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Mar. Oh, they are at it!

Lart. Their noise be our inftruction. Ladders, ho! Enter the Volfcians.

Mar. They fear us not, but iffue forth their City. Now put your fhields before your hearts, and fight With hearts more proof than fhields. Advance, brave Titus,

They do difdain us much beyond our thoughts;

Which makes me fweat with wrath. Come on, my fellows;

He that retires, I'll take him for a Volfcian,

And he fhall feel mine edge.

[Alarum; the Romans beat back to their Trenches. Re-enter Marcius.

Mar. (4) All the Contagion of the South light on you,

You fhames of Rome, you! herds of boils and plagues
Plaister you o'er, that you may be abhorr'd
Farther than feen, and one infect another

Against the wind a mile!

you fouls of geefe,

That bear the fhapes of men, how have you run

From Slaves, that apes would beat? Pluto and Hell!
All hurt behind, backs red, and faces pale,

With flight, and agued fear! mend, and charge home,
Or, by the fires of Heaven, I'll leave the Foe,
And make my wars on you: look to't, come on;

(4) All the Contagion of the South light on You,

You Shames of Rome; you Herds; of Boils and Plagues

Plaister you o'er, &c.] Thus miferably did the old Editors give us this Paffage mangled by bad Pointing; and Mr. Pope would not indulge bis private Senfe, by any Alteration to make it intelligible. The meaneft Judges of English must be aware, that no Member of any Sentence can begin with a Genitive Cafe, and a preceding Nominative be wanting to govern That and the Verb. Where, therefore, is the Nominative to,

of Boils and Plagues plaifter you o'er? Or what Senfe or Syntax is there in the Paffage as it here stands?

If you'll stand faft, we'll beat them to their wives,
As they us to our trenches followed.

Another alarum, and Marcius follows them to the gates.

So, now the gates are ope: now prove good feconds; 'Tis for the followers, fortune widens them;

Not for the fliers: mark me, and do the like.

[He enters the gates, and is fout in.

1 Sol. Fool-hardiness, not I.

2 Sol. Nor I.

1 Sol. See, they have fhut him in: [Alarum continues. All. To th' pot, I warrant him.

Enter Titus Lartius.

Lart. What is become of Marcius?
All. Slain, Sir, doubtless.

I Sol. Following the fliers at the very heels,
With them he enters; who, upon the fudden,
Clapt to their gates; he is himself alone,
To answer all the City.

Lart. Oh, noble fellow!

Who, fenfible, out-does his fenfelefs fword, (5)
And, when it bows, ftands up: thou art left, Marcius
A carbuncle intire, as big as thou art,

Were not so rich a jewel. Thou wast a soldier (6)

(5) Who fenfibly outdares bis fenfeless Sword,

And when it bows, ftands up.]

Even

The fine and easy Emendation of this Paffage, which I have inferted in the Text, is owing to the ingenious Dr. Thirlby. (6) Thou waft a Soldier

Even to Calvus' Wish;]

T. Lartius is here fumming up his Friend's Character, as a Warrior that was terrible in his Strokes, in the Tone of his Voice, and the Grimness of his Countenance. But who was this Calvus, that wish'd these three Characteristicks in a Soldier? I'm afraid, Greek and Roman History will be at a lofs to account for fuch a Man and such Circumstances join'd to signalize him. I formerly amended the Paffage, and prov'd that the Poet must have wrote,

Even to Cato's Wifh ;·

The

Mar. Oh, they are at it!

Lart. Their noise be our instruction. Ladders, ho! Enter the Volfcians.

Mar. They fear us not, but iffue forth their City. Now put your shields before your hearts, and fight With hearts more proof than fhields. Advance, brave

Titus,

They do difdain us much beyond our thoughts;
Which makes me fweat with wrath.

fellows;

Come on, my

He that retires, I'll take him for a Volfcian,
And he shall feel mine edge.

[Alarum; the Romans beat back to their Trenches.
Re-enter Marcius.

Mar. (4) All the Contagion of the South light on

you,

You thames of Rome, you!- herds of boils and plagues
Plaifter you o'er, that you may be abhorr'd
Farther than feen, and one infect another

Against the wind a mile!

you fouls of geefe,

That bear the fhapes of men, how have you run
From Slaves, that apes would beat? Pluto and Hell!
All hurt behind, backs red, and faces pale,

With flight, and agued fear! mend, and charge home,
Or, by the fires of Heaven, I'll leave the Foe,
And make my wars on you: look to't, come on;

(4) All the Contagion of the South light on You,

You Shames of Rome; you Herds; of Boils and Plagues Plaifter you o'er, &c.] Thus miferably did the old Edi tors give us this Paffage mangled by bad Pointing; and Mr. Pope would not indulge bis private Senfe, by any Alteration to make it intelligible. The meaneft Judges of English muft be aware, that no Member of any Sentence can begin with a Geni tive Cafe, and a preceding Nominative be wanting to govern That and the Verb. Where, therefore, is the Nominative to,

of Boils and Plagues plaifter you o'er? Or what Senfe or Syntax is there in the Paffage as it here stands?

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If you'll ftand faft, we'll beat them to their wives,
As they us to our trenches followed.

Another alarum, and Marcius follows them to the gates.

So, now the gates are ope: now prove good seconds; 'Tis for the followers, fortune widens them;

Not for the fliers: mark me, and do the like.

[He enters the gates, and is shut in.

1 Sol. Fool-hardiness, not I.

2 Sol. Nor I.

1 Sol. See, they have fhut him in: [Alarum continues. All. To th' pot, I warrant him.

Enter Titus Lartius.

Lart. What is become of Marcius?
All. Slain, Sir, doubtless.

1 Sol. Following the fliers at the very heels,
With them he enters; who, upon the fudden,
Clapt to their gates; he is himself alone,
To answer all the City.

Lart. Oh, noble fellow!

Who, fenfible, out-does his fenfeless sword, (5)
And, when it bows, ftands up: thou art left, Marcius
A carbuncle intire, as big as thou art,

Were not fo rich a jewel. Thou waft a foldier (6)

(5) Who fenfibly outdares bis fenfelefs Sword,

And when it bors, ftands up.]

Even

The fine and easy Emendation of this Paffage, which I have inferted in the Text, is owing to the ingenious Dr. Thirlby. (6) Thou waft a Soldier

Even to Calvus' Wish ;]

T. Lartius is here fumming up his Friend's Character, as a Warrior that was terrible in his Strokes, in the Tone of his Voice, and the Grimnefs of his Countenance. But who was this Calvus, that wish'd these three Characteristicks in a Soldier? I'm afraid, Greek and Roman History will be at a lofs to account for fuch a Man and fuch Circumftances join'd to fignalize him. I formerly amended the Paffage, and prov'd that the Poet must have wrote,

Even to Cato's Wifh ;·

The

Even to Cato's wifh, not fierce and terrible
Only in ftroaks, but with thy grim looks, and
The thunder-like percuffion of thy founds,
Thou mad'ft thine enemies fhake, as if the world
Were feverous, and did tremble.

Enter Marcius bleeding, affaulted by the Enemy.

1 Sol. Look, Sir.

Lart. O, 'tis Marcius.

Let's fetch him off, or make remain alike.

[They fight, and all enter the City.

Enter certain Romans with Spoils.

1 Rom. This will I carry to Rome.

2 Rom. And I this.

3 Rom. A murrain on't, I took this for filver.

[Alarum continues ftill afar off.

Enter Marcius and Titus Lartius, with a Trumpet.

Mar. See here these Movers, that do prize their ho

nours

At a crack'd drachm: cushions, leaden fpoons,
Irons of a doit, doublets that hangmen would
Bury with those that wore them, these base slaves,
Ere yet the fight be done, pack up; down with them;

The Error probably arofe from the Similitude in the Manu-
script of to to lv: and so this unknown Wight Calvus fprung
up. I come now to the Authorities for my Emendation. Plz-
tarch, in the Life of Coriolanus, fpeaking of this Hero, fays;
He was a Man (that which CA To requir'd in a Warrior) net
only dreadful to meet with in the Field, by reason of bis Hand
and Stroke; but infupportable to an Enemy, for the very Tone
and Accent of his Voice: and the fole Terror of bis Afpect.-
This again is confirm'd by the Hiftorian, in the Life of
Marcus CATO the Cenfor. In Engagements (says He;) he would
ufe to frike luftily, with a fierce Countenance flare upon bis
Enemies, and with a harsh threatning Voice accoft them. Nor
was be out of bis Opinion, whilft he taught, that fuch rugged
kind of Bebaviour fometimes does ftrike the Enemy more than the
Sword itself.

And

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