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.

Sic.

This is most likely!

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,

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 What lay before them.

Enter COMINIUS.

Com. O, you have made good work!

Men.

[took

What news? what news? Com. You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and

To melt the city leads upon your pates;
To see your wives dishonour'd to your noses;-
Men. What's the news? what's the news?
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,

If!

Com. He is their god; he leads them like a thing Made by some other deity than nature, 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: fair work!

Bru. But is this true, sir?

Com.

He will shake

As Hercules

You have made

Ay; and you'll look pale Before you find it other. All the regions. 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.

Who shall ask it? Com. 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 deserv'd his hate, And therein show'd like enemies.

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!
You have brought
Com.
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' the city.

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 whip as many cox-
combs,

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. Com. You are goodly things, you voices! Men. You have made Good work, you and your cry!-Shall us to the Com. O, ay; what else?

[Capitol? [Exeunt COMINIUS and MENENIUS. Sic. Go, masters, get you home, be not dismay'd;

These are a side, that would be glad to have This true, which they so seem to fear. Go home, And show no sign of fear.

1 Cit. The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let's home. I ever said, we were i' the wrong, when we banished him.

2 Cit. So did we all. But come, let's home. [Exeunt Citizens.

Bru. I do not like this news.

Sic. Nor 1.

Bru. Let's to the Capitol :-Would, half my

wealth

Would buy this for a lie!

Sic.

Pray, let us go. [Exeunt.

SCENE VII.

A Camp; at a small distance from Rome.

Enter AUFIDIUS, and his Lieutenant. Auf. Do they still fly to the Roman?

Lieu. I do not know what witchcraft's in him; but

Your soldiers use him as the grace 'fore meat, Their talk at table, and their thanks at end; And you are darken'd in this action, sir,

Even by your own.

Auf.
I cannot help it now;
Unless by using means, I lame the foot

Of our design. He bears himself more proudlier
Even to my person, than I thought he would,
When first I did embrace him: Yet his nature
In that's no changeling; and I must excuse
What cannot be amended.

Lieu.
Yet I wish, sir,
(I mean for your particular), you had not
Join'd in commission with him: but either
Had borne the action of yourself, or else
To him had left it solely.

Auf. I understand thee well; and be thou sure, When he shall come to his account, he knows not What I can urge against him. Although it seems, And so he thinks, and is no less apparent

To the vulgar eye, that he bears all things fairly,
And shows good husbandry for the Volcian state;
Fights dragon-like, and does achieve as soon
As draw his sword: yet he hath left undone
That, which shall break his neck, or hazard mine,
Whene'er we come to our account.
he'll carry

Lieu. Sir, I beseech
Rome?

think you,

you

Auf. All places yield to him ere he sits down; And the nobility of Rome are his :

The senators, and patricians, love him too:
The tribunes are no soldiers; and their people
Will be as rash in the repeal, as hasty

To expel him thence. I think, he'll be to Rome,
As is the osprey to the fish, who takes it
By sovereignty of nature. First he was
A noble servant to them; but he could not
Carry his honours even: whether 'twas pride,

Which out of daily fortune ever taints
The happy man; whether defect of judgment,
To fail in the disposing of those chances
Which he was lord of; or whether nature,
Not to be other than one thing, not moving
From the casque to the cushion, but command-
ing peace

Even with the same austerity and garb
As he controll'd the war: but, one of these
(As he hath spices of them all, not all,

For I dare so far free him), made him fear'd,
So hated, and so banish'd: But he has a merit,
To choke it in the utterance. So our virtues
Lie in the interpretation of the time:
And power, unto itself most commendable,
Hath not a tomb so evident as a hair
To extol what it hath done.

One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;
Rights by rights fouler, strength by strengths do

fail.

Come let's away. When, Caius, Rome is thine, Thou art poor'st of all; then shortly art thou mine. [Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I. Rome. A publick Place. Enter MENENIUS, COMINIUS, SICINIUS, BRUTUS, and Others.

Men. No, I'll not go: you hear, what he hath
said,

Which was sometime his general; who loved him
In a most dear particular. He call'd me, father:
But what o' that? Go, you that banish'd him,
A mile before his tent fall down, and kneel
The way into his mercy: Nay, if he coy'd
To hear Comiuius speak, I'll keep at home.
Com. He would not seem to know me.

Men.
Do you hear?
Com. Yet one time he did call me by my name:
I urg'd our old acquaintance, and the drops
That we have bled together. Coriolanus
He would not answer to forbad all names;
He was a kind of nothing, titleless,