Sic.

There, Coriolanus.

You may, sir.

Cor. May I change these garments?

Sic.

Cor. That I'll straight do; and, knowing myself

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.

He has it now; and by his looks, methinks, 'Tis warm at his heart.

Bru.

With a proud heart he wore

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 mocked us, when he begged our voices.

3 Cit.

He flouted us downright.

Certainly,

1 Cit. No, 'tis his kind of speech; he did not

mock us.

2 Cit. Not one amongst us, save yourself, but says, He used us scornfully; he should have showed us His marks of merit, wounds received for his country. 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,
I would be consul, says he: aged custom,1

1 The Romans (as Warburton observes) had but lately changed the regal for the consular government; for Coriolanus was banished the eighteenth year after the expulsion of the kings. Plutarch, as we have before seen, led the Poet into the error concerning this aged custom.

But by your voices, will not so permit me ;

Your voices therefore. When we granted that,
Here was, I thank you for your voices,-thank you,—
Your most sweet voices;-now you have left your voices,
I have no further with you. Was not this mockery?
Sic. Why, either, were you ignorant to see't?1
Or, seeing it, of such childish friendliness,

To yield your voices?

Bru.
Could you not have told him,
As you were lessoned-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 bear
I' the body of the weal: and now, arriving
A place of potency, and sway o' the state,
If he should still malignantly remain
Fast foe to the plebeii, your voices might
Be curses to yourselves. You should have said,
That, as his worthy deeds did claim no less
Than what he stood for; so his gracious nature
Would think upon you for your voices, and
Translate his malice towards you into love,
Standing your friendly lord.

3

Sic.
Thus to have said,
As you were fore-advised, had touched his spirit,
And tried his inclination; from him plucked
Either his gracious promise, which you might,
As cause had called you up, have held him to ;
Or else it would have galled 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 passed him unelected.

Bru.

Did you perceive,

1 "Did you want knowledge to discern it?"

2 So in the Third Part of King Henry VI. Act v. Sc. 3.:—

66

those powers that the queen

Hath raised in Gallia have arrived our coast."

3 i. e. " would retain a grateful remembrance of you," &c.

He did solicit you in free contempt,'

When he did need your loves; and do you think
That his contempt shall not be bruising to you,
When he hath power to crush? Why, had
your bodies
No heart among you? Or had you tongues, to cry
Against the rectorship of judgment?

Sic.

Have you,

Ere now, denied the asker? and, now again,
On him, that did not ask, but mock, bestow
Your sued-for tongues?

3 Cit. He's not confirmed; we may deny him yet. 2 Cit. And will deny him.

I'll have five hundred voices of that sound.

1 Cit. I twice five hundred, and their friends to piece 'em.

Bru. Get you hence instantly; and tell those friends,―

They have chose a consul, that will from them take
Their liberties; make them of no more voice

Than dogs, that are as often beat for barking,
As therefore kept to do so.

Sic.
Let them assemble;
And, on a safer judgment, all revoke

Your ignorant election. Enforce his pride,
And his old hate unto you; besides, forget not
With what contempt he wore the humble weed;
How in his suit he scorned you; but your loves,
Thinking upon his services, took from you
The apprehension of his present portance,3
Which, most gibingly, ungravely he did fashion
After the inveterate hate he bears you.

Bru.
Lay
A fault on us, your tribunes; that we labored
(No impediment between) but that you must
Cast your election on him.

Sic.

Say you chose him More after our commandment, than as guided

By your own true affections; and that, your minds
Preoccupied with what you rather must do
Than what you should, made you against the grain
To voice him consul. Lay the fault on us.

Bru. Ay, spare us not. Say, we read lectures to you, How youngly he began to serve his country,

How long continued; and what stock he springs of,
The noble house o' the Marcians; from whence came
That Ancus Marcius, Numa's daughter's son,
Who, after great Hostilius, here was king.
Of the same house Publius and Quintus were,
That our best water brought by conduits hither;
And Censorinus, darling of the people,1

And nobly named so, being censor twice,
Was his great ancestor.

One thus descended,

Sic.
That hath beside well in his person wrought
To be set high in place, we did commend
To your remembrances; but you have found,
Scaling his present bearing with his past,
That he's your fixed enemy, and revoke
Your sudden approbation.

Bru.

2

Say, you ne'er had done't,

(Harp on that still,) but by our putting on ;3
And presently, when you have drawn your number,
Repair to the Capitol.

Cit.

We will so; almost all [Several speak. Repent in their election. [Exeunt Citizens.

1 Pope supplied this verse, which the context evidently requires, and which is warranted by the narration in Plutarch, from whence this passage is taken :-"The house of the Martians at Rome was of the number of the patricians, out of which sprung many noble personages, whereof Ancus Martius was one, king Numaes daughter's sonne, who was king of Rome after Tullus Hostilius. Of the same house were Publius and Quintus, who brought to Rome their best water they had by conduits. Censorinus came of that familie, that was so surnamed because the people had chosen him censor twice." Publius and Quintus and Censorinus were not the ancestors of Coriolanus, but his descendants. Caius Martius Rutilius did not obtain the name of Censorinus till the year of Rome 487; and the Marcian waters were not brought to the city by aqueducts till the year 613, near 350 years after the death of Coriolanus. Shakspeare has confounded the ancestors and posterity of Coriolanus together.

2 That is, weighing.

3 i. e. our incitation.

Bru.

Let them go on ;

This mutiny were better put in hazard,
Than stay, past doubt, for greater.

If, as his nature is, he fall in rage

With their refusal, both observe and answer
The vantage of his anger.

To the capitol.

Sic. Come, we'll be there before the stream o' the people; And this shall seem, as partly 'tis, their own, Which we have goaded onward.

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I. The same. A Street.

Cornets. Enter CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS, COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, Senators, and Patricians.

Cor. Tullus Aufidius then had made new head? Lart. He had, my lord; and that it was, which caused

Our swifter composition.

Cor. So then the Volces stand but as at first; Ready, when time shall prompt them, to make road

Upon us again.

Com.

That we shall hardly in our ages see

They are worn, lord consul,' so

Saw you Aufidius ?

Their banners wave again.

Cor.

Lart. On safeguard he came to me; and did curse

Against the Volces, for they had so vilely

Yielded the town. He is retired to Antium.

Cor. Spoke he of me?

Lart.

He did, my lord.

1 Shakspeare has here again given the usage of England to Rome.