I shall be lov'd, when I am lack'd. Nay, mother, Six of his labours you'd have done, and sav'd As 'tis to laugh at them.-My mother, you wot well, Makes fear'd and talk'd of more than seen) your son The hoarded plague o'the gods requite your love! Men. Peace, peace; be not so lond. Vol. If that I could for weeping. you should hear,Nay, and you shall hear some.-Will you be gone? [To Brutus. Vir. You shall stay too: [To Sicin.] I would, I had the power To say so to my husband. Sic. Sic. Vir. What then? What then? Bastards, and all. He'd make an end of thy posterity. Vol. Good man, the wounds that he does bear for Rome! Men. Come, come, peace. Sic. I would he had continu'd to his country, Bru. I would be had. Vol. I would he had? 'Twas you incens'd the rabale: Cats, that can judge as fitly of his worth, As I can of those mysteries which heaven Bru. Pray, let us go. The meanest house in Rome; so far my son, Sic. Why stay we to be baital With one that wants her wits? Vol. Take my prayers with you.I would the gods had nothing else to do, [Ex. Tri But to confirm my curses! Could I meet them But once a day, it would unclog my heart Of what lies heavy to't. Men. You have told them home, with And, by my troth, you have cause. You'll sup me? Vol. Anger's my meat; I sup upon myself, And so shall starve with feeding.-Come, let's go Leave this faint puling, and lament as I do, Vol. Hath been! Is it ended then? Our state thinks not so: they are in a most warlike preparation, and hope to come upon them in the heat of their division. Rom. The main blaze of it is past, but a small thing would make it flame again. For the nobles receive so to heart the banishment of that worthy Coriolanus, that they are in a ripe aptness, to take all power from the people, and to pluck from them their tribuues for ever. This lies glowing, I can tell you, and is almost mature for the violent breaking out. Vol. Coriolanus banished? Rom. Banished, sir. Vol. You will be welcome with this intelligence, Ni canor. Rom. The day serves well for them now. I have heard it said, The fittest time to corrupt a man's wife, is when she has fallen out with her husband. Your noble Tullus Aufidius will appear well in these wars, his great opposer, Coriolanus, being now in no request of his country. Vol. He cannot choose. I am most fortunate, thus accidentally to encounter you: You have ended my business, and I will merrily accompany you home. Rom. I shall, between this and supper, tell you most strange things from Rome; all tending to the good of their adversaries. Have you an army ready, say you? Vol. A most royal one: The centurions, and their charges, distinctly billeted, already in the entertainment, and to be on foot at an hour's warning. Rom. I am joyful to hear of their readiness, and am the man, I think, that shall set them in present action. So, sir, heartily well met, and most glad of your com O, world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast sworn, On a dissension of a doit, break out Whose passions and whose plots have broke their sleep Some trick not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends, [Exit. SCENE V.-The same. À Hall in Aufidius's House. Music within. Enter a Servant. 1 Serv. Wine, wine, wine! What service is here! I think our fellows are asleep. [Exit. Enter another Servant. 2 Serv. Where's Cotus! my master calls for him. Cotus ! [Exit. Enter Coriolanus. Cor. A goodly house: The feast smells well: but I Appear not like a guest. Re-enter the first Servant. 1 Serv. What would you have, friend? Whence are you? Here's no place for you. Pray, go to the door. Cor. I have deserv'd no better entertainment. In being Coriolanus. Re-enter second Servant. 2 Serv. Whence are you, sir? Has the porter his eyes in his head, that he gives entrance to such companions? Pray, get you out. Cor. Away! 2 Serv. Away? Get you away. Cor. Now thou art troublesome. 2 Serv. Are you so brave? I'll have you talked with anon. Enter a third Servant. The first meets him. 3 Serv. What fellow's this? 1 Serv. A strange one as ever I looked on: I cannot get him out o'the house. Pr'ythee, call my master to him. 3 Serv. What have you to do here, fellow? Pray you, avoid the house. Cor. Let me but stand; I will not hurt your hearth. 3 Serv. What are you? Cor. A gentleman. 3 Serv. A marvellous poor one. Cor. True, so I am. 3 Serv. Pray you, poor gentleman, take up some other station; here's no place for you; pray you, a void: come. Cor. Follow your function, go! And batten on cold bits. [Pushes him away. 3 Serv. What, will you not? Pr'ythee, tell my master what a strange guest he has here. 2 Serv. And I shall. [Exit. 3 Serv. P'the city of kites and crows?-What an ass it is!-Then thou dwellest with daws too? Cor. No, I serve not thy master. 3 Serv. How, sir! do you meddle with my master? Cor. Ay; 'tis an honester service than to meddle with thy mistress: Thou prat'st, and prat'st; serve with thy trencher, Enter Aufidius, and the second Servant. Auf. Where is this fellow? Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate, It be to do thee service. O Marcius, Marcius, Auf. Should from yon cloud speak divine things, and say, 2 Serv. Here, sir: I'd have beaten him like a dog, Contend against thy valour. Know thou first, but for disturbing the lords within. Auf. Whence comest thou? What wouldest thou? Why speak'st not? Speak, man: What's thy name? [Unmuffling. Auf. Auf. Auf. I know thee not:-Thy name? Cor. My name is Caius Marcius, who hath done Which thou should'st bear me: only that name re mains; The cruelty and envy of the people, Permitted by our dastard nobles, who Have all forsook me, hath devour'd the rest; I had fear'd death, of all the men i'the world And make my misery serve thy turn; so use it, Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes I lov'd the maid I married; never man Sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here, Cor. You bless me, gods! ways: Whether to knock against the gates of Rome, 1 Serv. What an arm he has! He turned me about with his finger and his thumb, as one would set up a top. 2 Serv. Nay, I knew by his face that there was soinething in him: He had, sir, a kind of face, methought, -I cannot tell how to term it. 1 Serv. He had so; looking as it were,-'Would I were hanged, but I thought there was more in him than I could think. 2 Serv. So did I, I'll be sworn: He is simply the rarest man i'the world. 1 Serv. I think, he is: but a greater soldier than be. you wot one. 2 Serv. Who? my master? 1 Serv. Nay, it's no matter for that. 2 Serv. Worth six of him. 1 Serv. Nay, not so neither: but I take him to be the greater soldier. 2 Serv. 'Faith, look you, one cannot tell how to say that: for the defence of a town, our general is excellent. 1 Serv. Ay, and for an assault too. Re-enter third Servant. 3 Sero. O, slaves, I can tell you news; news, you raseals. 1,2 Serv. What, what, what? let's partake. 3 Serv. I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lieve be a condemned man. 1, 2 Serv. Wherefore? wherefore? 3 Serv. Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our general,-Caius Marcius. 1 Serv. Why do you say, thwack our general? 3 Serv. I do not say, thwack our general; but he was always good enough for him. 2 Serv. Come, we are fellows, and friends: He was ever too hard for him; I have heard him say so himself. 1 Serv. He was too hard for him directly, to say the truth on't: before Corioli he scotched him and notched him like a carbonado. 2 Serv. An he had been cannibally given, he might have broiled and eaten him too. 1 Serv. But, more of thy news? 3 Serv. Why, he is so made on here within, as if he were son and heir to Mars: set at upper end o'the table: no question asked him by any of the senators, but they stand bald before him: Our general himself makes a mistress of him; sanctifies himself with's hand, and turns up the white o'the eye to his discourse. But the bottom of the news is, our general is cut i'the middle, and but one half of what he was yesterday; for the other has half, by the entreaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he says, and sowle the porter of Rome gates by the ears: He will mow down all before him, and leave his passage polled. 2 Serv. And he's as like to do't, as any man I can imagine. as 3 Serv. Do't? he will do't: For, look you, sir, he has many friends as enemies: which friends, sir, (as it were,) durst not (look you, sir,) show themselves (as we term it,) his friends, whilst he's in directitude. 1 Serv. Directitude! what's that? 3 Serv. But when they shall see, sir, his crest up again, and the man in blood, they will out of their bur rows, like conies after rain, and revel all with him. 1 Serv. But when goes this forward? 3 Serv. To-morrow; to-day; presently. You shall have the drum struck up this afternoon: 'Tis, as it were, a parcel of their feast, and to be executed ere they wipe their lips. 2 Serv. Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing, but to rust iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad-makers. 1 Serv. Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace, as far as day does night; it's spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mulled, deaf, sleepy, insensible; a getter of more bastard children, than wars a destroyer of men. 2 Serv. 'Tis so: and as war, in some sort, may be said to be a ravisher; so it cannot be denied, but peace is a great maker of cuckolds. 1 Serv. Ay, and it makes men hate one another. 3 Serv. Reason; because they then less need one another. The wars, for my money. I hope to see Sic. Your Coriolanus, sir, is not much miss'd, But with his friends; the commonwealth doth stand; And so would do, were he more angry at it. Men. All's well; and might have been much better, if He could have temporiz'd. Sic. Where is he, hear you? Men. Nay, I bear nothing; his mother and his wife Hear nothing from him. Enter three or four Citizens. Cit. The gods preserve you both! Sic. Are bound to pray for you both. Live, and thrive! Now the gods keep you! Both Tri. Farewell, farewell. [Exeunt Citizens. Sic. This is a happier and more comely time, Than when these fellows ran about the streets, Crying, Confusion. Bru. Caius Marcius was beasts, And cowardy nobles, gave way to your clusters, Com, Men. Here come the clusters.— Cit. 'Faith, we hear fearful news. 1 Cit. For mine own part, When I said, banish him, I said, 'twas pity. 2 Cit. And so did I. 3 Cit. And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very many of us: That we did, we did for the best? and though we willingly consented to his banishment, yet it was against our will. Com. You are goodly things, you voices! Men. Good work, you and your cry!- Shall us to the capitol? 1 Cit. The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let's home. I ever said, we were i'the wrong, when we ban ished him. |
