Com. Hear me, my masters, and my com-
mon friends;-

Sic. He's sentenc'd: no more hearing.
Com. Let me speak:

I have been consul, and can show from* Rome,
Her enemies' marks upon me. I do love
My country's good, with a respect more tender,
More holy, and profound, than mine own life,
My dear wife's estimate,+ her womb's increase,
And treasure of my loins; then if I would,
Speak that-

Sic. We know your drift: Speak what?
Bru. There's no more to be said, but he is
banish'd,

As enemy to the people, and his country: 11 shall be so.

Cit. It shall be so, it shall be so.

Cor. You common cry of curs! whose breath
I hate

As reoks o'the rotten fens, whose love I prize.
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till, at length,
Your ignorance, (which finds not, till it feels,)
Making not reservation of yourselves,

Still your own foes,) deliver you, as most
Abated captives, to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.

[Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, MENENIUS, SENATORS, and PATRICIANS. Ed. The people's enemy is gone, is gone! Cit. Our enemy's banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!

[The People shout, and throw up their Caps. Sic. Go, see him out at gates, and follow him,

As he hath follow'd you, with all despite;
Give him deserv'd vexation. Let a guard
Attend us through the city.

Cit. Come, come, let us see him out at gates;

come:

The gods preserve our noble tribunes!-Come. [Exeunt.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.-The same.-Before a Gate of the City.

Enter CORIOLANUS, VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, MENENIUS, COMINIUS, and several young PATRICIANS.

[ther,

Cor. Come, leave your tears; a brief farewell-the beast¶ With many heads butts me away.-Nay, moWhere is your ancient courage? you were us'd To say, extremity was the trier of spirits; That common chances common men could bear; That, when the sea was calm, all boats alike Show'd mastership in floating: fortune's blows, When most struck home, being gentle wounded, craves

A noble cunning: you were us'd to load me
With precepts, that would make invincible
The heart that conn'd them.

Vir. O heavens! O heavens!
Cor. Nay, I pr'ythee, woman,

Vol. Now the red pestilence strike all trades in Rome,

And occupations perish!

Cor. What, what, what!

[mother,

I shall be lov'd when I am lack'd. Nay
Resume that spirit, when you were wont to say,
If you had been the wife of Hercules,
Six of his labours you'd have done, and sav'd
Your husband so much sweat.-Cominius,
Droop not; adieu :-Farewell, my wife! my
mother!

I'll do well yet.-Thou old and true Menenius,
Thy tears are salter than a younger man's,
And venomous to thine eyes.-My sometime
general,

I have seen thee stern, and thou hast oft beheld
Heart-hard'ning spectacles; tell these sau
women,
"Tis fond to wail inevitable strokes, [well,
As 'tis to laugh at them.-My mother, you wot
My hazards still have been your solace: and
Believe't not lightly, (though I go alone
Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen
Makes fear'd, and talk'd of more than seen,
your son

Will, or exceed the common, or be caught
With cauteloust baits and practice.

Vol. My first son,

Whither wilt thou go? Take good Cominius With thee a while: Determine on some course, More than a wild expostures to each chance, That starts i'the way before thee.

Cor. O the gods!

Com. I'll follow thee a month, devise with

thee

[us,

Where thou shalt rest, that thou may'st hear of
And we of thee; so, if the time thrust forth
A cause for thy repeal, we shall not send
O'er the vast world, to seek a single man;
And lose advantage, which doth ever cool
I'the absence of the needer.

Cor. Fare ye well:[full Thou hast years upon thee; and thou art too Of the wars' surfeits, to go rove with one That's yet unbruis'd: bring me but out at gate.

Come, my sweet wife, my dearest mother, and My friends of noble touch, when I am forth, Bid me farewell, and smile. I pray you,

* Foolish. Exposure

[Exit EDILE

Sic. Let's not meet her.

Bru. Why?

Sic. They say, she's mad.

Bru. They have ta'en note of us:

Keep on your way.

o'the gods

Requite your love!

Men. Peace, peace; be not so loud.

Vol. If that I could for weeping, you should hear,

Nay, and you shall hear some.-Will you be gone? [To BRUTUS. Vir. You shall stay too: [To SICIN.] I would, I had the power To say so to my husband.

Sic. Are you mankind?

Vol. Ay, fool; is that a shame?-Note but this fool.

Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship* To banish him that struck more blows for Rome, Than thou hast spoken words?

Sic. O blessed heavens!

Vol. More noble blows, than ever thou wise words;

And for Rome's good.-I'll tell thee what;Yet go:

Nay but thou shalt stay too:-I would my

He'd make an end of thy posterity.

Vol. Bastards, and all.

Vol. It is, so, Sir: truly, I have forgot you. Rom. I am a Roman; and my services are, as you are, against them: Know you me yet? Vol. Nicanor? No.

Rom. The same, Sir.

Vol. You had more beard, when I last saw you; but your favour* is well appeared by your tongue. What's the news in Rome? I have a note from the Volcian state, to find you out there: You have well saved me a day's jour

ney.

Rom. There hath been in Rome strange insurrection: the people against the senators, patricians, and nobles.

Vol. Hath been! Is it ended then? Our state thinks not so; they are in a most warlike preparation, and hope to come upon them in the heat of their division.

Rom. The main blaze of it is past, but a small thing would make it flame again. For the nobles receive so to heart the banishment of that worthy Coriolanus, that they are in a ripe aptness, to take all power from the people, and to pluck from them their tribunes for ever. This lies glowing, I can tell you, and is almost mature for the violent breaking out. Vol. Coriolanus banished?

Bru. Pray, let us go.

Vol. Now, pray, Sir, get you gone:

Rom. The day serves well for them now. I have heard it said, the fittest time to corrupt a man's wife, is when she's fallen out with her husband. Your noble Tullus Aufidius will appear well in these wars, his great opposer, Coriolanus, being now in no request of his country.

Vol. He cannot choose. I am most fortunate, thus accidentally to encounter you: You have ended my business, and I will merrily accompany you home.

Rom. I shall, between this and supper, tell you most strange things from Rome; all tend

hear this:

As far as doth the Capitol exceed

The meanest house in Rome: so far, my son, (This lady's husband here, this, do you see,) Whom you have banish'd, does exceed you all.

Bru. Well, well, we'll leave you. Sic. Why stay we to be baited With one that wants her wits?

Vol. Take my prayers with you.—

I would the gods had nothing else to do,
[Exeunt TRIBUNES.
But to confirm my curses! Could I meet them
But once a day, it would unclog my heart

Of what lies heavy to't.

Men. You have told them home,

an army ready, say you?

Vol. A most royal one: the centurions, and their charges, distinctly billeted, already in the entertainment,† and to be on foot at an hour's warning.

Rom. I am joyful to hear of their readiness, and am the man, I think, that shall set them in present action. So, Sir, heartily well met, and most glad of your company.

[Exeunt.

Vol. You take my part from me, Sir; I have the most cause to be glad of yours. Rom. Well, let us go together. SCENE IV.-Antium.-Before AUFIDIUS' House.

with me?

and muffled.

680

A heart of wreak* in thee, that will revenge Thine own particular wrongs, and stop those

maimst

Of shame seen through thy country, speed thee straight,

And make my misery serve thy turn; so use it,
That my revengeful services may prove
As benefits to thee; for I will fight
Against my canker'd country with the spleen
Of all the under‡ fiends. But if so be
Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more
fortunes

Thou art tir'd, then, in a word, I also am
Longer to live most weary, and present
My throat to thee, and to thy ancient malice:
Which not to cut, would show thee but a fool;
Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate,
Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast;
And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
It be to do thee service.

Auf. O, Marcius, Marcius,

Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart

A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter [say,
Should from yon cloud speak divine things, and
'Tis t: I'd not believe them more than thee,
All noble Marcius.-O, let me twine
Mine arms about that body, where against
My grained ash an hundred times hath broke,
And scar'd the moon with splinters! Here I
clips

The anvil of my sword; and do contest,
As hotly and as nobly with thy love,
As ever in ambitious strength I did
Contend against thy valour. Know thou first,
I lov'd the maid I married; never man
Sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here,
Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart,
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw
Bestride my threshold. Why, thou Mars! 1
tell thee,

We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,||
Or lose mine arm for't: Thou hast beat me
out¶

Twelve several times, and I have nightly since Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me; We have been down together in my sleep, Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat, And wak'd half dead with nothing. Worthy Marcius,

Had we no quarrel else to Rome, but that Thou art thence banish'd, we would muster all From twelve to seventy;** and, pouring war Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,

Like a bold flood o'er-beat. O, come, go in, And take our friendly senators by the hands; Who now are here, taking their leaves of me, Who am prepar'd against your territories, Though not for Rome itself.

Cor. You bless me, gods!

Auf. Therefore, most absolute Sir, if thou
wilt have

The leading of thine own revenges, take
The one half of my commission; and set down,
As best thou art experienc'd, since thou know'st
Thy country's strength and weakness,-thine

him.

1 Serv. What an arm he has! He turned me about with his finger and his thumb, as one would set up a top.

2 Serv. Nay, I knew by his face that there was something in him: He had, Sir, a kind of face, methought,-I cannot tell how to term it. 1 Serv. He had so: looking as it were, 'Would I were hanged, but I thought there was more in him than I could think.

2 Serv. So did I, I'll be sworn: He is simply the rarest man i'the world.

1 Serv. I think, he is: but a greater soldier than he, you wot* one.

2 Serb. Who? my master?

1 Serv. Nay, it's no matter for that. 2 Serv. Worth six of him.

1 Serv. Nay, not so neither; but I take him to be the greater soldier.

2 Serv. 'Faith, look you, one cannot tell how to say that: for the defence of a town, our general is excellent.

1 Serv. Ay, and for an assault too.

Re-enter third SERVANT.

3 Serv. O, slaves, I can tell you news; news, you rascals.

1. 2. Serv. What, what, what? let's partake. 3 Serv. I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lieve be a condemned man. 1. 2. Serv. Wherefore? wherefore? 3 Serv. Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our general,-Caius Marcius.

1 Sere. 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 say so himself.

1 Serv. He was too hard for him directly, to say the truth on't: before Corioli, he scotched him and notched him like a carbonado.t

2 Serv. An he had been cannibally given, he might have broiled and eaten him too. 1 Serv. But, more of thy news?

3 Serv. Why, he is so made on here within, as if he were son and heir to Mars: set at upper end o'the table: no question asked him by any of the senators, but they stand bald before him: Our general himself makes a mistress of him; sanctifies himself with's hand, and turns up the white o'the eye to his discourse. 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 en treaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he says, and sowlet the porter of Rome gates by the ears: He will mow down all before him, and leave his passage polled.§

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, Sir, he has as many friends as enemies: which friends, Sir, (as it were,) durst not (look you, Sir,) show themselves (as we term it,) his friends, whilst he's in directitude.