Be Alcibiades your plague, you his, And last so long enough! 1 Sen. We speak in vain. Go, live From Alciabiades to Timon's cave, With letters of entreaty, which imported His fellowship i'the cause against your city, Enter SENATORS from TIMON. 1 Sen. Here come our brothers. 2 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.fing, Doth choke the air with dust: in and prepare ; Our's is the fall, I fear; our foes, the snare. Tim. But yet I love my country and am not The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful scourOne that rejoices in the common wreck, As common bruit doth put it. 1 Sen. That's well spoke. Tim. Commend me to my loving country 2 Sen. I like this well, he will return again. Tim. I have a tree, which grows here in my close, That mine own use invites me to cut down, Flav. Trouble him no further, thus you still shall find him. Tim. Come not to me again: but say to Timon hath made his everlasting mansion Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done bis 2 Sen. Our hope in him is dead let us re turn, And strain what other means is left unto us In our dear ¶ peril. 3 Sen. It requires swift foot. [Exeunt. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-The Woods.-TIMON's Cave, and a Tomb-stone seen. Enter a SOLDIER, seeking TIMON. Sol. By all description this should be the place. Who's here? speak, ho!-No answer?-What is this? Timon is dead, who hath outstretch'd his span : Some beast rear'd this; there does not live a man. Dead, sure; and this his grave. What's on this tomb I cannot read; the character Our captain hath in every figure skill; [Exit. SCENE V.-Before the Walls of Athens. Trumpets sound. Enter ALCIBIADES, and Forces. Alcib. Sound to this coward and lascivions town Our terrible approach. [A Parley sounded. Enter SENATORS on the Walls. Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious measure, making your wills The scope of justice; till now, myself, and such As slept within the shadow of your power, Have wander'd with our travers'd arms, and breath'd, Our sufferance vainly: Now the time is flush ↑ 1 Sen. Noble and young, 2 Sen. So did we woo Transformed Timon to our city's love, By humble message, and by promis'd means; t 1 Sen. These walls of ours Were not erected by their hands, from whom You have receiv'd your griefs: nor are they such, Than these great towers, trophies, and schools should 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 excess 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 destin'd tenth; And by the hazard of the spotted die, 1 Sen. All have not offended; 2 Sen. What thou wilt, Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile. Than hew to't with thy sword. 1 Sen. Set but thy foot Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope: 2 Sen. Throw thy glove. Or any token of thine honour else, That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress, Alcib. Then there's my glove; Both. 'Tis most nobly spoken. Alcib. Descend, and keep your words. The SENATORs descend, and open the Gates. Enter a SOLDIER. Sold. My noble general, Timon is dead; Entomb'd upon the very hem o'the sea: And on his grave-stone, this insculpture; which With wax I brought away, whose soft impressio Interprets for my poor ignorance. Alcib. [Reads.] Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft: Seek not my name: A plague consume you wicked caitiff's left! Here lie I Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate: Pass by, and curse thy fill; but pass, and stay not here thy gait. These well express in thee thy latter spirits: From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit Prescribe to other, as each other's leech. [Exeunt. PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE. LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THIS play, the authorship of which has been much disputed, was probably written about the year 1606. Pope ranks it among the wretched pieces," which cannot be attributed to Shakspeare; but Malone, who divided it into scenes, considers the internal evidence, (such as the congenial sentiments, the situation of the persons, the colour of the style, and the similitude of its expressions, to passages in his undisputed dramas) suffici ently decisive as to his having written the last three acts, and occasional portions of the preceding two. Indeed, unless it be considered as the production of some inferior playwright, amended by Shakspeare, an earlier date must be assigned to its production, than acknowledged authorities will warrant; for no play in the English language is so incorrect as this---the metre is seldom attended to---verse is frequently printed as prose---and the grossest errors appear throughout. With all these faults, however, it is mentioned as a very popular per formance; and may still be read with pleasure; for it abounds with situations of difficulty and danger, is full of bustle and vivacity, the interest never lags, and the results are all gratifying. Some of the dialogues are nevertheless gross and nonsensical---those which take place in the brothel are superlatively disgusting, nor can they be excusedby the moral intended to be drawn from them. Steevens, upon this portion, has judiciously remarked, that Marina, who is designed for a character of juvenile innocence, appears much too knowing in the impurities of a brothel; nor are her expressions more chastised than her ideas. The unities of time and place are equally outraged the action of the piece is alternately occurring at Antioch in Syria---Tyre in Phoenicia--Tarsus in Cilicia---Mitylene in the island of Lesbos---and Ephesus the capital of Ionia. The story on which the play is founded, is of great antiquity; but the dramatic hero bears no resemblance to his great Athenian namesake. It is taken from the history of Appolonius, king of Tyre, in the Gesta Romanorum, a very old book; which is also related by Gower, in his Confessio Amantis, a poem. Many incidents of the play may be found in the latter work, and even a few of its particular expressions; and, therefore, as Gower himself is introduced, (like the chorus of old) it is reasonable to suppose that Shakspeare chiefly followed the work of that poet. ACT I. Enter GowER. Before the Palace of Antioch. To sing a song of old was sung, To glad your ear, and please your eyes. When wit's more ripe, accept my raymes, I life would wish and that I might, (I tell you what mine authors say :) • Wife, the word signifies a mate or companiofi. † Accounted. |