Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Let what is meet, be faid, it must be meet*,
And throw their power i' the duft.

Bru. Manifest treason.

Sic. This a conful? no.

Bru. The ædiles, ho!-Let him be apprehended. Sic. Go, call the people; [Exit BRUTUS.] in whose name, myfelf

Attach thee, as a traiterous innovator,

A foe to the publick weal: Obey, I charge thee,
And follow to thine answer.

Cor. Hence, old goat!

Sen. and Pat. We'll furety him.

Com. Aged fir, hands off.

Cor. Hence, rotten thing, or I fhall shake thy bones Out of thy garments 2.

Sic. Help, ye citizens.

Re-enter BRUTUS, with the Ediles, and a rabble of Citi

zens.

Men. On both fides more respect,

Sic. Here's he, that would

Take from you all your power.

Bru. Seize him, ædiles.

Cit. Down with him, down with him! [Several speak:

2. Sen. Weapons, weapons, weapons!

[They all bustle about Coriolanus.

Tribunes, patricians, citizens !-what ho!-
Sicinius, Brutus, Coriolanus, citizens !

Cit. Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace!
Men. What is about to be?-I am out of breath;
Confufion's near; I cannot speak:-You, tribunes

1 Let what is meet, be faid, it must be meet,] Let it be faid by you, that what is meet to be done, must be meet, i. e. fhall be done, and put an end at once to the tribunitian power, which was established, when irresistible violence, not a regard to propriety, directed the legislature. MALONE.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

To the people,-Coriolanus, patience :-
Speak, good Sicinius.

Sic. Hear me, people ;-Peace.

Cit. Let's hear our tribune:-Peace. Speak, speak, speak.

Sic. You are at point to lose your liberties: Marcius would have all from you; Marcius, Whom late you have nam'd for conful.

Men. Fie, fie, fie!

This is the way to kindle, not to quench.

1. Sen. To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat. Sie. What is the city, but the people?

Cit. True,

The people are the city.

Bru. By the confent of all, we were establish'd The people's magistrates.

Cit. You fo remain.

Men. And fo are like to do.

Cor. That is the way to lay the city flat;
To bring the roof to the foundation;
And bury all, which yet diftin&tly ranges,
In heaps and piles of ruin.

Sic. This deferves death.

Bru. Or let us ftand to our authority,
Or let us lofe it :-We do here pronounce,
Upon the part o' the people, in whofe power
We were elected theirs, Marcius is worthy
Of prefent death.

Sic. Therefore, lay hold of him

;

Bear him to the rock Tarpeian, and from thence
Into deftruction caft him.

Bru. Ediles, feize him.

Cit. Yield, Marcius, yield.

Men. Hear me one word.

3 To the people, Coriolanus, patience :-] I would read:
Speak to the people.-Coriolanus, patience :-
Speak, good Sicinius. TYRWHITT.

Mr. Mafon would point:

Confufion's near; I cannot-Speak you, tribunes,

To the people.

1 fee no need of any alteration. MALONE.

Beleec

Befeech you, tribunes, hear me but a word.

Edi. Peace, peace.

Men. Be that you seem, truly your country's friend, And temperately proceed to what you would

Thus violently redress.

Bru. Sir, thofe cold ways,

That feem like prudent helps, are very poisonous
Where the difeafe is violent:-Lay hands upon him,

And bear him to the rock.

Cor. No; I'll die here.

[drawing his fword.

There's fome among you have beheld me fighting;
Come, try upon yourselves what you have feen me.
Men. Down with that sword ;-Tribunes, withdraw a
while.

Bru. Lay hands upon him.

Men. Help Marcius! help,

You that be noble; help him, young, and old!
Cit. Down with him, down with him!

[In this mutiny, the Tribunes, the Ediles, and the
people, are beat in.

Men. Go, get you to your house'; be gone, away, All will be naught elfe.

2. Sen. Get you gone.

Cer. Stand fat;

We have as many friends as enemies.
Men. Shall it be put to that?

1. Sen. The gods forbid !

I pr'ythee, noble friend, home to thy house;

[ocr errors]

very poisonous,] I read :-are very poifons. JOHNSON.

- get you to your boufe.] Old Copy-our house. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. So below:

“I pr’ythee, noble friend, home to thy house." MALONE. Cor. Stand faft; &c.] In the old copy feveral of the speeches here are attributed to wrong períons. The prefent fpeech is given to Cominius, instead of Coriolanus, as that below, "Come, fir, along with us," is given to Coriolanus, instead of Cominius. Dr. Warburton pointed out the former error. The two fpeeches of Coriolanus and Menenius afterwards would they were barbarians," and "Be gone," &c. in the old copy form but one fpeech, of which Menenius is the fpeaker. The prefent regulation of that speech was proposed by Mr. Tyrwhitt.

Q3

MALONE.

Leave

Leave us to cure this cause.

Men. For 'tis a fore upon us,

You cannot tent yourself: Be gone, 'befeech you.
Com. Come, fir, along with us.

Cor. I would they were barbarians, (as they are Though in Rome litter'd,) not Romans, (as they are not, Though calv'd i' the porch o' the Capitol,)—

Men. Begone;

Put not your worthy rage into your tongue ;
One time will owe another.

Cor. On fair ground,

I could beat forty of them.

Men. I could myself

Take up a brace of the best of them; yea, the two tribunes.

Com. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetick;
And manhood is call'd foolery, when it stands
Against a falling fabrick.-Will you hence,
Before the tag return? whofe rage doth rend
Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear
What they are us'd to bear.

Men. Pray you, be gone:

I'll try whether my old wit be in request

With thofe that have but little; this must be patch'd
With cloth of any colour.

Com. Nay, come away.

[Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, and Others. 1. Pat. This man has marr'd his fortune.

7 One time will owe another.] I know not whether to owe in this place means to poffefs by right, or to be indebted. Either fenfe may be admitted. One time, in which the people are feditious, will give us power in fome other time: or, this time of the people's predominance will run them in debt: that is, will lay them open to the law, and expose them hereafter to more fervile fubjection. JoHNSON.

The meaning feems to be, One time will compenfate for another. Our time of triumph will come hereafter; time will be in our debt, will owe us a good turn, for our prefent difgrace. Let us truft to futurity. MALONE.

Before the tag return?] The lowest and most defpicable of the populace are denominated by thofe a little above them, tag, rag, and bobtail JoHNSON.

Men.

Mex. His nature is too noble for the world: He would not flatter Neptune for his trident,

Or Jove for his power to thunder. His heart's his mouth: What his breast forges, that his tongue muft vent;

And, being angry, does forget that ever

He heard the name of death.

Here's goodly work!

2. Pat. I would they were a-bed!

[A noife within.

Men. I would they were in Tiber!-What, the ven

geance,

Could he not speak them fair?

Re-enter BRUTUS, and SICINIUS, with the rabble. Sic. Where is this viper,

That would depopulate the city, and

Be every man himself?

Men. You worthy tribunes,

Sic. He fhall be thrown down the Tarpeian rock
With rigorous hands; he hath refifted law,

And therefore law shall scorn him further trial
Than the severity of the publick power,

Which he fo fets at nought.

1. Cit. He fhall well know,

The noble tribunes are the people's mouths,
And we their hands.

Cit. He fhall, fure on't 9.

[Several Speak together.

He fhall, fure on't.] The meaning of thefe words is not very obvious. Perhaps they mean, He fhall, that's fure. I am inclined to think that the fame error has happened here and in a paffage in Antony and Cleopatra, and that in both places fure is printed instead of fore. He fhall fuffer for it, he shall rue the vengeance of the people.-The editor of the second folio reads-He shall fure out; and and a being often confounded, the emendation might be admitted, but that there is not here any question concerning the expulfion of Coriolanus. What is now propofed, is, to throw him down the Tarpeian rock. It is abfurd therefore that the rabble fhould by way of confirmation of what their leader Sicinius had faid, propose a punishment he has not fo much as men. tioned, and which, when he does afterwards mention it, he disapproves

of:

to ejes him hence

"Were but one danger."

I have therefore left the old copy undisturbed. MALONE..

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinua »