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(That's thousand to one good one,) when you now

see,

He had rather venture all his limbs for honour, Than one of his ears to bear it?-Proceed, Comi

nius.

Com. I shall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus Should not be utter'd feebly.-It is held,

That valour is the chiefest virtue, and
Most dignifies the haver: if it be,
The man I speak of cannot in the world
Be singly counterpois'd. At sixteen years,

3

When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought
Beyond the mark of others: our then dictator,
Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight,
When with his Amazonian chin+ he drove
The bristled lips before him: he bestrid
An o'er press'd Roman, and i' the consul's view
Slew three opposers: Tarquin's self he met,
And struck him on his knee: in that day's feats,
When he might act the woman in the scene,
He prov'd best man i' the field, and for his meed
Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil age
Man-enter'd thus, he waxed like a sea;

6

How can he be expected to practise flattery to others, who abhors it so much, that he cannot hear it even when offered to himself?

9 When Tarquin made a head for Rome,] When Tarquin who had been expelled, raised a power to recover Rome.

4 his Amazonian chin-] i. e. his chin on which there was no beard.

5 And struck him on his knee:] This does not mean that he gave Tarquin a blow on the knee, but gave him such a blow as occasioned him to fall on his knee.

• When he might act the woman in the scene,] It has been more than once mentioned, that the parts of women were, in Shakspeare's time, represented by the most smooth-faced young men to be found among the players. But here is a great anachronism. There were no theatres at Rome for the exhibition of plays for about two hundred and fifty years after the death of Coriolanus.

And, in the brunt of seventeen battles since,
He lurch'd all swords o'the garland.
Before and in Corioli, let me say,

For this last,

I cannot speak him home: He stopp'd the fliers;
And, by his rare example, made the coward
Turn terror into sport as waves before

A vessel under sail, so men obey'd,

And fell below his stem: his sword (death's stamp)
Where it did mark, it took; from face to foot
He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
Was timed with dying cries: alone he enter'd
The mortal gate' o'the city, which he painted
With shunless destiny, aidless came off,
And with a sudden reinforcement struck
Corioli, like a planet: Now all's his :
When by and by the din of war 'gan pierce
His ready sense then straight his doubled spirit
Re-quicken'd what in flesh was fatigate,
And to the battle came he; where he did
Run reeking o'er the lives of men, as if
"Twere a perpetual spoil: and, till we call'd
Both field and city ours, he never stood
To ease his breast with panting.

Men.

Worthy man!

1 Sen. He cannot but with measure fit the ho

nours1

"He lurch'd all swords o'the garland.] To lurch, in Shakspeare's time, signified to win a maiden set at cards, &c. "To lurch all swords of the garland," therefore, was, to gain from all other warriors the wreath of victory, with ease, and incontestable supe riority.

every motion

Was tim'd with dying cries.] The cries of the slaughtered regularly followed his motion, as musick and a dancer accompany each other.

9 The mortal gate-] The gate that was made the scene of death.

1 He cannot but with measure fit the honours-] That is, no

Which we devise him.

Com.
Our spoils he kick'd at;
And look'd upon things precious, as they were
The common muck o'the world; he covets less
Than misery2 itself would give; rewards
His deeds with doing them; and is content
To spend the time, to end it.

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Men. The senate, Coriolanus, are well pleas'd

To make thee consul.

Cor.

I do owe them still

It then remains,

do speak to the people.

I do beseech you,

My life, and services.
Men.
That you
Cor.

Let me o'erleap that custom; for I cannot

Put on the gown, stand naked, and entreat them, For my wounds' sake, to give their suffrage: please

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Put them not to't:

Pray you, go fit you to the custom; and

Take to you, as your predecessors have,
Your honour with your form.3

honour will be too great for him; he will show a mind equal to any elevation.

Than misery-] Misery for avarice; because a miser signifies avaricious.

Cor.

It is a part

That I shall blush in acting, and might well

Be taken from the people.

Bru.

Mark you that?

Cor. To brag unto them,―Thus I did, and thus ;Show them the unaking scars which I should hide, As if I had receiv'd them for the hire

Of their breath only:

Men.

Do not stand upon't.

We recommend to you, tribunes of the people,
Our purpose to them;-and to our noble consul
Wish we all joy and honour.

Sen. To Coriolanus come all joy and honour!
[Flourish. Then exeunt Senators.
Bru. You see how he intends to use the people.
Sic. May they perceive his intent! He that will
require them,

As if he did contemn what he requested

Should be in them to give.

Bru.

Come, we'll inform them

I know, they do attend us.

[Exeunt.

Of our proceedings here: on the market-place,

SCENE III.

The same. The Forum.

Enter several Citizens.

1 Cit. Once, if he do require our voices, we ought not to deny him.

3 Your honour with your form.] Your form, may mean the form which custom prescribes to you.

We recommend to you, tribunes of the people,

Our purpose to them;] We entreat you, tribunes of the people, to recommend and enforce to the plebeians, what we propose to them for their approbation; namely the appointment of Coriolanus to the consulship.

2 Cit. We may, sir, if we will.

3 Cit. We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power that we have no power to do: for if he show us his wounds, and tell us his deeds, we are to put our tongues into those wounds, and speak for them; so, if he tell us his noble deeds, we must also tell him our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monstrous: and for the multitude to be ingrateful, were to make a monster of the multitude; of the which, we being members, should bring ourselves to be monstrous members.

1 Cit. And to make us no better thought of, a little help will serve: for once, when we stood up about the corn, he himself stuck not to call us the many-headed multitude.

3 Cit. We have been called so of many; not that our heads are some brown, some black, some auburn, some bald, but that our wits are so diversly coloured: and truly I think, if all our wits were to issue out of one skull, they would fly east, west, north, south; and their consent of one direct way should be at once to all points o'the compass.

2 Cit. Think you so? Which way, do you judge, my wit would fly?

3 Cit. Nay, your wit will not so soon out as another man's will, 'tis strongly wedged up in a block-head: but if it were at liberty, 'twould, sure, southward.

2 Cit. Why that way?

3 Cit. To lose itself in a fog; where being three parts melted away with rotten dews, the fourth would return for conscience sake, to help to get thee a wife.

2 Cit. You are never without your tricks:-You may, you may.

3 Cit. Are you all resolved to give your voices? But that's no matter, the greater part carries it. I

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