Com. I have been i' th' market-place, and, Sir, 'tis fit You have strong party, or defend your felf By calmness, or by abfence: all's in anger. Men. Only fair fpeech.

Com. I think 'twill ferve, if he Can thereto frame his spirit.

Vol. He muft and will:

Pr'ythee now, fay you will, and go about it.

Cor. Muft I go fhew them my unbarbed fconce?
Muft my base tongue give to my noble heart
A lie, that it must bear ? well, I will do't:
Yet were there but this fingle pelt to lofe,

This mould of Martius; they to duft should grind it,
And throw't against the wind. To th' market-place!
You've put me now to fuch a part, which never
I fhall discharge to th' life.

Com. Come, come, we'll prompt you.

Vol. Ay, pr'ythee now, fweet fon; as thou hast said
My praises made thee firft a foldier; fo

To have my praise for this, perform a part
Thou haft not done before.

Cor. Well, I must do't:

Away, my difpofition, and poffefs me

Some harlot's fpirit! my throat of war be turn'd,
Which quired with my drum, into a pipe
Small as an eunuch's, or the virgin voice
That babies lulls afleep! the fmiles of knaves
Tent in my cheeks, and fchool-boys tears take up
The glaffes of my fight! a beggar's tongue
Make motion through my lips, and my arm'd knees
Which bow'd but in my ftirrup, bend like his
That hath receiv'd an alms! I will not do't,
Left I furceafe to honour mine own truth,
And by my body's action teach my mind
A moft inherent baseness.

Vol. At thy choice then :

To beg of thee, it is my more difhonour,
Than thou of them. Come all to ruin, let

Thy

Thy mother rather feel thy pride, than fear
Thy dangerous ftoutnefs: for I mock at death
With as big heart as thou. Do as thou lift.

Thy valiantnefs was mine, thou fuck'dft it from me :
But own thy pride thy self.

Cor. Pray be content :

Mother, I'm going to the market-place:

Chide me no more. I'll mountebank their loves,
Cog their hearts from them, and come home belov'd
Of all the trades in Rome. Look, I am going:
Commend me to my wife. I'll return Conful,
Or never trust to what my tongue can do
I'th' way of flattery further.

Vol. Do your will.

[Exit Volumnia,

Com. Away, the Tribunes do attend you: arm Your felf to answer mildly for they're prepar'd With accufations, as I hear, more strong

Than are upon you yet.

Cor. The word is, mildly.

Let them accufe me by invention: I

Will anfwer in mine honour.

Men. Ay, but mildly.

Pray you, let us go.

[Exeunt,

Cor. Well, mildly be it then, mildly.

SCENE VI. The Forum.

Enter Sicinius and Brutus.

Bru. In this point charge him home, that he affects
Tyrannic power: if he evade us there,
Inforce him with his envy to the people,

And that the spoil got on the Antiates

Was ne'er diftributed. What, will he come?

Ed. He's coming.

Enter an Edile,

Bru. How accompanied ?

Ed. With old Menenius, and those fenators

That always favour'd him.

Sic. Have you a catalogue

Of all the voices that we have procur'd,

Set down by th' poll?

Ed. I have; 'tis ready, here.

Sic. Have you collected them by tribes?

Ed. I have.

Sic. Affemble prefently the people hither,
And when they hear me fay, It shall be fo,

Ptb' right and ftrength o'tb' Commons; be it either
For death, for fine, or banishment, then let them,
If I fay fine, cry, Fine! if death, cry, Death!
Infifting on the old prerogative

And power i'th' truth o'th' cause.

Ed. I will inform them.

Bru. And when fuch time they have begun to cry,
Let them not cease, but with a din confus'd
Inforce the prefent execution

Of what we chance to fentence,

Ed. Very well.

Sic. Make them be strong, and ready for this hint, When we shall hap to give't them.

Bru. Go about it.

Put him to choler ftraight; he hath been us'd

Ever to conquer, and to have no word

[Exit Edite

Of contradiction. Being once chaf'd, he cannot
Be rein'd again to temp'rance; then he speaks

What's in his heart; and that is there, which works

With us to break his neck.

Enter Coriolanus, Menenius, and Cominius, with Senators4 Sic. Well, here he comes.

Men. Calmly I do befeech you.

Cor. Ay, as an oftler, that for the poorest piece

Will bear the knave by th' volume: the honour'd Gods
Keep Rome in fafety, and the chairs of justice

Supply with worthy men, plant love amongst you,
Throng our large temples with the fhews of peace,
And not our ftreets with war!

I Sen. Amen, amen.

Men. A noble wish.

Enter the Edile with the Plebeians.

Sic. Draw near, ye people.

Ed. Lift to your Tribunes: audience; Peace, I fay.

Cor. First, hear me speak.

Both Tri. Well, fay; peace, ho.

Cor

Cor. Shall I be charg'd no further than this prefent? Muft all determine here?

If

Sic. I do demand,

you fubmit you to the people's voices, Allow their officers, and are content

To fuffer lawful cenfure for fuch faults
As fhall be prov'd upon you?

Cor. I am content.

Men. Lo, citizens, he fays he is content:
The warlike fervice he has done, confider
Think on the wounds his body bears, which fhew
Like graves i'th' holy church-yard.

Cor. Scratches with briars, fcars to move laughter only.

Men. Confider further :

That when he speaks not like a citizen,
You find him like a foldier; do not take
His rougher accents for malicious founds:
But, as I fay, fuch as become a foldier,
Rather than envy you.

Com. Well, well, no more.

Cor. What is the matter,

That being paft for Conful with full voice,
I'm fo dishonour'd, that the very hour
You take it off again?

Sic. Answer to us.

Cor. Say then: 'tis true, I ought fo.

Sic. We charge you, that you have contriv'd to take From Rome all feafon'd office, and to wind

Your felf unto a power tyrannical,

For which you are a traitor to the people.

Cor. How? traitor?

Men. Nay, temperately: your promise.

Cor. The fires i'th' loweft hell fold in the people!
Call me their traitor! thou injurious Tribune!
Within thine eyes fate twenty thousand deaths,
In thy hands clutch'd as many millions, in
Thy lying tongue both numbers; I would fay,
Thou lieft, unto thee, with a voice as free,
As I do pray the Gods.

Sic. Mark you this, people?

All. To th' rock with him.

Sic. Peace:

We need not put new matter to his charge:
What you have seen him do, and heard him speak,
Beating your officers, curfing your selves,

Oppofing laws with ftroaks, and here defying
Those whofe great power muft try him, even this
So criminal, and in fuch capital kind,
Deferves th' extreameft death.

Bru. But fince he hath

Serv'd well for Rome.

Cor. What do you prate of service?
Bru. I talk of that, that know it,
Cor. You?

Men. Is this the promise that you made your
Com. Know, I pray you

Cor. I'll know no further:

Let them pronounce the feep Tarpeian death,
Vagabond exile, fleaing, pent to linger
But with a grain a-day, I would not buy
Their mercy at the price of one fair word,
Nor check my courage for what they can give,
To have't with faying, Good-morrow.
Sic. For that he has

mother?

(As much as in him lyes) from time to time
Envy'd against the people, feeking means
To pluck away their power; has now at laft
Giv'n hoftile ftroaks, and that not only in prefence
Of dreaded juftice, but on the ministers
That do diftribute it; in the name o'th' people
And in the power of us the Tribunes, we
(Ev'n from this inftant) banish him our city,
In peril of precipitation

From off the rock Tarpeian, never more

To enter our Rome's gates. I'th' people's name,
I fay it fhall be fo.

All. It fhall be fo, it fhall be fo; let him away:
He's banish'd, and it fhall be fo.

Com. Hear me, my mafters, and my common friendsSic. He's fentenc'd: no more hearing.

Com