The Tragedy of Coriolanus
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The Tragedy of Coriolanus
SCENE V. Within Corioli. A street
[Enter certain Romans, with spoils.]
FIRST ROMANThis will I carry to Rome.SECOND ROMANAnd I this.THIRD ROMANA murrain on't! I took this for silver.[Alarum continues still afar off.]
[Enter MARCIUS and TITUS LARTIUS with a trumpet.]
MARCIUSSee here these movers that do prize their hoursAt a crack'd drachma! Cushions, leaden spoons,Irons of a doit, doublets that hangmen wouldBury with those that wore them, these base slaves,Ere yet the fight be done, pack up: – down with them! —And hark, what noise the general makes! – To him! —There is the man of my soul's hate, Aufidius,Piercing our Romans; then, valiant Titus, takeConvenient numbers to make good the city;Whilst I, with those that have the spirit, will hasteTo help Cominius.LARTIUSWorthy sir, thou bleed'st;Thy exercise hath been too violentFor a second course of fight.MARCIUSSir, praise me not;My work hath yet not warm'd me: fare you well;The blood I drop is rather physicalThan dangerous to me: to Aufidius thusI will appear, and fight.LARTIUSNow the fair goddess, Fortune,Fall deep in love with thee; and her great charmsMisguide thy opposers' swords! Bold gentleman,Prosperity be thy page!MARCIUSThy friend no lessThan those she placeth highest! – So farewell.LARTIUSThou worthiest Marcius! —[Exit MARCIUS.]
Go, sound thy trumpet in the market-place;Call thither all the officers o' the town,Where they shall know our mind: away![Exeunt.]
SCENE VI. Near the camp of COMINIUS
[Enter COMINIUS and Foreces, retreating.]
COMINIUSBreathe you, my friends: well fought; we are come offLike Romans, neither foolish in our standsNor cowardly in retire: believe me, sirs,We shall be charg'd again. Whiles we have struck,By interims and conveying gusts we have heardThe charges of our friends. The Roman gods,Lead their successes as we wish our own,That both our powers, with smiling fronts encountering,May give you thankful sacrifice! —[Enter A MESSENGER.]
Thy news?MESSENGERThe citizens of Corioli have issued,And given to Lartius and to Marcius battle:I saw our party to their trenches driven,And then I came away.COMINIUSThough thou speak'st truth,Methinks thou speak'st not well. How long is't since?MESSENGERAbove an hour, my lord.COMINIUS'Tis not a mile; briefly we heard their drums:How couldst thou in a mile confound an hour,And bring thy news so late?MESSENGERSpies of the VolscesHeld me in chase, that I was forc'd to wheelThree or four miles about; else had I, sir,Half an hour since brought my report.COMINIUSWho's yonder,That does appear as he were flay'd? O gods!He has the stamp of Marcius; and I haveBefore-time seen him thus.MARCIUS[Within.] Come I too late?
COMINIUSThe shepherd knows not thunder from a taborMore than I know the sound of Marcius' tongueFrom every meaner man.[Enter MARCIUS.]
MARCIUSCome I too late?COMINIUSAy, if you come not in the blood of others,But mantled in your own.MARCIUSO! let me clip yeIn arms as sound as when I woo'd; in heartAs merry as when our nuptial day was done,And tapers burn'd to bedward.COMINIUSFlower of warriors,How is't with Titus Lartius?MARCIUSAs with a man busied about decrees:Condemning some to death and some to exile;Ransoming him or pitying, threat'ning the other;Holding Corioli in the name of Rome,Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash,To let him slip at will.COMINIUSWhere is that slaveWhich told me they had beat you to your trenches?Where's he? call him hither.MARCIUSLet him alone;He did inform the truth: but for our gentlemen,The common file, – a plague! – tribunes for them! —The mouse ne'er shunned the cat as they did budgeFrom rascals worse than they.COMINIUSBut how prevail'd you?MARCIUSWill the time serve to tell? I do not think.Where is the enemy? are you lords o' the field?If not, why cease you till you are so?COMINIUSMarcius,We have at disadvantage fought, and didRetire, to win our purpose.MARCIUSHow lies their battle? know you on which sideThey have placed their men of trust?COMINIUSAs I guess, Marcius,Their bands in the vaward are the Antiates,Of their best trust; o'er them Aufidius,Their very heart of hope.MARCIUSI do beseech you,By all the battles wherein we have fought,By the blood we have shed together, by the vowsWe have made to endure friends, that you directlySet me against Aufidius and his Antiates;And that you not delay the present, but,Filling the air with swords advanc'd and darts,We prove this very hour.COMINIUSThough I could wishYou were conducted to a gentle bath,And balms applied to you, yet dare I neverDeny your asking: take your choice of thoseThat best can aid your action.MARCIUSThose are theyThat most are willing. – If any such be here, —As it were sin to doubt, – that love this paintingWherein you see me smear'd; if any fearLesser his person than an ill report;If any think brave death outweighs bad life,And that his country's dearer than himself;Let him alone, or so many so minded,Wave thus [waving his hand], to express his disposition,And follow Marcius.[They all shout and wave their swords; take him up in their arms and cast up their caps.]
O, me alone! Make you a sword of me?If these shows be not outward, which of youBut is four Volsces? none of you but isAble to bear against the great AufidiusA shield as hard as his. A certain number,Though thanks to all, must I select from all: the restShall bear the business in some other fight,As cause will be obey'd. Please you to march;And four shall quickly draw out my command,Which men are best inclin'd.COMINIUSMarch on, my fellows;Make good this ostentation, and you shallDivide in all with us.[Exeunt.]
SCENE VII. The gates of Corioli
[TITUS LARTIUS, having set a guard upon Corioli, going with drum and trumpet toward COMINIUS and CAIUS MARCIUS, enters with a LIEUTENANT, a party of Soldiers, and a Scout.]
LARTIUSSo, let the ports be guarded: keep your dutiesAs I have set them down. If I do send, despatchThose centuries to our aid; the rest will serveFor a short holding: if we lose the fieldWe cannot keep the town.LIEUTENANTFear not our care, sir.LARTIUSHence, and shut your gates upon's. —Our guider, come; to the Roman camp conduct us.[Exeunt.]
SCENE VIII. A field of battle between the Roman and the Volscian camps
[Alarum. Enter, from opposite sides, MARCIUS and AUFIDIUS.]
MARCIUSI'll fight with none but thee, for I do hate theeWorse than a promise-breaker.AUFIDIUSWe hate alike:Not Afric owns a serpent I abhorMore than thy fame and envy. Fix thy foot.MARCIUSLet the first budger die the other's slave,And the gods doom him after!AUFIDIUSIf I fly, Marcius,Halloo me like a hare.MARCIUSWithin these three hours, Tullus,Alone I fought in your Corioli walls,And made what work I pleas'd: 'tis not my bloodWherein thou seest me mask'd: for thy revengeWrench up thy power to the highest.AUFIDIUSWert thou the HectorThat was the whip of your bragg'd progeny,Thou shouldst not scape me here. —[They fight, and certain Volsces come to the aid of AUFIDIUS.]
Officious, and not valiant, – you have sham'd meIn your condemned seconds.[Exeunt fighting, driven in by MAR.]
SCENE IX. The Roman camp
[Alarum. A retreat is sounded. Flourish. Enter, at one side, COMINIUS and Romans; at the other side, MARCIUS, with his arm in a scarf, and other Romans.]
COMINIUSIf I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work,Thou't not believe thy deeds: but I'll report itWhere senators shall mingle tears with smiles;Where great patricians shall attend, and shrug,I' the end admire; where ladies shall be frightedAnd, gladly quak'd, hear more; where the dull tribunes,That, with the fusty plebeians, hate thine honours,Shall say, against their hearts 'We thank the godsOur Rome hath such a soldier.'Yet cam'st thou to a morsel of this feast,Having fully dined before.[Enter TITUS LARTIUS, with his power, from the pursuit.]
LARTIUSO general,Here is the steed, we the caparison:Hadst thou beheld, —MARCIUSPray now, no more: my mother,Who has a charter to extol her blood,When she does praise me grieves me. I have doneAs you have done, – that's what I can; inducedAs you have been, – that's for my country:He that has but effected his good willHath overta'en mine act.COMINIUSYou shall not beThe grave of your deserving; Rome must knowThe value of her own: 'twere a concealmentWorse than a theft, no less than a traducement,To hide your doings; and to silence thatWhich, to the spire and top of praises vouch'd,Would seem but modest: therefore, I beseech you, —In sign of what you are, not to rewardWhat you have done, – before our army hear me.MARCIUSI have some wounds upon me, and they smartTo hear themselves remember'd.COMINIUSShould they not,Well might they fester 'gainst ingratitude,And tent themselves with death. Of all the horses, —Whereof we have ta'en good, and good store, – of allThe treasure in this field achiev'd and city,We render you the tenth; to be ta'en forthBefore the common distribution atYour only choice.MARCIUSI thank you, general,But cannot make my heart consent to takeA bribe to pay my sword: I do refuse it;And stand upon my common part with thoseThat have beheld the doing.[A long flourish. They all cry 'Marcius, Marcius!', cast up their
caps and lances. COMINIUS and LARTIUS stand bare.]May these same instruments which you profaneNever sound more! When drums and trumpets shallI' the field prove flatterers, let courts and cities beMade all of false-fac'd soothing.When steel grows soft as the parasite's silk,Let him be made a coverture for the wars.No more, I say! for that I have not wash'dMy nose that bled, or foil'd some debile wretch, —Which, without note, here's many else have done, —You shout me forth in acclamations hyperbolical;As if I loved my little should be dietedIn praises sauc'd with lies.COMINIUSToo modest are you;More cruel to your good report than gratefulTo us that give you truly; by your patience,If 'gainst yourself you be incens'd, we'll put you, —Like one that means his proper harm, – in manacles,Then reason safely with you. – Therefore be it known,As to us, to all the world, that Caius MarciusWears this war's garland: in token of the which,My noble steed, known to the camp, I give him,With all his trim belonging; and from this time,For what he did before Corioli, call him,With all the applause – and clamour of the host,'Caius Marcius Coriolanus.' —Bear the addition nobly ever![Flourish. Trumpets sound, and drums]
ALLCaius Marcius Coriolanus!CORIOLANUSI will go wash;And when my face is fair you shall perceiveWhether I blush or no: howbeit, I thank you; —I mean to stride your steed; and at all timesTo undercrest your good additionTo the fairness of my power.COMINIUSSo, to our tent;Where, ere we do repose us, we will writeTo Rome of our success. – You, Titus Lartius,Must to Corioli back: send us to RomeThe best, with whom we may articulateFor their own good and ours.LARTIUSI shall, my lord.CORIOLANUSThe gods begin to mock me. I, that nowRefus'd most princely gifts, am bound to begOf my lord general.COMINIUSTake't: 'tis yours. – What is't?CORIOLANUSI sometime lay here in CorioliAt a poor man's house; he used me kindly:He cried to me; I saw him prisoner;But then Aufidius was within my view,And wrath o'erwhelmed my pity: I request youTo give my poor host freedom.COMINIUSO, well begg'd!Were he the butcher of my son, he shouldBe free as is the wind. Deliver him, Titus.LARTIUSMarcius, his name?CORIOLANUSBy Jupiter, forgot: —I am weary; yea, my memory is tir'd. —Have we no wine here?COMINIUSGo we to our tent:The blood upon your visage dries; 'tis timeIt should be look'd to: come.[Exeunt.]
SCENE X. The camp of the Volsces
[A flourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS, bloody, with two or three soldiers.]
AUFIDIUSThe town is ta'en.FIRST SOLDIER'Twill be delivered back on good condition.AUFIDIUSCondition!I would I were a Roman; for I cannot,Being a Volsce, be that I am. – Condition?What good condition can a treaty findI' the part that is at mercy? – Five times, Marcius,I have fought with thee; so often hast thou beat me;And wouldst do so, I think, should we encounterAs often as we eat. – By the elements,If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,He's mine or I am his: mine emulationHath not that honour in't it had; for whereI thought to crush him in an equal force, —True sword to sword, – I'll potch at him some way,Or wrath or craft may get him.FIRST SOLDIERHe's the devil.AUFIDIUSBolder, though not so subtle. My valour's poisonedWith only suffering stain by him; for himShall fly out of itself: nor sleep nor sanctuary,Being naked, sick; nor fane nor Capitol,The prayers of priests nor times of sacrifice,Embarquements all of fury, shall lift upTheir rotten privilege and custom 'gainstMy hate to Marcius: where I find him, were itAt home, upon my brother's guard, even there,Against the hospitable canon, would IWash my fierce hand in's heart. Go you to the city;Learn how 'tis held; and what they are that mustBe hostages for Rome.FIRST SOLDIERWill not you go?AUFIDIUSI am attended at the cypress grove: I pray you, —'Tis south the city mills, – bring me word thitherHow the world goes, that to the pace of itI may spur on my journey.FIRST SOLDIERI shall, sir.[Exeunt.]
ACT II
SCENE I. Rome. A public place
[Enter MENENIUS, SICINIUS, and BRUTUS.]
MENENIUSThe augurer tells me we shall have news tonight.BRUTUSGood or bad?MENENIUSNot according to the prayer of the people, for they love notMarcius.SICINIUSNature teaches beasts to know their friends.MENENIUSPray you, who does the wolf love?SICINIUSThe lamb.MENENIUSAy, to devour him, as the hungry plebeians would the nobleMarcius.BRUTUSHe's a lamb indeed, that baas like a bear.MENENIUS. He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb. You two are old men: tell me one thing that I shall ask you.BOTH TRIBUNESWell, sir.MENENIUS. In what enormity is Marcius poor in, that you two have not in abundance?BRUTUSHe's poor in no one fault, but stored with all.SICINIUSEspecially in pride.BRUTUSAnd topping all others in boasting.MENENIUS. This is strange now: do you two know how you are censured here in the city, I mean of us o' the right-hand file? Do you?BOTH TRIBUNESWhy, how are we censured?MENENIUSBecause you talk of pride now, – will you not be angry?BOTH TRIBUNESWell, well, sir, well.MENENIUS. Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience: give your dispositions the reins, and be angry at your pleasures; at the least, if you take it as a pleasure to you in being so. You blame Marcius for being proud?BRUTUSWe do it not alone, sir.MENENIUS. I know you can do very little alone; for your helps are many, or else your actions would grow wondrous single: your abilities are too infant-like for doing much alone. You talk of pride: O that you could turn your eyes toward the napes of your necks, and make but an interior survey of your good selves! O that you could!BOTH TRIBUNESWhat then, sir?MENENIUS. Why, then you should discover a brace of unmeriting, proud, violent, testy magistrates, – alias fools, – as any in Rome.SICINIUSMenenius, you are known well enough too.MENENIUS. I am known to be a humorous patrician, and one that loves a cup of hot wine with not a drop of allaying Tiber in't; said to be something imperfect in favouring the first complaint, hasty and tinder-like upon too trivial motion; one that converses more with the buttock of the night than with the forehead of the morning. What I think I utter, and spend my malice in my breath. Meeting two such wealsmen as you are, – I cannot call you Lycurguses, – if the drink you give me touch my palate adversely, I make a crooked face at it. I cannot say your worships have delivered the matter well when I find the ass in compound with the major part of your syllables; and though I must be content to bear with those that say you are reverend grave men, yet they lie deadly that tell you have good faces. If you see this in the map of my microcosm, follows it that I am known well enough too? What harm can your bisson conspectuities glean out of this character, if I be known well enough too?BRUTUSCome, sir, come, we know you well enough.MENENIUS. You know neither me, yourselves, nor anything. You are ambitious for poor knaves' caps and legs; you wear out a good wholesome forenoon in hearing a cause between an orange-wife and a fosset-seller, and then rejourn the controversy of threepence to a second day of audience. – When you are hearing a matter between party and party, if you chance to be pinched with the colic, you make faces like mummers, set up the bloody flag against all patience, and, in roaring for a chamber-pot, dismiss the controversy bleeding, the more entangled by your hearing: all the peace you make in their cause is calling both the parties knaves. You are a pair of strange ones.BRUTUS. Come, come, you are well understood to be a perfecter giber for the table than a necessary bencher in the Capitol.MENENIUS. Our very priests must become mockers if they shall encounter such ridiculous subjects as you are. When you speak best unto the purpose, it is not worth the wagging of your beards; and your beards deserve not so honourable a grave as to stuff a botcher's cushion or to be entombed in an ass's pack-saddle. Yet you must be saying, Marcius is proud; who, in a cheap estimation, is worth all your predecessors since Deucalion; though peradventure some of the best of 'em were hereditary hangmen. God-den to your worships: more of your conversation would infect my brain, being the herdsmen of the beastly plebeians: I will be bold to take my leave of you.[BRUTUS and SICINIUS retire.]
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