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Some trick, not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends, And interjoin their issues.

SCENE IV. Martial Friendship.

(9) Let me twine

Mine

(9) Let me, &c.] Nothing can be imagined more noble, than this generofity of Aufidius, and we may well say, Shakespear hath given him words equal to the greatness of his foul: Thomfon owes much to Shakespear, in this character more particularly; one speech or two will be sufficient to shew not only that, but how dangerous it is to attempt the flights of this daring British eagle. In the first act of Thomson's tragedy, before Coriolanus puts himself under the protection of Tullus, the Volfcian tells his

friend:

My foul, my friend, my foul is all on fire!
Thirft of revenge confumes me: the revenge
Of generous emulation, not of hatred.

This happy Roman, this proud Martius haunts me!
Each troubled night, when flaves and captives fleep
Forgetful of their chains, I, in my dreams.
Anew am vanquish'd: and beneath the sword
With horror finking, feel a ten-fold death,
The death of honour: but I will redeem-
Yes, Martius, I will yet redeem my fame;
To face thee once again is the great purpose
For which alone I live.

And in the 4th scene following, he says to Coriolanus, now difsover'd to him;

O, Caius Martius, in this one short moment

That we have friendly talk'd, my ravish'd heart
Hath undergone a great, a wond'rous change.
I ever held thee in my best esteem:
But this heroic confidence has won me,
Stampt me at once thy friend. I were, indeed,
A wretch as mean, as this thy trust is noble,
Cou'd I refuse thee thy demand. -Yes, Martius,
Thou haft thy wish, take half of my command,
If that be not enough, then take the whole..
We have, my friend, a gallant force on foot,
An army, Martius, fit to follow thee.
Go, lead them on; and take thy full revenge:
All should unite to punish the ungrateful:
Ingratitude is treason to mankind, &c.

Mine arms about that body, where against
My grained afh an hundred times hath broke,
And fcarr'd the moon with splinters; here I clip
The anvil of my fword, and do conteft,
As hotly and as nobly with thy love,

As ever, in ambitious strength, I did
Contend again thy valour. (10) Know thou, firft,
I lov'd the maid I married; never man
Sigh'd truer breath; but that I fee thee here,
Thou noble thing, more dances my wrapt heart,
Than when I firit my wedded mistress faw
Bestride my threshold. Why, thou Mars! I tell thee,
We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,
Or lose my arm for't: thou hast beat me out
Twelve several times, and I have nightly fince
Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me;
We have been down together in my fleep,
Unbuckling helms, fifting each others thoat,
And wak'd half dead with nothing.

ACTV. SCENE I.

The Season of Solicitation.

He was not taken well, he had not din'd.
(11) The veins unfill'd, our blood is cold, and then
We pout upon the morning, are unapt
To give or to forgive; but when we've stuff'd

These

(10) Know thou, &c.] In the first Act and 9th Scene of this play Coriolanus says,

-Oh! let me clip ye,

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

(11) The veins, &c.] This obfervation of Shakespear is by ge neral practice verified, and by many copied from him: Mr. Theobald tells us, lord Bacon fomewhere in his essays makes this very remark.

12

These pipes, and these conveyances of blood
With wine and feeding, we have fuppler fouls
Than in our priest-like fast; therefore I'll watch him
Till he be dieted to my request.

SCENE III. Obstinate Resolution.

My wife comes foremost, then the honour'd mould
Wherein this trunk was fram'd, and in her hand
The grand-child to her blood. But out, affection!
All bond and privilege of nature break!
(12) Let it be virtuous to be obstinate.
What is that curt'fie worth; or those dove's eyes,
Which can make gods forsworn? I melt, and am not
Of stronger earth than others: my mother bows,

As if Olympus to a mole-hill should
In fupplication nod; and my young boy

Hath an afpect of interceffion, which

Great

(12) Let it, &c.] Thomson, well defcribing the obstinate and revengeful temper of Coriolanus, makes him fpeak thus;

What saidst thou, what against the power of vengeance?
The gods gave honeft anger, just revenge,
To be the awful guardians of the rights
And native dignity of human kind.
O, were it not for them, the faucy world
Wou'd grow a noisome nest of little tyrants!
Each carrion-crow, on eagle-merit perch'd,
Wou'd peck his eyes out; and the mongrel cur
At pleasure bait the lion. No, Galefus,
I wou'd not rafhly nor on light occafion,
Receive the deep impreffion in my breast :
But when the base, the brutal, and unjust,
Or, worse than all, th' ungrateful stamp it there;'
O, I will then with luxury supreme,
Enjoy the pleasure of offended gods,
A righteous, just revenge.

Act 2. Sc. 5.

I have been pretty large in my quotations from this fine and moving scene, but would by all means refer the reader to the original, as well as to that part of Mr. Thomson's play, where, in my opinion at least, he most excels.

Great nature cries, - Deny not.-Let the Volfcians
Plow Rome, and harrow Italy; I'll never

Be fuch a gofling to obey instinct; but stand

As if a man were author of himself,

And knew no other kin.

Relenting Tenderness.

Like a dull actor now,

I have forgot my part, and I am out
Even to full disgrace. Best of my flesh,
Forgive my tyranny; but do not fay,
For that, forgive our Romans.-O, a kiss,
Long as my exile, sweet as my revenge!
Now, by the jealous queen of heaven, that kiss
I carried from thee, dear; and my true lip
Hath virgin'd it e'er since-Ye gods! I prate;
And the most noble mother of the world
Leave unsaluted: fink, my knee, i'th' earth,
Of thy deep duty more impression shew
Than that of common fons.

Chastity.

(13) The noble fifter of Poplicola,

The moon of Rome; chaste as the isicle,

That's

(13) The noble, &c.] Emilia, in the last act of the Two Nobk Kinfmen, thus addresses Diana, the patroness of chastity;

Oh, facred, shadowy, cold, and constant queen,
Abandoner of revels, mute, contemplative,
Sweet, folitary, white as chaste, and pure
As wind-fann'd snow, who to thy female knights
Allow'st no more blood than will make a blush,
Which is their order's robe: &c.

In Milton's Comus, the brother speaking of his sister, says,

'Tis chastity, my brother, chastity:

She, that has that, is clad in compleat steel,

And, like a quiver'd nymph with arrows keen,

May trace huge forests and unharbour'd heaths,

I 3

Infamous

That's curdled by the frost from purest snow,
And hangs on Dian's temple.

Coriolanus's Prayer for his Son. (14)The god of foldiers, With the consent of fupreme Jove, inform

Infamous hills, and fandy, perilous wilds,
Where through the facred rays of chastity,
No favage, fierce, banditti, or mountaineer,
Will dare to foil her virgin purity:
Yea, there, where every defolation dwells,
By grots and caverns, flagg'd with horrid fhades,
She may país on with unblemish'd majefty;
Be it not done in pride, or in presumption.
Some fay no evil thing that walks by night,
In fog, or fire, by lake, or moorifh fen,
Blue meagre hag, or stubborn unlaid ghoft,
That breaks his magic chains at curfue time,
No goblin, or swart fairy of the mine,
Hath hurtful power o'er true virginity.

Thy

He then speaks of Diana, the patroness of chastity, and of Minerva; and goes on,

So dear to Heaven is faintly chastity,
That when a foul is found fincerely fo,
A thousand liveried angels lacky her,
Driving far off each thing of fin and guilt,
And in clear dream, and folemn vifion,
Tell her of things that no grofs ear can hear:
Till oft converfe with heavenly habitants
Begin to caft a beam on th' outward shape,
The unpolluted temple of the mind,
And turns it by degrees to the foul's effence,
Till all be made immortal, &c.

See the whole paffage.

(14) The god, &c.] See the first page of the first volume, and the note. There is fomething peculiarly great and exalted in this prayer of Coriolanus: the expreffions are perfectly suited to the fublimity of the petitions. The word flaw, in the laft line but one, means 'a fudden and impetuous guft of wind,' thơ' it hath a different fenfe in the 2d part of Hen. IV. Iee Act 4. Sc. 8.

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