One time will owe another.

Cor. On fair ground I could beat forty of them. Men. I could myself take up a brace o' th' beft of them; yea, the two Tribunes.

Com. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetic;

And manhood is call'd fool'ry, when it stands

Against a falling fabrick.

Will you hence,

Before the tag return, whose rage doth rend
Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear

What they are us'd to bear.

Men. Pray you be gone.

I'll try if my old wit be in request

With thofe that have but little; this must be patch'd

With cloth of any colour.

Com. Come, away.

[Exeunt Coriolanus and Comivius.

SCENE IV.

I Sen. This man has marr'd his fortune. Men. His nature is too noble for the world: "He would not flatter Neptune for his trident, "Or Jove for's power to thunder.

mouth:

His heart's his

"What his breaft forges, that his tongue muft vent;

"And, being angry, does forget that ever

"He heard the name of death.

Here's goodly work.

2 Sen. I would they were a-bed. Men. I would they were in Tiber.

Could he not fpeak 'em fair?

[A noife within.

What, the ven

[geance,

Enter Bruius and Sicinius, with the rallle again.

Sic. Where is this viper,

That would depopulate the city, and

Be every man himself?

Men. You worthy Tribunes

Sic. He fhall be thrown down the Tarpeian rock

With rigorous hands; he hath refifted law,

And therefore law fhall fcorn him further trial
Than the severity of public power,

Which he fo fets at nought.

1 Cit. He fhall well know, the Noble Tribunes are

The

The people's mouths, and we their hands.

All. He fhall, be fure on't.

Men. Sir, Sir,

Sic. Peace.

Men. Do not cry havock, where you should but hunt With modeft warrant.

Sic. Sir, how comes it you

Have holp to make this rescue?

Men. Hear me fpeak.

As I do know the Conful's worthiness,

So can I name his faults

I

Men. The Conful Coriolanus.

Bru. He Conful!.

All. No, no, no, no, no.

Men. If by the Tribunes' leave, and yours, good

may be heard, I'd crave a word or two;

The which fhall turn you to no further harm,
Than fo much lofs of time.

Sic. Speak briefly then,

For we are peremptory to dispatch

This viperous traitor. To eject him hence,
Were but our danger; and to keep him here,
Our certain death: therefore it is decreed,
He dies to-night.

Men. Now the good gods forbid,

That our renowned Rome, whofe gratitude
Tow'rds her deserving children is inroll'd
In Jove's own book, like an unnatural dam
Should now eat up her own!

Sic. He's a difeafe that must be cut away.
Men. Oh, he's but a limb that has disease ;
Mortal, to cut it off; to cure it, easy.

[people,

What has he done to Rome that's worthy death ?
Killing our enemies, the blood he hath loft
(Which I dare vouch is more than that he hath
By many an ounce) he dropt it for his country;
And what is left, to lofe it by his country,
Were to us all that do't, and suffer it,

A brand to th' end o' th' world.

Sic. This is clean kam.

Bru. Merely awry.
VOL. VI.

When he did love his country,
G g

It

It honour'd him.

Sic. The fervice of the foot

Being once gangren'd, it is not then respected
For what before it was.

Bru. We'll hear no more.

Parfue him to his house, and pluck him thence;
Left his infection, being of catching nature,
Spread further.

Men. One word more, one word.

This tiger-footed rage, when it shall find
The harm of unfcann'd fwiftnefs, will (too late)
Tie leaden pounds to's heels. Proceed by procefs,
Left parties (as he is belov'd) break out,
And fack great Rome with Romans.

Bru. If 'twere, fo→→→→→

Sic. What do ye talk?

Have we not had a taste of his obedience,
Our Ædiles fmote, ourselves refifted? Come

Men. Confider this: he hath been bred i' th' wars
Since he could draw a fword, and is ill-school'd
In boulted language; meal and bran together
He throws without diftinction. Give me leave
go to him, and undertake to bring him
Where he shall anfwer by a lawful form,
In peace, to his utmost peril.

I'll

i Sen. Noble Tribunes,

It is the humane way: the other course
Will prove too bloody, and the end of it
Unknown to the beginning.

Be

Sic. Noble Menenius,

you then as the people's officer. Mafters, lay down your weapons. Bru. Go.not home.

Sic. Meet on the Forum; we'll attend

you there

Where, if you bring not Marcius, we'll proceed

In our first way.

Men. I'll bring him to you.

Let me defire your company; he must come,

Or what is worfe will follow.

Sen. Pray, let's to him.

་་

[To the Senators.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE V. Changes to Coriolanus's houfe.

Enter Coriolanus, with Nobles.

Cor. Let them pull all about mine ears, present me
Death on the wheel, or at wild horfes' heels,
Or pile ten hills on the T'arpeian rock,
That the precipitation might down ftretch
Below the beam of fight; yet will I still
Be thus to them..

Enter Volumnia.

Nobl. You do the nobler.

Cor. I mufe, my mother

Does not approve me further, who was wont
To call them woollen vaffals, things created
To buy and fell with groats; to thew bare heads
In congregations; yawn, be ftill, and wonder,
When one but of my ordinance ftood up i
To speak of peace or war. (I talk of you)

[To his mother. Why did you wish me milder? wou'd you have me Falfe to my nature? rather fay, I play

The man I am.

Vol. Oh, Sir, Sir, Sir,

I would have had you put your power well on,
Before you had worn it out.

Cor. Let it

go.

Vol. You might have been enough the man you are, With ftriving lefs to be fo. Leffer had been

The thwartings of your disposition, if

You had not fhew'd them'how you were difpos'd

Ere they lack'd power to cross you.

Cor. Let them hang..

Vol. Ay, and burn too.

Enter Menenius with the Senators.

Men. Come, come, you've been too rough, fomething too rough:

You must return, and mend it.

Sen. There's no remedy,

Unless, by not fo doing, our good city

Cleave in the midit, and perish.

G g 2

Vol.

Vol. Pray, be counsell'd.

I have a heart as little apt as your's,

But yet a brain that leads my use of anger
To better vantage.

Men. Well faid, Noble woman.

Before he fhould thus stoop to th' herd, but that
The violent fit o' th' times craves it as phyfic
For the whole ftate, I'd put mine armour on,
Which I can scarcely bear.、

Cor. What must I do?

Men. Return to the Tribunes.

Cor. Well, what then? what then?
Men. Repent what you have spoke.

Cor. For them?—I cannot do it for the gods,
Must I then do't to them?

Vol. You are too abfolute,

Tho' therein you can never be too noble,

But when extremities speak.

"I've heard you say,

"Honour and policy, like unfever'd friends,

"I' th' war do grow together: grant that, and tell me "In peace, what each of them by th' other lofes, "That they combine not there?

Cor. Tufh, tufh

Men. A good demand.

Vol. If it be honour in your wars, to feem
The fame you are not, which for your beft ends
You call your policy: how is't lefs or worfe
That it fhall hold companionship in peace
With honour, as in war; fince that to both
It stands in like requeft?

Cor. Why force you this?

Vol. Because it lies on you to fpeak to th' people: Not by your own inftruction, nor by th' matter

Which your heart prompts you to, but with fuch words
But roated on your tongue; baftards and fyllables
Of no allowance, to your bofom's truth.

Now, this no more difhonours you at all,
Than to take in a town with gentle words,
Which elfe would put you to your fortune, and
The hazard of much blood.

I would diffemble with my nature, where
My fortunes and my friends at stake, requir'd

Ι