[are, You had not shew'd'them how you were dispos'd Vol. Ay, and burn too. Enter Menenius, with the Senators. Men. Come, come, you have been too rough, something too rough; You must return and mend it. Sen. There's no remedy; Unless, by not so doing, our good city Vol. Pray, be counsell❜d: I have a heart as little apt as yours, But yet a brain, that leads my use of anger,. Men. Well said, noble woman: Before he should thus stoop to the herd', but that The violent fit o' the time craves it as physick For the whole state, I would put mine armour on, Which I can scarcely bear. Cor. What must I do? Men. Return to the tribunes. Cor. For them?-I cannot do it to the gods; Must I then do't to them? Vol. You are too absolute; Though therein you can never be too noble. But when extremities speak, I have heard you say, Honour and policy, like unsever'd friends, P' the war do grow together: Grant that, and tell me, In peace, what each of them by the other lose, That they combine not there? Cor. Tush, tush! Men. A good demand. Vol. If it be honour, in your wars, to seem The same you are not, (which, for your best ends, You adopt your policy) how is it less, or worse, That it shall hold companionship in peace With honour, as în war; since that to both It stands in like request? 1i. e. I wonder. I would dissemble with my nature, where My fortunes, and my friends, at stake, required, I should do so in honour: I am in this, Your wife, your son, these senators, the nobles ;And you will rather shew our general lowts' How you can frown, than spend a fawn upon 'em, 20 For the inheritance of their loves, and safeguard Of what that want' might ruin. Men. Noble lady!— Come, go with us; speak fair: you may salve so, Not what is dangerous present, but the loss 25 Of what is past. Vol. I pr'ythee now, my son, Go to them, with this bonnet in thy hand; them) 2 i. e. my rank. 3 i. e. the people. 6 i. e. our common clowns. 4 i, e. urge. ? i.e. no established rank, or settled authority. In this place, not seems to signify not only. Cor. Cor. Must go shew them my unbarb'd' sconce? 2 With my base tongue, give to my noble heart You have put me now to such a part, which never Com. Come, come, we'll prompt you. Vol. I pr'ythee now, sweet son; as thou hast My praises made thee first a soldier, so, Cor. Well, I must do't:- Who bow'd but in my stirrup, bend like his Vol. At thy choice then : To beg of thee, it is my more dishonour, [me; Cor. Pray, be content; Look, I am going: I'll return consul; Of all the trades in Rome. [Exit Volumnia. 10 Bru. In this point charge him home, that he affects Tyrannical power: If he evade us there, inforce him with his envy to the people; 15 And that the spoil, got on the Antiates, Was ne'er distributed.-What, will he come? Enter an Edile. 20 25 30 35) Ed. He's coming. Bru. How accompanied? Ed. With old Menenius, and those senators That always favour'd him. Sic. Have you a catalogue Of all the voices that we have procur'd, Ed. I have; 'tis ready. Sic. Have you collected them by tribes? Sic. Assemble presently the people hither; I the right and strength o' the commons, be it either And power i' the truth o' the cause. Ed. I shall inform them. [to cry, Bru. And when such time they have begun 40Of what we chance to sentence. 45 Com. Away; the tribunes do attend you: arm 50 To answer mildly; for they are prepar’d Than are upon you yet. Sic. Make them be strong, and ready for this hint, When we shall hap to give 't them. Bru. Go about it.- Of contradiction: Being once chaf'd, he cannot Enter Coriolanus, Menenius, and Cominius, Sic. Well, here he comes. Mr. Hawkins explains unbarbed by bare, uncovered; and adds, that in the times of chivalry, when a horse was fully armed and accoutered for the encounter, he was said to be barbed; probably from the old word barbe, which Chaucer uses for a veil or covering. Mr. Steevens, however, says, unbarbed sconce is untrimm'd or unshaven head.-To barb a man was to shave him. portion; applied to a piece of earth, and here elegantly transferred to the body, carcase. which played in concert with my drum. To tent is to take up residence. i. e. piece, 13 i. e. 'i. e. according to Mr. Malone, He has been used to his worth, or (as we should now say) his pennyworth of contra- diction; his full quota or proportion. Men 5 10 [sent? 15 Cor. Shall I be charg'd no further than this pre Must all determine here? Sic. I do demand, If you submit you to the people's voices, To suffer lawful censure for such faults As shall be prov'd upon you? Cor. I am content. Men. Lo, citizens, he says he is content: What you have seen him do, and heard him speak, Bru. But since he hath Serv'd well for Rome, Cor. What do you prate of service? [mother? Men. Is this the promise that you made your Cor. I'll know no further: Let them pronounce the steep Tarpeïan death, (As much as in him lies) from time to time 5 The warlike service he has done, consider; think 25 Given hostile strokes, and that not in the presence Upon the wounds his body bears, which shew Like graves i' the holy church-yard. [only. Cor. Scratches with briers, scars to move laughter That when he speaks not like a citizen, 2 Rather than envy you. Com. Well, well, no more. Cor. What's the matter, That being past for consul with full voice, Sic. Answer to us. Cor. Say then: 'tis true, I ought so. [take Men. Nay; temperately: Your promise, Sie. Mark you this, people? All.To the rock with him! to the rock with him! We need not lay new matter to his charge: Of dreaded justice, but on the ministers 30 In peril of precipitation From off the rock Tarpeïan, never more All. It shall be so, it shall be so; let him away: I have been consul, and can shew from Rome, My country's good, with a respect more tender, 50 Sic. We know your drift: Speak what? [hate All. It shall be so, it shall be so. 55 And here remain with your uncertainty! 1i. e. would bear being called a knave as often as would fill out a volume. 2 Ency is here taken I shall be lov'd, when I am lack'd. Nay, mother, 30 IV. With cautelous baits and practice. 5 Vol. My first son, Whither wilt thou go! Take good Cominius Cor. O the gods! Com. I'll follow thee a month, devise with thee Cor. Fare ye well: Thou hast years upon thee; and thou art too full Men. That's worthily As any car can hear.-Come, let's not weep.- 45 from these old arms and legs, by the good gods, Six of his labours you'd have done, and sav’d [son Makes fear'd, and talk'd of more than seen) your Cor. Give me thy hand:-Come. [Exeunt. 1 Abated is dejected, subdued, depressed in spirits. 2 The sense is, When fortune strikes her hardest blows, to be wounded, and yet continue calm, requires a generous policy. calmness cunning, because it is the effect of reflection and philosophy. artful and false tricks, and treason. 'First, i. e. noblest, and most eminent of men. true metal unallay'd: a metaphor taken from trying gold on the touchstone. i.e. by i. e. of But to confirm my curses! Could I meet 'em Men. You have told them home, [with me? 10 Men. Peace, peace; be not so loud. [hear;- Vir. [To Sicin.] You shall stay too: I would, To say so to my husband. [fool. Vol. Av, fool; Is that a shame?-Note but this Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship2 To banish him that struck more blows for Rome, Than thou hast spoken words? [words; Sic. O blessed heavens! go; Nay, but thou shalt stay too:-I would my son Sic. What then? Vir. What then? He'd make an end of thy posterity. Vol. Bastards, and all. 20 [Exeunt. Rom. I know you well, sir, and you know me: your name, I think, is Adrian. Vol. It is so, sir: truly, I have forgot you. Rom. The same, sir. Vol. You had more beard, when I last saw you; but your favour is well appear'd by your tongue. What's the news in Rome? I have a note from 25the Volcian state, to find you out there: You have well saved me a day's journey. 30 Rom. There hath been in Rome strange insurrection: the people against the senators, patricians, and nobles. 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 35thing would make it flame again. For the nobles receive so to heart the banishment of that worthy Good man, the wounds that he does bear for Rome! Coriolanus, that they are in a ripe aptness, to Bru. Pray, let us go. Vol. Now, pray, sir, get you gone:. You have done a brave deed. Ere you go,hearthis: The meanest house in Rome; so far, my son, With one that wants her wits? Vol. Take my prayers with you.— [Exeunt Tribunes. Vol. You will be welcome with this intelli45 gence, 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 50 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 accom55pany you home. Rom. I shall, between this and supper, tell you more strange things from Rome; all tending to the good of their adversaries. Have you an army ready, say you? Dr. Johnson here remarks, that the word mankind is used maliciously by the first speaker, and taken perversely by the second. A mankind woman is a woman with the roughness of a man, and, in an aggravated sense, a woman ferocious, violent, and eager to shed blood. In this sense Sicinius asks Volumnia, if she be mankind. She takes mankind for a human creature, and accordingly cries pat: "Note but this fool.-Was not a man my father?" i, e, cunning enough. |