Pray, let us go. Vol. Now, pray, Sir, get you gone: You have done a brave deed. Ere you go, hear this: As far as doth the Capitol exceed The meanest house in Rome, so far my son, Take my prayers with you.-- I would the gods had nothing else to do, me? You have told them home; SCENE III.—A Highway between ROME and Enter a Roman and a Volsce, meeting. Vols. It is so, Sir: truly, I have forgot you. Rom. The same, Sir. Vols. You had more beard, when I last saw you; but your favour is well appeared by your tongue. What's the news in Rome? I have a note from the Volscian state, to find you out there: you have well saved me a day's journey. tion, 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 tribunes for ever. This lies glowing, I can tell you, and is almost mature for the violent breaking out. Vols. Coriolanus banished! Rom. Banished, Sir. Vols. You will be welcome with this intelligence, Nicanor. 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's 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. Vols. 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? Vols. 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 company. Vols. You take my part from me, Sir; I have the most cause to be glad of yours. Rom. Well, let us go together. [Exeunt. Direct me, if it be your will, Where great Aufidius lies: is he in Antium? Cit. He is, and feasts the nobles of the state, At his house this night. Cor. Which is his house, beseech you? Thank you, Sir: farewell. O world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast sworn, Rom. There hath been in Rome strange insur-Unseparable, shall within this hour, Vols. Hath been! Is it ended, then? Our state thinks not so: they are in a most warlike prepara On a dissension of a doit, break out Whose passions and whose plots have broke their sleep 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? I 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, avoid: come. Cor. Follow your function, go, And batten on cold bits. [Pushes him away. 3 Serv. What, you will not?--Pr'ythee, tell my master what a strange guest he has here. 2 Serv. And I shall. 3 Serv. Where dwell'st thou? Cor. Under the canopy. 3 Serv. Under the canopy! Cor. Ay. 3 Serv. Where's that? Cor. I' the city of kites and crows. [Exit. 3 Serv. I' the city of kites and crows!-What an ass it is!-Then thou dwell'st with daws too? Cor. No, I serve not thy master. 3 Serv. How, Sir! Do you meddle with my naster? Cor. Ay; 'tis an honester service than to meddle with thy mistress: Thou prat'st, and prat'st; serve with thy trencher: hence! [Beats him away. Enter AUFIDIUS and the second Servant. Auf. Where is this fellow? 2 Serv. Here, Sir: I'd have beaten him like a dog, but for disturbing the lords within. Auf. Whence com'st thou? what wouldst thou? Why speak'st not? Speak, man: what's thy name? Auf. What is thy name? [Servants retire. Cor. A name unmusical to the Volscians' ears, And harsh in sound to thine. Auf. Say, what's thy name? Thou hast a grim appearance, and thy face Bears a command in't; though thy tackle's torn, Thou show'st a noble vessel: what's thy name? Cor. Prepare thy brow to frown:-know'st thou me yet? Auf. I know thee not:-thy name? Cor. My name is Caius Marcius, who hath done I had fear'd death, of all the men i' the world straight, And make my misery serve thy turn: so use it, Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes Longer to live most weary, and present Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate, Auf. O Marcius, Marcius! Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter Should from yond' cloud speak divine things, Contend against thy valour. Know thou first, Like a bold flood o'er-bear. O, come, go in, Cor. You bless me, gods! Auf. Therefore, most absolute Sir, if thou wilt have The leading of thine own revenges, take Th' one half of my commission; and set down,- ways; Whether to knock against the gates of Rome, [Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS. 1 Serv. [Advancing.] Here's a strange alteration! 2 Serv. By my hand, I had thought to have strucken him with a cudgel; and yet my mind gave me, his clothes made a false report of him. I 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 something in him: he had, Sir, a kind of face, methought, I cannot tell how to term it. I 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. I Serv. I think he is; but a greater soldier than he, you wot one. 2 Serv. Who, my master? I Serv. Nay, it's no matter for that. 2 Serv. Worth six on him. I 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. I Serv. Ay, and for an assault too. Re-enter third Servant. 3 Serv. O slaves, I can tell you news,-news, you rascals! 1. 2. Serv. What, what, what? let's partake. 3 Serv. I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lief be a condemned man. I. 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. I 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 o1 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. 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. He'll 2 Serv. And he's as like to do 't as any man I can imagine. 3 Serv. Do't! he will do't; for, (look you, Sir.) he has as 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. I 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 burrows, like conies after rain, and revel all with him. I 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. I Serv. Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace as far as day does night; it's sprightly, 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 wars, in some sort, may be said to be a ravisher, so it cannot be denied, but peace is a great maker of cuckolds. him; His remedies are tame i' the present peace Bru. We stood to 't in good time.-Is this Menenius? Sic. 'Tis he, 'tis he: O, he is grown most kind Of late. Men. Enter MENENIUS. Hail, Sir! Hail to you both! Sic. Your Coriolanus 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. Where is he, hear you? Men. Nay, I hear nothing: his mother and his wife Are enter'd in the Roman territories; And with the deepest malice of the war Destroy what lies before them. Men. 'Tis Aufidius, Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment, Sic. Of Marcius? Come, what talk you Bru. Go see this rumourer whipp'd.—It cannot be The Volsces dare break with us. What more fearful? Mess. It is spoke freely out of many mouths, (How probable I do not know) that Marcius, Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome, And vows revenge as spacious as between The young'st and oldest thing. Sic. This is most likely! Bru. Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may wish God Marcius home again. Sic. Men. This is unlikely: The very trick on't. He and Aufidius can no more atone, Enter a second Messenger. 2 Mess. You are sent for to the senate: A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius, Associated with Aufidius, rages Upon our territories; and have already Enter COMINIUS. Com. O, you have made good work. To melt the city leads upon your pates: Men. Pray now, your news?You have made fair work, I fear me.-Pray, your news? If Marcius should be join'd with Volscians, If he were putting to my house the brand That should consume it, I have not the face To say, 66 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're goodly things, you voices! Men. You have made Good work, you and your cry!-Shall's to the Capitol? Com. O, ay, what else? [Exeunt COM, and MEN. Sic. Go, masters, get you home; be not dismay'd: These are a side that would be glad to have This true, which they so seem to fear. Go home, And show no sign of fear. I Cit. The gods be good to us!-Come, masters, let's home. I ever said we were i' the wrong when we banished him. 2 Cit. So did we all. But, come, let's home. Bru. I do not like this news. Bru. Let's to the Capitol :- would half my wealth Pray, let us go. [Exeunt. SCENE VII.-A Camp, at a small distance from ROME. Enter AUFIDIUS and his Lieutenant. Auf. Do they still fly to the Roman? Lieu. I do not know what witchcraft's in him, but Your soldiers use him as the grace 'fore meat, Their talk at table, and their thanks at end; And you are darken'd in this action, Sir, Even by your own. Auf. I cannot help it now, 'Beseech you, cease."-You have made fair Unless, by using means, I lame the foot hands, You and your crafts! you have crafted fair! Com. Both Tri. Say not, we brought it. Men. How! Was it we? We lov'd him; but, Men. Enter a troop of Citizens. Here come the clusters.- Which will not prove a whip: as many coxcombs, Citizens. 'Faith, we hear fearful news. Of our design. He bears himself more proudlier, Lieu. Yet I wish, Sir, (I mean, for your particular,) you had not Auf. I understand thee well; and be thou sure, Lieu. Sir, I beseech you, think you he'll carry Rome? Auf. All places yield to him ere he sits down; To expel him thence. I think he'll be to Rome |