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And fo attending other ferious Matters,

After diftafteful Looks, and these hard Fractions,
With certain Half-caps, and cold-moving Nods,
They froze me into Silence.

Tim. You Gods reward 'em!

I pr'ythee, Man, look cheerly. These old Fellows
Have their Ingratitude in them hereditary;
Their Blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it feldom flows,
And Nature, as its grows again toward Earth,
Is fashion'd for the Journey, dull and heavy.
But be not fad; no Blame belongs to thee:
Thou'rt true and juft. And never doubt, or think
That Timon's Virtues 'mong his Friends can fink.

Flav. Would I could not: That Thought its Bounty's Foe;

Being free itself, it thinks all others fo.

Enter firft Servant.

Tim. Peace, here comes my Meffenger from Lord Lucullus. Well, what Succefs?

I Serv. Soon as I faw my Lord Lucullus; Honeft Friend, fays he, you are very refpectfully welcome. Fill me fome Wine. And how does that honourable, compleat, freehearted Gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good Lord and Master? His Health, faid I, is very well, Sir. I am right glad to hear, quoth he, his Health is well: And what haft thou there under thy Cloak? A Gift, I warrant: Why this hits well, I dreamt of a Silver Bason and Ewer last Night. No, faith, my Lord, fays I, here's nothing but an empty Box, which, in my Lord's behalf, I come to entreat your Honour to fupply; who having great and inftant Occafion to ufe fifty Talents, hath fent to your Lordship to furnish him, nothing doubting your prefent Affiftance therein. Nothing doubting! fays he, with an alter'd Tone and Countenance; alas, good Lord, a noble Gentleman 'tis, if he would not keep fo good a House. Many a time and often I have din'd with him, and told him of it; and came again to Supper with him, on purpose to have him fpend lefs. And yet he would embrace no Counfel, take no Warning by my coming. Every Man hath his Fault, and Honefty is his. I have told him of it, but I could never get him from it. Good Friend, he goes on, I have noted thee always wife; here's to thee. I have obferved thee always for a towardly prompt Spirit, give thee thy Due; and one that knows what belongs to Reafon; and canft ufe the Time well, if the Time ufe thee well. Good.

Parts

Parts in thee.-Draw nearer, honest Friend: Thy Lord's a bountiful Gentleman; but thou art wife, and thou knoweft well enough (altho' thou com'ft to me) that this is no Time to lend Money, especially upon bare Friendship, without Security. Here's three Solidares for thee; good Boy wink at me, and fay thou faw'ft me not.-Is't poffible, quoth I, the World should so much differ? Fly, damned Bafenefs, to him that worfhips thee! (and threw it back with Scorn.) Tim. I thank thee for thy honeft Zeal.

[Enter 2d Servant.] But here

Comes he I sent to Lucius. What fay'ft thou?

2d Serv. My Lord, I faw Lord Lucius, and began to deliver your Meffage to him. May it please your Honour, faid I, my Lord hath fent-Ha! what hath he fent? fays he; I am fo much endear'd to that Lord; he's ever fending: how fhall I thank him, think'ft thou? And what has he fent? He has only fent his prefent Occafion now, my Lord, fays I; requesting your Lordship to fupply his inftant Use with fifty Talents. I know his Lordfhip is but merry with me, quoth he; he cannot want fifty times five hundred Talents. Were his Occafion, I reply'd, lefs preffing, I fhould not urge it half fo fervently. Doft thou fpeak ferioufly then? fays he. Why what a wicked Beaft was I, to disfurnish myfelf against fuch a good Time, when I might have fhewn myself honourable? How unluckily it happen'd that I fhould make a Purchase but a Day before? I am vaftly forry I am not able to do—I was fending to use Lord Timen myfelf, thefe Gentlemen can witnefs; but I would not for the Wealth of Athens, I had done it now. Commend me bountifully to his good Lordfhip; and I hope his Honour will conceive the faireft of me, because I have really no Power to be kind. And tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest Afflictions, that I cannot pleasure fuch an honourable Gentleman.

Tim. And is this all? This the Return for all I've done?But fee my Meffenger from Sempronius. What fays he?

3d Serv. Sempronius, my Lord, after much Hefitation, and muttering to himfelf, cry'd in a furly Tone, Must he needs trouble Me in't?-Me above all others?-He might have try'd Lord Lucius, or Lucullus; and now Ventidius is wealthy too, whom he redeem'd from Prifon: All these owe their Estates unto him. O, my Lord, fays I, they've all been touch'd, and all are found bafe Metal; for they've all deny'd him. How! deny'd him? fays he; Ventidius and Lucullus both deny'd him? And does he fend to me? Hum!--It fhews but little Love or Judgment in him. Muft I be his laft Re

fuge!

fuge? He has much difgrac'd me in it. I'm angry. He might have known my Place; I fee no Caufe, but his Occafions might have woo'd me firft: for in my Confcience I was the firft Man that e'er receiv'd a Present from him. And does he think fo backwardly of me that I'll requite it last? No: fo it may prove an Argument of Laughter to the reft, and I 'mongst Lords be thought a Fool. I'd rather than the Worth of thrice the Sum, he'd fent to me firft, but for my Mind's Sake: I had fuch a Courage to have done him good. But now return,

And with their faint Reply this Answer join,

Who doubts mine Honour, fhall not know my Coin!
Tim. Excellent! a goodly Villain!

Flav. Why, this is the World's Soul;
Of the fame Piece is every Flatterer's Spirit.
O Timon! fee the Monftroufnefs of Man,
When he looks out in an ungrateful Shape!
These Trencher-friends do now deny to thee,
What charitable Men afford to Beggars.

Tim. And is it thus?-This then is Timon's laft.-
Ye Knot of Mouth-friends! Smoke, and lukewarm Water,
Are your true Likeness. Olive loath'd, and long,

Ye fmiling, fmooth, detefted Parafites!

Athens, adieu! Nothing I'll bear from thee
But Nakedness, thou deteftable Town!
Timon will to the Woods, where he fhall find,

Th' unkindeft Beaft more friendly than Mankind.

[Exit in a Rage.

1ft Serv. Hark you, good Steward, where's our Mafter gone?

Are we undone, caft off, nothing remaining?

Flav. Alack, my Fellows, what fhould I fay to you? Let me be recorded by the righteous Gods,

I'm near as poor as you.

1ft Serv. Such a House broke up!

So noble a Mafter fall'n! all gone! and not
One Friend to take his Fortune by the Arm,
And go along with him?

2d Serv. As we do turn our Backs

From our Companion, thrown into his Grave;
So his Familiars from his bury'd Fortunes
Slink all away; leave their falfe Vows with him,
Like empty Purfes pick'd: And his poor Self,
A dedicated Beggar to the Air,

With his Difeafe of all-fhun'd Poverty,

Walks, like Contempt, alone.

3d Serv

3d Serv. Yet do our Hearts wear Timon's Livery,
That fee I by our Faces; we are Fellows ftill,
Serving alike in Sorrow. Leak'd is our Bark,
And we, poor Mates, ftand on the dying Deck,
Hearing the Surges threat.

Flav. Good Fellows all;

The latest of my Wealth I'll fhare amongst you.
Where ever we fhall meet, for Timon's Sake,
Let's yet be Fellows; fhake our Heads, and fay,
(As 'twere a Knell unto our Master's Fortunes)
We have seen better Days.

O the vast Wretchedness that Grandeur brings!
Who'd be fo mock'd with Glory as to live
But in a Dream of Friendship? All his Pomp
But only painted, like his varnifh'd Friends!
Poor honeft Lord! brought low by his own Heart,
Undone by Goodness; ftrange, unusual Mood!
This Man's worst Crime was doing too much Good.

[Exeunt.

SECT. III.

On Writing LETTERS.

FTER Reading and Speaking with Grace and Propriety, the next thing to be confidered, is the Art of Writing Letters; as a great Part of the Commerce of human Life is carry'd on by this means.

The Art of epiftolary Writing, as the late Tranflator of Pliny's Letters has obferv'd, was efteemed by the Romans, in the Number of liberal and polite Accomplishments; and we find Cicero mentioning with great Pleasure in fome of his Letters to Atticus, the elegant Specimen he had receiv'd from his Son, of his Genius in this Way *. It seems indeed to have formed Part of their Education; and in the Opinion of Mr. Locke, it well deferves to have a Share in ours. "The "Writing of Letters (as that judicious Author obferves) enters "fo much into all the Occafions of Life, that no GentleVOL. I. "man

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Ad Att. lxv. 16, 17.

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On Writing LETTERS.

man can avoid fhowing himself in Compofitions of this kind. Occurrences will daily force him to make this Ufse of his "Pen, which lays open his Breeding, his Sense, and his Abi"lities, to a feverer Examination than any oral Discourse.” It is to be wonder'd we have fo' few Writers in our own Language, who deferve to be pointed out as Models upon fuch an Occafion. After having nam'd Sir William Temple, it would be difficult perhaps to add a Second. The elegant Writer of Cowley's Life, mentions him as excelling in this uncommon Talent; but as that Author declares himfelf of Opinion, "That Letters which pafs between familiar Friends, if they are written as they fhould be, can scarce ever be fit to fee "the Light," the World is deprived of what, no doubt, would have been well worth its Inspection. A late diftinguished Genius treats the very Attempt as ridiculous, and profeffes himself "a mortal Enemy to what they call a fine Letter." His Averfion however was not fo ftrong, but he knew how to conquer it when he thought proper, and the Letter which clofes his Correfpor.dence with Bifhop Atterbury, is, perhaps, the most genteel and manly Addrefs that ever was pen'd to a Friend in Difgrace. The Truth is, a fine Letter does not confift in faying fine things, but in expreffing ordinary ones in It is the proprie communia dicere, the Art of giving Grace and Elegance to familiar Occurrences, that conftitutes the Merit of this kind of Writing. Mr. Gay's Letter concerning the two Lovers who were ftruck dead with the fame Flash of Lightning, is a Master-piece of the Sort; and the Specimen he has there given of his Talents for this Species of Compofition, makes it much to be regretted, we have not more from the fame Hand: We might then have equalled, if not excelled, our Neighbours the French in this, as we have in every other Branch of polite Literature, and have found a Name among our own Countrymen to mention with the eafy Voiture.

an uncommon manner,

I will here give you, from our beft Authors in this Way, fome Specimens of Letters of different kinds, as alfo fome Tranflations from the Latin and French, by way of Examples; and I fhall close with an original which I have by me, written to a young Gentleman at School, on the Subject of Writing Letters.

LET

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