Muft I go like a traitor thither? Gard. Receive him, And fee him fafe i' the Tower. Cran. Stay, good my lords, I have a little yet to fay. Look there, my lords; Str. "T's no counterfeit. Saf. 'Fis the right ring, by heaven: I told ye all, When we first put the dangerous stone a-rolling, 'Twould fall upon ourfelves. Nor. Do you think, my lord, The king will fuffer but the little finger Of this man to be vex'd? Cham. 'Tis now too certain : How much more is his life in value with him? 'Would I were fairly out on 't. Crom. My mind gave me, In feeking tales, and informations, Ye blew the fire that burns ye: Now have at ye. My moft dread fovereign, may it like your grace To let my tongue excute all. What was purpos'd, Concerning his imprisonment, was rather (If there be faith in men) meant for his trial, King. Well, well, my lords, refpect him ; Am, for his love and fervice, fo to him. Make me no more ado, but all embrace him; I have a fuit which you must not deny me : Chan. The greatest monarch now alive may glory King. Come, come, my lord, you'd fpare your In daily thanks, that gave us fuch a prince; dations, Bishop of Winchefter. But know, I come not Gord. With a true heart, And brother's love, I do it. Cran. And let heaven King. Good man, thofe joyful tears fhew thy The common voice, I fee, is verify'd [true heart. Of thee, which fays thus, Do my lord of Canterbury A forewd turn, and he is your friend for ever.— Come, lords, we trifle time away; I long To have this young one made a christian. As I have made ye one, lords, one remain ; So I grow stronger, you more honour gain. [Exsunt. SCE N E The Palace Yard. Within. Good mafter porter, I belong to the, larder. Port. Belong to the gallows, and be hang'd, you rogue. Is this a place to roar in -Fetch me a dozen crab-tree ftaves, and ftrong ones; thefe are but switches to 'em.-I'll fcratch your heads : You must be feeing chriftenings? Do you look for Jale and cakes here, you rude rafcals? Man. Pray, fir, be patient; 'tis as much impoffible 1 Mr. Steevens fays, "It was the custom, long before the time of Shakspeare, for the sponsors at chriftenings to offer gilt spoons as a prefent to the child. Thefe fpoons were called aprile spoons, becaufe the figures of the apoftles were carved on the tops of the handles. Such as were at once opulet and generous, gave the whole twelve; thole who were either more moderately rich or liberal, raped a the expence of the four evangelias; or even fometimes contented themfeives with prefenting one ipod only, which exhibited the figure of any faint in honour of whom the child re ceived its lar... 2 "The bear-enden of that time, and in a line with Bridewell. (Unles (Unless we sweep them from the door with cannons) Man. Alas, I know not; How gets the tide in? Port. You did nothing, fir. Man. I am not Sampfon, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand 2, to mow 'em down before me: but, if I fpar'd any, that had a head to hit, either young or old, he or the, cuckold or cuckold-maker, let me never hope to fee a chine again; and that I would not for a cow, God fave her. Within. Do you hear, mafter Porter? Enter the Lord Chamberlin. Cham. Mercy o' me, what a multitude are here! There's a trim rabble let in: Are all thefe Thave We are but men; and what fo many may do, Port. I thall be with you prefently, good mafter An army cannot rule 'em. puppy. Keep the door clote, firrah. Man. What would you have me do? Port. What should you do, but knock 'em down by the dozens? Is this Morefields to mufter in? or have we fome ftrange Indian with the great tool come to court, the women fo befiege us? Blefs me, what a fry of fornication is at door! O my chriftian confcience, this one chriftening will beget a thoufand: here will be father, godfather, and all together. Man. The ipoons will be the bigger, fir. There is a fellow fomewhat near the door, he thould be a brafier 3 by his face, for, o' my confcience, twenty of the dog-days now reign in's note; all that stand about him are under the line, they need no other penance: that fire-drake 4 did I hit three times on the head, and three times was his nofe difcharg'd against me; he ftands there like a mortar-piece, to blow us. There was a haberdather's wife of fmall wit near him, that rail'd upon me 'till her pink'd porringer fell off her head, for kindling fuch a combuftion in the ftate. I mits'd the meteor 5 once, and hit that woman, who cry'd out, clubs! when I might fee from far fome forty truncheoneers draw to her fuccour, which were the hope of the ftrand, where the was quarter'd. They fell on; I made good my place; at length they came to the broomstaff with me, I defy'd 'em ftill; when fuddenly a file of boys behind 'em, loote fhot, deliver'd fuch a fhower of pebbles, that 1 was fain to draw mine honour in, and let 'em win the work: The devil was amongst 'em, I think, furely. Port. These are the youths that thunder at a play-] houfe, and fight for bitten apples; that no audience, but the tribulation of Tower-hill7, or the limbs of Limehoufe, their dear brothers, are able Cham. As I live, If the king blame me for 't, I'll lay ye all Part. You i'the camblet, get up o' the rail; I'll S C E N E IV. The Palace. Enter Trumpets, founding; then two Aldermen, Lord Mayor, Garter, Cranmer, Duke of Norfolk with bis Marshal's faff, Duke of Suffolk, two Noblemen bearing tavo great flanding bowls for the chriftening gifts; then four Noblemen bearing a canopy, under which the Dutchefs of Norfolk, godmother, bearing the child richly babited in a ma tie, c. Train borne by a Lady: then follows the Marchionefs of Dorfit, the other godmother, and Ladies. The troop pafs once about the fiage, and Garter Speaks. Gart. Heaven, from thy endlefs goodness, fend profperous life, long, and ever happy, to the high and mighty princets of England, Elizabeth! Flourish. Enter King, and Train. Gran. [Kneeling.] And to your royal grace, and the good queen, My noble partners, and myself, thus pray;- 1 It was anciently the custom for all ranks of people to go out a Maying on the first of May. 2 Of Guy of Warwick every one has heard. Colbrand was the Danish giant, whom Guy iubdued at Winchefter. 3 A brafier fignifies a man that manufactures brafs, and a refervoir for charcoal occafionallyheated to convev warmth. Both thefe fenfes are here understood. 4 A fire-drake is both a ferpent, anciently called a brenning-drake, or dipfas, and a name formerly given to a Will o' th' Wifp, or ignis fatuus. A fire-drake was likewife an artificial firework. 5 i. c. the brafier. 6 The prices of feats for the vulgar in our ancient theatres were fo very low (viz. a penny, twopence, and fixpence, each, for the ground, gallery, and rooms:-the boxes were fomewhat higher, being a filling and half-a-crown), that we cannot wonder if they were filled with the tumultuous company defcribed by Shakspeare in this scene; efpecially when it is added, that tobacco was smoaked, and ale drank in them. 7 Dr. Johnion fufpects the Tribulation to have been a puritanical meeting-houfe. 8 A publick whipping. 9 Tobait bumbards is to tipple, to lie at the fpigot. Bumbards were large veffels in which the beer was carried to foldiers upon duty. They refembled black jacks of leather. Cran. Let me speak, fir, For heaven now bids me; and the words I utter with her : In her days, every man fhall eat in fafety, As great in admiration as herself; So fhall the leave her bleffedness to one, (When heaven fhall call her from this cloud of darkness) Who, from the facred afhes of her honour, | Shall ftar-like rife, as great in fame as the was, King. Thou fpeakest wonders.] Cran. She fhall be, to the happiness of England, An aged princefs 2; many days fhall fee her, And yet no day without a deed to crown it. Would I had known no more! but the muft die, She muft, the faints must have her; yet a virgin, A moft unfpotted lily fhall the pais To the ground, and all the world fhall mourn her. Thou haft made me now a man never, before Ye muft all fee the queen, and the muft thank ye, She will be fick elfe. This day, no man think He has bufinets at his house; for all shall stay, This little one thall make it holiday. [Exeunt. EPI PILOGU 'T S ten to one this play can never please For this play at this time, is only in Thefe lines, to the interruption by the king, feem to have been inferted at fome revifal of the play, after the acceffion of king James. 2 Theobald remarks, that the tranfition here from the complimentary addrefs to king James the firll is lo abrupt, that it feems to him, that compliment was inferted after the acceffion of that prince. If this play was wrote, as in his opinion it was, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, we may cafily determine where Cranmer's eulogium of that princefs concluded. He makes no queftion but the poet reiled here: And claim by thofe their greatness, not by blood. All that the bishop fays after this, was an occafional homage paid to her fucceffor, and evidently inferted after her demife. 3 Dr. Johnton is of opinion, with other Critics, that both the Prese and Epilogue to Henry VIII. were written by Zen Junjon. * In the character of Katharine. CORIOLANUS The SCENE is partly in Rome; and partly in the Territories of the Volfcians and Antiates. ACTI. SCENE I. A Street in Rome. we become rakes 3: for the gods know, speak All. Againft him firft; he's a very dog to the Enter a Company of mutinous Citizens, with flaves, Caius Marcius? clubs, and other weapons. enemy to the people. All. We know't, we know't. 2 Cit. Confider you what fervices he has done for his country? 1 Cit. Very well; and could be content to give him good report for't, but that he pays himself with being proud. All. Nay, but fpeak not maliciously. I Cit. I fay unto you, what he hath done fa moufly, he did it to that end: though soft-con 1 Cit. Let us kill him, and we'll have corn at fcienc'd men can be content to fay, it was for his our own price. Is't a verdict? country, he did it to pleafe his mother, and to be All. No more talking on't; let it be done: partly proud; which he is even to the altitude of his virtue. away, away. 2 Cit. One word, good 2 citizens. Cit. We are accounted poor citizens; the patricians, good: What authority furfeits on, would relieve us: If they would yield us but the fuperfluity, while it were wholefome, we might guefs, they relieved us humanely but they think, we are too dear: the leannefs that afflicts us, the object of our mifery, is as an inventory to particularize their abundance; our fufferance is a gain to them. Let us revenge this with our pikes, erel 2 Cit. What he cannot help in his nature, you account a vice in him: You must in no way fay, he is covetous. 1 Cit. If I muft not, I need not be barren of accufations; he hath faults, with furplus, to tire in repetition. [Shauts within.] What fhouts are these? The other fide the city is rifen: Why itay we prating here to the Capitol ? All. Come, come. 1 Cit. Soft; who comes here! The whole hiftory is exactly followed, and many of the principal fpeeches exactly copied from the Life of Coriolanus in Plutarch. 2 Good is here used in the mercantile fente. 3 Alluding to the proverb, as lean as a rake; which perhaps owes its origin to the thin taper form of the mitru ment made ufe of by hay-makers. Dr. Johufon obferves, that Rekel, in Islandick. is faid to mean a cur-dug, and this was probably the furit ufe among us of the word rake, As lean as a rake is, therefore, as lean as a dog too worthlefs to be fed. 704 Enter Menenius Agrippa. 2 Cit. Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that hath always lov'd the people. 1 Cit. He's one honeft enough; 'Would, all the Men. What work's, my countrymen, in hand? And mutually participate, did minifter 2 Cit. Well, fir, what anfwer made the belly ? Which ne'er came from the lungs 4, but even thus, With bats and clubs? The matter? Speak, 1(For, look you, I may make the belly fmile, pray you. 2 Cit Our bufinefs is not unknown to the fonate; they have had inkling, this fortnight, what we intend to do, which now we'll thew 'em in deeds. They fay, poor fuitors have strong breaths; they fhall know, we have ftrong arms too. Men. Why, mafters, my good friends, mine honeft neighbours, Will you undo yourselves? 2 Cit. We cannot, fir, we are undone already. Thither where more attends you; and you flander As well as fpeak) it tauntingly reply'd 2 Cit. Your belly's anfwer: What! Men. Note me this, good friend; 2 Cit. Care for us!-True, indeed!-They Your moft grave belly was deliberate, ne'er car'd for us yet. Suffer us to famifh, and Not rafh like his accufers, and thus anfwer'd: their ftore-houfes cramm'd with grain; make" True is it, my incorporate friends," quoth he, edicts for ufury, to fupport ufurers; repeal daily "That I receive the general food at first, any wholsome act established against the rich; and "Which you do live upon. and fit it is; provide more piercing ftatutes daily, to chain up" Because I am the ftore-houfe, and the shop and reftrain the poor. If the wars eat us not up," Of the whole body: But, if you do remember, they will; and there's all the love they bear us. Men. Either you must Confefs yourselves wondrous malicious, A pretty tale; it may be, you have heard it; 2 Cit. Well, I'll hear it, fir; yet you must not think to fob off our difgrace 2 with a tale : but, an't pleafe you, deliver. "I fend it through the rivers of your blood, "Even to the court, the heart, to the feat 7 o' the brain; "And, through the cranks and offices of man, Men. There was a time, when all the body's" See what I do deliver out to each; members Rebell'd against the belly; thus accus'd it :- I' the midft o' the body, idle and unactive, "Yet I can make my audit up, that all Like labour with the reft; where 3 the other in- And you the mutinous members: For examine ftruments Did fee, and hear, devife, inftruct, walk, feel, Their counfels, and their cares; digeft things rightly, 1 To fale is to difperfe. The word is ftill ufed in the North. The meaning is, Though fome of you have heard the flory, I will fpread it yet wider, and diffufe it among the reft 3 Where for whereas. 4 i. e. with a fmile not indicating are hardships, injuries. contempt. i.e. exactly. The heart was anciently eftcemed the feat of prudence. 6 + Difgraces pleafure, but Stat tor throne. Touching |