Stockdale's Edition of Shakespeare

The former man may make him: Bring us to him, | And take our goodly aged men by the beards, And chance it as it may.

Flav. Here is his cave.

Peace and content be here! Lord Timon! Timon! Look out, and speak to friends: The Athenians, By two of their most reverend fenate, greet thee: Speak to them, noble Timon.

Enter Timon.

Giving our holy virgins to the stain

Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war;
Then let him know, and tell him, Timon fpeaks it,
In pity of our aged, and our youth,

I cannot chufe but tell him, that-I care not,
And let him take't at worst; for their knives care
not,

Tim. Thou fun, that comfort'st, burn! Speak, While you have throats to answer: for myself,

Toward thee, forgetfulness too general, gross:
And now the publick body,-which doth seldom
Play the recanter,-feeling in itself

A lack of Timon's aid, hath fense withal
Of its own fall, restraining aid to Timon ;
And fends forth us, to make their forrowed ren-
der 2,

Together with a recompence more fruitful
Than their offence can weigh down by the dram;
Ay, even fuch heaps and fums of love and wealth,
As fhall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs,
And write in thee the figures of their love,
Ever to read them thine.

Tim. You witch me in it;

Surprize me to the very brink of tears:
Lend me a fool's heart, and a woman's eyes,
And I'll beweep these comforts, worthy fenators.
I Sen. Therefore, so please thee to return with
And of our Athens (thine, and ours) to take [us,
The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd 3 with abfolute power, and thy good name
Live with authority :-so soon shall we drive back
Of Alcibiades the approaches wild ;
Who, like a boar too favage, doth root up
His country's peace.

2 Sen. And thakes his threat'ning fword

Against the walls of Athens.

1 Sen. Therefore, Timon,-

There's not a whittle 4 in the unruly camp,

But I do prize it at my love, before

The reverend'ft throat in Athens. So I leave you
To the protection of the profperous gods,
As thieves to keepers.

Flav. Stay not, all's in vain.

Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph, It will be seen to-morrow; My long sickness Of health, and living, now begins to mend, And nothing brings me all things. Go, live ftill; Be Alcibiades your plague, you his, And laft fo long enough!

I Sen. We speak in vain.

Tim. But yet I love my country; and am not One that rejoices in the common wreck, As common bruit doth put it.

1 Sen. That's well spoke.

Tim, Commend me to my loving countrymen,→→

I Sen. These words become your lips as they país through them.

[ers

2 Sen. And enter in our ears, like great triumphIn their applauding gates.

Tim. Commend me to them;

And tell them, that, to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hoftile ftrokes, their aches, loffes,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragil veffel doth sustain
In life's uncertain voyage, I will fome kindness
do them :-

I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath. 2 Sen. I like this well, he will return again. Tim. I have a tree, which grows here in my

clofe,

That mine own ufe invites me to cut down,
And shortly must I fell it: Tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the fequence of degree 5,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To ftop affliction, let him take his hafte,
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
And hang himfelf:-I pray you, do my greeting.
Flav. Trouble him no further, thus you ftill

fhall find him.

Tim. Come not to me again: but fay to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting mansion
Upon the beached verge of the falt flood,

Tim. Well, fir, I will; therefore I will, fir; Which once a day with his emboffed froth 6

Thus,

If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,

The turbulent furge fhall cover; thither come, And let my grave-stone be your oracle.-Lips, let four words go by, and language end: That-Timon cares not. But if he lack fair What is amifs, plague and infection mend!

Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,

[Athens,

The Athenians had fenfe, that is, felt the danger of their own fall, by the arms of Alcibiades. 2 Render is confeffion. 3 Allowed is licenfed, privileged, uncontrolled. 4 A whittle is ftill in the midland counties the common name for a pocket clafp knife, fuch as children use. 5 i.e. from highest 6 We have before observed, that when a deer was run hard, and foamed at the mouth,

to lowest.

he was laid to be emboss'd.

2 Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring not

Our fufferance vainly: Now the time is flush3,
When crouching marrow 4, in the bearer ftres
Cries of itself, No more: now breathlefs wrong
Shall fit and pant in your great chairs of eafe;
And purfy infolence fhall break his wind,
With fear, and horrid flight.

1 Sen. Noble and young,

Mef. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend ;--When thy first griefs were but a meer conceit, Who, though in general part we were oppos'd,

Yet our old love made a particular force,

Ere thou hadft power, or we had caufe to fear,
We fert to thee; to give thy rages balm,

And made us speak like friends :—this man was To wipe out our ingratitudes with loves

riding

Above their 5 quantity.

2 Sen. So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our city's love,
By humble meffage, and by promis'd means;
We were not all unkind, nor all deferve
The common ftroke of war.

1 Sen. These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands, from whom
You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they ruch,
That thefe great towers, trophies, and tchools
fhould fall

For private faults in them.

2 Sen. Nor are they living,

Who were the motives that you first went out;
Shame, that they wanted cunning, in excets
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread :
By decimation, and a tithed death,
(If thy revenges hunger for that food,
Which nature loaths) take thou the deitin'd terh;
And by the hazard of the fpotted die,
Let die the fpotted.

1 Sen. All have not offended;

For thofe that were, it is not fquare 7, to take,

I cannot read; the character I'll take with wax; On thofe that are, revenges: crimes, like Larb,
Our captain hath in every figure skill;

An ag'd interpreter, though young in days :
Before proud Athens he's fet down by this,
Whofe fall the mark of his ambition is.

Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin,
[Exit.\Which, in the blufter of thy wrath, muit fail

+ The

I Dr. Warburton obferves, that dear, in the language of that time, fignified dread, and is found by Shakspeare in numberlefs places. Mr. Steevens fays, that dear may in this inftance fignify iss diate; and that it is an enforcing epithet with nit always a diftin&t meaning. 2 Arms acrois SA bird is flush when his feathers are grown, and he can leave the neft. Flash means mature. marrow was fuppofed to be the original of flrength. The image is from a camel kneeling to take up his load, who rifes immediately when he finds he has as much laid on as he can bear. refers to rages. The meaning is, "Shame in excess (i. e. extremity of fhame) that they ware cunning (ie. that they were not wife enough not to banish you) hath broke their hearts."" not regular, not equitable.

Enter a Soldier.

Sol. My noble general, Timon is dead; Entomb'd upon the very hem o' the sea : And, on his grave-ftone, this infculpture; which With wax I brought away, whose soft impreffion Interpreteth for my poor ignorance.

[Alcibiades reads the epitaph.]

Here lies a wretched corfe, of wretched foul bereft & Seek not my name: A plague confume you wicked caitiff's left!

Here lie I Timon; who, alive, all living men did bate:

Pafs by, and curfe thy fill; but pass, and flay not bere thy gait.

Thefe well exprefs in thee thy latter spirits:
Though thou abhor'dst in us our human griefs,
Scorn'dft our brain's flow 2, and those our drop-
lets which

From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit
Taught thee to make vaft Neptune weep for aye
On thy low grave.--On :-Faults forgiven.-Dead
Is noble Timon; of whofe memory

Hereafter more.-Bring me into your city,
And I will use the olive with my fword :
Make war breed peace; make peace ftint war;

1i. c. unguarded gates.

2 Our brain's flow is our tears.

3 i. e. physician.

TITUS

TITUS ANDRONICUS, a noble Roman, General AARON, a Moor, belov'd by Tamora.

against the Goths.

Captain, from Titus's Camp.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS, Tribune of the People, and EMILIUS, a Melenger.

Brother to Titus.

Young Lucius, a Boy, Son to Lucius.

Goths, and Romans.

Clown.

TAMORA, Queen of the Goths, and afterwards married to Saturninus.

LAVINIA, Daughter to Titus Andronicus.

PUBLIUS, Son to Marcus the Tribune, and Nephew Nurfe, with a Black-a-moor Child.

to Titus Andronicus.

Senators, Judges, Officers, Soldiers, and other Attendants.
SCENE, Rome; and the Country near it.

SCENE I.

Before the Capitol in Rome.

ACTI.

If ever Baffianus, Cæfar's fon,

Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome,
Keep then this paffage to the Capitol ;

Enter the Tribunes and Senators aloft, as in the Se-And fuffer not dishonour to approach nate. Then enter Saturninus and bis followers, The imperial feat, to virtue confecrate, at one door; and Baffianus and his followers at To juftice, continence, and nobility : the other; with drum and colours. But let defert in pure election fhine; And, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice. Enter Marcus Andronicus aloft, with the Crown. Mar. Princes, that strive by factions, and by friends,

Sat.

NOB

[OBLE patricians, patrons of my right,
Defend the juftice of my caufe with

arms;

And, countrymen, my loving followers,
Plead my fucceffive title with your fwords:
I am his first-born son, that was the laft
That ware the imperial diadem of Rome;
Then let my father's honours live in me,
Nor wrong mine age with this indignity.
Baf. Romans,—friends, followers, favourers of Chofen Andronicus, furnamed Pius

Ambitioufly for rule and empery!
Know, that the people of Rome, for whom we
ftand,

my right,

A fpecial party, have, by common voice,
In election for the Roman empery,

For many good and great deserts to Rome;

I Mr. Theobald fays, This is one of thofe plays which he always thought, with the better judges, ought not to be acknowledged in the lift of Shakspeare's genuine pieces. Dr. Johnson obferves, That all the editors and critics agree with Mr. Theobald in fuppofing this play fpurious, and that he fees "no reason for differing from them; for the colour of the ftile is wholly different from that of the other plays, and there is an attempt at regular verfification, and artificial clofes, not always inelegant, yet feldom pleafing. The barbarity of the fpectacles, and the general mailacre, which are here exhibited can fcarcely be conceived tolerable to any audience; yet we are told by Jonfon, that they were not only borne, but praifed." Mr. Farmer and Mr. Steevens are alfo of the fame opinion with Dr. Johnson.

A nobler

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Stockdale's Edition of Shakespeare: Including, in One Volume, the Whole of ...