Thy valiantness was mine, thou suck'dst it from me; Cor. Pray, be content; Mother, I am going to the market-place; Chide me no more. I'll mountebank their loves, I'the way of flattery, further. Vol. Do your will. [Exit. Com. Away, the tribunes do attend you: arm yourself To answer mildly; for they are prepar'd With accusations, as I hear, more strong Than are upon you yet. Cor. The word is, mildly :-Pray you, let us go: Let them accuse me by invention, I Will answer in mine honour. Men. Ay, but mildly. Cor. Well, mildly be it then; mildly. SCENE III. [Exeunt. 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.— What, will he come ? Ed. He's coming. Enter an Edile. Bru. How accompanied ? d. With old Menenius, and those senators That always favour'd him. Sic. Have you a catalogue Of all the voices that we have pracur'd, Set down by the poll? d. I have; 'tis ready, here. Sic. Have you collected them by tribes? d. I have. Sic. Assemble presently the people hither: P the right and strength o' the commons, be it either If I say fine, cry fine; if death, cry death ;; And power i'the truth o'the cause. 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 giv't them. Bru. Go about it. [Exit Edile. -Put him to choler straight: He hath been us'd Ever to conquer, and to have his worth Of contradiction: Being once chaf'd, he cannot Enter CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS, COMINIUS, Senators, and Sic. Well, here he comes. Men. Calmly, I do beseech you. Cor. Ay, as an hostler, that for the poorest piece Will bear the knave by the volume. The honour'd gods Keep Rome in safety, and the chairs of justice Supplied with worthy men! plant love among us! 1 Sen. Amen, amen! Men. A noble wish. Re-enter Edile with Citizens. Sic. Draw near, ye people. Ed. List to your tribunes; audience; peace, Cor. First, hear me speak. Both Tri. Well, say.-Peace, ho. I say. 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? [4] That is, would bear being called a knave as often as would fill cut a volume. STEEVENS 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 Cor. Scratches with briars, scars to move laughter only. That when he speaks not like a citizen, Com. Well, well, no more. Cor. What is the matter, That being past for consul with full voice, 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 6 Yourself unto a power tyrannical; For which, you are a traitor to the people. 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 thine 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? Cit. To the rock with him; to the rock with him! We need not put new matter to his charge: What you have seen him do, and heard him speak, Beating your officers, cursing yourselves, Opposing laws with strokes, and here defying Deserves the extremest death. Envy---is here taken at large for malignity or ill intention. JOHNSON. Ail office established and settled by time, and made familiar to the people by long use. Bru. But since he hath Serv'd well for Rome, Cor. What do you prate of service? Cor. You? Men. Is this the promise that you made your mother? Com. Know, I pray you, Cor. I'll know no further: Let them pronounce the steep Tarpeian death, Sic. For that he has 2 (As much as in him lies) from time to time That do distribute it; in the name o'the people, From off the rock Tarpeian, never more To enter our Rome gates: I'the people's name, I say, it shall be so. Cit. It shall be so, it shall be so let him away: He's banish'd, and so it shall be. Com. Hear me, my masters, and my common friends ;Sic. He's sentenc'd: no more hearing. Com. Let me speak : I have been consul, and can show from Rome, 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: [8] Not---stands again for not only. JOHNSON.So in Thessa. iv. 8. "He therefore, that despiseth, despiseth not man but God." STEEVENS. [9] I love my country beyond the rate at which I value my dear wife. JOHNSON. It shall be so. Cit. It shall be so, it shall be so. Cor. You common cry of curs!' whose breath I hate As reek o'the rotten fens, whose loves I prize As the dead carcases of unburied men That won you without blows! Despising, [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. Attend us through the city. Let a guard 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 Patricans. Coriolanus. COME, leave your tears; a brief farewell :-The beast With many heads butts me away.-Nay, mother, Where is your ancient courage? You were us'd Cry here signifies a troop or pack. MALONE. Still retain the power of banishing your defenders, till your undiscerning folly, which can foresee no consequences, leave none in the city but yourselves, who are always labouring your own destruction.It is remarkable, that, among the political maxims of the speculative Harrington, there is one which he might have borrowed from this speech. "The people (says he) cannot see, but they can feel." It is not much to the honour of the people, that they have the same character of stupidity from their enemy and their friend. Such was the power of our author's mind, that he looked through life in all its relations private and civil. JOHNSON. |