MAR.

Come I too late?

Coм. Ay, if you come not in the blood of others, But mantled in

MAR.

your own.

O! let me clip you

In arms as found, as when I woo'd; in heart
As merry, as when our nuptial day was done,
And tapers burn'd to bedward.'

Сом.

How is't with Titus Lartius?

Flower of warriors,

MAR. As with a man bufied about decrees: Condemning fome to death, and fome to exile; Ranfoming him, or pitying, threat'ning the other; Holding Corioli in the name of Rome,

2

Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash,
To let him flip at will.

Сом.

Where is that flave,

Which told me they had beat you to your trenches? Where is he? Call him hither.

MAR. Let him alone, He did inform the truth: But for our gentlemen, The common file, (A plague !-Tribunes for them!)

forbear to fet nonsense before my readers; especially when it can be avoided by the infertion of a fingle letter, which indeed might have dropped out at the prefs. STEEVENS.

I

to bedward.] So, in Albumazar, 1615: "Sweats hourly for a dry brown cruft to bedward." STEEVENS. Again, in Peacham's Complete Gentleman, 1627: "Leaping, upon a full stomach, or to bedward, is very.dangerous."

MALONE.

Again, in The Legend of Cardinal Lorraine, 1577, fign. G. 1 : "They donfed also, left so soon as their backs were turned to the courtward, and that they had given over the dealings in the affairs, there would come in infinite complaints." REED.

2

Ranfoming him, or pitying,] i. e. remitting his ransom.

The mouse ne'er fhunn'd the cat, as they did budge From rafcals worse than they.

Сом.

But how prevail'd you?

MAR. Will the time ferve to tell? I do not

think

Where is the enemy? Are you lords o' the field? If not, why cease you till you are fo?

COM.

Marcius,
We have at difadvantage fought, and did
Retire, to win our purpose.

MAR. How lies their battle? Know you on which

fide 3

They have plac'd their men of truft?

COM.

As I guefs, Marcius, Their bands in the vaward are the Antiates,4 Of their best truft: o'er them Aufidius, Their very heart of hope,5

3 on which fide &c.] So, in the old translation of Plutarch:

"Martius afked him howe the order of the enemies battell was, and on which fide they had placed their beft fighting men. The conful made him aunfwer that he thought the bandes which were in the vaward of their battell, were those of the Antiates,' whom they esteemed to be the warlikeft men, and which for valiant corage would geve no place to any of the hofte of their enemies. Then prayed Martius to be fet directly against them. The conful graunted him, greatly prayfing his corage."

STEEVENS.

4 -Antiates,] The old copy reads-Antients, which might mean veterans; but a following line, as well as the previous quotation, seems to prove-Antiates to be the proper reading: "Set me against Aufidius and his Antiates.”

Our author employs-Antiates as a trifyllable, as if it had been written-Antiats. STEEVENS.

Mr. Pope made the correction. MALONE.

5 Their very heart of hope.] The fame expreffion is found in Marlowe's Luft's Dominion:

MAR.

I do befeech you,

By all the battles wherein we have fought,

By the blood we have fhed together, by the vows
We have made to endure friends, that you directly
Set me against Aufidius, and his Antiates:

And that you not delay the prefent; but,
Filling the air with fwords advanc'd,' and darts,
We prove this very hour.

Сом.

Though I could with You were conducted to a gentle bath,

And balms applied to you, yet dare I never
Deny your afking; take your choice of those
That beft can aid your action.

MAR.

Those are they

That most are willing :-If any fuch be here,
(As it were fin to doubt,) that love this painting
Wherein you fee me smear'd; if any fear
Leffer his perfon than an ill report ;8

thy desperate arm

"Hath almost thruft quite through the heart of hope."

In King Henry IV. P. I. we have:

MALONE.

"The very bottom and the foul of hope." STEEVENS. • And that you not delay the prefent ;] Delay, for let flip. WARBURTON.

7fwords advanc'd,] That is, fwords lifted high.

8

if any fear

JOHNSON.

Leffer his perfon than an ill report ;] The old copy has leffen. If the prefent reading, which was introduced by Mr. Steevens, be right, his perfon muft mean his perfonal danger.If any one lefs fears perfonal danger, than an ill name, &c. If the fears of any man are less for his person, than they are from an apprehenfion of being efteemed a coward, &c. We have nearly the fame fentiment in Troilus and Creffida:

"If there be one among the fair'st of Greece,

"That holds his honour higher than his ease,-."

If any think, brave death outweighs bad life,
And that his country's dearer than himself;
Let him, alone, or fo many, so minded,

Wave thus, [Waving his Hand.] to exprefs his dif pofition,

And follow Marcius.

[They all fhout, and wave their Swords; take
him up in their arms, and caft up their Caps.

O me, alone! Make you a fword of me?
If these shows be not outward, which of
you
But is four Volces? None of you but is
Able to bear against the great Aufidius
A fhield as hard as his. A certain number,
Though thanks to all, must I select the rest
Shall bear the business in some other fight,
As caufe will be obey'd. Please you to march ;
And four fhall quickly draw out my command,
Which men are beft inclin'd.1

Again, in King Henry VI. P. III :

"But thou prefer'ft thy life before thine honour." In this play we have already had lesser for less." MALONE. 9 Though thanks to all, I muft felect: the reft

Shall bear &c.] The old copy-I muft felect from all. I have followed Sir Thomas Hanmer in the omission of words apparently needlefs and redundant. STEEVENS.

I ·Pleafe you to march;

And four hall quickly draw out my command,

Which men are beft inclin'd,] I cannot but fufpect this paffage of corruption. Why fhould they march, that four might felect those that were beft inclin'd? How would their inclinations be known? Who were the four that should select them? Perhaps we may read :

Pleafe you to march;

And fear fhall quickly draw out my command,
Which men are leaft inclin'd.

It is easy to conceive that, by a little negligence, fear might be changed to four, and least to beft. Let us march, and that fear which incites desertion will free my army from cowards.

JOHNSON.

Сом.

March on, my fellows:

Make good this oftentation, and you fhall

Divide in all with us.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII.

The Gates of Corioli.

TITUS LARTIUS, having fet a Guard upon Corioli, going with a Drum and Trumpet toward COMINIUS and CAIUS MARCIUS, enters with a Lacutenant, a Party of Soldiers, and a Scout.

LART. So, let the ports 2 be guarded: keep your duties,

As I have set them down. If I do fend, defpatch

Mr. Heath thinks the poet wrote:

66

And fo I fhall quickly draw out," &c.

Some fenfe, however, may be extorted from the ancient reading. Coriolanus may mean, that as all the foldiers have offered to attend him on this expedition, and he wants only a part of them, he will fubmit the selection to four indifferent perfons, that he himself may efcape the charge of partiality. If this be the drift of Shakspeare, he has expreffed it with uncommon obfcurity. The old tranflation of Plutarch only fays: "Wherefore, with thofe that willingly offered themselves to followe him, he went out of the cittie.' STEEVENS.

Coriolanus means only to fay, that he would appoint four perfons to select for his particular command or party, those who were beft inclined; and in order to fave time, he propofes to have this choice made, while the army is marching forward. They all march towards the enemy, and on the way he chooses those who are to go on that particular fervice. M. MASON.

2

the ports] i. e. the gates. So, in Timon of Athens: "Defcend, and open your uncharged ports." STEEVENS.