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So, that all hope is vain,

Unless his noble mother, and his wife';

Who, as I hear, mean to folicit him

For mercy to his country. Therefore, let's hence,
And with our fair entreaties haste them on. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

Au advanced poft of the Volcian Camp before Rome. The

Guard at their Stations.

Enter to them, MENENIUS.

1. G. Stay: Whence are you?

2. G. Stand, and go back.

Men. You guard like men; 'tis well: But, by your leave,

I am an officer of state, and come

To speak with Coriolanus.

1. G. From whence?

Men. From Rome.

1. G. You may not pass, you must return: our general Will no more hear from thence,

2. G. You'll fee your Rome embrac'd with fire, before

To yield to bis conditions is ruin, and better cannot be obtained, fo that all bope is vain. JOHNSON.

I believe, two half lines have been loft; that Bound with an oath was the beginning of one line, and to yield to bis conditions the conclufion of the next. See Vol. IV. p. 324, n. 1. Perhaps, however, to yield to bis conditions, means-to yield only to his conditions; referring these words to eath: that his oath was irrevocable, and should yield to nothing but fuch a reverfe of fortune as he could not refift. MALONE.

I fuppofe, Coriolanus means, that he had fworn to give way to the conditions, into which the ingratitude of his country had forced him. FARMER.

2 So, that all bope is vain,

Unless bis noble mother, and bis wife;] That this paffage has been confidered as difficult, furprises me. Many paffages in these plays have been fufpected to be corrupt, merely because the language was peculiar to Shakspeare, or the phrafeology of that age, and not of the prefent; and this furely is one of them. Had he written-his noble mother and his wife are our only hope, his meaning could not have been doubted; and is not this precifely what Cominius fays?-So that we have now no other hope, nothing to rely upon but his mother and his wife, who, as I am told, mean, &c. Unless is here used for except. MALONE

You'll

You'll speak with Coriolanus.

Men. Good my friends,

If you have heard your general talk of Rome,
And of his friends there, it is lots to blanks3,
My name hath touch'd your ears: it is Menenius.
1. G. Be it fo; go back: the virtue of your name
Is not here paffable.

Men. I tell thee, fellow,

Thy general is my lover: I have been

The book of his good acts, whence men have read
His fame unparallel'd, hapily, amplified;
For I have ever verify'd my friends,

(Of whom he's chief,) with all the fize that verity
Would without lapfing suffer: nay, fometimes,
Like to a bowl upon a fubtle ground,

3-lots to blanks,] A lot here is a prize. JOHNSON.

I have

I believe Dr. Johnfon here mistakes. Menenius, I imagine, only means to fay, that it is more than an equal chance that his name has touch'd their ears. Lots were the term in our authour's time for the total number of tickets in a lottery, which took its name from thence. So, in the continuation of Stowe's Chronicle, 1615, p. 1002: "Out of which lottery, for want of filling, by the number of lots, there were then taken out and thrown away threefcore thousand blanks, without abating of any one prize." The lots were of courfe more numerous than the blanks. If lot fignified prize, as Dr. Johnson fuppofed, there being in every lottery many more blanks than prizes, Menenius must be suppofed to fay, that the chance of his name having reached their ears was very small; which certainly is not his meaning. MALONE.

4 The general is my lover:] This alfo was the language of Shakfpeare's time. See Vol. III. p. 67, n. 7. MALONE.

5 For I bave ever verified my friends, &c.] To verify is to establish by teftimony. One may fay with propriety, be brought false witness to verify bis title. Shakspeare confidered the word with his ufual laxity, as importing rather teftimony than truth, and only means to fay, I bore witnefs to my friends with all the fize that verity would fuffer. JOHNSON.

The meaning (to give a fomewhat more expanded comment) is, "I have ever spoken the truth of my friends, and in fpeaking of them have gone as far as I could go confiftently with truth: I have not only told the truth, but the whole truth, and with the most favourable colouring that I could give to their actions, without tranfgreffing the bounds of truth. MALONE.

6-upon a fubtle ground,] Subtle means fmooth, level. So, Jonfon, in one ot his masques :

« Tityus's

I have tumbled past the throw; and in his praise Have, almoft, ftamp'd the leafing': Therefore, fellow, 1 must have leave to pafs.

1. G. 'Faith, fir, if you have told as many lies in his behalf, as you have utter'd words in your own, you fhould not pafs here: no, though it were as virtuous to lie, as to live chaftly. Therefore, go back.

Men. Pr'ythee, fellow, remember my name is Menenius, always factionary on the party of your general.

2. G. Howfoever you have been his liar, (as you fay, you have,) I am one that, telling true under him, mult fay, you cannot pafs. Therefore, go back.

Men. Has he dined, can't thou tell? for I would not fpeak with him till after dinner.

1. G. You are a Roman, are you?

Men. I am as thy general is.

1. G. Then you should hate Rome, as he does. Can you, when you have push'd out of your gates the very defender of them, and, in a violent popular ignorance, given your enemy your fhield, think to front his revenges with the eafy groans of old women, the virginal palms of your daughters, or with the palfy'd interceffion of fuch a decay'd dotant as you feem to be? Can you think to blow out the intended fire your city is ready to flame in, with fuch weak breath as this? No, you are deceiv'd; therefore, back to Rome, and prepare for your execu

"Tityus's breast is counted the fubtleft bowling ground in all

Tartarus."

Subtle, however, may mean artificially unlevel, as many bowlinggreens are. STEEVENS.

May it not have its more ordinary acceptation, deceitful? MALONE. 7 Have, almof, ftamp'd the leafing:] have almoft given the lie fuch a fanction as to render it current. MALONE.

8-the virginal palms of your daughters,] The adjective virginal is ufed in Woman is a Weathercock, 1612:

"Lav'd in a bath of contrite virginal tears."

Again, in Spenfer's Faerie Queen, B. II. c. ix :

"She to them made with mildness virginal. STEEVENS.

Again, in King Henry VI. P. II.

66 -tears virginal

"Shall be to me even as the dew to fire." MALONE.

tion you are condemn'd, our general has fworn you out of reprieve and pardon.

Men. Sirrah, If thy captain knew I were here, he would ufe me with eftimation.

2. G. Come, my captain knows you not.

Men. I mean, thy general.

1. G. My general cares not for you. Back, I fay, go, left I let forth your half pint of blood;-back,-that's the utmost of your having:-back.

Men. Nay, but fellow, fellow,

Enter CORIOLANUS, and AUFIDIUS.

Cor. What's the matter?

Men. Now, you companion, I'll fay an errand for you; you fhall know now, that I am in eftimation; you shall perceive that a Jack guardant cannot office me from my fon Coriolanus: guefs, but by my entertainment' with him, if thou ftand't not i' the state of hanging, or of fome death more long in fpectatorship, and crueller in fuffering; behold now prefently, and fwoon for what's to come upon thee.-The glorious gods fit in hourly fynod about thy particular profperity, and love thee no worfe than thy old father Menenius does! O, my fon, my fon! thou art preparing fire for us; look thee, here's water to quench it. I was hardly moved to come to thee: but being affured, none but myfelf could move thee, I have been blown out of your gates with fighs; and conjure thee to pardon Rome, and thy petitionary countrymen. The good gods affuage thy wrath, and turn the dregs of it upon this varlet here; this, who, like a block, hath denied my access to thee.

Cor. Away!

Men. How! away?

Cor. Wife, mother, child, I know not. My affairs

9-a Jack guardant-] See Vol. V. p. 217, n. 1.

MALONE.

11 - guess but by my entertainment-] The old copy reads-guess but my, &c. The correction was made by Dr. Johnson, and had likewife been propofed by Mr. Edwards in his Mf. notes. It had alfo been made by Sir T. Hanmer. Thefe editors, however, changed but to by. It is much more probable that by should have been emitted at the prefs, than confounded with but. MALONE.

Are

Are fervanted to others: Though I owe
My revenge properly2, my remiffion lies
In Volcian breafts. That we have been familiar,
Ingrate forgetfulness fhall poifon, rather

Than pity note how much.-Therefore, be gone.
Mine ears against your fuits are stronger, than
Your gates against my force. Yet, for I lov'd thee,
Take this along; I writ it for thy fake, [Gives a letter.
And would have fent it. Another word, Menenius,
I will not hear thee speak.-This man, Aufidius,
Was my belov'd in Rome: yet thou behold'ft-
Auf. You keep a conftant temper.

[Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS. 1. G. Now, fir, is your name Menenius.

2. G. 'Tis a fpell, you fee, of much power: You know the way home again.

1. G. Do you hear how we are fhent3 for keeping your greatness back?

2. G. What cause, do you think, I have to fwoon ?

Men. I neither care for the world, nor your general: for fuch things as you, I can fcarce think there's any, you are fo flight. He that hath a will to die by himself, fears it not from another. Let your general do his worst. For you, be that you are, long; and your misery increase with your age! I fay to you, as I was faid to, Away! 1. G. A noble fellow, I warrant him.

2. G. The worthy fellow is our general: He is the rock, the oak not to be wind-fhaken. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The Tent of CORIOLANUS.

Enter CORIOLANUS, AUFIDIUS, and Others. Cor. We will before the walls of Rome to morrow

2

Though I owe

My revenge properly,-] Though I have a peculiar right in revenge, in the power of forgivenefs the Volcians are conjoined. JOHNSON. 3-bow we are fhent-] Rebuked, reprimanded. Cole in his Latin Dict. 1679, renders to fhend, increpo. It is fo used by many of our old writers. MALONE.

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by bimself -] i. c. by his own hands. MALONE.

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