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TIMON OF ATHENS.

HISTORICAL NOTICE

OF

TIMON OF ATHENS.

No printed edition anterior to the folio of 1623 has yet been discovered of this tragedy, which abounds with perplexed, obscure, and corrupt passages. The year 1610 is conjectured by Malone as the most probable date of its production, while Dr. Drake and Mr. Chalmers suppose it to have been written as early as 1601 or 1602.

Shakspeare is thought to have derived some of his materials for this drama from the perusal of a novel in Painter's Palace of Pleasure, and from a very slight notice of Timon in Plutarch's Life of Antony, translated by Sir Thomas North. The late celebrated engraver, Mr. Strutt, had, however, a manuscript play on this subject, which appeared to have been written or transcribed about the year 1600, in which was a scene resembling Timon's feast in the third act of this drama; though, instead of warm water, the guests are served with stones painted like artichokes, with which they are driven out of the room: which incident our author is supposed to have had in mind when he made his fourth Lord say,

One day he gives us diamonds, next day stones.

In the old play Timon then retires to the woods, attended by his faithful steward Laches, who disguises

himself that he may continue his services to his master; and in the last act the recluse is followed by his inconstant mistress, Callimela, and others, who had heard that he had discovered a treasure in digging; features likewise adopted in the present tragedy, in which, however, all these hints have been incomparably improved and expanded; the original being a very inferior production, though, from the Greek frequently introduced, apparently the work of a scholar.

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'The play of Timou,' says Dr. Johnson, is a domestic tragedy, and therefore fastens on the attention of the reader. In the plan there is not much art, but the incidents are natural, and the characters various and exact. The catastrophe affords a very powerful warning against that ostentatious liberality, which scatters bounty, but confers no benefits; and buys flattery, but not friendship.'

ARGUMENT.

An opulent citizen of Athens, named Timon, expends the whole of his possessions in the service of his country and pretended friends, who enrich themselves by encouraging the indiscriminate profusion of their patron. The approach of poverty and the desertion of his flatterers at length open the eyes of the deluded Timon; and he resolves to express his sense of their ingratitude at a repast, where nothing is provided but hot water, with which he besprinkles his affrighted guests. He now abjures all human intercourse, and seeks an asylum in the woods, where he subsists on the roots of the earth, in digging for which he discovers a large treasure in gold. This acquisition enables him to reward the fidelity of his steward Flavius, who adheres to the broken fortunes of his master; while a considerable sum is appropriated to the service of Alcibiades, who was at that period laying siege to Athens, with the intention of chastising the arrogance of the senate, which had ungratefully repaid his past services by a sentence of perpetual exile. The unfortunate misanthrope is soon after discovered in his cave deprived of life, and the Athenians surrender their city, after procuring favorable terms from their appeased conqueror.

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