Sic. This a Conful? no.

Bru. The Ediles, ho! let him be apprehended. Ediles enter.

Sic. Go call the people, in whofe name myself Attach thee as a traitorous innovator,

A foe to th' public weal. Obey, I charge thee, And follow to thine anfwer.

[Laying hold on Coriolanus..

Cor. Hence, old goat!

All. We'll furety him.

Com. Aged Sir, hands off.

Cor. Hence, rotten thing, or I fhall flake thy

Out of thy garments.

Sic. Help me, citizens.

[bones

Enter a Rabble of Plebeians, with the Ediles.

Men. On both fides, more respect.

Sic. Here's he that would take from you all your Bru. Seize him, Ediles.

All. Down with him, down with him! 2 Sen. Weapons, weapons, weapons!

[power.

[They all buftle about Coriolanus. Tribunes, patricians, citizens-what hoeSicinius, Brutus, Coriolanus, citizens !

All. Peace, peace, peace, stay, hold, peace! Men. What is about to be?--I am out of breath; Confufion's near, I cannot speak-You tribunes, Coriolanus, patience; fpeak, Sicinius.

Sic. Hear me, people-peace.

[fpeak.

All. Let's hear our tribune; peace; fpeak, fpeak, Sic. You are at point to lose your liberties: Marcius would have all from you: Marcius, Whom late you named for conful.

Men. Fy, fy, fy.

This is the way to kindle, not to quench.

Sen. To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat.

Sic. What is the city, but the people?

All. True, the people are the city.

Bru. By the confent of all, we were established The people's magiftrates.

ll. You fo remain.

Men. And fo are like to do.

Cor. That is the way to lay the city flat;
To bring the roof to the foundation,
And bury all, which yet diftinctly ranges,
In heaps and piles of ruin.

Sic. This deferves death.

Bru. Or let us ftand to our authority,
Or let us lofe it: we do here pronounce,
Upon the part o' th' people, in whose power
We were elected theirs, Marcius is worthy
Of prefent death.

Sic. Therefore lay hold on him;

Bear him to th' rock Tarpeian, and from thence Into deftruction caft him.

Bru. Ediles, feize him.

All Ple. Yield, Marcius, yield.

Men. Hear me one word; 'befeech you, tribunes, hear me but a word

Ediles. Peace, peace.

[friends,

Men. Be that you feem, truly your country's And temperately proceed to what you would Thus violently redress.

Bru. Sir, those cold ways,

That feem like prudent helps, are very poisonous, Where the difeafe is violent. Lay hands on him, And bear him to the rock. [Cor. draws his fword. Cor. No; I'll die here.

There's fome among you have beheld me fighting, Come try upon yourfelves what you have feen me. Men. Down with that fword; tribunes, withdraw Bru. Lay hands upon him.

[a while.

Men. Help, Marcius, help you that be noble' help him young and old,

All. Down with him, down with him. [Exeunt. [In this mutiny, the Tribunes, the Ediles, and the people are beat in.

Men. Go, get you to your houfe; begone, away, All will be naught elfe.

2 Sen. Get you gone.

Com. Stand faft, we have as many

mies.

Men. Shall it be put to that?

Sen. The gods forbid !

friends as ene

I pr'ythee, noble friend, home to thy house,
Leave us to cure this caufe.

Men. For 'tis a fore

You cannot tent yourfelf; begone, 'befeech you.
Com. Come, Sir, along with us.

Men. I would they were Barbarians, (as they are, Though in Rome littered;) not Romans: (as they Tho' calved in the porch o' th' capitol:) [are not, Begone, put not your worthy rage into your tongue, One time will owe another.

Cor. On fair ground I could beat forty of them. Men. I could myself take up a brace o' th' beft of them; yea, the two tribunes.

Com. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetic;
And manhood is called foolery, when it stands
Against a falling fabric. Will you hence,
Before the tag return, whofe rage doth rend
Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear
What they are used to bear?

Men. Pray you, be gone:

I'll try if my old wit be in request

With thofe that have but little; this must be patched

With cloth of any colour.

Com. Come, away.

[Exeunt Cor. and Com.

1 Sen. This man hath marred his fortune. Men. His nature is too noble for the world: He would not flatter Neptune for his trident, Or Jove for's power to thunder: his heart's his mouth :

What his breaft forges, that his tongue muft vent; And being angry, does forget that ever

He heard the name of death.

Here's goodly work..

2 Sen. I would they were a-bed.

[A noie within.

Men. I would they were in Tyber.--What, the Could he not fpeak 'em fair?

[vengeance,

Enter BRUTUS and SICINIUS, with the Rabble again.

Sic. Where is this viper,

That would depopulate the city, and

Be every man himself?

Men. You worthy tribunes

Sic. He fhall be thrown down the Tarpeian rock With rigorous hands; he hath refifted law, And therefore law fhall fcorn him further trial Than the feverity of public power,

Which he fo fets at nought.

1 Cit. He fhall well know, the noble tribunes are The people's mouths, and we their hands.

All He fhall, be sure on't.

Men. Sir, Sir-----

Sic. Peace.

Men. Do not cry havoc, where you should but

With modeft warrant.

Sic. Sir, how comes it you

Have holp to make this refcue?

Men. Hear me speak;

As I do know the Conful's worthinefs,

So can I name his faults-----

Sic. Conful!--what conful?

[hunt

I

Men. The conful Coriolanus.

Bru, He Conful !-----

All. No, no, no, no, no.

Men. If by the tribunes leave, and yours, good may be heard, I'd crave a word-or two; [people, The which fhall turn you to no further harm, Than fo much lofs of time.

Sic. Speak briefly then,

For we are peremptory to dispatch

This viperous traitor; to eject him hence, (24)
Were but our danger; and to keep him here,
Our certain death; therefore it is decreed,
He dies to-night.

Men. Now the good gods forbid,

That our renowned Rome, whofe gratitude
Tow'rds her deferving children is enrolled
In Jove's own book, like an unnatural dam
Should now eat up her own!

Sic. He's a difeafe that must be cut away.
Men. Oh, he's a limb that has but a disease;
Mortal, to cut it off; to cure it, easy.

What has he done to Rome that's worthy death?
Killing our enemies, the blood he hath loft
(Which I dare vouch is more than that he hath,
By many an ounce) he dropped it for his country:
And what is left, to lofe it by his country,
Were to us all that do't, and fuffer it,

A brand to th' end o' th' world.

(24)

-To ejet him bence

Were but one danger, and to keep him here

Our certain death] This reading, which has obtain ed in the printed copies, destroys that climax which evidently feems defigned here, and flattens the fentiment. In my opinion, the tribune would say, "To banish him, will "be hazardous to us; to let him remain at home, our certain deftruction."

I