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O'lder in practice, a'bler than yourself,

To make condi'tions.

Bru. Go' to; you are not, Cas'sius.
Cas. I am'.

Bru. I say you are not.

Cas. Urge me no m'ore, I shall forget myself— Have mind upon your h'ealth-temp't me/ no farther. Bru. Awa'y, slight man!

Cas. Is't po'ssible?

Bru. Hear' me, for I will sp`eak.

Must I give way and roo'm/ to your rash ch ́oler?

Shall I be frighted/ when a mad man st'ares?

Cas. O go'ds! ye g'ods! must I endu're all this?

Bru. All this? a'y/ more. Fr'et/ till your proud heart bre`ak!

Go', tell your slaves how ch'oleric-you-are,

And make your bo'ndmen trem'ble. Must I bu'dge?

Must I observe you? must I stand and crouch/
Under your testy h'umour ? By the gods,
You shall dige'st the venom of you spleen,
Though it do split you: fo`r/ from this day fo'rth
I'll use you for my mir'th, ye'a for my laughter,
When you are wa`spish.

Cas. Is it come to this?

Bru. You say, yo`u are a better soʻldier: Let it appea'r so; make your vaunting tru ́e,

And it shall pleas ́e-me we'll. For mine own p'art,

I shall be glad to lea'rn of n'oble me'n.

Cas. You wrong me e'very-way-you wro'ng me, Brutus ; I said an el'der soldier, not a better;

Did I

say be'tter?

Bru. If you di'd, I car'e not.

Cas. When Cæsar li'ved, h'e durst not thus have moved me. Bru. Pea'ce, peace; you durst not so have tempted hiˇm. Cas. I durst'-not!

Bru. No'.

Cas. Wha't? durst not tem'pt him?

Bru. For your life/ you dur`st-not.

Cas. Do not presume too muc'h upon my l'ove;

I m'ay-do/ what I shall be sorry-for.

Bru. You ha've done th'at/ you should be so'rry for.

There is no terror, Cas'sius, in your threats;

Fo'r/ I am armed so strong in honesty,

That they pass by'-me/ as the idle win'd,

Which I respe'ct-not. I did send'-to-you

For certain sums of go`ld, which you den'ied-me; (For I can raise no money by vi le-means.)

I had rather c'oin my he^art,

And dro'p my blo^od/ for dra'chmas, than to wri'ng/
From the hard hands of pea'sants/ their vile tr'ash
By an'y indirection. I did send

Το you for go`ld/ to pay my legions,

Which you den'ied me: was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answered Caius Cassius s'o;
When Ma'rcus Bru'tus/ grows so covetous,
To lock such ra'scal coun'ters/ from hi's friends,
Be ready, go'ds, (with a'll your thunder-bo ́lts!)
Dash'-him to pieces!

Cas. I denied you no't.

Bru. You di`d.

Cas. I did no't-he' was but a fo'ol

Pronounced with conscious superiority and dignity.

That brought my an'swer ba`ck.-Brut'us/ hath rived
A friend/ should bear a friend's infirmities,

But Brutus/ makes mine/ greater than they ar^e.
Bru. I do not-till you practise them on me.
Cas. You love me 'not.

(Interrogatively.)

Bru. I do not like your fa ults.

Cas. A friendly-eye/ could never see such faults.
Bru. A flatterer's-would-not, though they do
As huge/ as high Oly'mpus.

my he'art.

appear

Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, co`me! Revenge yourselves alo'ne on Cassius,

Fo'r/ Cas'sius is a-we'ary of the wo`rld;

Ha'ted/ by one he loves; bra'ved/ by his brother;
Che'cked/ as a bon`dman; all his fa'ults observed,*

* The participial termination ed must never be pronounced as a distinct syllable, unless preceded by d or t, except in the language of Scripture. When learned, cursed, blessed, and winged are adjectives, the ed is invariably pronounced as a distinct syllable; but when participles, the ed does not form an additional syllable. Poetry, however, assumes the privilege of using these adjectives either way, but correct prose rigidly exacts the pronunciation of ed in these words, when adjectives, as a distinct syllable. The ed in aged always makes a distinct syllable, as an aged man; but when this word is compounded with another, the ed does not form a syllable; as, a full-aged horse.

*

When adjectives are changed into adverbs by the addition of the termination ly, the participial ed is preserved long and distinct, as, confessedly, professedly, &c.

S'et in a not'e-book, lea'rned and con'ned by ro'te,
To cast into my teeth. O! I could weep
My spirit/ from mine e'yes!-There is my dag'ger,
And he re/ my naked bre`ast - withi'n, a hea'rt
Dea'rer/ than Plu'tus' min'e, ricˇher/ than go^ld!
If thou needest a Ro'man's, take it for th.

I', that denied thee gold, will give my

he^art:

Strike/ as thou didst at Cæ'sar; for I kn`ow,

When thou didst hate hi'm wo^rst, thou lo'vedst him be^tter/ Than e`ver thou lovedst Cassius.

Bru. Sheathe your da'gger:

Be angry when you wi'll, it shall ha've sco`pe;
D'o what you will, dishonour/ shall be hu'mour.
O Ca'ssius! you are yo`ked with a la‍mb,
That carries an ger/ as the flint bears fire',
Wh'ich, mu'ch-enforced,/ shows a hasty spa'rk,
And straight is c'old again'.

Cas. Hath Cassius lived,

To be but mir'th and laughter to his Brutus,
When gri'ef, and blood ill-tempered, vex'eth-him?
Bru. When I spoke th'at, I was ill-te'mpered too'.
Cas. Do you confe'ss so much? Gi've me your hand.
Bru. And my heart too'.

Cas. O Br'utus !

Bru. What's the matter?

Cas. Have you not love enough/ to be'ar-with-me, When that rash hu'mour/ which my mother gave me Ma'kes me forgetful?

Bru. Yes', Cas'sius, and from henceforth, (When you are over-ea'rnest/ with your Brutus,) He'll think your mo^ther chi'des,/ and lea ́ve-you so'.

CORIOLANUS AND TULLUS AUFIDIUS.

SHAKSPEARE.

Cor. I PLAINLY, T'ullus, by your lo'oks/ perc ́eive
You disappr'ove-my-conduct.

Auf. I mean not to as'sail thee/ with the cla'mour
Of loud repro ́aches and the wa'r of w ́ords;
B'ut (pr'ide apart, and a'll/ that can pervert

The light of ste'ady r'eason) he're to make'
A c'andid, fa'ir-proposal.

Cor. Spe'ak, I hear thee.

Auf. I need not tell thee, that I have perfo`rmed
My utmost promise. Th'ou hast been prote'cted;
Hast had thy am'plest, most ambi'tious-wish;
Thy wounded pr'ide/ is healed, thy dear reven'ge/
Completely sa'ted; a'nd (to cro'wn thy fo'rtune,)
At the same-time, thy peace with R'ome/ rest'ored.
Thou art no more a Vo'lscian, but a Ro'man :
Ret'urn, retur'n; thy du'ty/ calls up'on-thee
Still to protect-the-city/ thou hast saved;
It still may be in dan`ger/ from our a'rms:
Reti're: I will take care thou m'ay'st/ with safety.
Cor. With s'afety?-Do'st think Coriola'nus
Will stoop to three/ for s'afety? No: m'y saf'eguard
Is in my self, a bo'som/ vo'id of bla`me -

O', 'tis an act of co'wardice and ba'seness,

To s'eize the very ti'me/ my hands are f'ettered/
By the strong ch'ain of fo'rmer-obligation,
(The s'afe, su're-moment/ to in'sult me.) - Gods!
Wer'e I now free, (as on that da'y I w'as
When at Corioli I tamed your pride)
Thi's had not been.

Auf. Thou speakest the truth: it ha'd not.
O, for that time again! Propitious god's,

If you will bl'ess-me, gra'nt it! Know, for th'at,
For th^at/ de ar-purpose, I have now proposed

Thou should'st return: I pray thee, Ma'rcius, d'o it;
And we shall meet aga'in/ on no'bler-terms.

Cor. Till I have cleared my honour/ in your council,
And proved before them a'll, to thy confusion,
The falsehood of thy charge; as soon in battle
Would I fly befo`re thee, and ho'wl for me'rcy,
As quit the sta'tion/ they've assigned-me he`re.

Auf. Thou canst not hope acquit'tal/ from the Vo'lscians.
Cor. I d'o:-N'ay, m'ore, expect their approb'ation,
Their tha^nks. I will obtain you su'ch a peace
As y'e* durst/ nev'er-a'sk; a perfect union
Of your whole na'tion/ with imperial Ro'me,

*The trifling alterations in this dialogue, as in "thou" for ye, is agree able to Mr. Kemble's reading of "Coriolanus."

4

In all her privileges, all her rights;

By the just g'ods, I wi'll.-What would'st thou mo`re?

Auf. What would I moˇre, proud Ro'man? Th'is I wo`uld—
Fire the cursed fo`rest, where these Roman w'olves
Ha`unt and inf'est their no'bler-neighbours/ rou`nd them;
Extirpate/ from the bosom of this la'nd

A false, perfid'ious-people, wh'o (beneath
The ma'sk of freedom) are a combination
Against the liberty of hu'man-kind ;-

The genuine seed of ou'tlaws and of robbers.

Cor. The seed of go^ds.—'Tis not for th ́ee, vain bo'aster,— 'Tis not for such as thoˇu,-(so often spared

By her victorious sword) to speak of Ro`me,
B'ut with respect, and a'wful venera`tion.—
Whate'er her blo'ts, whate'er her giddy fa'ctions,
There is more v'irtue/ in one sin`gle-year

Of R'oman-story, than your Vo`lscian-annals

Can b'oast/ through all their cre'eping, da^rk-duration.
Auf. I thank thy ra'ge:- This full displays the tra'itor.
Cor. Traitor'!- H'ow no'w?

Auf. Ay, traitor, Ma^rcius.

Cor. Mar cius!

Auf. A'y, Marcius, C'aius Ma'rcius: Dost thou think
I'll grace thee with that robbery, thy stolen-name,
Coriol'anus, in Co'rioli?

Yo'u/ lor'ds, and he'ads of the st'ate, perfidiously
He has betrayed your bu'siness, and gi'ven-up,
(For certain drops of s'alt,) your c'ity Ro'me,-
I say, your city,—to his wife and mother ;
Breaking his oath and r'esolution/ like

A twist of rot'ten-silk; never admitting
Counsel of the w'ar: b'ut/ at his nurse's te'ars/
He wh'ined and ro'ared-away/ your victory;
That/ pa'ges blu'shed-at-him, and me'n of heart
Looked wo ́ndering e'ach at o`ther.

Cor. He'arest thou, M'ars?

Auf. Na'me not the go'd, thou b'oy of te^ars.
Cor. Mea'sureless-liar, he has made my heart
Too great/ for what cont`ains it.—Bo'y !-false sla^ve!
Cu't me/ to pieces, Vo'lsces: me'n and l'ads,

Stain all your e'dges on'-me.-Boy!-Sir!

If you have wri't your annals tr'ue, 'tis the re,

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