PHI. I wonder on't; he was wont to fhine at

feven.

LỤC. SERV. Ay, but the days are waxed fhorter with him:

You must confider, that a prodigal courfe
Is like the fun's ;5 but not, like his, recoverable.
I fear,

'Tis deepest winter in lord Timon's purse;
That is, one may reach deep enough, and yet
Find little. 6

PHI.

I am of your fear for that.

a prodigal course

Is like the fun's, That is, like him in blaze and splendor. "Soles occidere & redire poffunt." Catul.

JOHNSON. Theobald and the fubfequent editors, elegantly enough, but without neceffity, read-a prodigal's course We have the fame phrafe as that in the text in the laft couplet of the preceding fcene: "And this is all a liberal courfe allows." MALONE.

6 reach deep enough, and yet

Find little. Still, perhaps, alluding to the effects of winter, during which fome animals are obliged to feek their fcanty pro vilion through a depth of fhow. STEEVENS.

TIT. I'll show you how to obferve a strange event. Your lord fends now for money.

HOR.

Moft true, he does.

TIT. And he wears jewels now of Timon's gift, For which I wait for money.

HOR. It is against my heart.

LUC. SERV.

Mark, how ftrange it shows, Timon in this fhould pay more than he owes: And e'en as if your lord fhould wear rich jewels, And fend for money for 'em.

HOR. I am weary of this charge,' the gods can

witness:

I know, my lord hath spent of Timon's wealth,
And now ingratitude makes it worse than stealth.
1. VAR. SERV. Yes,mine's three thousand crowns:
What's yours?

LUC. SERV. Five thousand mine.

1. VAR. SERV. 'Tis much deep and it fhould
seem by the fum,

Your master's confidence was above mine;
Elfe, furely, his had equall'd.

8

That is, of this commiffion, of

Should it not be, Else, surely,

The meaning of the paffage is evidently and fimply this: Your mafter, it feems, had more confidence in lord Timon than mine, olherwife his fi. e. my mafter's) debt (i. e. the money due do him from Timon) would certainly have been as great as your mafler's (i. c. as the money which Timon owes to your mafter); that is, my mafter being as rich as yours, could and would have advanced Timon as large a fum as your mafter has advanced him, if he (my mafter had thought it prudent to do fo. RITSON.

แ

The meaning may be, The coufidential friendship fubfifting between your mafter [Lucius] and Timon, was greater than that fubfifting between my mafter [Varro] and Timon; elfe furely the

Enter FLAMINIUS.

TIT. One of lord Timon's men.

LUC. SERV. Flaminius! fir, a word: 'Pray, is my lord ready to come forth?

fum borrowed by Timon from your mafter had been equal to, and not greater than, the fum borrowed from mine; and this equality would have been produced by the application made to my master being raised from three thousand crowns to five thousand."

Two fums of unequal magnitude may be reduced to an equality, as well by addition to the leffer fum, as by fubtraction from the greater. Thus, if A. has applied to B. for ten pounds, and to C. for five, and C. requefts that he may lend A. precifely the fame fum as he shall be furnished with by B, this may be done, either by C's augmenting his loan, and lending ten pounds as well as B, or by B's diminishing his loan, and, like C, lending only five pounds. The word of Varro's fervant therefore may mean, Elfe furely the fame Jums bad been borrowed by Timon from both our masters. I have preserved this interpretation, because I once thought it probable, and because it may ftrike others as juft. But the true explication I believe is this (which I alfo formerly propofed). His may refer to mine. "It should feem that the confidential friendfhip fubfifting between your mafter and Timon, was greater than that fubfifting between Timon and my mafter; elle furely his fum, i. e. the fum borrowed from my mafter, [the laft antecedent] had been as large as the fum borrowed from yours."

The former interpretation (though I think it wrong,) I have flated thus precifely, and exa&ly in fubftance as it appeared feveral years ago, (though the expreffion is a little varied,) becaufe a REMARKER [Mr. Ritfon] has endeavoured to reprefent is as unintelligible.

This Remarker, however, it is obfervable, after faying, that be fhall take no notice of fuch fee-faw conje&ures, with great gravity propofes a comment evidently formed on the latter of them, as an original interpretation of his own, on which the reader may fafely rely. MALONE.

It must be perfectly clear, that the Remarker could not be indebted to a note which, fo far as it is intelligible, feems diametrically oppofite to his idea. It is equally fo, that the editor [ Mr. Malone has availed himself of the above Remark, to vary the expreffion of his conjecture, and give it a fenfe it would otherwife never have had. RITSON.

FLAM. No, indeed, he is not.

TIT. We attend his lordfhip; 'pray, fignify fo

much.

FLAM. I need not tell him that; he knows, you are too diligent. [Exit FLAMINIUS.

Enter FLAVIUS in a cloak, muffled.

LUC. SERV. Ha! is not that his fteward muffled fo?

He goes away in a cloud: call him, call him.
TIT. Do you hear, fir?

1. VAR. SERV. By your leave, fir,-
FLAV. What do you afk of me, my friend?
TIT. We wait for certain money, here fir.
FLAV.

Ay,

If money were as certain as your waiting,
'Twere fure enough. Why then preferr'd you not
Your fums and bills, when your false masters eat
Of my lord's meat? then they could fmile, and
fawn

Upon his debts, and take down th' interest
Into their gluttonous maws. You do yourselves but

wrong,

To flir me up; let me pafs quietly:
Believe't, my lord, and I have made an end;
I have no more to reckon, he to spend.

LUC. SERV. Ay, but this anfwer will not ferve.
FLAV.

If 'twill not,9 'Tis not fo bafe as you; for you ferve knaves.

[ Exit.

9 If 'twill not,] Old copy If 'twill not ferue. I have ventured to onit the ufelefs repetition of the verb-ferve, because it injures the metre.

STEEVENS.

1, VAR. SERV. How! what does his cafhier'd worship mutter?

2. VAR. SERV. No matter what; he's poor, and that's revenge enough. Who can fpeak broader than he that has no house to put his head in? such may rail against great buildings.

Enter SERVILIUS. 2

TIT. O, here's Servilius; now we shall know Some answer.

SER.

3

If I might befeech you, gentlemen, To repair fome other hour, I should much Derive from it; for, take it on my foul, My lord leans wond'rously to discontent. His comfortable temper has forfook him; He is much out of health, and keeps his chamber. LUC. SERV. Many do keep their chambers, are not fick :

And, if it be fo far beyond his health, Methinks, he fhould the fooner pay his debts, And make a clear way to the gods.

SER.

Good gods! TIT. We cannot take this for an answer, 4 fir. FLAM. [Within.] Servilius, help!-my lord! my lord!—

Enter Servilius.] It may be observed that Shakspeare has unkilfully filled his Greek ftory with Roman names. JOHNSON.

3

For this flight traufpofition, by which the metre is reftored, I am anfwerable. STEEVENS.

4

- for an answer,] The article an, which is deficient in the ld copy, was fupplied by Sir Thomas Hanmer. STELVENS.