Their needless vouches ?2 Custom calls me to't:- To one that would do thus.-I am half through; Enter Three other Citizens. Here come more voices, Your voices for your voices I have fought; the compositor at the press to fall into, who almost always substitutes a familiar English word for one derived from the Latin, which he does not understand. The very same mistake has happened in Othello, where we find "tongued consuls," for toged consuls The particle in shows that tongue cannot be right. The editor of the second folio solved the difficulty as usual, by substituting gown, without any regard to the word in the original copy. MAIONE. 2 To beg of Hob and Dick, that do appear, Their needless vouches?] Why stand I here,-to beg of Hob and Dick, and such others as make their appearance here, their unnecessary voices? JOHNSON. By strange inattention our poet has here given the names (as in many other places he has attributed the customs,) of England, to ancient Rome. It appears from Minsheu's DICTIONARY, 1617, in v. QUINTAINE, that these were some of the most common names among the people in Shakspeare's time: "A QUINTAINE or QUINTELLE, a game in request at marriages, where Jac and Tom, Dic, Hob, and Will, strive for the gay garland." 3 Again, in an old equivocal English prophecy: "The country gnuffs, Hob, Dick, and Hick, MALONE. STEEVENS. battles thrice six &c.] Coriolanus seems now, in I have seen, and heard of; for your voices, have Done many things, some less, some more: your voices: Indeed, I would be consul. 5 CIT. He has done nobly, and cannot go without any honest man's voice. 6 CIT. Therefore let him be consul: The gods give him joy, and make him good friend to the people! ALL. Amen, amen. God save thee, noble consul! [Exeunt Citizens. Worthy voices! COR. Re-enter MENENIUS, with BRUTUS, and SICINIUS. MEN. You have stood your limitation; and the tribunes Endue you with the people's voice: Remains, Anon do meet the senate. COR. Is this done? Sic. The custom of request you have discharg'd: The people do admit you; and are summon'd To meet anon, upon your approbation. COR. Where? at the senate-house? SIC. There, Coriolanus. earnest, to petition for the consulate: perhaps we may better read: I've · battles thrice six seen, and you have heard of; for your voices Done many things, &c. FARMER. COR. May I then change these garments? SIC. You may, sir. COR. That I'll straight do; and, knowing my. self again, Repair to the senate-house. MEN. I'll keep you company.-Will you along? BRU. We stay here for the people. SIC. Fare you well. Exeunt CORIOL. and MENEN. With a proud heart he wore He has it now; and by his looks, methinks, 'Tis warm at his heart. BRU. His humble weeds: Will you dismiss the people? Re-enter Citizens. SIC. How now, my masters? have you chose this man? 1 CIT. He has our voices, sir. BRU. We pray the gods, he may deserve your loves. 2 CIT. Amen, sir: To my poor unworthy notice, He mock'd us, when he begg'd our voices. 3 CIT. He flouted us down-right. 4 Certainly, 1 CIT. No, 'tis his kind of speech, he did not mock us. 2 CIT. Not one amongst us, save yourself, but says, May I then &c.] Then, which is wanting in the old copy, was supplied, for the sake of metre, by Sir T. Hanmer. STEEVENS. He us❜d us scornfully: he should have show'd us His marks of merit, wounds receiv'd for his coun try. SIC. Why, so he did, I am sure. CIT. No; no man saw 'em. [Several speak. 3 CIT. He said, he had wounds, which he could show in private ; And with his hat, thus waving it in scorn, Your most sweet voices :-now you have left your voices, I have no further with you:-Was not this mockery? SIC. Why, either, you were ignorant to see't?" Or, seeing it, of such childish friendliness To yield your voices? -aged custom,] This was a strange inattention. The Romans at this time had but lately changed the regal for the consular government: for Coriolanus was banished the eighteenth year after the expulsion of the kings. WARBURton. Perhaps our author meant by aged custom, that Coriolanus should say, the custom which requires the consul to be of a certain prescribed age, will not permit that I should be elected, unless by the voice of the people that rule should be broken through. This would meet with the objection made in p. 90, n. 3; but I doubt much whether Shakspeare knew the precise consular age even in Tully's time, and therefore think it more probable that the words aged custom were used by our author in their ordinary sense, however inconsistent with the recent establishment of consular government at Rome. Plutarch had led him into an error concerning this aged custom. See p. 96, n. 1. MALOne. 6 ignorant to see't?] Were you ignorant to see it, is, did you want knowledge to discern it? JOHNSON. BRU. As you Could you not have told him, were lesson'd,-When he had no power, But was a petty servant to the state, He was your enemy; ever spake against Your liberties, and the charters that you I' the body of the weal: and now, arriving A place of potency," and sway o'the state, If he should still malignantly remain bear Fast foe to the plebeii, your voices might 8 SIC. Thus to have said, As you were fore-advis'd, had touch'd his spirit, And try'd his inclination; from him pluck'd Either his gracious promise, which you might, As cause had call'd you up, have held him to; Or else it would have gall'd his surly nature, Which easily endures not article Tying him to aught; so, putting him to rage, You should have ta'en the advantage of his choler, And pass'd him unelected. BRU. Did you perceive, He did solicit you in free contempt, 7 arriving A place of potency,] Thus the old copy, and rightly. So, in The Third Part of King Henry VI. Act V. sc. iii: 66 those powers that the queen "Hath rais'd in Gallia, have arriv'd our coast." STEEVENS. • Would think upon you-] Would retain a grateful remembrance of you, &c. MALONE. 9 -free contempt,] That is, with contempt open and unrestrained. JOHNSON. |
