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CORIOLANUS: You?
MENENIUS: Is this the promise that you made your mother?
COMINIUS: Know, I pray you,--
CORIOLANUS: I know no further: Let them pronounce the steep Tarpeian death, Vagabond exile, raying, pent to linger But with a grain a day, I would not buy Their mercy at the price of one fair word; Nor cheque my courage for what they can give, To have't with saying 'Good morrow.'
SICINIUS: For that he has, As much as in him lies, from time to time Envied against the people, seeking means To pluck away their power, as now at last Given hostile strokes, and that not in the presence Of dreaded justice, but on the ministers That do distribute it; in the name o' the people And in the power of us the tribunes, we, Even from this instant, banish him our city, In peril of precipitation From off the rock Tarpeian never more To enter our Rome gates: i' the people's name, I say it shall be so.
Citizens: It shall be so, it shall be so; let him away: He's banish'd, and it shall be so.
COMINIUS: Hear me, my masters, and my common friends,--
SICINIUS: He's sentenced; no more hearing.
COMINIUS: Let me speak: I have been consul, and can show for Rome Her enemies' marks upon me. I do love My country's good with a respect more tender, More holy and profound, than mine own life, My dear wife's estimate, her womb's increase, And treasure of my loins; then if I would Speak that,--
SICINIUS: We know your drift: speak what?
BRUTUS: There's no more to be said, but he is banish'd, As enemy to the people and his country: It shall be so.
Citizens: It shall be so, it shall be so.
CORIOLANUS: You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize As the dead carcasses of unburied men That do corrupt my air, I banish you; And here remain with your uncertainty! Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts! Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes, Fan you into despair! Have the power still To banish your defenders; till at length Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels, Making not reservation of yourselves, Still your own foes, deliver you as most Abated captives to some nation That won you without blows! Despising, For you, the city, thus I turn my back: There is a world elsewhere.
AEdile: The people's enemy is gone, is gone!
Citizens: Our enemy is banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!
SICINIUS: Go, see him out at gates, and follow him, As he hath followed you, with all despite; Give him deserved vexation. Let a guard Attend us through the city.
Citizens: Come, come; let's see him out at gates; come. The gods preserve our noble tribunes! Come.
CORIOLANUS: Come, leave your tears: a brief farewell: the beast With many heads butts me away. Nay, mother, Where is your ancient courage? you were used To say extremity was the trier of spirits; That common chances common men could bear; That when the sea was calm all boats alike Show'd mastership in floating; fortune's blows, When most struck home, being gentle wounded, craves A noble cunning: you were used to load me With precepts that would make invincible The heart that conn'd them.
VIRGILIA: O heavens! O heavens!
CORIOLANUS: Nay! prithee, woman,--
VOLUMNIA: Now the red pestilence strike all trades in Rome, And occupations perish!
CORIOLANUS: What, what, what! I shall be loved when I am lack'd. Nay, mother. Resume that spirit, when you were wont to say, If you had been the wife of Hercules, Six of his labours you'ld have done, and saved Your husband so much sweat. Cominius, Droop not; adieu. Farewell, my wife, my mother: I'll do well yet. Thou old and true Menenius, Thy tears are salter than a younger man's, And venomous to thine eyes. My sometime general, I have seen thee stem, and thou hast oft beheld Heart-hardening spectacles; tell these sad women 'Tis fond to wail inevitable strokes, As 'tis to laugh at 'em. My mother, you wot well My hazards still have been your solace: and Believe't not lightly--though I go alone, Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen Makes fear'd and talk'd of more than seen--your son Will or exceed the common or be caught With cautelous baits and practise.
VOLUMNIA: My first son. Whither wilt thou go? Take good Cominius With thee awhile: determine on some course, More than a wild exposture to each chance That starts i' the way before thee.
CORIOLANUS: O the gods!
COMINIUS: I'll follow thee a month, devise with thee Where thou shalt rest, that thou mayst hear of us And we of thee: so if the time thrust forth A cause for thy repeal, we shall not send O'er the vast world to seek a single man, And lose advantage, which doth ever cool I' the absence of the needer.
CORIOLANUS: Fare ye well: Thou hast years upon thee; and thou art too full Of the wars' surfeits, to go rove with one That's yet unbruised: bring me but out at gate. Come, my sweet wife, my dearest mother, and My friends of noble touch, when I am forth, Bid me farewell, and smile. I pray you, come. While I remain above the ground, you shall Hear from me still, and never of me aught But what is like me formerly.
MENENIUS: That's worthily As any ear can hear. Come, let's not weep. If I could shake off but one seven years From these old arms and legs, by the good gods, I'ld with thee every foot.
CORIOLANUS: Give me thy hand: Come.
SICINIUS: Bid them all home; he's gone, and we'll no further. The nobility are vex'd, whom we see have sided In his behalf.
BRUTUS: Now we have shown our power, Let us seem humbler after it is done Than when it was a-doing.
SICINIUS: Bid them home: Say their great enemy is gone, and they Stand in their ancient strength.
BRUTUS: Dismiss them home. Here comes his mother.
SICINIUS: Let's not meet her.
BRUTUS: Why?
SICINIUS: They say she's mad.
BRUTUS: They have ta'en note of us: keep on your way.
VOLUMNIA: O, ye're well met: the hoarded plague o' the gods Requite your love!
MENENIUS: Peace, peace; be not so loud.
VOLUMNIA: If that I could for weeping, you should hear,-- Nay, and you shall hear some. Will you be gone?
VIRGILIA:
SICINIUS: Are you mankind?
VOLUMNIA: Ay, fool; is that a shame? Note but this fool. Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship To banish him that struck more blows for Rome Than thou hast spoken words?
SICINIUS: O blessed heavens!
VOLUMNIA: More noble blows than ever thou wise words; And for Rome's good. I'll tell thee what; yet go: Nay, but thou shalt stay too: I would my son Were in Arabia, and thy tribe before him, His good sword in his hand.
SICINIUS: What then?
VIRGILIA: What then! He'ld make an end of thy posterity.
VOLUMNIA: Bastards and all. Good man, the wounds that he does bear for Rome!
MENENIUS: Come, come, peace.
SICINIUS: I would he had continued to his country As he began, and not unknit himself The noble knot he made.
BRUTUS: I would he had.
VOLUMNIA: 'I would he had'! 'Twas you incensed the rabble: Cats, that can judge as fitly of his worth As I can of those mysteries which heaven Will not have earth to know.
BRUTUS: Pray, let us go.
VOLUMNIA: Now, pray, sir, get you gone: You have done a brave deed. Ere you go, hear this:-- As far as doth the Capitol exceed The meanest house in Rome, so far my son-- This lady's husband here, this, do you see-- Whom you have banish'd, does exceed you all.
BRUTUS: Well, well, we'll leave you.
SICINIUS: Why stay we to be baited With one that wants her wits?
VOLUMNIA: Take my prayers with you. I would the gods had nothing else to do But to confirm my curses! Could I meet 'em But once a-day, it would unclog my heart Of what lies heavy to't.
MENENIUS: You have told them home; And, by my troth, you have cause. You'll sup with me?
VOLUMNIA: Anger's my meat; I sup upon myself, And so shall starve with feeding. Come, let's go: Leave this faint puling and lament as I do, In anger, Juno-like. Come, come, come.
MENENIUS: Fie, fie, fie!
Roman: I know you well, sir, and you know me: your name, I think, is Adrian.
Volsce: It is so, sir: truly, I have forgot you.
Roman: I am a Roman; and my services are, as you are, against 'em: know you me yet?
Volsce: Nicanor? no.
Roman: The same, sir.
Volsce: You had more beard when I last saw you; but your favour is well approved by your tongue. What's the news in Rome? I have a note from the Volscian state, to find you out there: you have well saved me a day's journey.
Roman: There hath been in Rome strange insurrections; the people against the senators, patricians, and nobles.
Volsce: Hath been! is it ended, then? Our state thinks not so: they are in a most warlike preparation, and hope to come upon them in the heat of their division.
Roman: The main blaze of it is past, but a small thing would make it flame again: for the nobles receive so to heart the banishment of that worthy Coriolanus, that they are in a ripe aptness to take all power from the people and to pluck from them their tribunes for ever. This lies glowing, I can tell you, and is almost mature for the violent breaking out.
Volsce: Coriolanus banished!
Roman: Banished, sir.
Volsce: You will be welcome with this intelligence, Nicanor.
Roman: The day serves well for them now. I have heard it said, the fittest time to corrupt a man's wife is when she's fallen out with her husband. Your noble Tullus Aufidius will appear well in these wars, his great opposer, Coriolanus, being now in no request of his country.
Volsce: He cannot choose. I am most fortunate, thus accidentally to encounter you: you have ended my business, and I will merrily accompany you home.
Roman: I shall, between this and supper, tell you most strange things from Rome; all tending to the good of their adversaries. Have you an army ready, say you?
Volsce: A most royal one; the centurions and their charges, distinctly billeted, already in the entertainment, and to be on foot at an hour's warning.
Roman: I am joyful to hear of their readiness, and am the man, I think, that shall set them in present action. So, sir, heartily well met, and most glad of your company.
Volsce: You take my part from me, sir; I have the most cause to be glad of yours.
Roman: Well, let us go together.
CORIOLANUS: A goodly city is this Antium. City, 'Tis I that made thy widows: many an heir Of these fair edifices 'fore my wars Have I heard groan and drop: then know me not, Lest that thy wives with spits and boys with stones In puny battle slay me. Save you, sir.
Citizen: And you.
CORIOLANUS: Direct me, if it be your will, Where great Aufidius lies: is he in Antium?
Citizen: He is, and feasts the nobles of the state At his house this night.
CORIOLANUS: Which is his house, beseech you?
Citizen: This, here before you.
CORIOLANUS: Thank you, sir: farewell. O world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast sworn, Whose double bosoms seem to wear one heart, Whose house, whose bed, whose meal, and exercise, Are still together, who twin, as 'twere, in love Unseparable, shall within this hour, On a dissension of a doit, break out To bitterest enmity: so, fellest foes, Whose passions and whose plots have broke their sleep, To take the one the other, by some chance, Some trick not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends And interjoin their issues. So with me: My birth-place hate I, and my love's upon This enemy town. I'll enter: if he slay me, He does fair justice; if he give me way, I'll do his country service.
First Servingman: Wine, wine, wine! What service is here! I think our fellows are asleep.
Second Servingman: Where's Cotus? my master calls for him. Cotus!
CORIOLANUS: A goodly house: the feast smells well; but I Appear not like a guest.
First Servingman: What would you have, friend? whence are you? Here's no place for you: pray, go to the door.
CORIOLANUS: I have deserved no better entertainment, In being Coriolanus.
Second Servingman: Whence are you, sir? Has the porter his eyes in his head; that he gives entrance to such companions? Pray, get you out.
CORIOLANUS: Away!
Second Servingman: Away! get you away.
CORIOLANUS: Now thou'rt troublesome.
Second Servingman: Are you so brave? I'll have you talked with anon.
Third Servingman: What fellow's this?
First Servingman: A strange one as ever I looked on: I cannot get him out of the house: prithee, call my master to him.
Third Servingman: What have you to do here, fellow? Pray you, avoid the house.
CORIOLANUS: Let me but stand; I will not hurt your hearth.
Third Servingman: What are you?