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.

Men. One in the neck, and two in the thigh,there's nine that I know 17.

Vol. He had, before this last expedition, twentyfive wounds upon him.

Men. Now it's twenty-seven: every gash was an enemy's grave: [A Shout, and Flourish.] Hark! the trumpets.

Vol. These are the ushers of Marcius: before him He carries noise, and behind him he leaves tears; Death, that dark spirit, in's nervy arm doth lie; Which being advanc'd, declines; and then men die 18.

A Sennet. Trumpets sound. Enter COMINIUS and TITUS LARTIUS; between them, CORIOLANUS, crowned with an oaken garland; with Captains, Soldiers, and a Herald.

Her. Know, Rome, that all alone Marcius did
fight

Within Corioli' gates: where he hath won,
With fame, a name to Caius Marcius; these
In honour follows, Coriolanus:

Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus!

[Flourish.

heart;

All. Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus! Cor. No more of this, it does offend my Pray now, no more.

Com.

Look, sir, your mother,

17 The old man is minutely particular: 'Seven wounds? let me see; one in the neck, two in the thigh-Nay, I am sure there are nine that I know of.'

18 Volumnia, in her boasting strain, says, that her son, to kill his enemy, has nothing to do but to lift his hand and let it fall. VOL. VIII.

Cor.

O!

[Kneels.

Nay, my good soldier, up;

You have, I know, petition'd all the gods
For my prosperity.
Vol.
My gentle Marcius, worthy Caius, and

By deed-achieving honour newly nam'd,
What is it? Coriolanus, must I call thee?
But O, thy wife,-

Cor.

My gracious silence 19, hail!

Would'st thou have laugh'd, had I come coffin'd

home,

That weep'st to see me triumph? Ah, my dear,
Such eyes the widows in Corioli wear,

And mothers that lack sons.

Men.

Now the gods crown thee! Cor. And live you yet?-O my sweet lady, [TO VALERIA. Vol. I know not where to turn:-0 welcome

pardon.

home;

And welcome, general;—And you are welcome all. Men. A hundred thousand welcomes: I could

weep,

And I could laugh; I am light, and heavy: Wel

come:

19 By gracious silence' it is probable the poet meant, thou whose silent tears are more eloquent and grateful to me than the clamorous applause of the rest.' Thus in Love's Cure, or The

Martial Maid, by Beaumont and Fletcher :

'A lady's tears are silent orators,

Or should be so at least, to move beyond
The honey-tongued rhetorician.'

Again in Daniel's Complaint of Rosamond:

Ah, beauty, siren, fair enchanting good!
Sweet silent rhetoric of persuading eyes!

Dumb eloquence, whose pow'r doth move the blood
More than the words or wisdom of the wise!

And in Every Man Out of his Humour :-' You shall see sweet silent rhetoric and dumb eloquence speaking in her eye.' Gracious is frequently used by Shakspeare for grateful, acceptable, in the sense of the Italian gratiato.

A curse begin at very root of his heart,
That is not glad to see thee!-You are three,
That Rome should dote on: yet, by the faith of men,
We have some old crab-trees here at home, that
will not

Be grafted to your relish. Yet welcome, warriors:
We call a nettle, but a nettle; and

The faults of fools, but folly.

Com.

Cor. Menenius, ever, ever 20.

Her. Give way there, and
Cor.

Ever right.

go on.

Your hand, and yours:

[To his Wife and Mother.

Ere in our own house I do shade my head,
The good patricians must be visited;

From whom I have receiv'd not only greetings,
But with them change of honours 21.

Vol.

To see inherited my very wishes,

I have lived

And the buildings of my fancy: only there
Is one thing wanting, which I doubt not, but
Our Rome will cast upon thee.

Cor.

Know, good mother,

I had rather be their servant in my way,

Than sway with them in theirs.

Com.

On to the Capitol. [Flourish. Cornets. Exeunt in state, as before. The Tribunes remain.

Bru. All tongues speak of him, and the bleared

sights

Are spectacled to see him: Your prattling nurse

20 By these words it should seem that Coriolanus means to say, 'Menenius is still the same affectionate friend as formerly.' So in Julius Cæsar:- For always I am Cæsar.'

21 Change of honours' is variety of honours, as change of raiment is variety of raiment. Theobald would read charge.

22

Into a rapture lets her baby cry,

While she chats him: the kitchen malkin 23 pins
Her richest lockram 'bout her reechy 24 neck,
Clambering the walls to eye him: stalls, bulks,
windows,

Are smother'd up, leads fill'd, and ridges hors'd
With variable complexions; all agreeing

In earnestness to see him: seld 25 shown flamens
Do press among the popular throngs, and puff
To win a vulgar station 26; our veil'd dames
Commit the war of white and damask, in

Their nicely-gawded 27 cheeks, to the wanton spoil Of Phoebus' burning kisses: such a pother,

22 A rapture anciently was synonymous with a fit or trance. Thus Torriano:-'Ratto, s. a rapture or trance of the mind, or a distraction of the spirits.' This is confirmed by Steevens's quotation from The Hospital for London Follies, 1602, where gossip Luce says, 'Your darling will weep itself into a rapture, if you do not take heed.

23 A malkin or maulkin was a kind of mop made of rags, used for sweeping ovens, &c.; a figure made of clouts to scare birds was also so called: hence it came to signify a dirty wench. The scullion very naturally takes her name from this utensil, her French title escouillon being only another name for a malkin. Lockram was a kind of coarse linen.

'Thou thought'st because I wear lockram shirts

I had no wit.'

Glapthorne's Wit in a Constable.

24 Reechy is fumant with sweat or grease.

25 Seld is seldom, often so used by old writers.

26 A vulgar station' is a common standing-place among the vulgar.

27 So in Tarquin and Lucrece :

The silent war of lilies and of roses,

Which Tarquin view'd in her fair face's field.'

And in the Taming of the Shrew:

'Such war of white and red,' &c.

Again in Venus and Adonis :

'To note the fighting conflict of her hue,
How white and red each did destroy.'

Numerous examples might be adduced from Shakspeare's cotemporaries of the same image.

As if that whatsoever god, who leads him,
Were slily crept into his human powers,
And gave him graceful posture 28.

Sic.

I warrant him consul.

Bru.

On the sudden,

Then our office may,

During his power, go sleep.

Sic. He cannot temperately transport his honours From where he should begin, and end 29; but will Lose those that he hath won.

Bru.

In that there's comfort.

Sic. Doubt not, the commoners, for whom we

stand,

But they, upon their ancient malice, will

Forget, with the least cause, these his new honours;
Which that he'll give them, make as little question
As he is proud to do't 30.

Bru.
I heard him swear,
Were he to stand for consul, never would he
Appear i' the market-place, nor on him put
The napless 31 vesture of humility;

28 That is, as if that god who leads him, whatsoever god he be. So in Shakspeare's 26th Sonnet :

Till whatsoever star that guides my moving,

Points on me graciously with fair aspect.'

And in Antony and Cleopatra :

he hath fought to-day

As if a god, in hate of mankind, had
Destroy'd in such a shape.'

29 The meaning, though obscurely expressed, is,' He cannot carry his honours temperately from where he should begin to where he should end. We have the same phraseology in Cymbeline:

the gap

That we shall make in time, from our hence going
And our return, to excuse.'

30 Proud to do't,' is the same as ' proud of doing it.'
31 i. e. threadbare.