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

Com. Flower of warriors,

How is't with Titus Lartius?

Mar. As with a man busied about decrees:
Condemning fome to death, and fome to exile;
Ranfoming him, or pitying 2, threat'ning the other;
Holding Corioli in the naine of Rome,

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

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

Com. But how prevail'd you?

Mar. Will the time ferve to tell? I do not thinkWhere is the enemy? Are you lords o' the field?

If not, why ceafe 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 trust? Com. As I guess, Marcius,

1- to bedward.] So, in Albumazar, 1614:

"Sweats hourly for a dry brown cruft to bedward." STEEV. Again, in Peacham's Complete Gentleman, 1627: “Leaping, upon a full ftomach, or to bedward, is very dangerous." MALONE.

3-

2 Ranfoming bim, or pitying,-] i. e. remitting his ranfom. JOHNSON. on which fide, &c.] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "Martius afked him howe the order of their enemies battell was, and on which fide they had placed their best fighting men. The conful made him aunfwer that he thought the bandes which were in the vaward of their battell, were thofe 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.

Their bands i' the vaward are the Antiates,
Of their best trust: o'er them Aufidius,
Their very heart of hope 5.

Mar. I do befeech you,

By all the battles wherein we have fought,

By the blood we have shed 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 swords advanc'd', and darts,
We prove this

very

hour.

Com. Though I could wish

You were conducted to a gentle bath,

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

Mar. Thofe are they

That moft 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;

If

Antiates,] The old copy reads-Antients, which might mean veterans; but a following line, as well as the previous quotation, feems to prove Antiates to be the proper reading.

"Set me against Aufidius, and his Antiates." STEEVENS. MALONE. Mr. Pope made the correction.

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

7

thy defperate arm

"Hath almoft thruft quite through the heart of bope."

MALONE.

And that you not delay the prefent;-] Delay for let flip. WARB. -fwords advanc'd,-] That is, fwords lifted high. JOHNSON. 8 if any fear

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Leffer bis perfon than an ill report ;] The old copy has lessen. If the prefent reading, which was introduced by Mr. Steevens, be right, bis perfon must mean his perfonal danger.-If any one lefs fears perfonal danger than an ill name, &c. If the fears of any man are lefs for his perfon, 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'ft of Greece, That holds his honour higher than his cafe,-,"

Again

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

Wave thus, [waving his hand.] to exprefs his difpofition,
And follow Marcius.

[They all hout, and wave their fwords; take
him up in their arms, and caft up their caps.

O me, alone! Make you a fword of me?
If these fhews 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, muft I felect from all:
The reft fhall bear the bufinefs in fome other fight,
As cause will be obey'd. Please you to march;
And four fhall quickly draw out my command,
Which men are beft inclin'd9.

Com. March on, my fellows :

Make good this oftentation, and you shall
Divide in all with us.

Again, in K. Henry VI. P. III.

"But thou prefer'ft thy life before thine honour."

[Exeunt.

In this play we have already had leffer used for lefs. See p. 165, n. 6. MALONE.

9 Pleafe you to march,

And four fall quickly draw out my command,

Which men are beft inclin'd.] 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 submit the selection to four indifferent perfons, that he himself may escape the charge of partiality. If this be the drift of Shakspeare, he has exprefled it with uncommon obfcurity, The old tranflation of Plutarch only fays, "Wherefore, with those 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 chofes thofe who are to go on that particular fervice. MASON.

SCENE

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 lieutenant, a party of foldiers, and a scout.

Lart. So, let the ports 'be guarded: keep your duties,
As I have fet them down. If I do fend, dispatch
Thofe centuries to our aid; the reft will ferve
For a fhort holding: If we lofe the field,

We cannot keep the town.

Lieu. Fear not our care, fir.

Lart. Hence, and shut your gates upon us.-
Our guider, come; to the Roman camp conduct us.

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[Exeunt.

A field of battle between the Roman and Volcian Camps.

Alarum. Enter MARCIUS, and AUFIDIUS.

Mar. I'll fight with none but thee; for I do hate thee Worfe than a promife-breaker.

Auf. We hate alike;

Not Africk owns a serpent, I abhor

More than thy fame and envy2: Fix thy foot.

Mar. Let the first budger die the other's flave,

And the gods doom him after!

Auf. If I fly, Marcius,

Halloo me like a hare.

Mar. Within these three hours, Tullus,

Alone I fought in your Corioli walls,

And made what work I pleas'd: 'Tis not my blood,
Wherein thou seeft me mask'd; for thy revenge,

Wrench up thy power to the highest.

2

Auf. Wert thou the Hector,

the ports] i. e. the gates. STEEVENS.

tby fame, and envy.] Envy here as in many other places, means, malice.

See p. 42, n. 2.

MALONE.

That

That was the whip of your bragg'd progeny 3,
Thou should'st not fcape me here.-

[They fight, and certain Volces come to the aid
of Aufidius.

Officious, and not valiant- you have sham'd me 4
In your condemned feconds.

[Exeunt fighting, driven in by Marcius.

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Alarum. A Retreat is founded. Flourish. Enter at one fide, COMINIUS, and Romans; at the other fide, MARCIUS, with his arm in a scarf, and other Romans. Com. If I fhould tell thee 'o'er this thy day's work, Thou'lt not believe thy deeds: but I'll report it,

3 Wert thou the Hector,

Where

That was the whip of your bragg'd progeny,] Dr. Johnfon fays, "that the Romans boafting themselves to be defcended from the Trojans, the meaning may be, that Hector was the whip with which the Trojans fcourged the Greeks." This he confiders as a very unusual construction, but it appears to me only fuch as every page of thefe plays furnishes; and the foregoing interpretation is in my opinion undoubtedly the true An anonymous correfpondent juftly obferves, that the words mean, “the whip that your bragg'd progeny was possess'd of."

one.

you bave fham'd me

MALONE.

In your condemned feconds.] For condemned, we may read contemned. You have, to my fhame, fent me help which I defpife. JOHNSON.

Why may we not as well be contented with the old reading, and explain it, You bave, to my shame, fent me belp, which I must condemn as intrufive, infead of applauding it as neceffary? Mr. Mafon propofes to read fecond instead of feconds; but the latter is right. So Lear: "No feconds all myself?" STEEVENS.

We have had the fame phrafe in the fourth scene of this play: "Now prove good feconds!" MALONE.

5 If I should tell thee, &c.] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "There the conful Cominius going vp to his chayer of ftate, in the prefence of the whole armie, gaue thankes to the goddes for so great, glorious, and profperous a victorie: then he fpake to Martius, whose valliantnes he commended beyond the moone, both for that he him felfe fawe him doe with his eyes, as alfo for that Martius had reported vnto him. So in the ende he willed Martius, he should choose out of all the hories they had taken of their enemies, and of all the goodes they had

wonne

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