Men. All's well; and might have been much better, He could have temporiz'd.

[if

Sic. Where is he, hear you? Men. Nay, I hear nothing; his mother and his Hear nothing from him.

Enter three or four Citizens.

Cit. The gods preserve you both!

[wife

Good-e'en, our neighbours.

Sic. Bru. Good-c'en to you all, good-e'en to you all. 1 Cit. Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our Are bound to pray for you both.

Sic.

Live, and thrive!

[knees, Bru. Farewell, kind neighbours: We wish'd Corio

Had lov'd you as we did.

Cit.

[lanus

Now the gods keep you! Both Tri. Farewell, farewell. [Exeunt Citizens. Sic. This is a happier and more comely time, Than when these fellows ran about the streets, Crying, Confusion.

Bru.

Caius Marcius was

A worthy officer i' th' war; but insolent,

O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking,
Self-loving,-

Sic.

And affecting one sole throne,

Without assistance.1

Men.

I think not so.

Sic. We should by this, to all our lamentation, If he had gone forth consul, found it so.

Bru. The gods have well prevented it, and Rome Sits safe and still without him.

Ed.

Enter Edile.

Worthy tribunes,

There is a slave, whom we have put in prison,
Reports, the Volces with two several powers

assistance, assessors, other suffrages.

[COR. 89]

Are enter'd in the Roman territories;
And with the deepest malice of the war
Destroy what lies before them.

Men.

"Tis Aufidius,

Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment,

Thrusts forth his horns again into the world;

Which were inshell'd, when Marcius stood for Rome, And durst not once peep out.

Sic.

Of Marcius?

Come, what talk you

Bru. Go see this rumourer whipp'd.-It cannot be, The Volces dare break with us.

Men.

Cannot be !
We have record, that very well it can ;
And three examples of the like have been
Within my age. But reason with the fellow,
Before you punish him, where he heard this:
Lest you shall chance to whip your information,
And beat the messenger who bids beware

Of what is to be dreaded.

Mess. The nobles, in great earnestness, are going All to the senate-house: some news is come,

That turns' their countenances.

Sic.

'Tis this slave;—

Go whip him 'fore the people's eyes :—his raising!
Nothing but his report!

Mess.

Yes, worthy sir, The slave's report is seconded; and more, More fearful, is deliver❜d.

Sic.

What more fearful?

Mess. It is spoke freely out of many mouths, (How probable, I do not know,) that Marcius,

Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome; And vows revenge as spacious, as between

The young'st and oldest thing.

This is most likely!

Sic. Bru. Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may wish Good Marcius home again.

Sic.

Men. This is unlikely :

The very trick on't.

He and Aufidius can no more atone,1

Than violentest contrariety.

Enter another Messenger.

Mess. You are sent for to the senate:
A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius,
Associated with Aufidius, rages

Upon our territories; and have already,
O'erborne their way, consum'd with fire, and took
What lay before them.

Enter COMINIUS.

Com. O, you have made good work!

Men.

What news? what news

?

Com. You have holp to ravish your own daughters,

To melt the city leads upon your pates;

To see your wives dishonoured to your noses;-
Men. What's the news? what's the news?

[and

Com. Your temples burned in their cement; and Your franchises, whereon you stood, confin'd

Into an augre's bore.

Men.

Pray now, your news?

You have made fair work, I fear me:-Pray, your

news?

If Marcius should be join'd with Volcians,

Com.

He is their god; he leads them like a thing
Made by some other deity than nature,

atone, be at union; as if from at and one.

[COR. 91]

If!

That shapes man better: and they follow him,
Against us brats, with no less confidence,
Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,
Or butchers killing flies.

Men. You have made good work, You, and your apron men; you that stood so much Upon the voice of occupation,' and

The breath of garlick-eaters!

Com.

Your Rome about your ears.
Men.

Did shake down mellow fruit:
Bru. But is this true, sir?
Com.

As Hercules

He will shake

You have made fair [work.

Ay; and you'll look pale

Before you find it other. All the legions

Do smilingly revolt; and, who resist,

Are only mock'd for valiant ignorance,

And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him? Your enemies, and his, find something in him.

Men. We are all undone, unless

The noble man have mercy.

Com.

Who shall ask it?

The tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people
Deserve such pity of him as the wolf

Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if they
Should say, Be good to Rome, they charg'd him even
As those should do that had deserved his hate,

And therein show'd like enemies. 3

Men.

'Tis true:

If he were putting to my house the brand

That should consume it, I have not the face

To say, 'Beseech you, cease.-You have made fair hands,

You, and

your crafts! you have crafted fair!

'occupation, meaning mechanics and tradespeople. Alluding to the apples of the Hesperides.

Such charge or injunction would show them insensible of his wrongs, and make them show like enemies.

[COR. 92]

Com.

You have brought

A trembling upon Rome, such as was never
So incapable of help.

Tri.

Say not, we brought it.

Men. How! Was it we? We lov'd him; but, like

beasts,

And cowardly nobles, gave way to your clusters,'
Who did hoot him out o' th' city.

2

Com.
But, I fear
They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
The second name of men, obeys his points
As if he were his officer :--
:-Desperation
Is all the policy, strength, and defence,
That Rome can make against them.

Men.

Enter a troop of Citizens.

Here come the clusters.

And is Aufidius with him?-You are they

That made the air unwholesome, when you cast
Your stinking, greasy caps, in hooting at
Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming;

And not a hair upon a soldier's head,

Which will not prove a whip; as many coxcombs,
As you threw caps up, will he tumble down,
And

pay you for your voices. 'Tis no matter; If he could burn us all into one coal,

We have deserv'd it.

Cit. 'Faith, we hear fearful news. 1 Cit.

For mine own part, When I said, banish him, I said, 'twas pity.

2 Cit. And so did I.

3 Cit. And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very many of us : That we did, we did for the best: and though we willingly consented to his banishment, yet it was against our will.

1 clusters, mobs.

As they hooted at his departure, they will roar at his return: as he went out with scoffs, he will come back with lamentations. [COR. 93]