature, is meant wildnefs. Shakespear wrote,

It almoft turns ny dangerous

nature MILD.

Eyes never flow (to give is to difi.e. It almoft reconciles me again folve as faline bodies in moist to mankind. For fear of that,

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