Enter CAPHIS, and the Servants of Ifidore and Varro. CAPH. Good even, Varro:9 What, You come for money? Is't not your business too? 2. Good even, Varro:] It is observable, that this good evening is before dinner: for Timon tells Alcibiades, that they will go forth again, as foon as dinner's done, which may prove that by dinner our author meant not the cana of ancient times, but the mid-day's repast. I do not suppose the passage corrupt: such inadvertencies neither author nor editor can escape. There is another remark to be made. Varro and Ifidore fink a few lines afterwards into the servants of Varro and Ifidore. Whether servants, in our author's time, took the names of their masters, I know not. Perhaps it is a flip of negligence. JOHNSON. In the old copy it stands: "Enter Caphis, Ifidore, and Varro." STEEVENS. In like manner in the fourth scene of the next act the fervant of Lucius is called by his master's name; but our author's intention is fufficiently manifested by the stage-direction in the fourth scene of the third act, where we find in the first folic, (p. 86, col. 2.) " Enter Varro's man, meeting others." I have therefore always annexed Serv. to the name of the master. MALONE. Good even, or, as it is sometimes less accurately written, Good den, was the usual falutation from noon, the moment that Good morrow became improper. This appears plainly from the following passage in Romeo and Juliet, Act II. fc. iv: "Nurse. God ye good morrow, gentlemen. "Merc. 'Tis no less I tell you; for the hand of the dial is now upon the of noon." ..... ..... So, in Hamlet's greeting to Marcellus. Act I. sc. i. Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton, not being aware, I prefume, of this wide sense of Good even, have altered it to Good morning; without any neceffity, as from the course of the incidents, precedent and subsequent, the day may well be supposed to be turn'd of noon. TYRWHITT, ; CAPH. It is; And yours too, Ifidore? CAPH. 'Would we were all discharg'd! CAPH. Here comes the lord. It is fo. I fear it. Enter TIMON, ALCIBIADES, and Lords, &c. TIM. So foon as dinner's done, we'll forth again, My Alcibiades. With me? What's your will? CAPH. My lord, here is a note of certain dues. TIM. Dues? Whence are you? CAPH. Of Athens here, my lord. TIM. Go to my steward. CAPH. Please it your lordship, he hath put me off To the succession of new days this month: My master is awak'd by great occafion, To call upon his own; and humbly prays you, That with your other noble parts you'll fuit, 3 we'll forth again,] i. e. to hunting, from which diversion, we find by Flavius's speech, he was just returned. It may be here observed, that in our author's time it was the custom to hunt as well after dinner as before. Thus, in Laneham's Account of the Entertainment at Kenelworth Castle, we find, that Queen Elizabeth always, while there, hunted in the afternoon. "Monday was hot, and therefore her highness kept in 'till five a clok in the evening; what time it pleaz'd her to ryde forth into the chase, to hunt the hart of fors; which found anon, and after fore chased," &c. Again, "Munday the 18 of this July, the weather being hot, her highness kept the caftle for coolness 'till about five a clok, her majesty in the chase hunted the hart (as before) of forz," &c. So, in Tancred and Gifmund, 1592 : " He means this evening in the park to hunt." REED. 4 That with your other noble parts you'll fuit,] i. e. that you will behave on this occafion in a manner confiftent with your other noble qualities. STEEVENS. In giving him his right. Mine honest friend, I pr'ythee, but repair to me next morning. CAPH. Nay, good my lord, Contain thyself, good friend. VAR. SERV. One Varro's servant, my good lord,- He humbly prays your speedy payment, CAPH. If you did know, my lord, my master's wants, VAR. SERV. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord, fix weeks, And paft, ISID. SERV. Your steward puts me off, my lord; And I am fent expressly to your lordship. TIM. Give me breath: I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on; [Exeunt ALCIBIADES and Lords. I'll wait on you instantly. - Come hither, pray you. [TO FLAVIUS. How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd With clamorous demands of date-broke bonds, 5 He humbly prays your speedy payment,) As our author does not appear to have meant that the fervant of Ifidore should be less civil than those of the other lords, it is natural to conceive that this line, at present imperfect, originally stood thus : He humbly prays your lordship's speedy payment. STEEVENS. of date-broke bonds,] The old copy has: -of debt, broken bonds. Mr. Malone very judiciously reads-date-broken. For the fake of measure I have omitted the last letter of the second word. So, in Much Ado about Nothing: "I have broke [i. e. broken] with her father." STEEVENS. To the present emendation I should not have ventured to give a place in the text, but that some change is absolutely neceffary, And the detention of long-fince-due debts, FLAV. Please you, gentlemen, The time is unagreeable to this business: Your importunacy cease, till after dinner; That I may make his lordship understand Wherefore you are not paid. CAPH. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with Apemantus; let's have some sport with 'em. VAR. SERV. Hang him, he'll abuse us. APEM. No, 'tis to thyself. - Come away. [To the Fool. and this appears to be established beyond a doubt by a former line in the preceding scene: "And my reliances on his fracted dates." The tranfcriber's ear deceived him here as in many other places. Sir Thomas Hanmer and the subsequent editors evaded the difficulty by omitting the corrupted word, debt. MALONE. 1 Enter Apemantus and a Fool.] I suspect some scene to be loft, In which the entrance of the fool, and the page that follows him, was prepared by fome introductory dialogue, in which the audience was informed that they were the fool and page of Phrynia, Timandra, or some other courtefan, upon the knowledge of which depends the greater part of the ensuing jocularity. JOHNSON. ISID. SERV. [To Var. Serv.] There's the fool hangs on your back already. APEM. No, thou stand'st single, thou art not on him yet. CAPH. Where's the fool now? APEM. He last ask'd the question.-Poor rogues, and usurers' men! bawds between gold and want!* ALL. What are we, Apemantus? APEM. Affes. ALL. SERV. Why? APEM. That you ask me, what you are, and do not know yourselves. --Speak to 'em, fool. FOOL. How do you, gentlemen? ALL SERV. Gramercies, good fool: How does your mistress? FOOL. She's e'en setting on water to scald such * Poor rogues, and ufurers' men! bawds &c.] This is faid fo abruptly, that I am inclined to think it misplaced, and would regulate the passage thus : Caph. Where's the fool now? Apem. He last ask'd the question. All. Why? Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do not know yourfelves. Poor rogues, and ufurers' men! bawds between gold and want! Speak &c. Thus every word will have its proper place. it is likely that the passage transposed was forgot in the copy, and inferted in the margin, perhaps a little beside the proper place, which the transcriber wanting either skill or care to observe, wrote it where it now stands. JOHNSON. The transposition proposed by Johnson is unnecessary. Apemantus does not address these words to any of the others, but mutters them to himself; so that they do not enter into the dialogue, or compofe a part of it. M. MASON. |