I'll through and through you! And thou, great-siz'd

coward!

No space of earth shall sunder our two hates;
I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still,
That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy thoughts.-
Strike a free march to Troy!-with comfort
Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.

go: [Exeunt Æneas and Trojans.

AS TROILUS is going out, enter, from the other side,

PANDARUS.

Pan. But hear you, hear you!

Tro. Hence, broker lackey! ignomy and shame Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name!

[Exit Troilus. Pan. A goodly med'cine for my aching bones!-O world! world! world! thus is the poor agent despised! O traitors and bawds, how earnestly are you set a' work, and how ill requited! Why should our endeavour be so loved, and the performance so loathed? what verse for it? what instance for it?-Let me see :

Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing,
Till he hath lost his honey, and his sting:
And being once subdu'd in armed tail,
Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.-

Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted cloths.

As many as be here of panders' hall,

Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar's fall:
Or, if you cannot weep, yet give some groans,
Though not for me, yet for your aching bones.
Brethren, and sisters, of the hold-door trade,
Some two months hence my will shall here be made :
It should be now, but that my fear is this,—
Some galled goose of Winchester would hiss:
Till then I'll sweat and seek about for eases;
And, at that time, bequeath you my diseases.

[Exit.

This play is more correctly written than most of Shakspeare's compositions, but it is not one of those in which either the extent of his views or elevation of his fancy is fully displayed. As the story abounded with materials, he has exerted little invention; but he has diversified his characters with great variety, and preserved them with great exactness. His vicious characters disgust, but cannot corrupt, for both Cressida and Pardarus are detested and contemned. The comic characters seem to have been the favourites of the writer: they are of the superficial kind, and exhibit more of manners than nature; but they are copiously filled, and powerfully impressed. Shakspeare bas in his story followed, for the greater part, the old book of Caxton, which was then very popular; but the character of Thersites, of which it makes no mention, is a proof that this play was written after Chapman had published bis version of Homer. JOHNSON.

C. Whittingham Printer, Chiswick.

Timon, a noble Athenian.

Lucius,

Lucullus,
Sempronius,

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

Lords, and Flatterers of Timon.

}

Ventidius, one of Timon's false Friends.
Apemantus, a churlish Philosopher.
Alcibiades, an Athenian General.
Flavius, Steward to Timon.

Two Servants of Varro, and the Servant of Isidore; two of Timon's Creditors.

Cupid, and Maskers. Three Strangers.
Poet, Painter, Jeweller, and Merchant.
An old Athenian. A Page. A Fool.

Phrynia,

Timandra,

Mistresses to Alcibiades.

Other Lords, Senators, Officers, Soldiers, Thieves, and

Attendants.

SCENE, Athens; and the Woods adjoining.

SCENE I. ATHENS. A Hall in TIMON's House. Enter Poet, Painter, Jeweller, Merchant, and others, at several Doors.

Poet. GOOD day, sir.

Pain.

I am glad you are well. Poet. I have not seen you long; How goes the world? Pain. It wears, sir, as it grows.

Poet. Ay, that's well known : But what particular rarity? what strange, Which manifold record not matches? See, Magic of bounty! all these spirits thy power Hath conjur'd to attend. I know the merchant. Pain. I know them both: t'other's a jeweller. Mer. O, 'tis a worthy lord!

Jew.

Nay, that's most fix'd.

Mer. A most incomparable man; breath'd, as it were, To an untirable and continuate goodness:

He passes.

Jew. I have a jewel here.

Mer. O, pray, let's see't: For the lord Timon, sir?