Apem. Ho, ho! I laugh to think that babe a baftard. 3. Lord. I promise you, my lord, you mov'd me much. Apem. Much?! [Tucket founded. Tim. What means that trump ?-How now? Enter a Servant. Serv. Please you, my lord, there are certain ladies moft defirous of admittance. Tim. Ladies? What are their wills? Serv. There comes with them a fore-runner, my lord, which bears that office, to fignify their pleasures. Tim. I pray, let them be admitted. Enter CUPID. Cup. Hail to thee, worthy Timon ;-and to all That of his bounties taste !—The five best senses Acknowledge thee their patron; and come freely To gratulate thy plenteous bofom : The ear, tafte, touch, fmell, all pleas'd from thy table rife; They quite fo far. To look for babies in the eyes of another, is no uncommon expreffion. So, in Love's Mistress, by Heywood, 1636: "Joy'd in his looks, look'd babies in his eyes." Again, in the Loyal Subject, by B. and Fletcher : 66 "In the young gallant's eyes ?" STEEVENS. Does not Lucullus dwell on Timon's metaphor by referring to ciscumftances preceding the birth, and mean, joy was conceived in their eyes, and fprung up there, like the motion of a babe in the womb? TOLLET. The word conception in the preceding line fhews, I think, that Mr. Tollet's interpretation of this passage is the true one. MALONE. 7 Much!] Apemantus means to fay, That's extraordinary. Much was formerly an expreffion of admiration. See Vol. III. p. 208, n. 8. MALONE. The ear, tafte, touch, smell, all pleas'd from thy table rife;] The old copy reads: There tafte, touch, all, &c. The word There was corrected, and the word fmeil inferted by Dr. Warburton. He and the fubfequent editors omit the word all; but omiffion is the most dangerous mode of emendation. The corrupted word There fhews that The ear was intended to be contracted into one fyllable; They only now come but to feaft thine eyes. Tim. They are welcome all; let them have kind admittance : Mufick, make their welcome". [Exit CUPID. 1. Lord. You fee, my lord, how ample you are belov❜d. Mufick. Re-enter CUPID, with a mafque of Ladies as Amazons, with lutes in their hands, dancing, and playing. Apem. Hey day! what a sweep of vanity comes this way! They dance! they are mad women. fyllable; and table also was probably used as taking up only the time of a monofyllable. MALONE. The five fenfes, Timon, acknowledge thee their patron; four of them, viz. the bearing, tafte, touch, and smell, are all feasted at thy board; and thefe ladies come with me to entertain your fight in a mafque. Maffinger, in his Duke of Millaine, copied the passage from Shakspeare; and apparently before it was thus corrupted; where, fpeaking of a banquet, he says: 66 All that may be bad "To please the eye, the ear, tafte, touch, or smell, • Mufick, make their welcome.] Perhaps the poet wrote: 30, in Macbeth: "We will require her welcome, "Pronounce it for me, fir, to all our friends." STEIVINS. They dance!-] I believe They dance to be a marginal note only; and perhaps we should read, Thefe are mad women. 2 Like madness is the glory of this life, As this pomp fhews to a little oil, and root.] The glory of this life is very near to madness, as may be made appear from this pomp, exhibited in a place where a philofopher is feeding on oil and roots. When we fee by example how few are the neceffaries of life, we learn what madnefs there is in fo much fuperfluity. JOHNSON. The word like in this place does not express resemblance, but equality. Apemantus does not mean to fay that the glory of this life was like madness, but it was just as much madness in the eye of reafon, as the pomp appeared to be, when compared to the frugal repast of a philofopher. MASON. We TYRWHITT. We make ourselves fools, to difport ourselves; The Lords rife from table, with much adoring of Timon; and, to fhew their loves, each fingles out an Amazon, and all dance, men with women, a lofty ftrain or two to the hautboys, and cease. Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace, fair ladies, Set a fair fashion on our entertainment, 1. Lady. My lord, you take us even at the best 6. Apem. 3 — of their friends' gift?] That is, given them by their friends. JOHNSON. mine own device ;] The mask appears to have been defign'd by Timon to surprise his guests. JOHNSON. 5 1. Lady. My lord ;] This fpeech, which in the old copy is given to the first lord, has been transferred to the first lady, on the fuggeftion of Dr. Johnson, who obferves that L only was probably fet down in the Mr. His coujecture is well founded; for that abbreviation is used in the old copy in this very scene, and in many other places. Mr. Edwards and Mr. Heath, as Mr. Steevens has remarked, propofed the fame emendation. The next fpeech, however coarfe the allufion couched under the word taking may be, puts the matter beyond a doubt. MALONE. 6 -even at the beft.] Perhaps we should read, ever at the beft. So, A&t III. fc. vi. Ever at the beft. TYRWHITT. Take us even at the beft, I believe, means, you have seen the best we can do. They are fuppofed to be hired dancers, and therefore there is no impropriety in fuch a confeffion. STEEVENS. I believe Apem. 'Faith, for the worst is filthy; and would not hold taking, I doubt me. Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you 7. Please you to difpofe yourselves. All Lad. Moft thankfully, my lord. Tim. Flavius, Flav. My lord. [Afide. Tim. The little cafket bring me hither. Flav. Yes, my lord.-More jewels yet! There is no croffing him in his humour; Elfe I fhould tell him,-Well,-i'faith, I should, When all's spent, he'd be crofs'd then, an he could3. 'Tis pity, bounty had not eyes behind; That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind'. [Exit, and returns, with the cafket. 1. Lord. Where be our men? Serv. Here, my lord, in readiness. [Exeunt CUPID, and Ladies. 2. Lord. Our horfes. Tim. O my friends, I have one word S I believe the meaning is, "You have conceived the fairek of us," (to use the words of Lucullus in a fubfequent fcene ;) you have estimated us too highly, perhaps above our deferts. So Spenfer, F. 2. B. VI. c. 9: "He would commend his guift, and make the beft." MALONE. 7 there is an idle banquet attends you.] So, in Romeo and Juliet : "We have a foolish trifling fupper towards." STEEVENS. 8 be'd be crofs'd then, an be could.] The poet does not mean here, that he would be crofs'd in humour, but that he would have his hand cross'd with money, if he could. He is playing on the word, and alluding to our old filver penny, used before King Edward the firft's time, which had a cross on the reverse with a creafe, that it might be more easily broke into halves and quarters, half-pence and farthings. Fom this penny, and other pieces, was our common expreffion derived, I bave not a crofs about me; i. e. not a piece of money. THEOBALD. The poet certainly meant this equivoque, but one of the fenses intended to be conveyed was, he will then too late with that it were poffible to undo what he had done: he will in vain lament that I did not thwart him in his career of prodigality. MALONE. 9 eyes bebind;] To fee the miferies that are following her. 1-for bis mind.] For nobleness of foul. JOHNSON. JOHNSON. To To fay to you:-Look you, my good lord, I must 1. Lord. I am so far already in your gifts,- Enter a Servant. Serv. My lord, there are certain nobles of the fenate Newly alighted, and come to visit you. Tim. They are fairly welcome. Flav. I beseech your honour, Vouchsafe me a word; it does concern you near. Flav. I fcarce know how. [Afide. Enter another Servant. 2. Serv. May it please your honour, lord Lucius, Out of his free love, hath prefented to you Four milk-white horses, trapt in filver. Tim. I fhall accept them fairly: let the prefents Enter a third Servant. Be worthily entertain'd.-How now? what news? 3. Serv. Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman, lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him; and has fent your honour two brace of greyhounds. Tim. I'll hunt with him; And let them be receiv'd, Not without fair reward. Flav. [Afide.] What will this come to? He commands us to provide, and give great gifts, Nor will he know his purfe; or yield me this, 2-to Advance this jewel ;] To prefer it; to raise it to honour by wearing it. JOHNSON. To |