Enter TIMON, in a rage; FLAMINIUS following. TIM. What, are my doors oppos'd against my paffage? Have I been ever free, and muft my house. The place, which I have feafted, does it now, TIT. My lord, here is my bill. HOR. SERV. And mine, my lord. 5 BOTH VAR. SERV. And ours, my lord. 6 TIM. Knock me down with 'em: cleave me to the girdle. Hor. Serv. And mine, my lord.] In the old copy this fpeech is given to Varro. I have given it to the fervant of Hortenfius, (who would naturally prefer his claim among the reft,) because to the following speech in the old copy is prefixed, 2. Var. which from the words fpoken [ And ours, my lord. meant, I conceive, the tuo fervants of Varro. In the modern editious this latter fpeech is given to Caphis, who is not upon the flage. MALONE. This whole scene perhaps was ftriâly metrical, when it came from Shakspeare; but the prefent ftate of it is fuch, that it cannot be reftored but by greater violence than an editor may be allowed to employ. I have therefore given it without the least attempt at arrangement. STEEVENS. 6 Knock me down with 'em. ] Timon quibbles. They present their written bills; he catches at the word, and alludes to the bills or battle-axes, which the ancient foldiery carried, and were ftill used by the watch in Shakspeare's time. See the scene between Dogberry, &c. in Much Ado about Nothing; Vol. VI. p. 303, n. 6. Again, in Heywood's If you know not me you know nobody, 1633, Second Part, Sir John Grefham fays to his creditors: Friends, you cannot beat me down with your bills. Again, in Decker's Guis Hornbook, 1609: "- they durft not frike down their customers with large bills." STEEVENS. VOL. XVII. LUC. SERV. Alas! my lord, TIM. Cut my heart in fums. TIM. Tell out my blood. LUC. SERV. Five thoufand crowns, my lord. 1. VAR. SERV. My lord, 2. VAR. SERV. My lord, TIM. Tear me, take me, and the gods fall on you. [ Exit. HOR. Faith, I perceive, our masters may throw their caps at their money; these debts may well be call'd defperate ones, for a madman owes 'em. [Exeunt. Re-enter TIMON and FLAVIUS. TIM. They have e'en put my breath from me, FLAV. Here, my lord. My fteward! TIM. So fitly? Go, bid all my friends again, ? So fitly? Go, bid all my friends again, Lucius, Lucullus, and Sempronius; all: I'll once more feaft the rafcals.] Thus the fecond folio; except exc C FLAV. O my lord, You only speak from your diftracted foul; A moderate table. ΤΙΜ. Be't not in thy care; go, I charge thee; invite them all: let in the tide Of knaves once more; my cook and I'll provide. [Exeunt. that, by an apparent error of the prefs, we have- add inftead of and. The first folio reads: Lucius, Lucullus, and Sempronius Viloria: all, I'll once more feat the rufcals. Regularity of metre alone would be fufficient to decide in favour of SCENE V. The fame. The Senate-Houfe. The Senate fitting. Enter ALCIBIADES, attended. 1. SEN. My lord, you have my voice to't; the fault's bloody; 'Tis neceffary, he should die: Nothing emboldens fin fo much as mercy. 2. SEN. Moft true; the law fhall bruife him." ALCIB. Honour, health, and compaffion to the fenate! 1. SEN. Now, captain? ALCIB. I am an humble fuitor to your virtues; For pity is the virtue of the law, And none but tyrants ufe it cruelly. It pleases time, and fortune, to lie heavy Hath ftepp'd into the law, which is paft depth 8 hall bruife him.] The old copy reads fhall bruise 'em. The fame mistake has happened often in these plays. In a subfequent line in this scene we have in the old copy with him, inftead of with 'em. For the correction, which is fully juftified by the context, I am aufwerable. MALONE. Sir Thomas Hanmer alfo reads bruife him. STEEVENS. 9 Jetting his fate afide,] i. e. putting this action of his, which was pre-determined by fate, out of the question. STEEVENS. 2 He is a man, &c.] I have printed these lines after the original copy, except that, for an honour, it is there, and honour. All the Nor did he foil the fact with cowardice; (An honour in him, which buys out his fault,) Seeing his reputation touch'd to death, And with fuch fober and unnoted paffion latter editions deviate unwarrantably from the original, and give the lines thus: He is a man, fetting his fault afide, Of virtuous honour, which buys out his fault; Nor did he foil, &c. JOHNSON. This licentious alteration of the text, with a thousand others of the fame kind, was made by Mr. Pope. MALONE. 3 And with fuch fober and unuoted paffion He did bebave his anger, ere 'twas spent, &c.] Unnoted for common, bounded. Behave, for curb, manage. I would rather read: and unnoted paffion He did behave, ere was his anger spent. WARBURTON. Unnoted paffion means, I believe, an uncommon command of his paffion, fuch a one as has not hitherto been obferved. Behave his anger may, however, be right. In fir W. D'Avenant's play of The Juft Italian, 1630, behave is used in as fingular a manner: "How well my ftars behave their influence. Again : You an Italian, fir, and thus "Behave the knowledge of disgrace ! " In both thefe inftances, to behave is to manage. STEEVFNS. "Unnoted paffion, I believe, means a paffion operating inwardly, but not accompanied with any external or boisterous appearances; fo regulated and fubdued, that no fpectator could note, or obferve, its operation. The old copy reads He did behoove &c. which does not afford any very clear meaning. Behave, which Dr. Warburton interprets, manage, was introduced by Mr. Rowe. I doubt the text is not yet right. Our author so very frequently converts nouns into verbs, that I have fometimes thought he might have written "He did bekalve his anger, "- i. e. fupprefs it. So, Milton: 46 yet put be not forth all his ftrength, But check'd it mid-way. |