3 Ser. I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lieve be a condemn'd man.

Both. Wherefore? wherefore?

3 Ser. Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our General, Caius Marcius.

1 Ser. Why do you fay, thwack our General!

3 Ser. I do not fay, thwack our General; but he was always good enough for him.

2 Ser. Come, we are fellows and friends; he was ever too hard for him, I have heard him fay so himself.

1 Ser. He was too hard for him directly, to say the troth on't: before Corioli, he fcocht him and notcht him like a carbonado.

z Ser. And, had he been cannibally given, he might have broil'd and eaten him too.

1 Ser. But, more of thy news ;

3 Ser. Why, he is fo made on here within, as if he were fon and heir to Mars: fet at upper end o' th' table; no queftion afk'd him by any of the fenators, but they ftand bald before him. Our General himself makes a mistress of him, fanctifies himself with's hands, and turns up the white o' th' eye to his difcourfe. But the bottom of the news is, our General is cut i' th' middle, and but one half of what he was yesterday. For the other has half, by the intreaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he fays, and fowle the porter of Rome gates by th' ears. He will mow down all before him, and leave his paffage poll'd.

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

3 Ser. Do't! he will do't: for look you, Sir, he has as many friends as enemies; which friends, Sir, as it were, durft not (look you, Sir) fhew themselves (as we term it) his friends, whilft he's in directitude.

1 Ser. Directitude! what's that?

3 Ser. But when they fhall fee, Sir, his creft up again, and the man in blood, they will out of their burroughs (like conies after rain) and revel all with him. Ser. But when goes this forward ? VOL. VI.

U

3 Ser.

3 Ser. To-morrow, to-day, prefently, you fhall 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 Ser. Why, then we shall have a stirring world again this peace is worth nothing, but to ruft iron, encrease taylors, and breed ballad-makers.

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

2 Ser. 'Tis fo; and as war in fome fort may be faid to be a ravisher, fo it cannot be denied, but peace is a great maker of cuckolds.

I Ser. Ay, and it makes men hate one another.

3 Ser. Reason, because they then lefs need one another: the wars, for my money. I hope, to fee Romans as cheap as Volfcians.

They are rifing, they are rising.

Both. In, in, in, in.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, a public Place in Rome.

Enter Sicinius and Brutus.

Sic. (33) WEhear not of him, neither need we fear him;

His remedies are tame i' th' prefent peace,

And quietnefs o' th' people, which before

Were in wild hurry. Here we make his friends
Blush, that the world goes well; who rather had,

(33) We bear not of him, neither need we fear bim,

His remedies are tame: the prefent peace

And quietness o' th' people, which before

Were in wild burry.] As this paffage has been hitherto pointed, it labours under two abfurdities; first, that the peace abroad, and the qu'etnefs of the populace at home, are call'd Marcius's remedies; whereas, if truth, these were the impediments of his revenge : In the next place, the latter branch of the fentence is imperfect and ungrammatical. My regulation prevents both these inconveniencies.

Though

Though they themfelves did fuffer by't, beheld
Diffentious numbers peftring streets, than fee
Our tradesmen finging in their fhops, and going
About their functions friendly.

Enter Menenius.

Bru. We flood to't in good time. Is this Menenius? Sic. 'Tis he, 'tis he: O, he is grown most kind of late. Hail, Sir!

Men. Hail to you both!

Sic. Your Coriolanus is not much mifs'd, but with his friends; the commonwealth doth stand, and fo would do, were he more angry at it.

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

All. The gods preferve you both!

Sic. Good-e'en, neighbours.

Bru. Good-e'en to you all, good-e'en to you all.

I 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, Coriolanus had lov'd you, as we did.

All. Now the gods keep you!

Both Tri. Farewel, farewel.

[Exeunt Citizens.

Sic. This is a happier and more comely time, Than when thefe fellows ran about the streets, Crying confufion.

Bru. Caius Marcius was

A worthy officer i' th' war, but infolent,
O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking,
Self-loving.

Sic. And affecting one fole throne,

Without affiftance.

Men. Nay, 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.

Edile. Worthy tribunes,

There is a flave, whom he have put in prifon,
Reports, the Volfcians with two several powers
Are entred in the Roman territories;

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

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 whipt. It cannot be, The Volfcians 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 shall chance to whip your information,
And beat the meflenger, who bids beware
Of what is to be dreaded.

Sic. Tell not me: 1 know, this cannot be.

Bru. Not poffible.

Enter a Messenger.

Mef. The nobles in great earneftness are going All to the Senate-houfe; fome news is come, That turns their countenances.

Sic. 'Tis this flave:

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

2

Nothing

Nothing but his report!

Mef. Yes, worthy Sir,

The flave's report is feconded, and more,
More fearful is delivered.

Sic. What more fearful?

Mef. It is fpoke freely out of many mouths,
How probable I do not know, that Marcius,
Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome ;
And vows revenge as fpacious, as between
The young'ft and oldest thing.

Sic. This is most likely !.

Bru. Rais'd only, that the weaker fort

Good Marcius home again.

Sic. The very trick on't.

Men. This is unlikely.

He and Aufidius can no more atone, (34)

Than violenteft contrariety.

Enter Meffenger.

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

Upon our territories; and have already

may wifh

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?

(34) He and Aufidius can no more be one

Than violenteft contrariety.]

This is only Mr. Pope's fophiftication. I have reftor'd the reading of the genuine copies ;-can no more atone, i. e. be reconcil'd, agree; for in this fenfe the word is as frequently used, as in the active one, to pacify, to reconcile.

So in As you like it;

Then is there mirth in heav'n,
When earthly things, made ev'n,
Atone together.

And in many other paffages of our author.

U 3

Com.