Citizens. Down with him! down with him! Senators, etc. Weapons, weapons, weapons! [They all bustle about Coriolanus, crying 'Tribunes!' 'Patricians !' 'Citizens !' "

What,

ho!' 'Sicinius!' 'Brutus!' 'Coriolanus!' 'Citizens!' 'Peace, peace, peace!' 'Stay, hold, peace!'

Men. What is about to be? I am out of breath; Confusion's near; I cannot speak. You, tribunes 190 To the people! Coriolanus, patience!

Speak, good Sicinius.

Sic.

Hear me, people; peace! Citizens. Let's hear Our tribune

Speak, speak, speak.

peace!

Sic. You are at point to lose your liberties: Marcius would have all from you; Marcius, Whom late you have named for consul.

Fie, fie, fie!

Men.
This is the way to kindle, not to quench.

First Sen. To unbuild the city and to lay all flat.
Sic. What is the city but the people?

Citizens.

The people are the city.

True,

Bru. By the consent of all, we were establish'd

The people's magistrates.

Citizens.

You so remain.

Men. And so are like to do.

Com. That is the way to lay the city flat;

To bring the roof to the foundation,

And bury all, which yet distinctly ranges,

In heaps and piles of ruin.

Sic.

This deserves death.

Bru. Or let us stand to our authority,

Or let us lose it.

Upon the part o'

We do here pronounce,

the people, in whose power

We were elected theirs, Marcius is worthy

200

210

Of present death.

Sic.

Therefore lay hold of him;

Bear him to the rock Tarpeian, and from thence
Into destruction cast him.

Bru.

Ediles, seize him!

Hear me one word;

Citizens. Yield, Marcius, yield!

Men.

Beseech you, tribunes, hear me but a word.

Ed. Peace, peace!

Men. [To Brutus] Be that you seem, truly your

country's friend,

And temperately proceed to what you would

Thus violently redress.

Bru.

Sir, those cold ways,

That seem like prudent helps, are very poisonous Where the disease is violent. Lay hands upon

him,

And bear him to the rock.

Cor.

No, I'll die here.
[Drawing his sword.

220

There's some among you have beheld me fighting: Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me. Men. Down with that sword! Tribunes, withdraw awhile.

Bru. Lay hands upon him.

Help Marcius, help,

Men.
You that be noble; help him, young and old !
Citizens. Down with him, down with him!

[In this mutiny, the Tribunes, the Ediles,
and the People, are beat in.

Men. Go, get you to your house; be gone,

away!

All will be naught else.

Sec. Sen.

Get you gone.

230

213. the rock Tarpeian, a precipice on the Capitol, whence criminals were thrown.

Com.

We have as many friends as enemies.

Men. Shall it be put to that?

First Sen.

Stand fast;

The gods forbid !

I prithee, noble friend, home to thy house;
Leave us to cure this cause.

Men.
For 'tis a sore upon us
You cannot tent yourself: be gone, beseech you.
Com. Come, sir, along with us.

Cor. I would they were barbarians—as they are, Though in Rome litter'd-not Romans-as they

are not,

Though calved i' the porch o' the Capitol

Take up a brace o' the best of them; yea, the two tribunes.

Com. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetic; And manhood is call'd foolery, when it stands Against a falling fabric. Will you hence, Before the tag return? whose rage doth rend Like interrupted waters and o'erbear

What they are used to bear.

Men.

Pray you, be gone: 150

I'll try whether my old wit be in request

With those that have but little: this must be

patch'd

I With cloth of any colour.

Com.

[Exeunt Coriolanus, Cominius, and others.

242. One time will owe another; i.e. if the plebeians win

Nay, come away.

to-day we shall do so to-morrow.

248. tag, rabble.

A Patrician. This man has marr'd his fortune.
Men. His nature is too noble for the world:
He would not flatter Neptune for his trident,
Or Jove for 's power to thunder. His heart's his
mouth :

What his breast forges, that his tongue must vent;
And, being angry, does forget that ever

He heard the name of death.

Here's goodly work!

Sec. Pat.

[A noise within. 260

I would they were a-bed!

Men. I would they were in Tiber! What the

vengeance!

Could he not speak 'em fair?

Re-enter BRUTUS and SICINIUS, with the rabble.
Sic.

Where is this viper

That would depopulate the city and

Be every man himself?

Men.

You worthy tribunes,

Sic. He shall be thrown down the Tarpeian rock With rigorous hands: he hath resisted law,

And therefore law shall scorn him further trial

Than the severity of the public power

Which he so sets at nought.

Men. Do not cry havoc, where you should but

hunt

With modest warrant.

Sic.

Sir, how comes 't that you

Have holp to make this rescue?

275. cry havoc, proclaim war to the death.

VOL. X

81

G

Men.

Hear me speak:

As I do know the consul's worthiness,

So can I name his faults,

Sic.

Consul! what consul?

He consul!

280

Men. The consul Coriolanus.
Bru.

Citizens. No, no, no, no, no.

Men. If, by the tribunes' leave, and yours,

good people,

I may be heard, I would crave a word or two;
The which shall turn you to no further harm
Than so much loss of time.

Sic.

Speak briefly then;

For we are peremptory to dispatch

This viperous traitor: to eject him hence
Were but one danger, and to keep him here
Our certain death: therefore it is decreed

He dies to-night.

Men.

Now the good gods forbid
That our renowned Rome, whose gratitude
Towards her deserved children is enroll'd
In Jove's own book, like an unnatural dam
Should now eat up her own!

Sic. He's a disease that must be cut away.
Men. O, he's a limb that has but a disease;
Mortal, to cut it off; to cure it, easy.
What has he done to Rome that's worthy death?
Killing our enemies, the blood he hath lost-
Which, I dare vouch, is more than that he hath,
By many an ounce-he dropp'd it for his country;
And what is left, to lose it by his country,
Were to us all, that do 't and suffer it,

A brand to the end o' the world.

288. one, constant, perpetual. But 'our' is a tempting emendation.

290

300