Now, Mars, I pr'ythee make us quick in work; To help our fielded friends!'-Come, blow thy blast. Tullus Aufidius, is he within your walls? They do disdain us much beyond our thoughts, He that retires, I'll take him for a Volce, Alarum, and exeunt Romans and Volces, fighting. See, they [Alarum continues. Have shut him in. cius: A carbuncle entire, as big as thon art, 1 Rom. This will I carry to Rome 3 Rom. A murrain on't! I took this for silver. Trumpet. Mar. See here these movers, that do prize their At a crack'd drachm! Cushions, leaden spoons, And hark, what noise the general makes!-To Mar. All the contagion of the south light on you; There is the man of my soul's hate, Aufidius, You shames of Rome! you herd of3 plagues Boils and geese, Plaster you o'er; that you may be abhorr'd home, Or, by the fires of heaven, I'll leave the foe, Another Alarum. The Volces and Romans re-enter, Tis for the followers fortune widens them, 1 i. e. our friends who are in the field of battle. 3You herd of Piercing our Romans: Then, valiant Titus, take Lart. Worthy sir, thou bleed'st; Mar. Sir, praise me not: My work hath yet not warm'd me: Fare you well. Lart. Mar. [Exit MARCIUS. 5 We have a similar thought in Othello:-- error would easily arise: Shakspeare wrote, accord6 The old copy has erroneously Calues wish ;' the cowards! Marcius would proba-cross the t, and forming the o inaccurately. Cato was ing to the mode of his time, Catoes wish,' omitting to bly have said, but his rage prevents him. 4 The old copy reads :— "Who sensibly outdares'——— Sensible is here having sensation. So before:-'I would your cambrick were as sensible as your finger.' Though Coriolanus has the feeling of pain like other men, he is more hardy in daring exploits than his senseless sword; for after it is bent, he yet stands firm in the field. Go, sound thy trumpet in the market-place; Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands, We shall be charg'd again. Whiles we have struck, They have plac'd their men of trust? 2 i. e. towards bed or rest, or the time of resting. Compounds were formerly made at pleasure, by subjoining ward to the thing towards which the action tended. 31. e. remitting his ransom. Mar. By all the battles wherein we have fought, By the blood we have shed together, by the vows We have made to endure friends, that you directly Set me against Aufidius, and his Antiates: And that you not delay the present; but, Filling the air with swords advanc'd, and darts, prove this very hour. We 4 i. e. in the front are the soldiers of Antium. Shakspeare uses Antiates as a trisyllable, as if it had been written Antiats. 5 i. e. do not let slip the present time. Com. Though I could wish You were conducted to a gentle bath, And balms applied to you, yet dare I never Deny your asking; take your choice of those That best can aid your action. Mar. Those are they That most are willing;-If any such be here (As it were sin to doubt,) that love this painting Wherein you see me smear'd; if any fear Lesser his person than an ill report; 6 The old copy reads Lessen. The reading of the text was introduced by Steevens. His person means his personal danger. We have nearly the same sentiment in Troilus and Cressida : If there be one among the fair'st of Greece That holds his honour higher than his ease.' .% If any think, brave death outweighs bad life, And follow Marcius. [They all shout and wave their swords; takɛ O me, alone! Make you a sword of me? A shield as hard as his. A certain number, Com. March on, my fellows: Make good this ostentation, and you shall Divide in all with us. [Exeunt. SCENE VII. The Gates of Corioli. TITUS LARTIUS, having set a guard upon Corioli, going with a drum and trumpet toward Cominius and Caius Marcius, enters with a Lieutenant, a Party of Soldiers, and a Scout. Lart. So, let the ports be guarded: keep your duties, As I have set them down. If I do send, despatch Fear not our care, sir. 7 From the obscurity of this passage there is good reason to suspect its correctness. Perhaps we might read some instead of four, words easily confounded in old MSS.; and then the last line may be interrogative, thus: Please you to march, And some shall quickly draw out my command: Which men are best inclin'd?" The passage as it stands in the old copy has been thus explained: Coriolanus means to say, that he would appoint four persons to select for his particular, or party, those who are best inclined; and, in order to save time, he proposes to have this choice made while the army is marching forward. The old translation of Plutarch only says:- Wherefore, with those that willingly of fered themselves to follow him, he went out of the citie." 8 Gates. 9 Companies of a hundred men. Halloo me like a hare. Mar. If I fly, Marcius, Within these three hours, Tullus, Alone I fought in your Corioli walls, And made what work I pleas'd; 'Tis not my blood, Wherein thou seest me mask'd; for thy revenge, Wrench up thy power to the highest. Auf. Wert thou the Hector, That was the whip' of your bragg'd progeny, Thou should'st not scape me here. [They fight, and certain Volces come to the aid of AUFIDIUS. Officious, and not valiant-you have sham'd me In your condemned seconds.+ [Exeunt fighting, driven in by MARCIUS. SCENE IX. The Roman Camp. Alarum. A Retreat is sounded. Flourish. Enter at one side, COMINIUS, and Romans; at the other side, MARCIUS, with his arm in a scarf, and other Romans. Com. If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work, Thou'lt not believe thy deeds; but I'll report it, Where senators shall mingle tears with smiles; Where great patricians shall attend, and shrug, I' the end, admire; where ladies shall be frighted, And, gladly quak'd, hear more; where the dull tribunes, That, with the fusty plebeians, hate thine honours, Yet cam'st thou to a morsel of this feast, Enter TITUS LARTIUS, with his Power, from the pursuit. Lart. O general, Here is the steed, we the caparison:6 Hadst thou beheld Mar. Pray now, no more: my mother, Who has a charter to extol her blood, When she does praise me, grieves me. I have done, As you have done; that's what I can; induc'd As you have been; that's for my country:" He, that has but effected his good will, Hath overta'en mine act.a The grave of your deserving; Rome must know 1 The construction here appears to be, Not Afric owns a serpent I more abhor and envy than thy fame.' The verb to envy, in ancient language, signified to hate. 2 Thus in Macbeth : 'And damn'd be he that first cries, Hold, enough! 3 i. e. the whip that your bragg'd progenitors were possessed of. Steevens suggests that chip might be used as crack has been since, to denote any thing peculiarly boasted of; as the crack house in the country, the cruck boy of the school, &c. 4 You have to my shame sent me help, which I must condemin as intrusive, instead of applauding it as necessary.' 5 i. e. thrown into grateful trepidation. To quake is used as a verb active by T. Heywood in his Silver Age, 1613 Your only choice. Mar. I thank you, general; But cannot make my heart consent to take And stand upon my common part with those A bribe to pay my sword: I do refuse it; That have beheld the doing. [A long Flourish. They all cry, Marcius! Marcius! cast up their caps and lances; COMINIUS and LARTIUS stand bare. May these same instruments, which you profane, Never sound more! When drums and trumpets shall the field prove flatterers, let courts and cities be Soft as the parasite's silk, let him be made Made all of false-fac'd soothing: When steel An overture for the wars !10 No more, I say; Or foil'd some debile wretch,-which, without For that I have not wash'd my nose that bled, note, grows Here's many else have done,-you shout me forth Com. Too modest are you; More cruel to your good report, than grateful' As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius [Flourish. Trumpets sound, and Drums, And when my face is fair, you shall perceive Whether I blush, or no: Howbeit, I thank you :— S That is, has done as much as I have done, inas. much as my ardour to serve the state is such that I have never been able to effect all that I wished." So in Macbeth : The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, Unless the deed goes with it." 9 That is, not be remember'd. 10 The old copy reads: -When steel grows Soft as silk, let him be made An overture for the wars! The I think with Mr. Tyrwhitt that we should read a cover. ture. The personal pronoun him is not unfrequently used by old writers instead of it, the neuter. sense of the passage will then be complete and apt :When steel grows soft as silk, let armour be made of silk instead of steel. Notwithstanding Malone's in genious argument, it is impossible to extract sense from the word overture, which anciently, as now, meant a motion, or offer made, an opening, or en trance.' 11 Weak, feeble. SCENE X. The Camp of the Volces. A Flourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS, bloody, with two or three Soldiers. Auf. The town is ta'en! 1 Sol. "Twill be deliver'd back on good condition. I would, I were a Roman; for I cannot, I the part that is at mercy? Five times, Marcius, (True sword to sword,) I'll potch' at him some way; 1 Sol. Auf. Bolder, though not so subtle: My valour's poison'd, With only suffering stain by him; for him My hate to Marcius; where I find him, were it At home, upon my brother's guard, even there, To undercrest your good addition, To the fairness of my power'appears to mean, he will endeavour to support the honourable distinction conferred upon him to the fair extent of his power.' 2 i. e. the chief men of Corioli, with whom we may enter into articles. Bullokar has the word 'articulate, to set down articles, or conditions of agreement." We still retain the word capitulate, which anciently had nearly the same meaning, viz. To article or agree upon articles.' Men. Not according to the prayer of the people, for they love not Marcius. Sic. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends. Men. Ay, to devour him; as the hungry plebeians would the noble Marcius. Bru. He's a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear. Men. He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb. You two are old men; tell me one thing that I shall ask you. Both Trib. Well, sir. Men. In what enormity is Marcius poor in, 12 that you two have not in abundance? Bru. He's poor in no one fault but stored with all. Bru. And topping all others in boasting. Men. This is strange, now: Do you two know how you are censured here in the city, I mean of us o' the right hand file? Do you? Both Trib. Why, how are we censured? Men. Because you talk of pride now,-Will you not be angry? Both Trib. Well, well, sir, well. Men. Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience give your disposition the reins, and be angry at your pleasures; at the least, if you take it as a pleasure to you, in being so. You blame Marcius for being proud! Bru. We do it not alone, sir. Men. I know you can do very little alone: or your helps are many; or else your actions would grow wondrous single: your abilities are too infant-like, for doing much alone. You talk of pride O, that you could turn your eyes towards the napes of your necks, 13 and make but an interior survey of your good selves! O, that you could! Bru. What then, sir? 7 Embarquements, as appears from Cotgrave and Sherwood, meant not only an embarkation, but an embargoing; which is evidently the sense of the word in this passage. 8 i. e. in my own house, with my brother posted to protect him. 9 Attended is waited for. So in Twelfth Night :-Thy intercepter attends thee at the orchard end,' 10 Malone observes that Shakspeare often introduces these minute local descriptions, probably to give an air of truth to his pieces. The poet attended not to the anachronism of mills near Antium. Lydgate has placed corn-mills near to Troy. 11 When the tribune, in reply to Menenius's remark on the people's hate to Coriolanus, had observed that even beasts know their friends,' Menenius asks, 3 The Volsci are called Volsces throughout the old translation of Plutarch, which Shakspeare followed. 4 Where for whereas, as in other places before noticed. 5 To potch is to thrust at with a sharp pointed instru-whom does the wolf love? implying that there are ment. Thus in Carew's Survey of Cornewall, p. 31 :-They use to potche them [i. e. fish] with an instrument somewhat like a salmon speare. It is from the Fr. pocher. S Mr. Tyrwhitt proposed to read :— My valour poison'd, &c. To And the context seems to require this emendation. mischief him my valour should deviate from its native generosity.' beasts which love nobody, and that among those beasts are the people. 12 It has been already observed that pleonasms of this kind were by no means unfrequent in Shakspeare's age. 13 With allusion to the fable, which says, that every man has a bag hanging before him, in which he puts his neighbour's faults; and another behind him, in which he stows his own. Men. Why, then you should discover a brace of unmeriting, proud, violent, testy magistrates (alias fools,) as any in Rome. Enter VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and VALERIA, &c. How now, my as fair as noble ladies, (and the moon, were she earthly, no nobler,) whither do you follow your eyes so fast? Vol. Honourable Menenius, my boy Marcius ap · proaches; for the love of Juno, let's Men. Ha! Marcius coming home Vol. Ay, worthy Menenius; and with most prosperous approbation. Men. Take my cap, Jupiter, and I thank thee :" Sic. Menenius, you are known well enough too. Men. I am known to be a humorous patrician, and one that loves a cup of hot wine with not a drop of allaying' Tyber in't; said to be something imperfect, in favouring the first complaint: hasty, and tinder-like, upon too trivial motion: one that converses more with the buttock of the night, than with the forehead of the morning.2 What I think,-Hoo! Marcius coming home? I utter; and spend my malice in my breath: Meeting two such weals-men as you are (I cannot call you Lycurguses,) if the drink you give me, touch my palate adversely, I make a crooked face at it. I cannot say, your worships have delivered the matter well, when I find the ass in compound with the major part of your syllables: and though I must be content to bear with those that say you are reverend grave men; yet they lie deadly, that tell, you have good faces. If you see this in the map of mv microcosm, follows it, that I am known well enough too? What harm can your bisson conspectuities glean out of this character, if I be known well enough too? Two Ladies. Nay, 'tis true. Vol. Look, here's a letter from him; the state hath another, his wife another: and, I think, there's one at home for you. Bru. Come, sir, come, we know you well enough. Men. You know neither me, yourselves, nor any thing. You are ambitious for poor knaves' caps and legs; you wear out a good wholesome forenoon, in hearing a cause between an orange-wife and a fosset-seller; and then rejourn the controversy of three-pence to a second day of audience. -When you are hearing a matter between party and party, if you chance to be pinched with the colic, you make faces like mummers; set up the bloody flag against all patience; and, in roaring for a chamber-pot, dismiss the controversy bleeding, the more entangled by your hearing: all the peace you make in their cause, is, calling both the parties knaves: You are a pair of strange ones. Bru. Come, come, you are well understood to be a perfecter giber for the table, than a necessary bencher in the Capitol. Men. I will make my very house reel to-night: -A letter for me? Vir. Yes, certain, there's a letter for you; I saw it. Men. A letter for me? It gives me an estate of lip at the physician: the most sovereign prescripseven years' health; in which time I will make a tion in Galen is but empiricutick, and, to this preservative, of no better report than a horse-drench. Is he not wounded? he was wont to come home wounded. Vir. O, no, no, no. Vol. O, he is wounded, I thank the gods for't. Men. So do I too, if it be not too much :Brings 'a victory in his pocket?-The wounds be come him. Vol. On's brows, Menenius: he comes the third time home with the oaken garland.11 Men. Has he disciplined Aufidius soundly? Vol. Titus Lartius writes,-they fought together, but Aufidius got off. Men. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant him that: an he had staid by him, I would not have been so fidiused for all the chests in Corioli, and the gold that's in them. Is the senate possessed 12 of this? Vol. Good ladies, let's go :-Yes, yes, yes: the senate has letters from the general, wherein he gives my son the whole name of the war: he hath in this action outdone his former deeds doubly. Val. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke of him. Men. Wondrous? ay, I warrant you, and not without his true purchasing. Men. Our very priests must become mockers, if they shall encounter such ridiculous subjects as you are." When you speak best unto the purpose, it is not worth the wagging of your beards; and your beards deserve not so honourable a grave, as to stuff a botcher's cushion, or to be entombed in an ass's pack-saddle. Yet you must be saying, Marcius is proud; who, in a cheap estimation, is worth all your predecessors, since Deucalion; Men. True? I'll be sworn they are true :though peradventure, some of the best of them Where is he wounded? God save your good worwere hereditary hangmen. Good e'en to your wor-ships! [To the Tribunes, who come forward.] Marships; more of your conversation would infect my cius is coming home: he has more cause to be brain, being the herdsmen of the beastly plebeians. proud.-Where is he wounded? I will be bold to take my leave of you. [BRU. and SIC. retire to the back of the Scene. Vir. The gods grant them true? Vol. I the shoulder, and i' the left arm: There will be large cicatrices to show the people, when he shall stand for his place. He received in the repulse of Tarquin, seven hurts i' the body. justly observes, that there is not wit enough in this satire to recompense its grossness," 8 So in Much Ado About Nothing :-' Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come in her presence.' in this play, that Mesenius may well enough he sup9Shakspeare so often mentions throwing up caps posed to throw up his cap in thanks to Jupiter.-Johnson. 10 In this meution of Galen there is an anachronism of near 650 years. Menenius flourished about 492 years before the birth of one Lord, Galen about 160 years after it. The word empiricntick (empirickqutique in the old copy) is evidently formed by the poet froin em Mcrocosm is the title of a poem by John Davies of irick, a quack. Here rd. Mene. 11 Volumnia answers Menenius without taking notice He prov'd best man of the field, and for his meed 12 Possessed is fully informed. 'I have possess'd your grace of what I purpose.' Merchant of Venice. |