Hast not the soft way 16, which, thou dost confess,
Were fit for thee to use, as they to claim,

In asking their good loves; but thou wilt frame
Thyself, forsooth, hereafter theirs, so far

As thou hast power, and person,

This but done,

Men. Even as she speaks, why, their hearts were yours :For they have pardons, being ask'd, as free

As words to little purpose.

Vol.

Pr'ythee now,

Go, and be rul❜d: although, I know, thou hadst

rather

Follow thine enemy in a fiery gulf,

Than flatter him in a bower 17. Here is Cominius.

Enter COMINIUS.

Com. I have been i' the market-place: and, sir, 'tis fit

You make strong party, or defend yourself
By calmness, or by absence; all's in anger.
Men. Only fair speech.

Com.

I think, 'twill serve, if he

He must, and will :—

Can thereto frame his spirit.

Vol.

Pr'ythee, now, say, you will, and go about it.
Cor. Must I go show them my unbarb'd 18 sconce ?
Must I

16 Thus in Othello, folio ed. 1623:

Rude am I in speech,

And little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace;
And little of this great world can I speak,

More than pertains to feats of broils and battles.'

17 Bower was the ancient term for a chamber. Spenser, speaking of the Temple, Prothalamion, st. 8, says :

Where now the studious lawyers have their bowers.'

18 Unbarb'd is unarmed, unaccoutred, uncovered. Cotgrave says that a barbute was a ridinghood, or a montero or close hood, and

With my base tongue, give to my noble heart
A lie, that it must bear? Well, I will do't:
Yet were there but this single plot 19 to lose,
This mould of Marcius, they to dust should grind it,
And throw it against the wind.-To the market-
place:-

You have put me now to such a part, which20 never
I shall discharge to the life.

Com.

Come, come, we'll prompt you. Vol. I pr'ythee now, sweet son; as thou hast said, My praises made thee first a soldier, so,

To have my praise for this, perform a part

Thou hast not done before.

Cor.

Well, I must do't:

Away, my disposition, and possess me

Some harlot's spirit! My throat of war be turn'd,
Which quired 21 with my drum, into a pipe
Small as an eunuch, or the virgin voice
That babies lulls asleep! The smiles of knaves
Tent 22 in my cheeks; and schoolboys' tears take up
The glasses of my sight! A beggar's tongue

that it also signified the beaver of a helmet. It was probably used
for
any kind of covering that concealed the head and face. Thus
in Chaucer, Troilus and Cressida, II. v. 110, Pandarus says to
Cressida :-

'Do way your barbe and show your face bare.' Where Speght explains barbe a mask or visard; Mr. Hawkins, a veil or covering; and Mr. Tyrwhitt, a hood or muffler. It should be remembered that a barbed steed was an accoutred steed, or one covered with trappings.

19 Plot is piece, portion, applied to a piece of earth, and here elegantly transferred to the body, carcass.

20 Some of the modern editors substituted as for which here. Malone has shown that this was Shakspeare's usual phraseology. And Horne Tooke tells us why as and which were convertible words. See note on Julius Cæsar, Act i. Sc. 2.

21 i. e. which played in concert with my drum.' So in The Merchant of Venice:

'Still quiring to the young-ey'd cherubims.'

22 To tent is to dwell, to take up residence.

Make motion through my lips; and my arm'd knees,
Who bow'd but in my stirrup, bend like his
That hath receiv'd an alms !-I will not do't:
Lest I surcease to honour mine own truth,
And, by my body's action, teach my mind
A most inherent baseness.

At thy choice then :

Vol.
To beg of thee, it is my more dishonour,
Than thou of them. Come all to ruin; let
Thy mother rather feel thy pride, than fear
Thy dangerous stoutness 23; for I mock at death
With as big heart as thou. Do as thou list.

Thy valiantness was mine, thou suck'dst it from me;
But owe 24 thy pride thyself.

Cor.

Pray, be content;
Mother, I am going to the market-place;

Chide me no more. I'll mountebank their loves,
Cog their hearts from them, and come home belov❜d
Of all the trades in Rome. Look, I am going:
Commend me to my wife. I'll return consul;
Or never trust to what my tongue can do

I' the way of flattery, further.

Vol.

Do your will. [Exit.

Com. Away, the tribunes do attend you: : arm your

self

To answer mildly; for they are prepar'd
With accusations, as I hear, more strong
Than are upon you yet.

Cor. The word is, mildly:-Pray you, let us go; Let them accuse me by invention, I

Will answer in mine honour.

Men.

Ay, but mildly.

Cor. Well, mildly be it then; mildly. [Exeunt.

23 The meaning appears to be, Go, do thy worst; let me rather feel the utmost extremity that thy pride can bring upon us, than live thus in fear of thy dangerous obstinacy.'

24 i. e. own.

SCENE III. The same. The Forum.

Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS.

Bru. In this point charge him home, that he affects Tyrannical power: If he evade us there, Enforce him with his envy1 to the people; And that the spoil, got on the Antiates, Was ne'er distributed.

Ed. With old Menenius, and those senators
That always favoured him.

Sic.
Of all the voices that we have procur'd,

Set down by the poll?

Have you a catalogue

I have; 'tis ready.

you collected them by tribes?

I have.

Sic. Assemble presently the people hither: And when they hear me say, It shall be so

I'the right and strength o'the commons, be it either For death, for fine, or banishment, then let them, If I say, fine, cry fine; if death, cry death;

Insisting on the old prerogative

And power,

Ed.

i'the truth o'the cause..

I shall inform them.

Bru. And when such time they have begun to cry, Let them not cease, but with a din confus'd

Enforce the present execution

Of what we chance to sentence.

Enforce his envy, i. e. object his hatred. See Act i. Sc. 8, note 3, and vol. iii. p. 72, note 1.

VOL. VIII.

U

:

Ed.

Very well.

Sic. Make them be strong, and ready for this hint, When we shall hap to give't them.

Bru.

Go about it.—

[Exit Edile.

Put him to choler straight: He hath been us'd
Ever to conquer, and to have his worth

2

Of contradiction: Being once chaf'd, he cannot
Be rein'd again to temperance; then he speaks
What's in his heart; and that is there, which looks
With us to break his neck 3.

Enter CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS, COMINIUS,
Senators, and Patricians.

Sic. Well, here he comes.

Men.

Calmly, I do beseech you.

Cor. Ay, as an ostler, that for the poorest piece Will bear the knave by the volume *.-The honour'd gods

Keep Rome in safety, and the chairs of justice Supplied with worthy men! plant love among us! Throng our large temples with the shows of peace, And not our streets with war!

1 Sen.

Men. A noble wish.

Amen, amen!

Re-enter Edile, with Citizens.

Sic. Draw near, ye people.

Ed. List to your tribunes; audience: Peace, I say. Cor. First, hear me speak.

2 i. e. his fall part or share, as we should now say his pennyworth of contradiction. So in Romeo and Juliet:

You take your pennyworth [of sleep] now.'

3 The sentiments of Coriolanus's heart are our coadjutors, and look to have their share in promoting his destruction.'

4 Will bear being called a knave as often as would fill out a volume.'