Coin words till their decay, againft thofe meafles,
Which we disdain fhould tetter us, yet seek
The very way to catch them.

Bru. You fpeak o' th' people, as you were a god To punish, not a man of their infirmity.

Sic. 'Twere well we let the people know't.

Men. What, what! his choler!

Cor. Choler! were I as patient as the midnight-sleep, By Jove, 'twould be my mind.

Sic. It is a mind

That shall remain a poifon where it is,

Not poifon any further.

Cor. Shall remain ?

Hear you this Triton of the minnows? mark you

His abfolute ball?

Com. 'Twas from the canon.

Cor. Shall!

O good, but moft unwife Patricians, why,
You grave, but reckless Senators, have

you thus

Given Hydra here to chufe an officer,
That with his peremptory hall, being but
The horn and noife o' th' monfters, wants not fpirit
To fay, he'll turn your current in a ditch,
And make your channel his? If he have power,
Then vail your ignorance *; if none, awake
Your dangerous lenity: if you are learned,
Be not as common fools; if you are not,
Let them have cushions by you. You're Plebeians.
If they be Senators; and they are no lefs,
When, both your voices blended, the great'ft tafte
Moft palates theirs. They chufe their magiftrate!
And fuch a one as he, who puts his ball,
His popular hall, against a graver bench
Than ever frown'd in Greece +! By Jove himself,
It makes the Confuls bafe; " and my foul akes
"To know, when two authorities are up,

"Neither fupreme, how foon confufion

May enter 'twixt the gap of both, and take "The one by th' other.

Com. Well-On to th' market-place.

+ ignorance, for impotence; becaufe it makes impotent. ti. e. that ever projected or executed laws.

Cor.

Cor. Who ever gave that counsel, to give forth The corn o' th' ftore-house, gratis, as 'twas us'd Sometime in Greece

Men. Well, well, no more of that.

Cor. Though there the people had more abfolute Lfay, they nourish'd difobedience, fed

The ruin of the state.

Bru. Why fhall the people give One that speaks thus their voice? Cor. I'll give my reasons,

More worthy than their voice.

[power;

They know, the corn

Was not their recompence; refting affur'd,

They ne'er did fervice for't; being prefs'd to th' war,
Even when the navel of the ftate was touch'd,

They would not thread the gates: this kind of fervice
Did not deferve corn gratis: being i' th' war,
Their mutinies and revolts, wherein they fhew'd
Most valour, spoke not for them. Th' accufation,
Which they have often made against the senate,
All caufe unborn, could never be the native +
Of our fo frank donation. Well, what then?
How fhall this bofom-multiplied digest

The fenate's courtesy? let deeds exprefs,
What's like to be their words-We did request it—
We are the greater poll, and in true fear

They gave us our demands.

-Thus we debafe

The nature of our feats, and make the rabble

Call our cares, fears; which will in time break ope
The locks o' th' fenate, and bring in the crows

To peck the eagles.

Men. Come, enough.

Bru. Enough, with over measure.

Cor. No, take more;

What may be fworn by. Both divine and human

Seal what I end withal!.

-This double worship,

Where one part does difdain with caufe, the other Infult without all reafon; where gentry, title, wisdom, Cannot conclude but by the yea and no

Of gen'ral ignorance, it muft omit

Real neceffities; and give way the while

T' unstable slightness; [purpose fo barr'd, it follows,

native, for natural birth.

Nothing

Nothing is done to purpofe *]. Therefore befeech you,
(You that will be lefs fearful than discreet;
That love the fundamental part of state

More than you doubt the change of't; that prefer
A noble life before a long, and wish

To vamp a body with a dangerous phyfic,
That's fure of death without), at once pluck out
The multitudinous tongue, let them not lick
The sweet which is their poison. Your dishonour
Mangles true judgment †, and bereaves the ftate
Of that integrity which fhould become it ;
Not having power to do the good it would,
For the ill which doth controul it.

Bru. H'as faid enough.

Sic. H'as fpoken like a traitor, and shall anfwer As traitors do.

Cor. Thou wretch! defpight o'erwhelm thee What should the people do with these bald Tribunes? On whom depending, their obedience fails

To th' greater bench. In a rebellion,

When what's not meet, but what muft be, was law,
Then were they chosen; in a better hour,

Let what is meet be said, it must be law,

And throw their power i' th' duft.

Bru. Manifeft treafon

Sic. This a Conful? no.

Bru. The Ædiles, ho! let him be apprehended.

[Ediles enter.

Sic. Go, call the people, in whofe name myself
Attach thee as a traiterous innovator;

A foe to th' public weal. Obey, I charge thee,
And follow to thine anfwer. [Laying hold on Coriolanus.

Cor. Hence, old goat!

All. We'll furety him.

Com. Ag'd Sir, hands off.

Cor. Hence, rotten thing, or I fhall shake thy banes

Out of thy garments,

Sic. Help me, citizens.

* This feems to be spurious.
† judgment, for government.
become, for adırn.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter a rabble of Plebeians, with the Ædiles.

Men. On both fides, more refpect.

Sic. Here's he that would take from you all your

power.

Bru. Seize him, Ædiles.

All. Down with him, down with him!

2 Sen. Weapons, weapons, weapons!

[They all bufile about Coriolanus. Tribunes, Patricians, citizens-what ho!Sicinius, Brutus, Coriolanus, citizens !

All. Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace! Men What is about to be?—I am out of breath; Confufion's near, I cannot speak,you Tribunes, Coriolanus, patience; fpeak, Sicinius.

Sic. Hear me, people-peace

All. Let's hear our Tribune; peace; speak, speak, fpeak.

Sic. You are at point to lofe your liberties. Marcius would have all from you; Marcius, Whom late you nam'd for Conful.

Men. Fie, fie, fie.

This is the way to kindle, not to quench.

Sen. To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat.
Sic. What is the city, but the people?

All. True, the people are the city.

Bru. By the confent of all, we were establish'd The people's magistrates.

All. You fo remain.

Men. And fo are like to do.

Cor. That is the way to lay the city flat;
To bring the roof to the foundation,

And bury all, which yet diftinctly ranges,
In heaps and piles of ruin.

Sic. This deserves death.

Bru. Or let us ftand to our authority,
Or let us lofe it; we do here pronounce,
Upon the part o' th' people, in whofe power
We were elected theirs, Marcius is worthy
Of prefent death.

Sic. Therefore lay hold on him;

Bear

Bear him to th' rock Tarpeian, and from thence
Into deftruction caft him.

Bru. Ediles, feize him.

All Ple. Yield, Marcius, yield.

Men. Hear me one word; 'befeech you, Tribunes, hear me but a word

Ediles. Peace, peace.

Men. Be that you feem, truly your country's friends, And temp'rately proceed to what you would Thus violently redrefs.

Bru. Sir, those cold ways

That seem like prudent helps, are very poisonous,
Where the disease is violent. Lay hands on him,
And bear him to the rock.

Cor. No; I'll die here. [Coriolanus draws his fword. There's fome among you have beheld me fighting; Come, try upon yourselves, what have feen me. Men. Down with that fword; Tribunes, withdraw a while.

Bru. Lay hands upon him.

Men. Help, Marcius, help

help him young and old.

you

-you that be noble,

All. Down with him, down with him.

[In this mutiny, the Tribunes, the Elides, and the people, are beat in.

Men. Go, get you to your house; be gone, away,

All will be nought elfe.

2 Sen. Get you gone.

Cor. Stand faft, we have as many friends as enemies.

Men. Shall it be put to that?

Sen. The gods forbid?

I pr'ythee, noble friend, home to thy houfe,

Leave us to cure this cause.

Men. For 'tis a fore

You cannot tent yourself; begone, 'beseech you.
Com. Come, Sir, along with us.

Men. I would they were Barbarians, (as they are, Though in Rome litter'd); not Romans, (as they are, Though calved in the porch o' th' Capitol). [not, Begone, put not your worthy rage into your tongue,

One