Where fenators fhall mingle tears with fmiles; That, with the fufty plebeians, hate thine honours, Yet cam'ft thou to a morfel of this feaft, Enter TITUS LARTIUS, with his power, from the purfuit. Here is the fteed, we the caparifon7: Hadft thou beheld Mar. Pray now, no more: my mother, Who has a charter to extol her blood, When the does praise me, grieves me. As I have done, you have done; that's what I can; induc'd As you have been; that's for my country 9: wonne (whereof there was great ftore) tenne of euery fort which he liked beft, before any diftribution fhould be made to other. Befides this great honorable offer he had made him, he gaue him in teftimonie that he had wonne that daye the price of prowes aboue all other, a goodly horfe with a capparifon, and all furniture to him: which the whole armie beholding, dyd marvelously praife and commend. But Martius ftepping forth, told the conful, he moft thanckefully accepted the gifte of his horfe, and wasta glad man befides, that his feruice had deferued his generalls commendation: and as for his other offer, which was rather a mercenary reward, than an honourable recompence, he would none of it, but was contented to haue his equall parte with other fouldiers." STEEVENS. 6 And, gladly quak'd,] i. e. thrown into grateful trepidation. To quake is ufed likewife as a verb active by T. Heywood, in his Silver Age, 1613: We'll quake them at that bar "Where all fouls wait for fentence." STEEVENS. 7 Here is the freed, we the caparison!] This is an odd encomium. The meaning is, this man performed the action, and we only filled up the fhow. JOHNSON. 8 9 - a charter to extol] A privilege to praife her own fon. JOHNSON. that's for my country:] The latter word is ufed here, as in other places, as a trifyllable. See Vol. I. p. 120, n. 4. MALONE. VOL. VII. N He, He, that has but effected his good will, Com. You fhall not be The grave of your deferving; Rome must know What you have done,) before our army hear me. Com. Should they not 2, Well might they fefter 'gainst ingratitude, And tent themfelves with death. Of all the horses, (Whereof we have ta'en good, and good ftore,) of all The treasure, in this field atchiev'd, and city, We render you the tenth; to be ta'en forth, Before the common distribution, at Your only choice, Mar. Í thank you, general; But cannot make my heart consent to take [A long flourish. They all cry, Marcius! Marcius! caft up their caps and lances: COMINIUS and LARTIUS, ftand bare. Mar. May thefe fame inftruments, which you profane, Never found more! When drums and trumpets fhall I' the field prove flatterers, let courts and cities be Made all of falfe-fac'd foothing! When fteel grows foft He, that bath but effected his good will, Hatb overta en mine a&t.] That is, has done as much as I have done, inafmuch as my ardour to ferve the ftate is fuch that I have never been able to effect all that I wish'd. So, in Macbeth: "The flighty purpofe never is o'ertook, 2 Should they not,] That is, not be remembered. JOHNSON. As As the parafite's filk, let him be made An overture for the wars 3! No more, I fay; Or foil'd fome debile wretch,-which, without note, As if I lov'd my little fhould be dieted In praises fauc'd with lies. Com. Too modest are you; More cruel to your good report, than grateful To 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, 3 - When drums and trumpets shall Tthe field prove flatterers, let courts and cities be Made all of falfe-fac'd footbing! When feel grows foft For An overture for the wars!] The first part of the paffage has been altered, in my opinion, unneceffarily by Dr. Warburton; [who for courts reads camps;] and the latter not fo happily, I think, as he often conjectures. In the latter part, which only I mean to confider, inftead of, bim, (an evident corruption) he fubftitutes bymns; which perhaps may palliate, but certainly has not cured, the wounds of the fentence. I would propose an alteration of two words: 661 when steel grows "Soft as the parafite's filk, let this [i. e. filk] be made The fenfe will then be apt and complete. When feel grows foft as filk, let armour be made of fisk instead of steel. TYRWHITT. It fhould be remembered, that the perfonal bim, is not unfrequently ufed by our author, and other writers of his age, instead of it, the neuter; and that overture, in its mufical fenfe, is not fo ancient as the age of Shakspeare. What Martial has faid of Mutius Scævola, may however be applied to Dr. Warburton's propofed emendation: Si non erraffet, fecerat ille minus. STEEVENS. Bullokar in his English Expofitor, 8vo. 1616, interprets the word Overture thus: "An overturning; a fudden change." The latter fenfe fuits the prefent paffage fufficiently well, understanding the word bim to For what he did before Corioli 4, call him, Bear the addition nobly ever! [Flourish. Trumpets found, and drums. All. Caius Marcius Coriolanus! Cor. I will go wash; And when my face is fair, you fhall perceive To the fairness of my power". Com. So, to our tent: Where, ere we do repofe us, we will write To Rome of our fuccefs.-You, Titus Lartius, Muft to Corioli back: fend us to Rome The beft', with whom we may articulate, For their own good, and ours. Lart. mean it, as Mr. Steevens has very properly explained it. When steel grows foft as filk, let filk be fuddenly converted to the ufe of war. We have many expreffions equally licentious in thefe plays. By feel Marcius means a coat of mail. So, in K. Henry VI. P. III. "Shall we go throw away our coats of steel, "And wrap our bodies in black mourning gowns. ?" MALONE. 4 For what be did, &c.] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "After this fhowte and noyfe of the aflembly was fomewhat appeafed, the conful Cominius beganne to fpeake in this forte. We cannot compell Martius to take thefe gifts we offer him, if he will not receaue them: but we will geue him fuch a rewarde for the noble feruice he hath done, as he cannot refufe. Therefore we doe order and decree, that henceforth he be called Coriolanus, onles his valiant acts haue wonne him that name before our nomination." STEEVENS. 5 The folio-Marcus Caius Coriolanus. STEEVENS. To undercreft your good addition, To the fairness of my porver.] I understand the meaning to be, to illuftrate this honourable diftinction you have conferred on me by fresh defervings to the extent of my power. To undercreft, I should guefs, fignifies properly, to wear beneath the creft as a part of a coat of arms. The name or title now given feems to be confidered as the creft; the promifed future atchievements as the future additions to that coat. HEATH. When two engage on equal terms, we fay it is fair; fairness may therefore be equally, in proportion equal to my power. JOHNSON. To the fairnels of my power"-is, as fairly as I can. MASON. 7 The left-] The chief men of Corioli. JOHNSON. 8 with whom we may articulate,] i. e. enter into articles. This word occurs again in K. Henry IV: P. I, "Indeed Lart. I fhall, my lord. Cor. The gods begin to mock me. I that now Refus'd moft princely gifts, am bound to beg Of my lord general. Com. Take it: 'tis yours.-What is't? At a poor man's houfe; he us'd me kindly : But then Aufidius was within my view, And wrath o'erwhelm'd my pity: I request you Com. O, well begg'd? Were he the butcher of my fon, he should Be free, as is the wind *. Lart. Marcius, his name? Deliver him, Titus. Cor. By Jupiter, forgot: I am weary; yea, my memory is tir’d.— Com. Go we to our tent: The blood upon your vifage dries; 'tis time lt fhould be look'd to: come. [Exeunt. Aflourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS bloody, with two or three foldiers. Auf. The town is ta'en! "Indeed these things you have articulated." i. e. fet down article by article. So, in Holinfhed's Chronicles of Ireland, p. 163: The earl of Defmond's treafons articulated." STEEVENS. 9 At a poor man's boufe;] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "Only this grace (faid he) I craue, and befeeche you to grant me. Among the Volíces there is an olde friende and hofte of mine, an honest wealthie man, and now a prifoner, who liuing before in great wealth in his owne countrie, liueth now a poore prifoner in the handes of his enemies and yet notwithstanding all his miferie and misfortune, it would doe me great pleasure if I could faue him from this one daunger: to keepe him from being folde as a flaue." STEEVENS. -free, as is the wind.] So, in As you like it : I must have liberty, "Withal, as large a charter as the wind." MALONE, N 3 1. Sol. |