to say that: for the defence of a town, our general is excellent.

1 Serv. Ay, and for an affault too.

Enter a third Servant.

peace, as far as day does night; it's fprightly, waking, audible, and full of vent 4. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mull'd 5, deaf, fleepy, infenfible; a getter of more bastard children, than

3 Serv. O, flaves, I can tell you news; news, 5 war's a deftroyer of men. you rafcals.

Both. What, what, what? let's partake.

3 Serv. I would not be a Roman, of all nations, I had as lieve be a condemn'd man.

Both. Wherefore? wherefore?

3 Serv. Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our general, Caius Marcius.

1 Serv. Why do you say, thwack our general? 3 Serv. I do not say, thwack our general; but he was always good enough for him.

2 Serv. Come, we are fellows, and friends: he was ever too hard for him; I have heard him fay fo himself.

2 Serv. 'Tis fo; and as war, in some fort, may be faid to be a ravisher; fo it cannot be denied, but peace is a great maker of cuckolds.

1 Serv. Ay, and it makes men hate one ano

10 ther.

15

1 Serv. He was too hard for him directly, to fay the truth on't: before Corioli, he scotch'd him 20 and notch'd him like a carbonado.

2 Serv. An he had been cannibally given, he might have broil'd and eaten him too.

1 Serv. But, more of thy news?

3 Serv. Reafon; because they then lefs need one another. The wars, for my money. I hope to fee Romans as cheap as Volces.They are rifing, they are rifing.

All. In, in, in, in.

SCENE

VI.

A publice Place in Rome.

Enter Sicinius, and Brutus.

[Exeunt.

Sic. We hear not of him, neither need we fear
him;

His remedies are tame in the present peace
And quietnefs o' the people, which before
Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends
Blufh, that the world goes well; who rather had,
Though they themselves did fuffer by 't, behold
Diffentious numbers pestering streets, than fee
Our tradefmen finging in their shops, and going

3 Serv. Why, he is fo made on here within, as 25
if he were fon and heir to Mars: fet at upper end
o' the table: no question ask'd him by any of the
fenators, but they stand bald before him: Our ge-
neral himself makes a mistress of him; fanctifies
himself with's hand 1, and turns up the white o' the 30 About their functions friendly.
eye to his difcourfe. But the bottom of the news
is, our general is cut i' the middle, and but one
half of what he was yesterday: for the other has
half, by the intreaty and grant of the whole table.
He will go, he says, and fowle2 the porter of 35
Rome gates by the ears: He will mow down all
before him, and leave his paffage poll'd3.

2 Serv. And he's as like to do't, as any man I can imagine.

3 Serv. Do't? he will do't: For, look you, fir, 4 he has as many friends as enemies; which friends, fir, (as it were) durft not (look you, fir) fhew themselves (as we term it) his friends, whilft he's in directitude.

1 Serv. Directitude! What's that?

3 Serv. But when they fhall fee, fir, his creft up again, and the man in blood, they will out of their burrows, like conies after rain, and revel all with him.

1 Serv. But when goes this forward?

3 Serv. To-morrow; to-day; prefently. You fhall have the drum ftruck up this afternoon: 'tis, as it were, a parcel of their feaft, and to be executed ere they wipe their lips.

45

50

2 Serv. Why, then we fhall have a ftirring 55 world again. This peace is nothing, but to ruft iron, encrease tailors, and breed ballad makers.

1 Serv. Let me have war, fay I; it exceeds]

Enter Menenius.

Bra. We ftood to't in good time. Is this Me-
nenius?

Of late.-Hail, fir!
Sic. "Tis he, 'tis he: O, he is grown most kind

Men. Hail to you both!

Sic. Your Coriolanus is not much mifs'd,
But with his friends: the common-wealth doth
ftand;

And fo would do, were he more angry at it.
Men. All's well; and might have been much
He could have temporiz'd.

Sic. Where is he, hear you?

[better, if [wife

Men. Nay, I hear nothing; his mother and his Hear nothing from him.

Enter three or four Citizens.

All. The gods preferve you both!
Sic. Good-e'en, our neighbours.

Bru. Good-e'en to you all, good-e'en to you all.

1 Cit. Ourfelves, our wives, and children, on Are bound to pray for you both.

Sic. Live, and thrive!

[our knees, [riolanus

Bru. Farewel, kind neighbours: We with'd Co-
Had lov'd you as we did.

All. Now the gods keep you!
Both Tri. Farewel, farewel.

[Exeunt Citizens.

1 Alluding, improperly, to the act of croffing upon any strange event. 2 That is, drag him down by the ears into the dirt. The word is derived from fot, i. e. to take hold of a perfon by the ears, as a dog feizes one of these animals. 3 That is, bared, cleared. 4i. e. full of rumour, full of materials for difcourfe. 5 i. e. foften'd and difpirited, as wine is when burnt and sweeten'd. 6 i. e. ineffiual in times of peace like thefe.

Sic

5

10

The young'ft and oldest thing.

Sic. This is most likely!

Bru. Rais'd only, that the weaker fort may wish Good Marcius home again.

Sic. The very trick on't.

Men. This is unlikely:

He and Aufidius can no more atone 3,

Than violenteft contrariety.

Enter another Melenger.

Mef. You are fent for to the fenate :
A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius,
Affociated with Aufidius, rages

Upon our territories; and have already
O'er-borne their way, confum'd with fire, and took
15 What lay before them.

Enter Cominius.

Com. O, you have made good work!
Men. What news? what news? [ters, and
Com. You have holp to ravish your own daugh-
20 To melt the city leads upon your pates;
To fee your wives dishonour'd to your noses ;-
Men. What's the news? what's the news?
Com. Your temple's burned in their cement; and
Your franchifes, whereon you flood, confin'd
25 Into an augre's bore.

Men. Pray now, the news?

[news?

You have made fair work, I fear me :-Pray, your
If Marcius fhould be joined with the Volces,
Com. If!

30 He is their god; he leads them like a thing
Made by fome other deity than nature,
That fhapes man better: and they follow him,
Against us brats, with no lefs confidence,
Than boys purfuing fummer butter-flies,
35 Or butchers killing flies.

40

Men. You have made good work,

You, and your apron-men; you that stood fo much
Upon the voice of occupation+, and

The breath of garlick-eaters 5!

Com. He'll fhake your Rome about your ears. Men. As Hercules did fhake down mellow fruit. You have made fair work!

Bru. But is this true, fir?

Com. Ay; and you'll look pale

45 Before you find it other. All the regions
Do fmilingly 7 revolt; and, who refist,

The tribunes cannot do't for fhame; the people
Deferve fuch pity of him, as the wolf

55 Does of the fhepherds: for his best friends, if they
Should fay, Be goed to Rome, they charg'd him even

2 i. e. talk. 3 Dr. Johnson remarks,

That is, without affeffers; without any other fuffrage. that to atone, in the active fenfe, is to reconcile, and is so used by our author. To atone here is, in the neutral fenfe, to come to reconciliation. To atone is to unite. 4 Occupation is here used for mechanicks, men occupied in daily business. 5 To fmell of garlick was once fuch a brand of vulgarity, that gar lick was a food forbidden to an ancient order of Spanish knights, mentioned by Guevara. It appears alfo, that garlick was once much used in England, and afterwards as much out of fashion. Hence, perhaps, the cant denomination Pil-garlick for a deferted fellow, a perfon left to fuffer without friends. to affift him. 6 Alluding to the apples of the Hefperides. 7 To revolt fmilingly, is to revolt with figns of pleasure, or with marks of contempt.

As

They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
The fecond name of men, obeys his points
As if he were his officer:-defperation
Is all the policy, ftrength, and defence,
That Rome can make against them.

Enter a Troop of Citizens.

Men. Here come the clusters.

And is Aufidius with him?-You are they
That made the air unwholefome, when you caft
Your ftinking, greasy caps, in hooting at
Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming;
And not a hair upon a foldier's head,

Which will not prove a whip; as many coxcombs,
As you threw caps up, will he tumble down,
And pay you for your voices. "Tis no matter;
If he could burn us all into one coal,
We have deferv'd it.

Omnes. 'Faith, we hear fearful news.

1 Cit. For mine own part,

When I faid, banish him, I said, 'twas pity. 2 Cit. And fo did I.

3 Cit. And fo did I; and, to say the truth, fo did very many of us: That we did, we did for the best; and though we willingly confented to his banishment, yet it was againft our will. Com. You are goodly things, you voices! Men. You have made you Good work, you and your cry!-Shall us to the Com. O, ay; what else? [Exe. Com. and Men.

[Capitol?

15(I mean, for your particular) you had not
Join'd in commiffion with him: but either borne
The action of yourself, or elfe to him
Had left it folely.

Auf. I understand thee well; and be thou fure,
20 When he fhall come to his account, he knows not
What I can urge against him. Although it feems,
And fo he thinks, and is no less apparent

To the vulgar eye, that he bears all things fairly,
And fhews good husbandry for the Volcian state;
25 Fights dragon-like, and does atchieve as foon
As draw his fword: yet he hath left undone
That, which fhall break his neck, or hazard mine,
Whene'er we come to our account. [Rome?

Licu. Sir, I befeech you, think you he'll carry 30 Auf. All places yield to him ere he fits down; And the nobility of Rome are his :

35

The fenators, and patricians, love him too:
The tribunes are no foldiers; and their people
Will be as rafh in the repeal, as hafty

To expel him thence. I think, he'll be to Rome
As is the ofprey to the fish, who takes it
By fovereignty of nature. Firft he was
A noble fervant to them; but he could not
Carry his honours even whether 'twas pride,
40 Which out of daily fortune ever taints
The happy man; whether defect of judgement,
To fail in the difpofing of thofe chances
Which he was lord of; or whether nature,
Not to be other than one thing, not moving
From the cafque to the cushion, but commanding
peace

Sic. Go, mafters, get you home, be not difmay'd, 45
These are a fide, that would be glad to have
This true, which they so seem to fear. Go home,
And fhew no fign of fear.

1 Cit. The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let's home. I ever faid, we were i' the wrong, 50 when we banish'd him.

2 Cit. So did we all. But come, let's home.
[Exeunt Citizens.

Bru. I do not like this news.
Sic. Nor I.

[wealth 55

Bru. Let's to the Capitol :-'Would, half my

S CEN E VII.

A Camp; at a small diftance from Rome.
Enter Aufidius, with his Lieutenant.

Auf. Do they still fly to the Roman ?

Even with the fame aufterity and garb
As he controll'd the war: but, one of thefe,
(As he hath fpices of them all, not all,
For I dare fo far free him) made him fear'd,
So hated, and fo banish'd: but he has a merit,
To choak it in the utterance. So our virtues
Lie in the interpretation of the time:
And power, unto itself most commendable,
Hath not a tomb fo evident as a chair

To extol what it hath done 3.

One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;
Right's by right fouler 4, ftrengths by strength do

fail.

60 Come, let's away. When, Caius, Rome is thine, Thou art poor'ft of all; then shortly art thou mine. [Exeunt.

1 i. e. As they booted at his departure, they will roar at his return; as he went out with scoffs, he will come back with lamentations. 2 A kind of eagle. 3 The fenfe is, The virtue which delights to commend itfelf will find the fureft tomb in that chair wherein it holds forth its own commendations. 4 i. c. What is already right, and received as fuch, becomes lefs clear when fupported by fupernumerary proofs. ACT

Which was fometime his general; who lov'd him
In a moft dear particular. He call'd me father:
Eut what o' that? Go, you that banish'd him,
A mile before his tent fall down, and knee
The way into his mercy: nay, if he coy'd
To hear Cominius fpeak, I'll keep at home.
Com. He would not feem to know me.
Men. Do you hear?

Com. Yet one time he did call me by my name :
I urg'd our old acquaintance, and the drops
That we have bled together. Coriolanus
He would not answer to: forbad all names;
He was a kind of nothing, titlelefs,

Till he had forg'd himself a name i' the fire
Of burning Rome.

Men. Why, fo; you have made good work:
A pair of tribunes, that have rack'd' for Rome,
To make coals cheap: a noble memory 2!

Com. I minded him, how royal 'twas to pardon
When leaft it was expected: he reply'd,

It was a bare 3 petition of a state,

To one whom they had punish'd,

Men. Very well:

Could he fay lefs?

Com. I offer'd to awaken his regard

For his private friends: his anfwer to me was,
He could not stay to pick them in a pile
Of noisome, mufty chaff: he faid, 'twas folly,
For one poor grain or two, to leave unburnt,
And ftill to nofe the offence.

Men. For one poor grain or two?

I am one of thofe; his mother, wife, his child,
And this brave fellow too, we are the grains :
You are the mufty chaff; and you are smelt
Above the moon: We must be burnt for you. [aid
Sic. Nay, pray, be patient: If you refufe your
In this fo never-needed help, yet do not
Upbraid us with our diftrefs. But fure, if you
Would be your country's pleader, your good tongue,
More than the inftant army we can make,

5

Return me, as Cominius is return'd,
Unheard; what then?-

But as a difcontented friend, grief-shot
With his unkindnefs? Say't be fo?

Sic. Yet your good will

Muft have that thanks from Rome, after the measure
As you intended well.

Men. I'll undertake it:

I think, he'll hear me. Yet to bite his lip,
10 And hum at good Cominius, much unhearts me.
He was not taken well; he had not din'd:
The veins unfill'd, our blood is cold, and then
We pout upon the morning, are unapt

To give or to forgive; but when we have stuff'd
15 Thefe pipes, and thefe conveyances of our blood
With wine and feeding, we have fuppler fouls [him
Than in our prieft-like fafts: therefore I'll watch
Till he be dieted to my request,

20

25

And then I'll fet upon him.

Bru. You know the very road into his kindness, And cannot lose your way.

Men. Good faith, I'll prove him,

Speed how it will. Ifhall ere long have knowledge
Of my fuccefs.

Com. He'll never hear him.
Sic. Not?

[Exit.

Com. I tell you, he does fit in gold, his eye
Red as 'twould burn Rome: and his injury
The gaoler to his pity. I kneel'd before him:
30'Twas very faintly he faid, Rife; dismiss'd me.
Thus, with his fpeechlefs hand: What he would do,
He fent in writing after me; what he would not,
Bound with an oath, to yield to his conditions 4:
So that all hope is vain;

35 Unlefs his noble mother, and his wife,
Who, as I hear, mean to folicit him

[45]

2 Watch. Stand, and go back.

[your leave,

Might ftop our countryman.

Me. No; I'll not meddle.

1 Watch. From whence?

To rack means to barrafs by exactions. The meaning is, You that have been fuch good stewards for the Roman people, as to get their houfes burned over their heads, to fave them the expence of coals. Memory for memorial.

3 A bare petition means only a mere petition.

4 Dr. Johnson is of epinion, that here is a chafm. The speaker's purpose seems to be this: To yield to bis condition is ruin, and better cannot be obtained, so that all hope is vain.

You'll

15

20

125

30

35

1 Watch. Then you should hate Rome, as he does. Can you, when you have push'd out of your gates the very defender of them, and, in a violent) popular ignorance, given your enemy your fhield, 40 think to front his revenges with the eafy groans of old women, the virginal palms of your daughters, or with the palfy'd interceffion of fuch a decay'd dotant as you feem to be? Can you think to blow out the intended fire your city is ready to 45 flame in, with fuch weak breath as this? No, you are deceiv'd; therefore, back to Rome, and prepare for your execution you are condemn'd, our general has fwon you out of reprieve and pardon.

Men. Sirrah, if thy captain knew I were here, he would ufe me with estimation.

2 Watch. Come, my captain knows you not. Men. I mean, thy general.

1 Watch. My general cares not for you. Back, 55/your general do his worst. For you, be that you

A l here is a prize. 2 Dr. Johnson explains this paffage thus: To verify is to eftablish by t timony. One may fay with propriety, be brought falfe witnesses to verify bis title. Shakspeare confidered the word with his ufual laxity, as importing rather teftimony than truth, and only meant to fay, I bore 4 By 3 Subtle means fmooth, levd. witnefs to my friends with all the fire that verity would suffer. 5 i.e. Though I have 6 Sbent means virginal palms may be understood the holding up the hands in fupplication. a peculiar right in revenge, in the power of forgiveness the Volcians are conjoined. foamed, difgraced, made afbamed of ourselves.