SCENE III.

The same. The Forum.

Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS.

Bru. In this point charge him home, that he affects
Tyrannical power: If he evade us there,
Enforce him with his envy to the people;

And that the spoil, got on the Antiates,
Was ne'er distributed.-

Have you a catalogue

Æd. With old Menenius, and those senators That always favour'd him.

Sic.

Of all the voices that we have procur'd,

Set down by the poll?

Ed.

I have; 'tis ready, here.9
Sic. Have you collected them by tribes?
Ed.

I have.

Sic. Assemble presently the people hither:
And when they hear me say, It shall be so

I' the right and strength o' the commons, be it either
For death, for fine, or banishment, then let them,
If I say, fine, cry fine; if death, cry death;

Insisting on the old prerogative

And power i' the truth o' the cause.1

8

envy-] i. e. malice, hatred. So, in King Henry VIII : 66 no black envy

"Shall make my grave."

See Vol. XI, p. 240, n. 7. Steevens.

9

-'tis ready, here.] The word-here, which is wanting in the old copies, was supplied by Sir Thomas Hanmer. Steevens. 1 i' the truth o' the cause.] This is not very easily under. stood. We might read:

o'er the truth o' the cause. Johnson.

As I cannot understand this passage as it is pointed, I should suppose that the speeches should be thus divided, and then it will require no explanation:

Sic. Insisting on the old prerogative

And power.

Ad. In the truth of the cause

I shall inform them.

That is, I will explain the matter to them fully. M. Mason.

Ed.

I shall inform them.

Bru. And when such time they have begun to cry, Let them not cease, but with a din confus'd

Enforce the present execution

Of what we chance to sentence.

Ed.

Very well.

Sic. Make them be strong, and ready for this hint, When we shall hap to give 't them.

Bru.

Go about it.-[Exit Ædile.
Put him to choler straight: He hath been us'd
Ever to conquer, and to have his worth

Of contradiction :2 Being once chaf'd, he cannot
Be rein'd again to temperance; then he speaks
What's in his heart; and that is there, which looks
With us to break his neck.4

Enter CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS, COMINIUS, Senators,
and Patricians.

Sic. Well, here he comes.

Men.

Calmly, I do beseech you. Cor. Ay, as an ostler, that for the poorest piece Will bear the knave by the volume.5-The honour'd gods Keep Rome in safety, and the chairs of justice

Of contradiction:] The modern editors substituted word; but the old copy reads worth, which is certainly right. He has been used to have his worth, or (as we should now say) his pennyworth of contradiction; his full quota or proportion. So, in Romeo and Juliet:

66

You take your pennyworth [of sleep] now." Malone.

3 Be rein'd again to temperance;] Our poet seems to have taken several of his images from the old pageants. In the new edition of Leland's Collectanea, Vol. IV, p. 190, the virtue temperance is represented "holding in hyr haund a bitt of an horse." Tollet. Mr. Tollet might have added, that both in painting and sculpture the bit is the established symbol of this virtue. Henley. 4 - which looks

With us to break his neck.] To look is to wait or expect. The sense I believe is, What he has in heart is waiting there to help us to break his neck. Johnson.

The tribune rather seems to mean-The sentiments of Coriolanus's heart are our coadjutors, and look to have their share in promoting his destruction. Steevens.

5 Will bear the knave by the volume.] i. e. would bear being call ed a knave as often as would fill out a volume. Steevens.

Supplied with worthy men! plant love among us!
Throng our large temples with the shows of peace,
And not our streets with war !6

1 Sen.

Men. A noble wish.

Amen, amen!

Re-enter Edile, with Citizens.

Sic. Draw near, ye people.

Ed. List to your tribunes; audience: Peace, I say.

Cor. First, hear me speak.

Both Tri.

Well, say.-Peace, ho."

Cor. Shall I be charg'd no further than this present? Must all determine here?

Sic.
I do demand,
If you submit you to the people's voices,
Allow their officers, and are content
To suffer lawful censure for such faults
As shall be prov'd upon you?

Cor.

I am content.
Men. Lo, citizens, he says, he is content:

The warlike service he has done, consider;
Think on the wounds his body bears, which show
Like graves i' the holy churchyard.

Cor.

Scars to move laughter only.

6 -plant love among us!

Scratches with briars,

Throng our large temples with the shows of peace,

And not our streets with war!] [The old copy-Through.] We should read:

Throng our large temples

The other is rank nonsense. Warburton.

The emendation was made by Mr. Theobald.

The shows of peace are multitudes of people peaceably assembled, either to hear the determination of causes, or for other purposes of civil government. Malone.

66

The real shows of peace among the Romans, were the olivebranch and the caduceus; but I question if our author, on the present occasion, had any determinate idea annexed to his words. Mr. Malone's supposition, however, can hardly be right; because the temples" (i. e. those of the gods) were never used for the determination of civil causes, &c. To such purposes the Senate and the Forum were appropriated. The temples indeed might be thronged with people who met to thank the gods for a return of peace. Steevens.

Well, say-Peace, ho.] As the metre is here defective, we might suppose our author to have written:

Well, sir; say on.-Peace, ho. Steevens.

Men.

Consider further,

That when he speaks not like a citizen,
You find him like a soldier: Do not take
His rougher accents for malicious sounds,
But, as I say, such as become a soldier,
Rather than envy you.?

Com.

Well, well, no more.

Cor. What is the matter,

That being pass'd for consul with full voice,
I am so dishonour'd, that the very hour
You take it off again?

Sic.

Answer to us.

Cor. Say then: 'tis true, I ought so.

Sic. We charge you, that you have contriv'd to take From Rome all season'd office, and to wind

Yourself into a power tyrannical;

For which, you are a traitor to the people.

Cor. How! Traitor?

Men.

Nay; temperately: Your promise. Cor. The fires i' the lowest hell fold in the people! Call me their traitor!-Thou injurious tribune! Within thine eyes sat twenty thousand deaths, In thy hands clutch'd' as many millions, in Thy lying tongue both numbers, I would say, Thou liest, unto thee, with a voice as free As I do pray the gods.

Sic.

Mark you this, people?

8 His rougher accents-] The old copy reads-actions. Mr. Theobald made the change. Steevens.

His rougher accents are the harsh terms that he uses. Malone. 9 Rather than envy you.] Envy is here taken at large for malignity or ill intention. Johnson.

According to the construction of the sentence, envy is evidently used as a verb, and signifies to injure. In this sense it is used by Julietta in The Pilgrim:

"If I make a lie

"To gain your love, and envy my best mistress,
"Pin me up against a wall," &c. M. Mason.

Rather than envy you.] Rather than import ill will to you.
See p. 115, n. 8; and Vol. XI, p. 240, n. 7. Malone.

1

· season'd office,] All office establihsed and settled by time, and made familiar to the people by long use. Johnson.

2

clutch'di. e. grasp'd. So Macbeth, in his address to the "air-drawn dagger:

"Come, let me clutch thee." Steevens.

Cit. To the rock with him; to the rock with him !3
Sic.

We need not put new matter to his charge:

Peace.

What you have seen him do, and heard him speak,
Beating your officers, cursing yourselves,
Opposing laws with strokes, and here defying
Those whose great power must try him; even this,
So criminal, and in such capital kind,

Deserves the extremest death.

Let them pronounce the steep Tarpeian death,
Vagabond exile, flaying; Pent to linger
But with a grain a day, I would not buy
Their mercy at the price of one fair word;
Nor check my courage for what they can give,
To have 't with saying, Good morrow.

For that he has

Sic.
(As much as in him lies) from time to time
Envied against the people, seeking means
To pluck away their power; as now at last
Given hostile strokes, and that not in the presence

The present reading is therefore formed out of the two copies.

Steevens.

4 Envied against the people,] i. e. behaved with signs of hatred to the people. Steevens.

5 as now at last-] Read rather:

- has now at last. Johnson.

I am not certain but that as in this instance, has the power of as well as. The same mode of expression I have met with among our ancient writers. Steevens.

6 not in the presence-] Not stands again for not only.

Johnso