Sic. Is 't possible that so short a time can alter the condition of a man?

Men. There is differency between a grub and a butterfly; yet your butterfly was a grub. This Marcius is grown from man to dragon: he has wings; he's more than a creeping thing.

Sic. He loved his mother dearly.

Men. So did he me: and he no more remembers his mother now than an eight-year-old horse. The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes: when he walks, he moves like an engine, and the ground shrinks before his treading: he is able to pierce a corslet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery: he sits in his state as a thing made for Alexander: what he bids be done, is finished with his bidding. He wants nothing of a god but eternity, and a heaven to throne in.

Sic. Yes, mercy, if you report him truly.

Men. I paint him in the character. Mark what mercy his mother shall bring from him. There is no more mercy in him than there is milk in a male tiger: that shall our poor city find: and all this is 'long of you.

Sic. The gods be good unto us!

Men. No, in such a case the gods will not be good unto us. When we banished him, we respected not them: and he returning to break our necks, they respect not us.

Art thou certain this is true? is it most certain? Mess. As certain as I know the sun is fire: Where have you lurked, that you make doubt of it? Ne'er through an arch so hurried the blown tide, As the recomforted through the gates. Why, hark you!

[Trumpets and hautboys sounded, and drums

beaten, all together. Shouting also within. The trumpets, sackbuts, psalteries, and fifes, Tabors, and cymbals, and the shouting Romans, Make the sun dance. Hark you! [Shouting again.

And my pretext to strike at him admits

A good construction. I raised him, and I pawned Mine honour for his truth: who being so heightened,

He watered his new plants with dews of flattery,
Seducing so my friends: and to this end
He bowed his nature, never known before
But to be rough, unswayable, and free.
3rd Con. Sir, his stoutness

When he did stand for consul, which he lost
By lack of stooping,—

Auf. That I would have spoken of:-
Being banished for 't, he came unto my hearth;
Presented to my knife his throat. I took him:
Made him joint servant with me: gave him way
In all his own desires; nay, let him choose
Out of my files, his projects to accomplish,
My best and freshest men: served his design-

Enter the Lords of the City.

Lords. You are most welcome home. Auf. I have not deserved it: But, worthy lords, have you with heed perused What I have written to you?

Lords. 1st Lord.

We have.

And grieve to hear it. What faults he made before the last, I think Might have found easy fines: but there to end Where he was to begin, and give away The benefit of our levies, answering us With our own charge; making a treaty where There was a yielding: this admits of no excuse. Auf. He approaches: you shall hear him.

Enter CORIOLANUS, with drums and colours; a crowd of Citizens with him.

Cor. Hail, lords! I am returned your soldier:
No more infected with my country's love
Than when I parted hence, but still subsisting
Under your great command. You are to know
That prosperously I have attempted, and
With bloody passage led your wars even to
The gates of Rome. Our spoils we have brought
home

Do more than counterpoise, a full third part,
The charges of the action. We have made peace,
With no less honour to the Antiates
Than shame to the Romans: and we here deliver,
Subscribed by the consuls and patricians,
Together with the seal o' the senate, what
We have compounded on.

I'll grace thee with that robbery, thy stolen name
Coriolanus in Corioli?-

You lords and heads of the state, perfidiously
He has betrayed your business, and given up
For certain drops of salt your city Rome
(I say your city) to his wife and mother:
Breaking his oath and resolution like
A twist of rotten silk: never admitting
Counsel o' the war; but at his nurse's tears
He whined and roared away your victory,
That pages blushed at him, and men of heart
Looked wondering each at other.

Will you be put in mind of his blind fortune, Which was your shame, by this unholy braggart, 'Fore your own eyes and ears?

Con. Let him die for 't. [Several speak at once. Cit. [Speaking promiscuously]. Tear him to pieces; do it presently. He killed my son :my daughter-he killed my cousin Marcus: -he killed my father.

2nd Lord. Peace, ho!-no outrage :-peace! The man is noble, and his fame folds in

This orb o' the earth. His last offences to us Shall have judicious hearing.-Stand, Aufidius, And trouble not the peace.

"We are accounted poor citizens: the patricians, good." Act I., Scene 1.

The word " good" is here used in the sense of rich or prosperous. As in the "MERCHANT OF VENICE:

"Antonio's a good man."

"To a cruel war I sent him; from whence he returned, his brows bound with oak."-Act I., Scene 3.

The first time he went to the wars, being but a stripling, was when Tarquin, surnamed the Proud (that had been King of Rome, and was driven out for his pride, after many attempts made by sundry battles to come in again, wherein he was ever overcome), did come to Rome with all the aid of the Latins and many other people of Italy, even, as it were, to set up his whole rest upon a battle by them, who, with a great and mighty army, had undertaken to put him into his kingdom again, not so much to pleasure him as to overthrow the power of the Romans, whose greatness they both feared and envied.

In this battle, wherein were many hot and sharp encounters of either party, Martius valiantly fought in the sight of the Dictator; and a Roman soldier being thrown to the ground even hard by him, Martius straight bestrid him, and slew the enemy with his own hands that had before overthrown the Roman. Hereupon, after the battle was won, the Dictator did not forget so noble an act; and therefore, first of all, he crowned Martius with a garland of oaken boughs for whosoever saveth the life of a Roman, it is a manner among them to honour him with such a garland.PLUTARCH'S "Life of Coriolanus;" North's Translation.

[Sir Thomas North's translation of PLUTARCH (1579) was, doubtless, the main source whence Shakspere derived the incidents of his Roman plays. The closeness with which he has followed them, and the admirable skill he has shewn in working them into a dramatic shape, will appear from occasional short specimens of the biographer's narrative, as rendered in North's picturesque version.]

"What, are you sewing here? A fine spot, in good faith." Act I., Scene 3. The term "fine spot" relates to the embroidery. "Spotted muslin" is a phrase still in use.

"Thou wast a soldier

Even to Cato's wish."-Act I., Scene 4.

In the country of the Volces, against whom the Romans made war at that time, there was a principal city, and of most fame, that was called Corioles; before the which the consul Cominius did lay siege. Whereupon all the other Volces, fearing lest that city should be taken by assault, they came from all parts of the country to save it, intending to give the Romans battle before the city, and to give an onset on them in two several places. The consul Cominius, understanding this, divided his army also into two parts; and, taking the one part with himself, he marched towards them that were drawing to the city out of the country: and the other part of his army he left in the camp with Titus Lartius (one of the valiantest men the Romans had at that time), to resist those that would make any sally out of the city upon them.

So the Coriolans, making small account of them that lay in camp before the city, made a sally out upon them; in the which at the first the Coriolans had the better, and drove the Romans back again into the trenches of their camp. But Martius being there at that time, running out of the camp with a few men with him, he slew the first enemies he met withal, and made the rest of them stay upon the sudden; crying out to the Romans that had turned their backs, and calling them again to fight, with a loud voice. For he was even such another as Cato would have a soldier and a captain to be:-not only terrible and fierce to lay about him, but to make the enemy afeard with the sound of his voice and grimness of his countenance.-PLUTARCH.

It will be seen, that in speaking of Marcius as "a soldier even to Cato's wish," the poet inadvertently attributes to Lartius, what was in fact a remark of the biographer. The old copy has "Colues wish;" but this is, doubtless, a misprint.

"Please you to march;

And four shall quickly draw out my command,

Which men are best inclined."-Act I., Scene 6. Coriolanus may here mean that he would appoint four persons, to select, for his particular command (or party), those soldiers who were best inclined; and in order to save time, he proposes to have this choice made while the army is marching forward. There is probably some error in the text.

"If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work, Thou'll not believe thy deeds."—Act I., Scene 9. There the consul Cominius, going up to his chair of state, in the presence of the whole army, gave thanks to the gods for so great, glorious, and prosperous a victory. Then he spoke to Martius, whose valiantness he commended beyond the moon, both for that he himself saw him do with his eyes, as also for that Lartius had reported unto him.

So in the end he willed Martius that he should choose, out of all the horses they had taken of their enemies, and of all the goods they had won (whereof there was great store), ten of every sort which he liked best, before any distribution should be made to others. Besides this great, honourable offer he had made him, he gave him, in testimony that he had won that day the price of prowess above all other, a goodly horse with a caparison, and all furniture to him; which the whole army beholding, did marvellously praise and commend. But Martius, stepping forth, told the consul he most thankfully accepted the gift of his horse, and was a glad man, besides, that his services had deserved his general's recommendation: and as for his other offer, which was rather a mercenary reward than an honourable recompense, he would have none of it, but was contented to have his equal part with the other soldiers.-PLUTARCH.

"SIC. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends. MEN. Pray you, who does the wolf love?"

Act II., Scene 1.

Menenius probably means to infer that the tribune's rule is not without an exception; and that the people are not, in the particular referred to, more discriminating than the wolf.

"You are ambitious for poor knaves' caps and legs."

Act II., Scene 1. To "make a leg," was the phrase for bowing. It probably alluded to the practice (still preserved in the representation of rustics) of scraping backward with the left leg, at the time of bending the body.

-"It then remains,

That you do speak to the people."-Act II., Scene 2. Shortly after this, Martius stood for the consulship; and the common people favoured his suit, thinking it would be a shame to them to deny and refuse the chiefest nobleman of blood and most worthy person of Rome; and especially him that had done so great service and good to the Commonwealth. For the custom of Rome was at that time, that such as did sue for any office should, for certain days before, be in the market-place, only with a poor gown on their backs, and without any coat underneath, to pray the citizens to remember them at the day of election: which was thus devised, either to move the people the more, by requesting them in such mean apparel, or else, because they might shew them their wounds they had gotten in the wars, in the service of the Commonwealth, as manifest marks and testimonies of their valiantness.-PLUTARCH.

"Why in this woolvish toge should I stand here," &c. Act II., Scene 3. The first folio has "tongue," instead of "toge." The same error occurs in that version of "OTHELLO," where tongued consuls" is printed for "toged consuls." The meaning of the term "woolvish" has occasioned much controversy it appears most probable that the poet supposed, whether erroneously or not, that the candidate had to stand in a garment of woollen material-"the gown of humility."

That our best water brought by conduits hither:
And Censorinus, darling of the people
(And nobly named so, twice being censor),
Was his great ancestor."-Act II., Scene 3.

The house of the Martians at Rome was of the number of the patricians, out of the which have sprung many noble personages; whereof Ancus Martius was one (King Numa's daughter's son), who was King of Rome after Tullus Hostilius. Of the same house was Publius and Quintus, who brought to Rome their best water they had, by conduits. Censorinus also came of that family, that was so surnamed because the people had chosen him censor twice; through whose persuasion they made a law that no man from thenceforth might require or enjoy the censorship twice.-PLU

So Martius came and presented himself to answer their accusations against him; and the people held their peace, and gave attentive ear to hear what he would say. But where they thought to have heard very humble and lowly words come from him, he began not only to use his wonted boldness of speaking (which of itself was very rough and unpleasant, and did more aggravate his accusation than purge his innocency), but also gave himself in his words to thunder, and look therewithal so grimly as though he made no reckoning of the matter.

This stirred coals among the people, who were in wonderful fury at it; and their hate and malice grew so toward him, that they could no longer bear nor endure his bravery and careless boldness. Whereupon Sicinius, the cruellest and stoutest of the Tribunes, after he had whispered a little with his companions, did openly pronounce, in the face of all the people, Martius as condemned by the Tribunes to die. Then presently he commanded the ædiles to apprehend him, and carry him straight to the rock Tarpeian, and to cast him headlong down the same. When the ædiles came to lay hands upon Martius to do what they were commanded, divers of the people themselves thought it too cruel and violent a deed. - PLUTARCH.