He and Aufidius can no more attone“
Than violenteft contrarieties.

Enter another Messenger.

2 Mef. You are fent for to the Senate: A fearful army, led by Caius Martius, Affociated with Aufidius, rages

Upon our territories, they've already

O'er-born their way, confum'd with fire, and took
What lay before them.

Enter Cominius.

Com. Oh, you have made good work.

Men. What news? what news?

Com. You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and To melt the city-leads upon your pates,

To fee your wives dishonour'd to your nofes.
Men. What's the news? what's the news?
Com. Your temples burned in their cement, and
Your franchises, whereon you ftood, confin'd
Into an augre's bore.

Men. Pray now the news?

You've made fair work, I fear me:" pray, your news?
If Martius fhould be joyned with the Volfcians,

Com. If? he is their God, he leads them like a thing

Made by fome other deity than nature,"

That shapes man better; and they follow him

Against us brats, with no lefs confidence,

Than boys purfaing fummer butter-flies,
Or butchers killing flies.

Men. You've made good work,

You and your apron-men; that food fo much

Upon the voice of occupation, and

The breath of garlick-eaters.

Com. He'll fhake your Rome

About your ears."

Men. As Hercules did fhake

Down mellow fruit: fo you have made fair work.

Bru. But is this true, Sir?

Com. Ay, and you'll look pale

Before you find it other. All the regions

Do fmilingly revolt, and who refift

N 3

Are

Are only mock'd for valiant ignorance,

And perifh conftant fools: who is't can blame him?
Your enemies and his find fomething in him.
Men. We're all undone, unless

The noble man have mercy.

Com. Who fhall afk it?

The Tribunes cannot do't for fhame; the people
Deferve fuch pity of him, as the wolf

Does of the fhepherds: his best friends, if they
Shou'd fay, Be good to Rome, they charge him even
As thofe fhould do that had deferv'd his hate,
And therein fhew'd like enemies.

Men. 'Tis true.

If he were putting to my house the brand
That would confume it, I have not the face

To fay, 'Beseech you, ceafe. You've made fair hands,
You and your crafts! you've crafted fair!

Com. You've brought

A trembling upon Rome, fuch as was never
So incapable of help.

Tri. Say not we brought it.

Men. How? was it we? we lov'd him; but, like beafts And coward nobles, gave way to your clusters,

Who hooted him out o' th' city.

Com. But I fear

They'll roar him in again.

Tullus Aufidius,

The fecond name of men, obeys his 'points

As if he were his officer: defperation

Is all the policy, ftrength, and defence

That Rome can make againft them.

SCENE VII. Enter a Troop of Citizens, Men. Here come the clufters.·•

And is Aufidius with him?- You are they

That made the air unwholfome, when you caft
Your ftinking, greafie caps, in hooting at
Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming,
And not a hair upon a foldier's head

As

Which will not prove a whip: as many coxcombs,
you threw caps up, will he tumble down,
And pay you for your voices, 'Tis no matter,

If he should burn us all into one coal,
We have deferv'd it.

Omnes. 'Faith, we hear fearful news.
I Cit. For mine own part,

When I faid banish him, I faid 'twas pity.
2 Cit. And fo did I.

3 Cit. And fo did I; and to fay the truth, fo did very many of us; that we did, we did for the beft: and tho we willingly confented to his banishment, yet it was against our will.

Com. Y're goodly things; you voices! Men. You have made you good work, You and your cry. Shall's to the Capitol ? Com. Oh, ay, what else?

[Exeunt.

Sic. Go, mafters, get you home, be not difmay'd.
These are a fide, that would be glad to have

This true, which they so seem to fear. Go home,
And fhew no fign of fear.

I Cit. The Gods be good to us! come, mafters, let's home. I ever faid we were i' th' wrong, when we banifh'd him.

2 Cit. So did we all; but come, let's home. [Ex. Cit. Bru. I do not like this news.

Sic. Nor I.

Bru. Let's to the Capitol; would half my wealth Would buy this for a lie!

Sic. Pray let us go.

SCENE VIII.

[Exeunt Tribunes.

A Camp at a fmall diftance from Rome.
Enter Aufidius with bis Lieutenant.

Auf. Do they ftill fly to th' Roman?

Lieu. I do not know what witchcraft's in him; but

Your foldiers ufe him as the grace 'fore meat,

Their talk at table, and their thanks at end;

And you are darken'd in this action, Sir,
Even by your own.

Auf. I cannot help it now,

Unlefs, by ufing means, I lame the foot

Of our defign. He bears himself more proudly

Even to my perfon, than I thought he would

When

When firft I did embrace him.

Yet his nature

In that's no changeling, and I must excuse
What cannot be amended.

Lieu. Yet I wish, Sir,

(I mean for your particular) you had not
Join'd in commiffion with him; but. had born
The action of your felf, or elfe to him
Had left it folely.

Auf. I understand thee well, and be thou fure,
When he shall come to his account, he knows not
What I can urge against him: though it seems,
And fo he thinks, and is no lefs apparent

To th' vulgar eye, that he bears all things fairly,
And fhews good husbandry for the Volfcian ftate,
Fights dragon-like, and does atchieve as foon
As draw his fword; yet he hath left undone..
That which shall break his neck, or hazard mine,
Whene'er we come to our account.

Lieu. Sir, I befeech, think you he'll carry Rome?
Auf. All places yield to him ere he fits down,
And the Nobility of Rome are his :

The Senators and Patricians love him too:.
The Tribunes are no foldiers; and their people
Will be as rafh in the repeal, as hafty

To expel him thence. I think he'll be to Rome
As is the ofprey to the fish, who takes it
By fovereignty of nature. First, he was
A noble fervant to them, but he could not
Carry his honours even; whether pride,
Which out of daily fortune ever taints
The happy man; whether defect of judgment,
To fail in the difpofing of thofe chances
Whereof he was the Lord; or whether nature,
Not to be other than one thing, not moving

From th' cafk to th' cushion, but commanding peace
Even with the fame aufterity and garb,

As he controll'd the war; but one of these,
(As he hath fpices of them all, not all,
For I dare fo far free him) made him fear'd,
So hated, and fo banish'd; but he has merit

Tho'

Tho' choaks it in the utt'rance: fo our virtues
Lye in th' interpretation of the time;
And power, in it felf moft commendable,
Hath not a tomb fo evident as a chair ́
T'extol what it hath done.

One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;

Right's by right foiled, ftrengths by ftrengths do fail.
Come, let's away; when, Caius, Rome is thine,
Thou'rt poor'ft of all, then shortly art thou mine. [Exeunt.

ACT V. SCENE I.

ROME. Enter Menenius, Cominius, Sicinius, Brutus, with others.

Men.

TO, I'll not go: you hear what he hath faid
Which was fometime his General; who lov'd

N

him

In a moft dear particular. He call'd me father;
But what o' that? go thou that banish'd him,
A mile before his tent fall down, and knee
The way into his mercy: nay, if he coy'd
To hear Cominius fpeak, I'll keep at home.
Com. He would not feem to know me.
Men. Do you hear?

Com. Yet one time he did call me by my name :
I urg'd our old acquaintance, and the drops
That we have bled together. Coriolanus
He would not answer to; forbad all names;
He was a kind of nothing, titleless,

'Till he had forg'd himself a name o' th'fire
Of burning Rome.

Men. Why, fo; you've made good work :
A pair of Tribunes, that have fack'd fair Rome,
To make coals cheap: a noble memory!

Com. I minded him how royal 'twas to pardon
When it was leaft expected. He reply'd,
It was a bare petition of a state

To one whom they had punifh'd.
Men. Very well, could he fay lefs?
Com. I offer'd to awaken his regard
For's private friends. His answer to me was,

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