THE Life of Tymon of Athens' was first published | lations of the mad-house, in the play and in the picture in the folio collection of 1623. The text, in this first edition, has no division into acts and scenes. We have reason to believe that, with a few exceptions, it is accurately printed from the copy which was in the possession of Heininge and Condell; and we have judged it important to follow that copy with very slight variations. In our fuller editions we have entered into a minute examination of this play, for the purpose of expressing our belief that it was founded by Shakspere upon some older play, of which much has been retained; and that our poet's hand can only be traced with certainty in those scenes in which Timon appears. The Timon of Shakspere is not the Timon of the popular stories of Shakspere's day. The 28th novel of The Palace of Pleasure' has for its title "Of the strange and beastly nature of Timon of Athens, enemy to mankind." According to this authority, "he was a man but by shape only "-he lived a beastly and churlish life." Neither was the Timon of Plutarch the Timon of Shakspere. The Greek biographer, indeed, tells us, that he was angry with all men, and would trust no man, "for the unthankfulness of those he had done good uuto, and whom he took to be his friends;" but that he was represented as “a viper and malicious man unto mankind, to shun all other men's companies but the company of young Alcibiades, a bold and insolent youth." The Timon of Plutarch, and of the popular stories of Shakspere's time, was little different from the ordinary cynic. The Timon of Shakspere is in many respects essentially different from any model with which we are acquainted, but it approaches nearer, as Mr Skottowe first observed, to the Timon of Lucian than the commentators have pointed out. The character of Shakspere's misanthrope presents one of the most striking creations of his originality. The vices of Shakspere's Timon are not the vices of a sensualist. It is true that his offices have been oppressed with riotous feeders, that his vaults have wept with drunken spilth of wine,-that every room are described with almost equal force and nature." "No villainous bounty yet hath pass'd my heart. In his splendid speech to Apemantus in the fourth act, "Hadst thou, like us, from our first swath, proceeded The all-absorbing defect of Timon-the root of those With this key to Timon's character, appears to us that we may properly understand the “general and exceptless rashness" of his misanthropy. The only relations in which he stood to mankind are utterly destroyed. In lavishing his wealth as if it were a common property, he had believed that the same common property would flow back to him in his hour of ad "Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray d with minstrelsy." But he has nothing selfish in the enjoyment of his prodigality and his magnificence. He himself truly expresses the weakness as well as the beauty of his own character: " Why, I have often wished myself poorer, that I might come nearer to you. We are born to do benefits, and what better or properer can we call our own, than the riches of our friends? O, what a pre-versity. "O, you gods, think I, what need we have cious comfort 't is, to have so many, like brothers, commanding one another's fortunes!" Charles Lamb, in his contrast between 'Timon of Athens' and Hogarth's 'Rake's Progress,' has scarcely done justice to Timon: "The wild course of riot and extravagance, ending in the one with driving the Prodigal from the society of men into the solitude of the deserts; and, in the other, with conducting Hogarth's Rake through his several stages of dissipation into the still more complete deso- ' and certainly from his misanthropy. any friends, if we should never have need of them? they were the most needless creatures living, should we ne'er have use for them: and would most resemble sweet instruments hung up in cases, that keep their sounds to themselves." His false confidence is at once, and irr parably, destroyed. If Timon had possessed one friend with whom he could have interchanged confidence upon equal terms, he would have been saved from his fall, 6 TIMON OF ATHEN S. PERSONS REPRESENTED. Act II. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 4. Act IV. sc. 2; sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. FLAMINIUS, servant to Timon. Act III. sc. 1; sc. 4. LUCILIUS, servant to Timon. SERVILIUS, servant to Timon. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 2; sc. 4. CAPHIS, servant to Timon's creditors. PHILOTUS, servant to Timon's creditors. TITUS, servant to Timon's creditors. Appears, Act III. sc. 4. LUCIUS, servant to Timon's creditors. HORTENSIUS, servant to Timon's creditors. Two Servants of Varro, a creditor of Timon, A Servant of Isidore, a creditor of Timon. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1. Jeweller. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. PHRYNIA, a mistress to Alcibiades. Appears, Act IV. sc. 3. TIMANDRA, a mistress to Alcibiades. Other Lords, Senators, Officers, Soldiers, Banditti SCENE, ATHENS, AND THE WOODS ADJOINING. ACT I. SCENE I-Athens. A Hall in Timon's House. Enter Poet, Painter, Jeweller, Merchant, and others, at several doors. I am glad you are well. Poet. Good day, sir. Ay, that 's well known: Nay, that 's most fix'd. a Breath'd. When Hamlet says, "It is the breathing time of day with me,' he refers to the time of habitual exercise, by which his animal exertion. goodstrength was fitted for "untirable and continuate The analogy between this and the habitual exercise of " is obvious. hess' He passes-be excels, he goes beyond common virtues. a The poet is here supposed to be reading his own perform ance. This passage has been considered diff cult, but if we receive bound in the sense of boundary, obstacle, the image is tolerably clear. I have, in this rough work, shap'd out a man Pain. How shall I understand you? Pain. Pain. Poet. Make sacred even his stirrup, and through him Pain. Ay, marry, what of these? Poet. When Fortune, in her shift and change of mood, Spurns down her late belov'd, all his dependants, A thousand moral paintings I can show, That shall demonstrate these quick blows of fortune's Trumpets sound. Enter TIMON, attended; the Ser- Tim. debt; His means most short, his creditors most strait: Your honourable letter he desires To those have shut him up; which failing to him, Periods his comfort. Tim. Noble Ventidius! Well; I am not of that feather to shake off [Erit. Old Ath. Lord Timon, hear me speak. Old Ath. Most noble Timon, call the man before thee. Tim. Attends he here, or no?-Lucilius! Enter LUCILIUS. Luc. Here, at your lordship's service. creature, By night frequents my house. I am a man That from my first have been inclined to thrift; And my estate deserves an heir more rais'd Than one which holds a trencher. Tim. Well; what further! Tim. It must not bear my daughter. Tim. Does she love him? Old Ath. She is young, and apt: Our own precedent passions do instruct us What levity 's in youth. Tim. [To LUCILIUS] Love you the maid? True, The following is Coleridge's explanation of this passage "The meaning of the first line the poet himself explains, et rather unfo.ds, in the second. The man is honest! and for that very cause, and with no additional or extrinsic motive, he will be so. No man can be justly called honest who is not so for honesty's sake, itself including its own reward.'' SCENE 1. TIMON OF ATHENS. Luc. Ay, my good lord, and she accepts of it. Tim. How shall she be endow'd, If she be mated with an equal husband? Old Ath. Three talents, on the present; in future, all. Tim. This gentleman of mine hath serv'd me long; To build his fortune I would strain a little, For 't is a bond in men. Give him thy daughter: What you bestow, in him I'll counterpoise, And make him weigh with her. Old Ath. Most noble lord, Pawn me to this your honour, she is his. Tim. My hand to thee; mine honour on my pro mise. Luc. Humbly I thank your lordship: Never may That state or fortune fall into my keeping, Which is not ow'd to you! [Exeunt LUCILIUS and Old Athenian. Poet. Vouchsafe my labour, and long live your lordship! Tim. I thank you; you shall hear from me anon: Go not away.-What have you there, my friend? Pain. A piece of painting, which I do beseech Your lordship to accept. Tim. Painting is welcome. Pain. The gods preserve you! Jero. What, my lord? dispraise? Jew. My lord, 't is rated As those which sell would give: But you well know Tim. Well mock'd. Mer. No, my good lord; he speaks the common tongue, Which all men speak with him. Tim. Look, who comes here. Will you be chid? Jero. We will bear with your lordship. When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves honest. Tim. Why dost thou call them knaves? thou know'st them not. Apem. Are they not Athenians? Tim. Yes. Apem. Then I repent not. Jew. You know me, Apemantus. Apem. Thou know'st I do; I called thee by thy name. Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus. Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the law. Tim. Wrought he not well that painted it? Apem. Thy mother 's of my generation: What s Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus? Tim. What, thyself? Apem. Ay. Tim. Wherefore? Apem. That I had no angry wit to be a lord.—Art not thou a merchant? Mer. Ay, Apemantus. Apem. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not ! Apem. Traffic 's thy god, and thy god confound thee! Trumpets sound. Enter a Servant. Tim. What trumpet 's that? Serv. T is Alcibiades, and some twenty horse, Tim. Pray entertain them; give them guide to us.- Apem. Of nothing so much as that I am not like In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in. Right welcome, sir. [Exeunt all but APEMANTCS Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding; make thy requests to thy friend. 2 Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll spurn thee hence. Apem. I will fly, like a dog, the heels of the ass. [Exit. 1 Lord. He's opposite to humanity. Come, shall we in, And taste lord Timon's bounty? he outgoes 2 Lord. He pours it out; Plutus, the god of gold, Is but his steward: no meed, but he repays Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him, But breeds the giver a return exceeding 1 Lord. The noblest mind he carries, That ever govern'd man. 2 Lord. Long may he live in fortunes! Shall we in? 1 Lord. I'll keep you company. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The same. A Room of State in Timon's House. Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet served in; FLAVIUS and others attending; then enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, LUCIUS, LUCULLUS, SEMPRONIUS, and other Athenian Senators, with VENTIDIUS, and Attendants. Then comes, dropping after all, APEMANTUS, discontentedly. Ven. Most honour'd Timon, It hath pleas'd the gods to remember my father's age, He is gone happy, and has left me rich: To your free heart, I do return those talents, Tim. O, by no means, Honest Ventidius: you mistake my love; I gave it freely ever; and there's none If our betters play at that game, we must not dare [They all stand ceremoniously looking on TIMON. Tim. Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devis'd st first To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes, [They sit. 1 Lord. My lord, we always have confess'd it. I come to have thee thrust me out of doors. there Go, let him have a table by himself; Apem. Let me stay at thine apperil,* Timon; I come to observe; I give thee warning on 't. Tim. I take no heed of thee; thou art an Athenian; therefore welcome: I myself would have no power: prithee, let my meat make thee silent. Apem. I scorn thy meat; 't would choke me, for I should Ne'er flatter thee.-O you gods! what a number I wonder men dare trust themselves with men : Is the readiest man to kill him: it has been prov`d. his tides well. he keeps Those healths will make thee, and thy state, look ill, Here's that, which is too weak to be a sinner, Immortal gods, I crave no pelf; I pray for no man, but myself: Or my friends, if I should need 'em. Rich men sin, and I eat root. [Eats and drinks. Much good dich thy good heart, Apemantus! Tim. Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the field now. Alcib. My heart is ever at your service, my lord. Tim. You had rather be at a breakfast of enemies, than a dinner of friends. Alcib. So they were bleeding-new, my lord, there's no meat like them; I could wish my best friend at such a feast. Apem. 'Would all those flatterers were thine ene mies then; that then thou mightst kill 'em, and bid me to 'em. 1 Lord. Might we but have that happiness, my lord, that you would once use our hearts, whereby we might express some part of our zeals, we should think cur selves for ever perfect. Tim. O, no doubt, my good friends, but the gods themselves have provided that I shall have much help from you: How had you been my friends else! sły have you that charitable title from thousands, did not you chiefly belong to my heart? I have told more ef you to myself, than you can with modesty speak in Apperil. The word repeatedly occurs in Ben Jonson, as in the Tale of a Tub:' "As you will answer it at your apperil." Every guest in our author's time brought his own knife. |