Which you deny already. Yet we will ask,
That if we fail in our request, the Blame
May hang upon your hardness. Therefore hear us.
Cor. Aufidius, and you Volfcians, mark; for we'll
Hear nought from Rome in private.-Your request?
Vol. Should we be filent and not speak, our raiment
And state of bodies would bewray what life

We've led fince thy Exile. Think with thy felf,
How more unfortunate than all living women

Are we come hither; fince thy fight, which fhould
Make our Eyes flow with joy, hearts dance with com-

2

forts,

* Conftrains them weep, and shake with fear and forrow;
Making the mother, wife, and child to fee,
The fon, the hufband, and the father tearing
His Country's bowels out; and to poor we,
Thine enmity's most capital; thou barr'st us
Our prayers to the Gods, which is a comfort
That all but we enjoy. For how can we,
Alas! how can we, for our Country pray,
Whereto we're bound, together with thy victory,
Whereto we're bound? Alack! or we must lofe
The Country, our dear nurse; or else thy perfon,
Our comfort in the Country. We must find

An eminent calamity, tho' we had

Our wifh, which fide fhould win. For either thou
Muft, as a foreign Recreant, be led

With manacles thorough our ftreet; or else
Triumphantly tread on thy Country's ruin,
And bear the palm, for having bravely fhed
Thy wife and children's blood. For my felf, fon,
I purpose not to wait on Fortune, 'till

Thefe wars determine. If I can't perfuade thee
Rather to fhew a noble grace to both parts,
Than feek the end of one; thou shalt no fooner
March to affault thy Country, than to tread

2 Conftrains them weep, and the cye to weep, and the heart to
bake] That is, confirain shake.
Rr 4

(Trust

(Trust to't, thou shalt not) on thy mother's womb, That brought thee to this world.

Virg. Ay, and mine too,

That brought you forth this Boy, to keep your name Living to time.

Boy: He fhall not tread on me:

I'll run away 'till I am bigger, but then I'll fight.
Cor. Not of a woman's tenderness to be,
Requires, nor child, nor woman's face, to see.
I've fat too long,—

--

Vol. Nay, go not from us thus.

If it were fo, that our request did tend
To fave the Romans, thereby to deftroy

The Volfcians whom you ferve, you might condemn us,
As poifonous of your Honour. No; our fuit-
Is, that you reconcile them; while the Volfcians
May fay, This mercy we have fhew'd; the Romans,
This we receiv'd; and each in either fide
Give the all hail to thee; and cry, Be bleft
For making up this Peace! Thou know'ft, great fon,
The End of war's uncertain; but this certain,
That if thou conquer Rome, the benefit,
Which thou shalt thereby reap, is fuch a Name,
Whofe repetition will be dogg'd with Curles:
Whofe Chronicle thus writ,-The man was noble,
But with his last attempt be wip'd it out,
Deftroy'd bis Country, and his name remains
To the enfuing age, abhorr'd. Speak to me, fon.
Thou haft affected the fine ftrains of honour,
To imitate the graces of the Gods;

To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o'th' air,
*And yet to charge thy fulphur with a bolt,
That fhould but rive an oak. Why doft not fpeak?
Think'ft thou it honourable for a noble man

3--the fine frains] The niceties, the refinements.

And yet to change thy ful-
phur-] We fhould read

Still to remember wrongs? Daughter, fpeak you ? He cares not for your weeping. Speak thou, Boy; Perhaps, thy childifhnefs will move him more

Than can our reafons. There's no man in the world
More bound to's mother, yet here he let's me prate
' Like one i'th' Stocks. Thou'ft never in thy life
Shew'd thy dear mother any courtesie;

When fhe, poor hen, fond of no fecond brood,
Has cluck'd thee to the wars, and fafely home,
Loaden with honour. Say, my Requeft's unjust,
And spurn me back; but, if it be not fo,
Thou art not honeft, and the Gods will plague thee,
That thou reftrain'ft from me the duty, which
To a mother's part belongs.-He turns away.
Down, Ladies; let us fhame him with our knees.
To's fir-name Coriolanus 'longs more pride,

Than pity to our prayers. Down; down; and end;
This is the laft. So we will home to Rome,
And die among our neighbours. Nay, behold us.
This boy, that cannot tell what he would have,
But kneels, and holds up hands for fellowship,
• Does reafon our petition with more strength
Than thou haft to deny't. Come, let us go.
This fellow had a Volfcian to his mother:
His wife is in Corioli, and this child.

Like him by chance. Yet give us our dispatch.
I'm hufh't, until our City be afire;

And then I'll speak a little,

Cor. O mother, mother!

[Holds her by the hands, filent, What have you done? behold the heav'ns do ope, The Gods look down, and this unnatural fcene, They laugh at. Oh, my mother, mother! oh! You've won a happy victory to Rome;

But for your fon-believe it, oh, believe it

5 Like one th' Stocks.-] Keep me in a state of ignominy, talking to no purpose.

6 Does reafon our petition] Does argue for us and our peti

tion.

Moft

Moft dang'rously you have with him prevail'd,
If not moft mortal to him. Let it come.-
Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,
I'll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius,
Were you in my stead, fay, would you have heard
A mother lefs? or granted lefs, Aufidius?
Auf. I too was mov'd.

Cor. I dare be fworn, you were;
And, Sir, it is no little thing to make

Mine eyes to fweat Compaffion. But, good Sir,
What peace you'll make, advise me; for my part
I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you, and pray you
Stand to me in this caufe. O mother! wife!-

Auf. I'm glad, thou'ft fet thy mercy and thy honour
At difference in thee; out of That I'll work
Myfelf a former fortune.

[Afide. [The Ladies make figns to Coriolanus Cor. Ay, by and by; but we will drink together;

And you fhall bear

[To Vol. Virg. &c. A better witnefs back than words, which we, On like conditions will have counter-feal'd. * Come, enter with us.

Ladies, you deferve

8 Cor. Come, enter with us; Ladies, you deferve, &c.],' This fpeech beginning at, La dies, you deferve-which is abfurdly given to Coriolanus, belongs to Aufidius. For it cannot be fuppofed that the other, amidft all the diforder of violent and contrary paffions, could be calm and difengaged enough to make fo gallant a compliment to the ladies. Let us farther obferve from this fpeech where he fays,

all the fawords

In Italy, and her confed'rate

arms,

And from that a little before,
-Let the Volfcians

Plough Rome, and barrow

Italy;
That the poet's head was run-
ning on the later grandeur of
Rome, when as at this time her
dominion extended only a few
miles round the city. WARB.

The fpeech fuits Aufidius just-
ly enough, if it had been written
for him; but it may, without im
propriety, be spoken by Coriola-
nus; and, fince the copies give
it to him, why fhould we dif-
poffefs him?

Та

To have a Temple built you: all the fwords
In Italy, and her confederate arms,
Could not have made this Peace.

Men.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

IV.

The Forum in Rome.

Enter Menenius and Sicinius.

EE you yond coin o'th' Capitol, yond corner-ftone?

SE

Sic. Why, what of that?

Men. If it be poffible for you to displace it with your little finger, there is fome hope the ladies of Rome, especially his mother, may prevail with him. But I fay there is no hope in't; our throats are sentenc'd, and stay upon execution.

Sic. Is't poffible, that fo fhort a time can alter the condition of a man?

Men. There is difference between a grub and a butterfly, yet your butterfly was a grub. This Marcius is grown from man to dragon; he has wings, he's more than a creeping thing.

Sic. He lov'd his mother dearly.

The

Men. So did he me; and he no more remembers his mother now, than an eight years old horse. tartness of his face fours ripe grapes. When he walks, he moves like an engine, and the ground fhrinks before his treading. He is able to pierce a corflet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery.

He fits in State as a thing made for Alexander. What he bids be done, is finished with his bidding.

9 Than an eight years old horfe.] going note he was faid to fit in Subintelligitur remembers his dam. gold. The phrafe as a thing made WARBURTON. for Alexander, means,

He fits in ftate,] In the fore-made to resemble Alexander.

as one