The briftled lips before him: he bestrid
An o'er-prefs'd Roman, and i' th' conful's view
Slew three oppofers: Tarquin's felf he met,
And ftruck him on his knee: in that day's feats,
When he might act the woman in the scene,
He proved best man i' th' field, and for his meed
Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil-age
Man entered thus, he waxed like a fea;
(17) And, in the brunt of seventeen battles fince,

(17) And in the brunt of feventeen battles fince.] I cannot help making a remark upon this circumftance of our Author's conduct, whether cafual or defignedly It is faid, and the fact is true, that he has followed Plutarch very clcfely in his ftory; but he deviates from him in one point, by which he feems to decline a ftrange abfurdity in the calculation of time. Shakespeare tells us, that, at fixteen years old, Coriolanus began his foldiership, when Tarquin made head to regain his kingdom; and that in seventeen battles he diftinguifhed himself with exemplary blavery and fuccefs. Plutarch likewife fays, that our hero fet out in arms a youth, that his firft expedition was when Tarquin made this pufh, and that he fignalized himself in war for feventeen years fucceffively. Now it happens a little unluckily for Fiutarch's account, that this attempt of Tarquin was made Anno U. C. 258, and Coriolanus was banished, nay, and killed, within the period of eight years after his firft campaign, Anno U. C. 266.- -There is fomething again lyes crofs on the other fide, that if Coriolanus was fo young when he commenced foldier, and if the interval was 10hort betwixt that and his banishment, he was too young to have been admitted a candidate for the confulship. The compliment of that office fo early to any man was a proftitution of dignity, that, I think, was never made till the times of the Emperors, when fervitude had debased the very fpirits of the Romans. 'Tis certain there is fome mifake in the computation of this great man's years. I fhould conjecture (were there any proofs to fecond it) that he started into notice as a foldier, when Tarquin was expelled Rome, Anno U C. 245; and allowing him only to be eighteen years of age then, at the time of his own banishment (U, C. 264) we shall find him 37 years old; a pe

He lurch'd all fwords o' th' garland. For this laft,
Before, and in Corioli, let me fay,

I cannot fpeak him home; he stopped the fliers,
And by his rare example made the coward
Turn terror into fport. As waves before
A veffel under fail, fo men obeyed,

And fell below his ftern: his fword, (death's ftamp)
Where it did mark, it took from face to foot:
He was a thing of blood, whofe every motion
Was timed with dying cries: alone he entered
The mortal gate o' th' city, which he painted
With fhunless deftiny: aidlefs came off,
And with a fudden re-enforcement struck
Corioli, like a planet. Nor all's this;
For by and by the din of war 'gan pierce
His ready fenfe, when ftraight his doubled spirit
Requickened what in flefh was fatigate,
And to the battle came he; where he did
Run reeking o'er the lives of men, as if
'Twere a perpetual spoil; and 'till we called
Both field and city ours, he never stood
To ease his breast with panting.

Men. Worthy man!

1 Sen. He cannot but with measure fit the hoWhich we devife him.

Com. Our fpoils he kicked at,

[nours

And looked upon things precious as they were
The common muck o' th' world; he covets lefs
Than mifery itself would give, rewards

His deeds with doing them, and is content
To spend his time to end it.

riod of life, at which the city could fcarcely have refufed his extraordinary merit the confulfhip.

But

one is no more than an attempt to reconcile improbabilities by guefs.

Men. He's right noble, Let him be called for. Sen. Call Coriolanus.

Off. He doth appear.

Enter CORIOLANNS.

Men. The fenate, Coriolanus, are well pleased To make thee Conful.

Cor. I do owe them still

My life and fervices.

Men. It then remains

That you do speak to the people.

Cor. I do befeech you,

Let me o'er-leap that custom; for I cannot
Put on the gown, stand naked, and entreat them,
For my wounds' fake, to give their fuffrages:
Please you that I may país this doing.

Sic. Sir, the people must have their voices,
Nor will they bate one jot of ceremony.

Men. Put them not to't; pray, fit you to the, custom,

And take t'ye, as your predeceffors have,

Your honour with your

Cor. It is a part

form.

That I fhall blush in acting, and might well

Be taken from the people.

Bru. Mark you that?

Cor. To bragunto them, thus I did,---and thus,--Shew them th' unaking scars, which I would hide, As if I had received them for the hire

Of their breath only.

Men. Do not stand upon't:

"We recommend t'ye, tribunes of the people, Our purpose to them, and to our noble Conful Wifh we all joy and honour.

Sen. (18) To Coriolanus come all joy and honour! [Flourish Cornets. Then Exeunt.

Manent SICINIUS and BRUTUS.

Bru. You fee how he intends to use the people. Sic. May they perceive's intent! he will require As if he did contemn what he requested [them, Should be in them to give.

Bru. (19) Come, we'll inform them

Of our proceedings here: on the market place
I know they do attend us.

SCENE changes to the Forum.

Enter feven or eight Citizens.

[Exeunt.

1 Cit. (20) Once, if he do require our voices, we ought not to deny him.

(18) Sic. To Coriolanus come all joy and honour!] How Mr Pope came to put this kindly with in the mouth of the tribune, I can't fay. We will fuppofe it to be chance-medley. I have restored it to the body of the fenate, with all the preceding editions.

(19) Come, we'll inform them

Of our proceedings here on th' market-place,

I know they do attend us.] But the tribunes were not now on the market-place, but in the capitol. The point-ing only wants to be rectified, and we fhall know what this magistrate would: fay; viz. Come, I know, the people attend us in the forum; we'll go and inform them what proceedings have been here in the fenate.

(20) Oons! if he do require our voices, we ought not to deng him.] What, more anachronifins, and more than ever the Poet either defigned or fiipt into! but this, like the boiled pig and caulliflower in the farce, is of 'Squire Somebody's own befpeaking, and 'twill be but kind to let him have the difh to himself. Mr Pope, I prefume, hardly thinks that blood and wounds ever came into an oath, 'till after the crucifixion of our Saviour. But to fet that question apart, our citizens here are no fuch bluftering blades. They fay honeftly, in all the other editions, no more than this nce, if he do require our voices, &c. i. e. in a word, once

2 Cit. We may, Sir, if we will.

3

Cit. We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power that we have no power to do; for if he fhew us his wounds, and tell us his deeds, we are to put our tongues into thofe wounds, and speak for them: fo, if he tells us his noble deeds, we must alfo tell him our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monftrous; and for the multitude to be ungrateful were to make a monster of the multitude; of the which we being members, should bring ourselves to be monftrous members.

1 Cit. And to make us no better thought of, a little help will ferve: for once when we ftood up about the corn, he himself stuck not to call us the many-headed multitude.

3 Cit. We have been called fo of many; not that our heads are fome brown, fome black, fome auburn, fome bald; but that our wits are fo diverfly coloured; and truly, I think, if all our wits were to iffue out of one fcull, they would fly east, weft, north, fouth; and their confent of one direct way would be at once to all points o' th' compafs.

2 Cit. Think you fo? which way, do you judge, my wit would fly?

3 Cit. Nay, your wit will not fo foon out as another man's will, 'tis ftrongly wedged up in a blockhead but if it were at liberty, 'twould fure fouthward.

2 Cit. Why that way?

for all, I've faid it once and I'll stand to it.

So in Much Ado about Nothing :

'Tis once, thou lovest":

So in Ant. and Cleop.

Men. Wilt thou be Lord of all the world?
Pomp. What fayeft thou?

Men. Wilt thou be Lord of all the world? that's twice.

And in a number of more inftances.