Shakespeare undoubtedly formed this play on the passage in Plutarch's Life of Antony relative to Timon. and not on the twenty-eighth novel of the first volume of Painter's Palace of Pleasure; because he is there merely described as 66 a man-hater, of a strange and beastly nature," without any cause assigned; whereas Plutarch furnished our author with the following hint to work upon : "Antonius forsook the citie, and companie of his friendes,-saying, that he would lead Timon's life, because he had the like wrong offered him, that was offered unto Timon; and for the unthankfulness of those he had done good unto, and whom he tooke to be his friendes, he was angry with all men, and would trust no man.

To the manuscript play mentioned by Mr. Steevens, our author, I have no doubt, was also indebted for some other circumstances. Here he found the faithful steward, the banquet-scene, and the story of Timon's being possessed of great sums of gold which he had dug up in the woods a circumstance which he could not have had from Lucian, there being then no translation of the dialogue that relates to this subject.

Spon says, there is a building near Athens, yet remaining, called Timon's Tower.

Timon of Athens was written, I imagine, in the year 1610. See An Attempt to ascertain the order of Shakespeare's Plays, Vol. II.

MALONE.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

TIMON, a noble Athenian.

LUCIUS,

LUCULLUS, lords, and flatterers of Timon.

SEMPRONIUS,

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,*

} mistresses to Alcibiades.

TIMANDRA, S

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

SCENE, Athens; and the woods adjoining.

* Phrynia, (or as this name should have been written by Shakespeare, Phryne,) was an Athenian courtezan so exquisitely beautiful, that when her judges were proceeding to condemn her for numerous and enormous offences, a sight of her bosom (which, as we learn from Quintilian, had been artfully denuded by her advocate,) disarmed the court of its severity, and secured her life from the sentence of the law.

STEEVENS.

ACT I.

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

GOOD day, sir.

Poet.

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,1 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? Jew. If he will touch the estimate :3 But, for thatPoet. When we for recompense have prais'd the vile, It stains the glory in that happy verse

Which aptly sings the good.*

Mer. 'Tis a good form.

[Looking at the jewel.

Jew. And rich: here is a water, look you.

Pain. You are rapt, sir, in some work, some dedication

To the great lord.

Poet. A thing slipp'd idly from me.

Our poesy is as a gum, which oozes

[1] Breathed, is inured by constant practice; so trained as not to be wearied. Το breathe a horse is to exercise him for the course.

[2] Exceeds, goes beyond common bounds.

[3] Come up to the price.

JOHNSON.

JOHNSON.
STEEVENS.

We must here suppose the poet busy in reading his own work; and that these three lines are the introduction of the poem addressed to Timon, which he afterwards gives the Painter an account of WARBURTON.