And welcome, General! y'are welcome all.

Men. A hundred thousand welcomes: I could weep And I could laugh, I'm light and heavy ; welcome! A curfe begin at very root on's heart, That is not glad to see thee.

You are three,

That Rome fhould dote on: yet, by the faith of men, We've fome old crab-trees here at home, that will not Be grafted to your relifh. Welcome, Warriors!

We call a nettle, but a nettle; and

The faults of fools, but folly.

Com. Ever right.

Cor. Menenius, ever, ever.

Her. Give way there, and go on.

Cor. Your hand, and yours.

Ere in our own houfe I do fhade my head,

The good Patricians must be visited;

(11) From whom I have receiv'd not only Greetings, But, with them, Charge of honours.

Vol. I have lived,

To see inherited my very wishes,

And buildings of my fancy; only one thing

Is wanting, which, I doubt not, but our Rome

Will caft upon thee.

Cor. Know, good Mother, I

Had rather be their fervant in my way,

Than fway with them in theirs.

Com. On, to the Capitol.

[Flourish. Cornets.

[Exeunt in State, as before.

Brutus, and Sicinius, come forward."

Bru. All tongues fpeak of him, and the bleared fights Are fpectacled to fee him. Your pratling nurse Into a rapture lets her Baby cry,

(11) From whom I bave receiv'd not only Greetings,

But, with them, Change of Honours.] Change of Honours is a very poor Expreffion, and communicates but a very poor Idea. I have ventur'd to fubstitute, Charge; i. e. a fresh Charge or Commiffion, Thefe Words are frequently mistaken for each other.

While fhe chats him: the kitchen malkin pins
Her richest lockram 'bout her reechy neck,

Clambring the walls to eye him; ftalls, bulks, windows,

Are fmother'd up, leads fill'd, and ridges hors'd
With variable complexions; all agreeing

In earneftness to fee him: feld-fhown Flamins
Do prefs among the popular throngs, and puff
To win a vulgar station; our veil'd dames
Commit the war of white and damask, in
Their nicely gawded cheeks, to th' wanton spoil
Of Phabus' burning kiffes; fuch a pother,
As if that whatsoever God, who leads him,
Were flily crept into his human powers,
And gave him graceful pofture.
Sic. On the fudden,

I warrant him Conful.

Bru. Then our Office may, During his Power, go fleep.

Sic. He cannot temp'rately transport his honours, From where he should begin and end, but will Lose those he hath won.

Bru. In That there's comfort.

Sic. Doubt not,

The Commoners, for whom we stand, but they,

Upon their ancient malice, will forget,

With the leaft caufe, these his new honours; which That he will give, make I as little question

As he is proud to do't.

Bru. Í heard him swear,

Were he to ftand for Conful, never would he

Appear i'th' market-place, nor on him put
The napless Vefture of Humility;

Nor fhewing, as the manner is, his wounds
To th' people, beg their stinking breaths.

Sic. 'Tis right.

Bru. It was his word: oh, he would miss it, rasher Than carry it, but by the fuit o'th' Gentry,

And the defire o'th' Nobles.

Sic. I wish no better,

Than

Than have him hold that purpose, and to put it
In execution.

Bru. 'Tis moft like, he will.

Sic. It shall be to him then, as our good wills, A fure deftruction.

Bru. So it must fall out

To him, or our authorities. For an end,

We muft fuggeft the people, in what hatred

He ftill hath held them; that to's power he would
Have made them mules, filenc'd their Pleaders, and
Difproperty'd their freedoms: holding them,
In human action and capacity,

Of no more foul nor fitness for the world,

Than camels in their war; who have their provender
Only for bearing burthens, and fore blows
For finking under them.

Sic. (12) This, as you fay, fuggefted

At fome time, when his foaring infolence

Shall reach the people, (which time shall not want,
If he be put upon't; and that's as eafy,

As to fet dogs on sheep) will be the fire

To kindle their dry stubble; and their blaze
Shall darken him for ever.

(12)

This, as you fay, fuggefted

At fome time, when bis foaring Infolence

Skall teach the People, &c.] As Nominatives are sometimes wanting to the Verb, fo, on the other hand, as This Paffage has been all along pointed, we have a Redundance: There is, befides, one Word ftill in this Sentence, which, notwithstanding the Concurrence of the printed Copies, I fufpect to have admitted a small Corruption. Why should it be imputed as a Crime to Coriolanus, that he was prompt to teach the People? Or how was it any foaring Infolence in a Patrician to attempt this? The Poet must certainly have wrote,

When bis foaring Insolence

Shall reach the People;

i. e. When it shall extend to impeach the Conduct, or touch the Character, of the People,

Enter

Enter a Meffenger.

Bru. What's the matter?

Mef. You're fent for to the Capitol: 'tis thought, That Marcius fhall be Conful: I have feen

The dumb men throng to fee him, and the blind
To hear him speak; the Matrons flung their gloves,
Ladies and Maids their scarfs and handkerchiefs,
Upon him as he pafs'd; the Nobles bended,
As to Jove's Statue; and the Commons made
A shower and thunder with their caps and fhouts :
I never faw the like.

Bru. Let's to the Capitol,

And carry with us ears and eyes for th' time,
But hearts for the event.

Sic. Have with you.

1 Off.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Capitol.

Enter two Officers, to lay cushions.

NO ME, come, they are almost here; how many ftand for Confulfhips?

Com

2 Off. Three, they fay; but 'tis thought of every one, Coriolanus will carry it.

1 Off. That's a brave Fellow, but he's vengeance proud, and loves not the common People.

2 Off. 'Faith, there have been many great Men that have flatter'd the People, who ne'er lov'd them; and there be many that they have loved, they know not wherefore; fo that, if they love they know not why, they hate upon no better a ground. Therefore, for Coriolanus neither to care whether they love, or hate him, manifefts the true knowledge he has in their difpofition, and out of his noble careleffness lets them plainly fee't.

1 Off. If he did not care whether he had their love or no, he wav'd indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor harm: but he feeks their hate with greater devotion than they can render it him; and leaves nothing VOL. VI. R

undone,

undone, that may fully discover him their oppofite. Now to feem to affect the malice and displeasure of the People, is as bad as That, which he diflikes, to flatter them for their love.

2 Off. He hath deferved worthily of his Country: and his afcent is not by such easy degrees as thofe, who have been fupple and courteous to the People; bonnetted, without any further deed to heave them at all into their eftimation and report: but he hath so planted his honours in their eyes, and his actions in their hearts, that for their tongues to be filent, and not confess so much, were a kind of ingrateful injury; to report otherwife, were a malice, that, giving itfelf the lie, would pluck reproof and rebuke from ev'ry ear that heard it.

1 Off. No more of him, he is a worthy Man: make way, they are coming.

Enter the Patricians, and the Tribunes of the People, Lictors before them; Coriolanus, Menenius, Cominius the Conful: Sicinius and Brutus take their places by themselves.

Men. Having determin'd of the Volfcians, and To fend for Titus Lartius, it remains,

As the main point of this our after-meeting,

To gratify his noble fervice, that

Hath thus ftood for his Country. Therefore, please

you

Moft reverend and grave Elders, to defire

The prefent Conful, and last General,
In our well-found fucceffes, to report
A little of that worthy Work perform'd
By Caius Marcius Coriolanus; whom

We met here, both to thank, and to remember
With honours like himself.

1 Sen. Speak, good Cominius:

Leave nothing out for length, and make us think,
Rather our States defective for requital,
Than we to stretch it out. Mafters o'th' People,
We do request your kindeft ear; and, after,

Your