Com. Hear me, my masters, and my com- Sic. He's sentenc'd: no more hearing. I have been consul, and can show from Rome, Sic. We know your drift: Speak what? As enemy to the people, and his country: Cit. It shall be so, it shall be so. Cor. You common cry of curs! whose breath As reok o'the rotten fens, whose love I prize Still your own foes,) deliver you, as most [Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, MENE- [The People shout, and throw up their Caps. Sic. Go, see him out at gates, and follow hím, As he hath follow'd you, with all despite; 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 Vir. O heavens! O heavens! 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, I'll do well yet.-Thou old and true Menenius, I have seen thee stern, and thou hast oft beheld Heart-hard'ning spectacles; tell these sad women, [well, "Tis fond to wail inevitable strokes, Will, or exceed the common, or be caught 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 SCENE II.-The same.-A Street near the Gate. Enter SICINIUS, BRUTUS, and an ÆDILE. Sic. Bid them all home; he's gone, and we'll no farther. The nobility are vex'd, who, we see, have sided In his behalf. Bru. Now we have shown our power, Let us seem humbler after it is done, Than when it was a doing. Sic. Bid them home: Say, their great enemy is gone, and they Bru. Dismiss them home. [Exit EDILE.. Enter VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and MENENIUS. Here comes his mother. 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. | SCENE III-A highway between Rome and Antium. Enter a ROMAN and a VOLCE, meeting. Rom. I know yon well, Sir, and you know Vol. O, you're well met: The hoarded plague me: your name I think, is Adrian. 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 son Were in Arabia, and thy tribe before him, His good sword in his hand. Sic. What then? Vir. What then? 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. 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? Good man, the wounds that he does bear for gence, Nicanor. 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 You have done a brave deed. Ere you go, ing to the good of their adversaries. Have you 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, Of what lies heavy to't. Men. You have told them home, And, by my troth, you have cause. You'll sup Enter CORIOLANUS, in mean Apparel, disguised with,me? and muffled. Enter a CITIZEN. In puny battle slay me.-Save you, Sir. Cor. Direct me, if it be your will, Cor. Which is his house, 'beseech you? Cor. Thank you, Sir; farewell. [Exit CITIZEN. O, world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast exercise, Are still together, who twin, as 'twere, in love To take the one the other, by some chance, And interjoin their issues. So with me:- [Exit. SCENE V.-The same.-A Hall in AUFIDIUS' House. Music within. Enter a SERVANT. 1 Serv. Wine, wine, wine! What service is here! I think our fellows are asleep. [Exit. Enter another SERVANT. 2 Ser. Where's Cotus! my master calls for him. Cotus! [Exit. Enter CORIOLANUS. Cor. A gentleman. 3 Serv. A marvellous poor one. 3 Serv. Pray you, poor gentleman, take up some other station; here's no place for you; pray you, avoid: come. Cor. Follow your function, go! And batten on cold bits. [Pushes him away. 3 Serv. Where dwellest thou? 3 Serv. Where's that? Cor. I'the city of kites and crows. [Exit. 3 Serv. I'the city of kites and crows?What an ass it is!-Then thou dwellest with daws too? Cor. No, I serve not thy master. 3 Serv. How, Sir! Do you meddle with my master? Cor. Ay; 'tis an honester service than to meddle with thy mistress: Thou prat'st, and prat'st; serve with thy Enter AUFIDIUS and the second SERVANT. 2 Serv. Here, Sir; I'd have beaten him like a dog, but for disturbing the lords within. Auf. Whence comest thou? what wouldest thou? Thy name? Why speak'st not? Speak, man: What's thy name? Cor. If, Tullus, [Unmuffling. Not yet thou know'st me, and seeing me, dost Think me for the man I am, necessity [not Commands me name myself. Auf. What is thy name? [SERVANTS retire. Cor. A name unmusical to the Volcians' [ears, Cor. A goodly house: The feast smells And harsh in sound to thine, well: but I 2 Serv. Whence are you, Sir? Has the porter his eyes in his head, that he gives entrance to such companions? Pray, get you out. Cor. Away! 2 Serv. Away? Get you away. Cor. Now thou art troublesome. Auf. Say, what's thy name? Auf. I know thee not:-Thy name? To thee particularly, and to all the Volces, 2 Serv. Are you so brave? I'll have you Which thou should'st bear me: only that name talked with anon. remains; The cruelty and envy of the people, Mistake me not, to save my life; for if 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, Thou art tir'd, then, in a word, I also am Auf. O, Marcius, Marcius, Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter [say, The anvil of my sword; and do contest, We have a power on foot; and I had purpose me; Twelve several times, and I have nightly since Had we no quarrel else to Rome, but that 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 own ways: Whether to knock against the gates of Rome, Yet, Marcius, that was much. Your hand! Most welcome! [Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS. 1 Serv. [Advancing.] Here's a strange alteration! 2 Serv. By my hand, I had thought to have strucken him with a cudgel; and yet my mind gave me, his clothes made a false report of 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 Serv. Who? my master? 1 Serv. Nay, it's no matter for that. 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 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 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 entreaty 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. 1 Serv. Directitude! what's that? 3 Serv. But when they shall see, Sir, his crest 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; presently. You shall have the drum struck up this afternoon : 'tis, as it were, a parcel of their feast, and to be executed ere they wipe their lips. 2 Serv. Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing, but to rust iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad makers. 1 Serv. Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace, as far as day does night; it's spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy: mulled, deaf, sleepy, insensible; a getter of more bastard children, than war's a destroyer of men. 2 Serv. 'Tis so: and as wars, in some sort, may be said to be a ravisher; so it cannot be denied, but peace is a great maker of cuckolds. 1 Serv. Ay, and it makes men hate one another. 3 Serv. Reason; because they then less need one another. The wars, for my money. I hope to see Romans as cheap as Volcians They are rising, they are rising. All. In, in, in, in. [Exeunt. Sic. Live, and thrive! Had lov'd you as we did. Cit. Now the gods keep you! [Exeunt CITIZENS. Sic. This is a happier and more comely time, Than when these fellows ran about the streets, Crying, Confusion. Bru. Caius Marcius was A worthy officer i'the war; but insolent, Sic. And affecting one sole throne, Men. I think not so. Sic. We should by this, to all our lamentation, If he had gone forth consul, found it so. Men. 'Tis Aufidius, Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment, Bru. Go see this rumourer whipp'd. It cannot be, The Volces dare break with us. We have record, that very well it can; Sic. Tell not me : [kind I know, this cannot be. Bru. Not possible. Sic. Your Coriolanus, Sir, is not much miss'd, But with his friends; the common-wealth doth stand; And so would do, were he more angry at it. Men. All's well; and might have been much better, if He could have temporiz'd. Sic. Where is he, hear you? Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. The nobles, in great earnestness, are All to the senate house: some news is come, Sic. "Tis this slave ; Men. Nay, I hear nothing; his mother and Go whip him 'fore the people's eyes :-bis rais |