more entangled by your hearing: all the peace you make in their caufe, is, calling both the parties knaves: You are a pair of strange ones. BRU. Come, come, you are well underftood to be a perfecter giber for the table, than a neceffary bencher in the Capitol. MEN. Our very priests must become mockers, if they fhall encounter fuch ridiculous fubjects as you are. When you speak beft unto the purpose, it is not worth the wagging of your beards; and your beards deserve not fo honourable a grave, as to ftuff a botchers cufhion, or to be entomb'd in an afs's pack-faddle. Yet you must be faying, Marcius is proud; who, in a cheap eftimation, is worth all your predeceffors, fince Deucalion; though, peradventure, fome of the best of them were hereditary hangmen. Good e'en to your worships; more of your converfation would infect my brain, being the herdsmen of the beastly plebeians: I will be bold to take my leave of you. [BRUTUS and SICINIUS retire. Enter VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and VALERIA, &c. How now, my as fair as noble ladies, (and the moon, were she earthly, no nobler,) whither do you follow your eyes fo faft? VOL. Honourable Menenius, my boy Marcius approaches; for the love of Juno, let's go, MEN. Ha! Marcius coming home? 7 Our very priefis muft become mockers, if they shall encounter fuch ridiculous fubjects as you are.] So, in Much ado about Nothing: "Courtefy itself muft convert to difdain, if you come in her prefence." STEEVENS. VOL. Ay, worthy Menenius; and with most profperous approbation. MEN. Take my cap, Jupiter, and I thank thee: Hoo! Marcius coming home! Two LADIES. Nay, 'tis true. VOL. Look, here's a letter from him; the state hath another, his wife another; and, I think, there's one at home for you. MEN. I will make my very house reel to night: -A letter for me? VIR. Yes, certain, there's a letter for you; I faw it. MEN. A letter for me? It gives me an estate of feven years' health; in which time, I will make a lip at the physician: the most fovereign prefcription in Galen' is but empiricutick, and, to this prefervative, of no better report than a horse-drench. Is he not wounded? he was wont to come home wounded. VIR. O, no, no, no. VOL. O, he is wounded, I thank the gods for't. MEN. So do I too, if it be not too much:Brings 'a victory in his pocket?-The wounds become him. 8 Take my cap, Jupiter, and I thank thee:] Dr. Warburton proposed to read, Take my cup, Jupiter.- REED. Shakspeare fo often mentions throwing up caps in this play, that Menenius may be well enough fuppofed to throw up his cap in thanks to Jupiter. JOHNSON. 9 —in Galen] An anachronifm of near 650 years. Menenius flourished anno U. C. 260, about 492 years before the birth of our Saviour.-Galen was born in the year of our Lord 130, flourished about the year 155 or 160, and lived to the year 200. GREY. 2 empiricutick,] The old copies-empirickqutique. "The moft fovereign prefcription in Galen (fays Menenius) is to this news but empiricutic: an adjective evidently formed by the author from empiric (empirique, F.) a quack." RITSON. 1 VOL. On's brows, Menenius: he comes the third time home with the oaken garland. MEN. Has he difciplined Aufidius foundly? VOL. Titus Lartius writes,-they fought together, but Aufidius got off. MEN. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant him that an he had ftaid by him, I would not have been fo fidius'd for all the chefts in Corioli, and the gold that's in them. Is the fenate poffefs'd of this? + VOL. Good ladies, let's go :-Yes, yes, yes: the fenate has letters from the general, wherein he gives 3 On's brows, Menenius:] Mr. M. Mafon propofes that there fhould be a comma placed after Menenius; On's brows, Menenius, he comes the third time home with the oaken garland, "for," fays the commentator," it was the oaken garland, not the wounds, that Volumnia fays he had on his brows." In Julius Cæfar we find a dialogue exactly fimilar: Caf. No, it is Cafca; one incorporate "To our attempts.-Am I not ftaid for, Cinna? "Cin. I am glad on't. i. e. I am glad that Casca is incorporate, &c. But he appears to me to have misapprehended the paffage. Vo lumnia anfwers Menenius, without taking notice of his last words, —“ The wounds become him." Menenius had asked-Brings he victory in his pocket? He brings it, fays Volumnia, on his brows, for he comes the third time home brow-bound with the oaken gar land, the emblem of victory. So, afterwards: "He prov'd beft man o' the field, and for his meed, If these words did not admit of fo clear an explanation, (in which the conceit is truly Shakspearian,) the arrangement propofed by Mr. M. Mafon might perhaps be admitted, though it is extremely harsh, and the inversion of the natural order of the words not much in our author's manner in his profe writings. MALONE. poffefs'd of this?] Poffefs'd, in our author's language, is fully informed. JOHNSON. So, in The Merchant of Venice : "I have poffefs'd your grace of what I purpofe-." STEEVENS, my fon the whole name of the war: he hath in this action outdone his former deeds doubly. VAL. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke of him. MEN. Wondrous? ay, I warrant you, and not without his true purchasing. VIR. The gods grant them true! VOL. True? pow, wow. MEN. True? I'll be fworn they are true :-Where is he wounded?-God fave your good worships! [To the Tribunes.] Marcius is coming home: he has more cause to be proud. Where is he wounded? VOL. I' the fhoulder, and i' the left arm: There will be large cicatrices to fhow the people, when he fhall ftand for his place. He received in the repulfe of Tarquin, seven hurts i' the body. MEN. One in the neck, and two in the thigh,there's nine that I know.s VOL. He had, before this last expedition, twentyfive wounds upon him. MEN. Now it's twenty-feven: every gafh was an enemy's grave: [Afbout, and flourish.] Hark, the trumpets. VOL. These are the ufhers of Marcius: before him S -feven hurts &c.] Old copy-feven hurts i' the body. Men. One i' the neck, and two i' the thigh;—there's nine that 1 know. Seven,-one,-and two, and thefe make but nine? Surely, we may fafely affift Menenius in his arithmetick. This is a ftupid blunder; but wherever we can account by a probable reafon for the caufe of it, that directs the emendation. Here it was eafy for a negligent tranfcriber to omit the fecond one, as a needlefs repetition of the firft, and to make a numeral word of too. WARBURTON. The old man, agreeable to his character, is minutely particular: Seven wounds? let me fee; one in the neck, two in the thigh-Nay, I am fure there are more; there are nine that I know of. UPTON. He carries noife, and behind him he leaves tears; Death, that dark spirit, in's nervy arm doth lie; Which being advanc'd, declines; and then men die. A Sennet. Trumpets found. Enter COMINIUS and TITUS LARTIUS; between them, CORIOLANUS, crown'd with an oaken garland; with captains and foldiers, and a Herald. HER. Know, Rome, that all alone Marcius did fight Within Corioli' gates: where he hath won, Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus! [Flourish. Сом. COR. Look, fir, your mother, You have, I know, petition'd all the gods For my profperity. O! [Kneels. VOL. Nay, my good foldier, up; My gentle Marcius, worthy Caius, and 6 Which being advanc'd, declines;] Volumnia, in her boafting ftrain, fays, that her fon to kill his enemy, has nothing to do but to lift his hand up and let it fall. JOHNSON. 7 Coriolanus.] The old copy, Martius Caius Coriolanus. STEEVENS. The compofitor, it is highly probable, caught the words Martius Caius from the preceding line, where alfo in the old copy the original names of Coriolanus are accidentally tranfpofed. The correction in the former line was made by Mr. Rowe; in the latter by Mr. Steevens. MALONE. |