276
CORIOLANUS.
[Act II.
Com. 0, well begg’d !
Were he the butcher of my son, he shouldBe free, as is the wind. Deliver him, Titus.hart. Marcius, his name ?
Cor. By Jupiter, forgot:—
I am weary ; yea, my memory is tir’d—
Have we no wine here ?
Com. Go we to our tent;
The blood upon your visage dries; ’tis timeIt should be look’d to: come. [ ^Exeunt.
SCENE X.— The camp of the Voices.
A flourish. Comets. Enter Toli.ds Aufidius,bloody, with two or three soldiers.
Auf. The town is ta’en !
1 Sol. ’Twill be deliver’d back on good con-dition.
Auf. Condition ?—
I would, I were a Roman ; for I cannot,
Being a Voice, be that I am.—Condition !What good condition can a treaty findI’tlie part that is at mercy ? Five times, Marcius,I have fought with thee; so often hast thou beatme;
And wouldst do so, I think, should we encounterAs often as we eat.—By the elements,
If e’er again I meet him beard to beard,
He is mine, or I am his: Mine emulation
Hath not that honour in’t, it had; for whereI thought to crush him in an equal force,
(True sword to sword,) I’ll potch at him someway;
Or wrath, or craft, may get him.
1 Sol. He’s the devil.
Avf. Bolder, though not so subtile: My va-lour’s poison'd,
With only suffering stain by him; for him 1Shall fly out of itself: nor sleep, nor sanctuary.Being naked, sick ; nor fane, nor Capitol,
The prayers of priests, nor times of sacrifice,Embarquements all of fury, shall lift upTheir rotten privilege and custom ’gainstMy hate to Marcius : where I find him, were itAt home, upon my brother’s guard, even thereAgainst the hospitable canon, would IWash my fierce hand in’s heart. Go you to thecity;
Learn, how ’tis held; and what they are, thatmust
I Sol. Will not you go ?
Auf. I am attended at the cypress grove :
I pray you,
(’Tis south the city mills,) bring meword thitherHow the world goes ; that to the pace of itI may spur on my journey.
1 Sol. I shall, sir. Exeunt.
ACT II.
SCENE I.— Rome. A public place.
Enter Menenius , Sicinius, and Biiutus.
Men. The augurer tells me, we shall havenews to-night.
Bru. Good, or bad ?
Men. Not according to the prayer of the peo-ple, for they love not Marcius.
Sic. Nature teaches beasts to know theirfriends.
Men. Pray you, who does the wolf love ?
Sic. The lamb.
Men. Ay, to devour him; as the hungryplebeians would the noble Marcius.
Bru. He’s a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear.
Men. He’s a bear, indeed, that lives like alamb. You two are old men; tell me onething that I shall ask you.
Both Trib. Well, sir.
Men. In what enormity is Marcius poor,that you two have not in abundance ?
Bru. He’s poor in no one fault, but storedwith all.
Sic. Especially, in pride.
Bru. And topping all others in boasting.
Men. This is strange now: Do you two know
how you arc censured here in the city, I meanof us o’the right-hand file ? Do you ?
Both Trib. Why, how are we censured ?
Men. Because you talk of pride now,—Willyou not be angry ?
Both Trib. Well, well, sir, well.
Men. Why, ’tis no great matter ; for a verylittle thief of occasion will rob you of a greatdeal of patience: give your disposition the reins,and be angry at your pleasures; at the least, ifyou take it as a pleasure to you, in being so.You blame Marcius for being proud ?
Bru. We do it not alone, sir.
Men. I know, you can do very little alone;for your helps are many; or else your actionswould grow wondrous single : your abilities aretoo infantlike, for doing much alone. Youtalk of pride ; O, that you could turn your eyestowards the napes of your necks, and make hutan interior survey of your good selves ! O, thatyou could!
Bru. What then, sir ?
Men. Why, then you should discover a braceof unmeriting, proud, violent, testy magistrates,(alias, fools,) as any in Rome .
Sic. Menenius , you are known well enough too.
Men. I am known to be a humorous patri-