Set down our hoft.-My partner in this action,
You must report to the Volcian lords, how plainly

I have borne this business".

Auf. Only their ends

You have refpected; ftopp'd your ears against
The general fuit of Rome; never admitted
A private whisper, no, not with fuch friends
That thought them fure of you.

Cor. This laft old man,

Whom with a crack'd heart I have fent to Rome
Lov'd me above the measure of a father;
Nay, godded me, indeed. Their latest refuge
Was to fend him: for whofe old love, I have
(Though I fhew'd fourly to him) once more offer'd
The first conditions, which they did refufe,
And cannot now accept, to grace him only,
That thought he could do more; a very little
I have yielded too: Fresh embaffies, and fuits,
Nor from the ftate, nor private friends, hereafter
Will I lend ear to.-Ha! what fhout is this?

Enter in mourning habits, VIRGILIA, VOLUMNIA,
leading young Marcius, VALERIA, and Attendants.
My wife comes foremoft; then the honour'd mold
Wherein this trunk was fram'd, and in her hand
The grandchild to her blood. But, out, affection!
All bond and privilege of nature, break!

Let it be virtuous, to be obftinate.

What is that curt'fy worth? or those dove's eyes,
Which can make gods forfworn?—I melt, and am not
Of stronger earth than others.-My mother bows;
As if Olympus to a mole-hill should

5- bow plainly

I bave borne this business.] That is, bow openly, bow remotely from artifice or concealment. JOHNSON.

thofe dove's eyes,] So, in the Canticles, v. 12. "➡his eyes are the eyes of doves." STEEVENS,

In

In fupplication nod: and my young boy
Hath an afpéct of interceffion, which

Great nature cries, Deny not.-Let the Volces
Plough Rome, and harrow Italy; I'll never
Be fuch a gofling to obey inftinct; but stand,
As if a man were author of himself,

And knew no other kin.

Virg. My lord and husband!

Cor. Thefe eyes are not the fame I wore in Rome Virg. The forrow, that delivers us thus chang'd, Makes you think fo7.

Cor. Like a dull actor now,

I have forgot my part, and I am out,
Even to a full difgrace. Beft of my flesh,
Forgive my tyranny; but do not say,
For that, Forgive our Romans.-O, a kifs
Long as my exile, fweet as my revenge!
Now by the jealous queen of heaven, that kiss
I carried from thee, dear; and my true lip

Hath virgin'd it e'er fince.-You gods! I prate',

And the most noble mother of the world

Leave unfaluted: Sink, my knee, i' the earth;
Of thy deep duty more impreffion fhew
Than that of common fons.

Vol. O, ftand up blest!

Whilft, with no fofter cushion than the flint,

7 The farrow, that delivers us thus chang'd,

[kneels.

Makes you think fo.] Virgilia makes a voluntary misinterpretation of her husband's words. He fays, Thefe eyes are not the fame, meaning, that he faw things with other eyes, or other difpofitions. She lays hold on the word eyes, to turn his attention on their prefent appearance. JOHNS. 8- - like a dull actor now,

I bave forgot my part, and I am out,

Even to a full disgrace.] So, in our author's 23d Sonnet:

"As an unperfect actor on the stage,

"Who with his fear is put befide bis part,-." MALONE.

9 Now by the jealous queen of heaven,] That is, by Juno, the guardian of marriage, and confequently the avenger of connubial perfidy. JOHNSON.

I prate.] The old copy-I pray. The merit of the alteration is Theobald's. So. in Othello" prattle out of fashion." STEEVENS.

1 kneel

I kneel before thee; and unproperly
Shew duty, as mistaken all this while
Between the child and parent.

Cor. What is this?

Your knees to me? to your corrected fon?
Then let the pebbles on the hungry beach 2
Fillop the ftars; then let the mutinous winds
Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the firy fun;
Murd'ring impoffibility, to make
What cannot be, flight work.

Vol. Thou art my warrior;

I holp to frame thee 3. Do you know this lady?
Cor. The noble fifter of Publicola,

The moon of Rome; chafte as the icicles,
That's curdied by the froft from pureft fnow,

[kneels.

And

2- on the hungry beach-] The beach hungry, or eager, for fhip wrecks. Such, I think, is the meaning. So, in Twelfth Night:

"mine is all as bungry as the fea."

I once idly conjectured that our authour wrote-the angry beach. Mr. Steevens is of opinion, that "the hungry beach" means the fterile, unprofitable beach. "Every writer on husbandry (he adds,) fpeaks of hungry foil, and hungry gravel, and what is more barren than the fands on the fea-fhore ?" He acknowledges, however, it may admit the explication already given. MALONE.

3 I holp to frame thee.] Old Copy-bope. Corrected by Mr. Pope. This is one of many inftances, in which corruptions have arifen from the tran fcriber's ear deceiving him. MALONE.

4 The noble fifter of Publicola,] Valeria, methinks, should not have been brought only to fill up the proceffion without fpeaking. JOHNSON. It is not improbable, but that the poet defigned the following words of Volumnia for Valeria. Names are not unfrequently confounded by the player-editors; and the lines that compofe this fpeech might be given to the fifter of Publicola without impropriety. It may be added, that though the fcheme to folicit Coriolanus was originally propofed by Valeria, yet Plutarch has allotted her no addrefs when he comes with his wife and mother on this occafion. STEEVENS.

chafte as the icicle, &c.] I cannot forbear to quote the following beautiful paffage from Shirley's Gentleman of Venice, in which the praife of a lady's chastity is likewise attempted:

661 thou art chafte

"As the white down of heaven, whofe feathers play

Upon the wings of a cold winter's gale,

"Trembling with fear to touch th' impurer earth." STEEVENS. Mr. Pope and all the fubfequent editors read curdled; but curdied is

VOL, VII.

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the

And hangs on Dian's temple: Dear Valeria!
Vol. This is a poor epitome of yours,
Which by the interpretation of full time
May fhew like all yourself.

Cor. The god of foldiers,

With the confent of fupreme Jove, inform

Thy thoughts with nobleness; that thou may'ft prove
To fhame invulnerable, and stick i'the wars

Like a great fea-mark, ftanding every flaw7,
And faving thofe that eye thee!

Vol. Your knee, firrah.

Cor. That's my brave boy.

Vol. Even he, your wife, this lady, and myself, Are fuitors to you.

Cor. I beseech you, peace:

Or, if you'd afk, remember this before;

The things, I have forfworn to grant, may never
Be held by you denials. Do not bid me

my foldiers, or capitulate

Difmifs my

Again with Rome's mechanicks :-Tell me not
Wherein I feem unnatural: Defire not

To allay my rages and revenges, with

Your colder reasons.

Vol. O, no more, no more!

You have faid, you will not grant us any thing;
For we have nothing else to afk, but that
Which you deny already: Yet we will afk;

the reading of the old copy, and was the phrafcology of Shakspeare's time. So, in All's well that ends well."-"I am now, fir, muddied in for tune's mood." We should now write mudded, to express begrimed, polluted with mud. MALONE.

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epitome of yours,] I read :-epitome of you.

An epitome of you, which, enlarged by the commentaries of time, may equal you in magnitude. JOHNSON.

Though Dr. Johnfon's reading is more elegant, I have not the leaft fufpicion here of any corruption. MALONE.

7 Like a great fea-mark, ftanding every flaw,] So, in our author's 116th Sonnet:

"O no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

"That looks on tempefts, and is never fhaken." MALONE. Every flaw, is every guft, every form. JOHNSON.

That

That, if you fail in our request, the blame
May hang upon your hardness: therefore hear us.
Gor. Aufidius, and you Volces, mark; for we'll
Hear nought from Rome in private.-Your request?
Vol. Should we be filent and not speak, our raiment
And ftate of bodies would bewray what life

We have led fince thy exile. Think with thyfelf,
How more unfortunate than all living women

Are we come hither: fince that thy fight, which fhould

8 That, if you fail in our requeft,-] That is, if you fail to grant us Our request; if you are found failing or deficient in love to your country, and affection to your friends, when our request shall have been made to you, the blame, &c. Mt. Pope, who altered every phrase that was not conformable to modern phrafeology, changed you to we; and his alteration has been adopted in all the fubfequent editions. MALONE. 9 Should we be filent and not speak, our raiment, &c.] "The fpeeches copied from Plutarch in Coriolanus may (fays Mr. Pope) be as well made an instance of the learning of Shakspeare, as thofe copied from Cicero, in Cataline, of Ben Jonson's." Let us inquire into this matter, and tranfcribe a Speech for a fpecimen. Take the famous one of Volumnia; for our author has done little more, than throw the very words of North into blank verfe.

"If we helde our peace (my fonne) and determined not to fpeake, the state of our poore bodies, and prefent fight of our rayment, would cafely bewray to thee what life we haue led at home, fince thy exile and abode abroad. But thinke now with thy felfe, howe much more unfortunately then all the women liuinge we are come hether, confidering that the fight which should be moft pleafaunt to all other to beholde, fpitefull fortune hath made most fearfull to us: making my felfe to fee my fonne, and my daughter here, her husband, befieging the walles of his natiue countrie. So as that which is the only comfort to all other in their adverfitie and miferie, to pray unto the goddes, and to call to them for aide, is the onely thinge which plongeth us into moft deep perplexitie. For we cannot (alas) together pray, both for victorie, for our countrie, and for fafety of thy life alfo: but a worlde of grievous curfes, yea more then any mortall enemie can heape uppon us, are forcibly wrapt up in our prayers. For the bitter foppe of moft harde choyce is offered thy wife and children, to forgoe the one of the two either to lofe the perfone of thy felfe, or the nurfe of their natiue countrie. For my felfe (my fonne) I am determined not to tarrie, For if I cantill fortune in my life doe make an ende of this warre. not perfuade thee, rather to doe good unto both parties, then to ouerthrowe and destroy: the one, preferring loue and nature before the malice and calamite of warres; thou shalt fee, my fonne, and truft unto it, thou shalt no foner marche forward to affault thy countrie, but thy foote fhall tread upon thy mother's wombe, that brought thee first into this world." FARMER.

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