will go forth again, as soon as dinner's done, which may prove that by dinner our author meant not the cana of ancient times, but the mid-day's repast. I do not suppose the passage corrupt: such inadvertencies neither author nor editor can escape. JOHNSON.

Line 99. 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 jocu larity. JOHNSON.

Line 123. She's e'en setting on water to scald &c.] The old name for the disease got at Corinth was the brenning, and a sense of scalding is one of its first symptoms. JOHNSON.

Line 124. 'Would, we could see you at Corinth.] A cant name for a bawdy-house, I suppose, from the dissoluteness of that ancient Greek city. WARBURTON.

Line 167. his artificial one:] Meaning the celebrated philosopher's stone, which was in those times much talked of. Sir Thomas Smith was one of those who lost considerable sums in seeking of it. JOHNSON.

Sir Richard Steele was one of the last eminent men who entertained hopes of being successful in this pursuit. His laboratory was at Poplar, a village near London, and is now converted into a garden house. STEEVENS.

Line 206. Though you hear now, (too late!) yet now's a time,] Though you now at last listen to my remonstrances, yet now your affairs are in such a state that the whole of your remaining fortune will scarce pay half your debts. You are therefore wise too late. MALONE.

Line 216. O my good lord, the world is but a word;] The meaning is, as the world itself may be comprised in a word, you might give it away in a breath. WARBURTON.

Line 228. -a wasteful cock,] A wasteful cock is a cock or pipe with a turning stopple running to waste. In this sense, both the terms have their usual meaning; but I know not that cock is ever used (as Hanmer and Warburton assert) for cockloft, or wasteful for lying in waste, or that lying in waste is at all a phrase. JOHNS.

Line 243.

my

heart;

No villainous bounty yet hath pass'd

Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.] Every reader must rejoice in this circumstance of comfort which presents itself to Timon, who, although beggar'd through want of pru dence, consoles himself with reflection that his ruin was not brought on by the pursuit of guilty pleasures. STEEVENS.

Line 249. And try the argument-] The licentiousness of our author forces us often upon far-fetched expositions. Argu ments may mean contents, as the arguments of a book: or evidences and proofs. JOHNSON.

Line 276. —I knew it the most general way,] General is not speedy, but compendious, the way to try many at a time. JOHNS. Line 291. intending-] is regarding, turning their notice

to other things.

JOHNSON.

Line 292. and these hard fractions,] Flavius, by fractions, means broken hints, interrupted sentences, abrupt remarks.

JOHNSON. Line 293. cold-moving nods,] Cold-moving is the same as coldly-moving. So-perpetual sober gods, for perpetually sober; lazy-pacing clouds-loving-jealous-flattering sweet, &c. distant and uncourteous salutations are properly termed cold-moving, as proceeding from a cold and unfriendly disposition. MALONE.

Line 8.

ACT III. SCENE I.

Such

very respectively welcome, sir.] i. e. respectfully. So, in King John:

"'Tis too respective," &c.

STEEVENS.

Line 50. And we alive, that liv'd?] i. e. And we who were alive then, alive now. As much as to say, in so short a time. WARBURTON.

Line 56. Let molten coin be thy damnation,] Perhaps the poet alludes to the punishment inflicted on M. Aquilius by Mithridates. STEEVENS.

Line 59. It turns in less than two nights?] Alluding to the turning or acescence of milk. JOHNSON,

Line 65. of nature-] Flaminius considers that nutriment which Lucullus had for a length of time received at Timon's table, as constituting a great part of his animal system. STEEVENS,

ACT III. SCENE II.

Line 71. We know him for no less,] That is, we know him by report to be no less than you represent him, though we are strangers to his person.

JOHNSON.

Line 111. If his occasion were not virtuous,] i. e.—If he did

not want it for a good use.

Line 139.

JOHNSON.

flatterer's spirit.] This, says he, is the soul or spirit of the world: every flatterer plays the same game, makes sport with the confidence of his friend.

JOHNSON

Line 148. in respect of his,] In respect of his fortune: what Lucius denies to Timon is in proportion to what Lucius possesses, less than the usual alms given by good men to beggars. JOHNSON,

Line 157. I would have put my wealth into donation,

And the best half should have return'd to him,] Had his necessity made use of me, I would have put my fortune into a condition to be alienated, and the best half of what I had gained myself, or received from others, should have found its way to him.

ACT III. SCENE III.

STEEVENS.

Line 202. takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like those &c.] This is a reflection on the Puritans of that time. These people were then set upon the project of new-modelling the ecclesiastical and civil government according to scripture rules and examples; which makes him say, that under zeal for the word of God, they would set whole realms on fire. WARBURTON.

Line 212.

fear of duns.

Line 235.

splendor.

keep his house.] i. e. keep within doors for JOHNSON.

ACT III. SCENE IV.

a prodigal course

Is like the sun's ;] That is, like him in blaze and

Soles occidere & redire possunt. Catul. JOHNS. Line 298. Enter Servilius.] It may be observed that Shakspeare has unskilfully filled his Greek story with Roman names. JOHNSON.

ACT III. SCENE V.

Line 384. And with such sober and unnoted passion

He did behave his anger, ere 'twas spent, &c.] "Unnoted passion," means a passion operating inwardly, but not accompanied with any external or boisterous appearances; so regulated and subdued, that no spectator could note or observe its operation. MALONE. Line 387. You undergo too strict a paradox,] You undertake a paradox too hard.

Line 421.

JOHNSON.

-sin's extremest gust;] Gust, for aggravation. WARBURTON.

Gust is here in its common sense; the utmost degree of appe

tite for sin.

JOHNSON.

Line 422. by mercy, 'tis most just.] The meaning is, Homicide in our own defence, by a merciful and lenient interpretation of the laws, is considered as justifiable.

MALONE. Line 438. Is a sworn rioter:] A sworn rioter is a man who practises riot, as if he had by an oath made it his duty. JOHNS. Line 451. your reverend ages love

Security, I'll pawn, &c.] He charges them ob

liquely with being userers.

ACT III. SCENE VI.

JOHNSON.

Line 499. Upon that were my thoughts tiring,] A hawk, I think, is said to tire, when she amuses herself with pecking a pheasant's wing, or any thing that puts her in mind of prey. To tire upon a thing, is therefore, to be idly employed upon it. JOHNS. Line 589. Is your perfection.] Your perfection, is the highest of your excellence. JOHNSON,

Line 595.

596.

time's flies,] Flies of a season. JOHNSON. minute-jacks!] Sir Thomas Hanmer thinks it means Jack-a-lantern, which shines and disappears in an instant. What it was I know not; but it was something of quick motion, mentioned in King Richard III. JOHNSON.

A minute-jack is what was called formerly a Jack of the clockhouse; an image whose office was the same as one of those at St. Dunstan's church in Fleet Street, STEEVENS.

Line 597.

the infinite malady-] Every kind of disease

incident to man and beast.

JOHNSON.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

Line 22. yet confusion -] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, let confusion; but the meaning may be, though by such confusion all things seem to hasten to dissolution, yet let not dissolution come, but the miseries of confusion continue. JOHNSON.

ACT IV. SCENE II.

Enter Flavius.] Nothing contributes more to the exaltation of Timon's character than the zeal and fidelity of his servants. Nothing but real virtue can be honoured by domestics; nothing but impartial kindness can gain affection from dependants. JOHNSON.

Line 85. - Strange, unusual blood.] Throughout these plays blood is frequently used in the sense of natural propensity or disposition.

MALONE.

ACT IV. SCENE III.

Line 99. this sublunary world. Line 104.

-below thy sister's orb] That is, the moon's,

-Not nature,

JOHNSON.

To whom all sores lay siege, can bear great fortune, But by contempt of nature.] The meaning I take to be this: Brother, when his fortune is enlarged, will scorn brother; for this is the general depravity of human nature, which, besieged as it is by misery, admonished as it is of want and imperfection, when elevated by fortune, will despise beings of nature like its own. JOHNSON.

Line 110. It is the pasture lards the brother's sides,] The meaning of the passage is,-It is the land alone which each man possesses that makes him rich, and proud, and flattered; and the want of it, that makes him poor, and an object of contempt. I suppose, with Dr. Johnson, that Shakspeare was still thinking. of the rich and poor brother already described. MALONE.

Line 115.

degree.

Line 122.

for every grize of fortune-] Grize for step or

РОРЕ.

-fang mankind!] To fang means to gripe, to

seize upon.