Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

trefs of him; fanctifies himself with's hand, and turns up the white o'the eye to his difcourfe. But the bottom of the news is, our general is cut i' the middle, and but one half of what he was yesterday: for the other has half, by the entreaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he fays, and fowle the porter of Rome gates by the ears: He will mow down all before him, and leave his paffage poll'd'.

2. Serv.

5-fanctifies himself with's band,] Alluding, improperly, to the act of croffing upon any ftrange event. JOHNSON.

I rather imagine the meaning is, confiders the touch of his hand as holy; clafps it with the fame reverence as a lover would clafp the hand of his mistress. If there be any religious allufion: I fhould rather fuppofe it to be to the impofition of the hand in confirmation. MALONE. "He will-fowle the porter of Rome gates by th' ears.] That is, I fuppofe, drag him down by the ears into the dirt. Scuiller, Fr. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon's fuppofition, though not his derivation, is juft. Skinner fays the word is derived from fow, i. e. to take bold of a perfon by the ears, as a dog feizes one of thefe animals. So, Heywood, in a comedy called Love's Miftrefs, 1636:

Venus will fowle me by the cars for this."

Perhaps Shakespeare's allufion is to Hercules dragging out Cerberus.

STEEVENS.

Whatever the etymology of forule may be, it appears to have been a familiar word in the last century. Lord Strafford's correfpondent, Mr. Garrard, ufes it as Shafpeare does. Straff. Lett. Vol. II. p. 149. "A lieutenant foled him well by the ears, and drew him by the hair about the room." Lord Strafford himself ufes it in another fenfe, Vol. II. p. 158. "It is ever a hopeful throw, where the cafter foles his bowl well." In this passage to fole seems to fignify what, I believe, is usually called to ground a bowl. TYRWHITT.

Cole in his Latin Dictionary, 1679, renders it, aurem fumma vi vellere. MALONE.

To fowle is ftill in ufe for pulling, drrgging, and lugging in the Weft of England. S. W.

7- bis paffage poll'd.] That is, bared, cleared. JOHNSON.

So, in Chrift's Tears over Jerusalem, by T. Nashe, 1594: “— the winning love of neighbours round about, if haply their houfes fhould be environed, or any in them prove unruly, being pilled and poul'd too unconscionably."-Poul'd is the fpelling of the old copy of Coriolanus alío. MALONE.

To poll a perfon anciently meant to cut off his hair. So, in Damatas's Madrigall in praife of bis Daphnis, by J. Wootton, published in England's Helicon, 1614:

"Like Nifus golden hair that Scilla poľd.”

It

2. Serv. And he's as like to do't, as any man I can imagine.

3. Serv. Do't? he will do't: For, look you, fir, he has as many friends as enemies: which friends, fir, (as it were,) durft not (look you, fir,) fhew themselves (as we term it) his friends, whilft he's in directitude 3.

1. Serv. Directitude! What's that?

3. Serv. But when they fhall fee, fir, his creft up again, and the man in blood, they will out of their burrows, like conies after rain, and revel all with him.

1. Serv. But when goes this forward?

3. Serv. To-morrow; to-day; prefently. You shall have the drum ftruck up this afternoon: 'tis, as it were, a parcel of their feaft, and to be executed ere they wipe their lips.

2. Serv. Why, then we fhall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing, but to ruft iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad-makers.

1. Serv. Let me have war, fay I; it exceeds peace, as far as day does night; it's fprightly, waking, audible, and full of vent'. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mull'd, deaf, fleepy, infenfible; a getter of more baftard children, than wars a destroyer of men'.

It likewife fignify'd to cut off the head. So, in the ancient metrica history of the battle of Floddon Field:

"But now we will withstand his grace,

"Or thousand heads fhall there be polled." STEEVENS.

8 whilft be's in directitude.] I fufpe&t the authour wrote :—whilft he's in difcreditude; a made word, instead of difcredit. He intended, I fuppofe, to put an uncommon word into the mouth of this fervant, which had fome refemblance to fenfe; but could hardly have meant that he fhould talk abfolute nonfenfe. MALONE.

in blood-] See p. 152, n. 5'.

MALONE.

9 This peace is nothing, but to ruft, &c.]-I believe a word or two have been loft. Shakspeare probably wrote:

This peace is good for nothing, but, &c. MALONE.

-full of vent.] Full of rumour, full of materials for difcourfe. JOHNS. 2-mull d,-] i. e. softened and difpirited, as wine is when burnt and fweeten'd. Lat. Mellitus. HANMER.

3 than wats a deftroyer of men.] i. e. than wers are a destroyer of men. Our authour almost every where ufes wars in the plural. See the next speech. Mr. Pope, not attending to this, reads-than war's, &c. which all the fubfequent editors have adopted. Walking, the reading of the old copy in thisfpeech, was rightly corrected by him. MALONE.

3. Serv.

2. Serv. "Tis fo: and as wars, in fome fort, may be faid to be a ravisher; fo it cannot be denied, but peace is a great maker of cuckolds.

1. Serv. Ay, and it makes men hate one another.

3. Serv. Reafon; because they then lefs need one another. The wars, for my money. I hope to fee Romans as cheap as Volcians.-They are rifing, they are rifing. All. In, in, in, in. [Exeunt.

[blocks in formation]

Rome. A publick Place.

Enter SICINIUS, and BRUTUS.

Sic. We hear not of him, neither need we fear him; His remedies are tame i' the prefent peace + And quietnefs o' the people, which before Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends Blush, that the world goes well; who rather had, Though they themselves did fuffer by't, behold Diffentious numbers peftering ftreets, than fee Our tradefmen finging in their fhops, and going About their functions friendly.

Enter MENENIUS.

Bru. We ftood to't in good time. Is this Menenius? Sic. "Tis he, 'tis he: O, he is grown moft kind

Of late.-Hail, fir!

Men. Hail to you both!

Sic. Your Coriolanus is not much miss'd,

But with his friends: the common-wealth doth stand;
And fo would do, where he more angry at it.

Men. All's well; and might have been much better, if

4 His remedies are tame the prefent peace] I fuppofe the meaning of Sicinius to be this: His remedies are tame, i, e. ineffectual, in times of peace like thefe. When the people were in commotion, his friends might have ftrove to remedy his difgrace by tampering with them; but now, neither wanting to employ his bravery, nor remembering his former actions, they are unfit subjects for the factious to work upon. STEEVENS.

In, [i' the prefent peace] which was omitted in the old copy, was inferted by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

He

He could have temporiz'd.

Sic. Where is he, hear you?

Men. Nay, I hear nothing; his mother and his wife Hear nothing from him.

Enter three or four Citizens.

Cit. The gods preferve you both!

Sic. Good-e'en, our neighbours.

Bru. Good-e'en to you all, good-e'en to you all. 1. Cit. Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our knees,

Are bound to pray for you both.

Sic. Live, and thrive!

Bru. Farewel, kind neighbours: We wifh'd Corio

lanus

Had lov'd you as we did.

Cit. Now the gods keep you!

Both Tri. Farewel, farewel.

[Exeunt Citizens.

Sic. This is a happier and more comely time,

Than when these fellows ran about the streets,
Crying, Confufion.

Bru. Caius Marcius was

A worthy officer i' the war; but infolent,
O'ercome with pride, ambitious paft all thinking,
Self-loving,-

Sic. And affecting one fole throne,

Without affiftance 5.

Men. I think not fo.

Sic. We had by this, to all our lamentation,

If he had gone forth conful, found it fo.

Bru. The gods have well prevented it, and Rome Sits fafe and still without him.

Enter Edile.

Ed. Worthy tribunes,

There is a flave, whom we have put in prifon,
Reports, the Volces with two several powers

5-affecting one fole throne,

Witbout affistance.] That is, without affeffors; without any other

fuffrage. JOHNSON.

Are

Are enter'd in the Roman territories;

And with the deepest malice of the war
Destroy what lies before them.

Men. 'Tis Aufidius,

Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment,
Thrufts forth his horns again into the world;

Which were in-fhell'd, when Marcius ftood for Rome,
And durft not once peep out.

Sic. Come, what talk you

of Marcius?

Bru. Go fee this rumourer whipp'd.-It cannot be The Volces dare break with us.

Men. Cannot be !

We have record, that very well it can ;
And three examples of the like have been
Within my age. But reafon with the fellow,
Before you punish him, where he heard this;
Left you fhall chance to whip your information,
And beat the meffenger who bids beware
Of what is to be dreaded.

Sic. Tell not me:

I know, this cannot be.

Bru. Not poffible.

Enter a Meffenger.

Me. The nobles, in great earnestnefs, are going
All to the fenate-house: fome news is come in,
That turns their countenances7.

Sic. 'Tis this flave ;

Go whip him 'fore the people's eyes :—his raising!

Nothing but his report!

Me. Yes, worthy fir,

The flave's report is feconded;
More fearful, is deliver❜d.

6

and more,

reafon with the fellow,] That is, have fome talk with him. In this fenfe Shakspeare often ufes the word. JOHNSON.

See Vol. III. p. 44, n. I. MALONE.

7 That turns their countenances.] i. e. that renders their aspect four.

This allufion to the acefcence of milk occurs again in Timon of Athens: "Has friendship fuch a faint and milky heart,

"It turns in less than two nights ?" MALONE.

Sic.

« AnteriorContinua »