eyes, and his actions in their hearts, that for their tongues to be filent, and not confefs fo much, were a kind of ingrateful injury; to report otherwife, were a malice that, giving it felf the lie, would pluck reproof and rebuke from ev'ry ear that heard it.

1 Off. No more of him, he is a worthy man: make way, they are coming.

SCENE VI.

Enter the Patricians, and the Tribunes of the People, Lictors before them; Coriolanus, Menenius, Cominius the Con-" ful: Sicinius and Brutus take their places by themselves.

Men. Having determin'd of the Volfcians, and To fend for Titus Lartius, it remains,

Therefore, please you,

As the main point of this our after-meeting,
To gratifie his noble fervice, that
Hath thus ftood for his country.
Moft reverend and grave elders, to defire
The prefent Conful, and laft General
In our well-found fucceffes, to report
A little of that worthy work perform'd
By Caius Martius Coriolanus; whom

We meet here, both to thank, and to remember
With honours like himself.

I Sen. Speak, good Cominius:

Leave nothing out for length, and make us think
Rather our state's defective for requital,

Than that we ftretch it out. Mafters o'th people,
We do request your kindest ear, and after,
Your loving motion toward the common body,
To yield to what paffes here.

Sic. We are convented
Upon a pleafing treaty, and have hearts
Inclinable to honour and advance

The theam of our affembly.

Bru. Which the rather

We fhall be bleft to do, if he remember

A kinder value of the people, than
He hath hitherto priz'd them at.

Men. That's off, that's off;

I would rather had been filent: please you

you

To hear Cominius speak?

Bru. Moft willingly:

But yet my caution was more pertinent
Than the rebuke you give,

Men. He loves your people,

But tye him not to be their bedfellow:
Worthy Cominius, fpeak.

[Coriolanus rifes and offers to go away.

Nay, keep your place.

1 Sen. Sit, Coriolanus; never fhame to hear What you have nobly done.

Cor. Your Honour's pardon:

I had rather have my wounds to heal again,
Than hear fay how I got them,

Bru. Sir, I hope

My words dif-bench'd you not.

Cor. No, Sir; yet oft,

When blows have made me ftay, I fled from words.
You footh not, therefore hurt not; but your people,
I love them as they weigh.

Men. Pray now, fit down.

Cor. I had rather have one scratch my head i'th' fun,

When the alarum were ftruck, than idly fit

[Exit Coriolanus,

To hear my nothings monster'd.
Men. Mafters of the people,
Your multiplying spawn how can he flatter,
That's thoufand to one good one, when you fee
He had rather venture all his limbs for honour,
Than one of's ears to hear't? Proceed, Cominius.
Com. I fhall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus
Should not be utter'd feebly. It is held
That valour is the chiefeft virtue, and
Moft dignifies the haver: if it be,
The man I speak of cannot in the world
Be fingly counter-pois'd. At fixteen years,
When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought
Beyond the mark of others; our then Dictator,
Whom with all praise I point at, faw him fight,
When with his Amazonian chin he drove

The

The briftled lips before him: he bestrid
An o'er-preft Roman, and i'th' Conful's view
Slew three oppofers: Tarquin's felf he met,
And ftruck him on his knee: in that day's feats,
When he might act the woman in the scene,
He prov'd beft man i'th' field, and for his meed
Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil-age
Man-entred thus, he waxed like a fea,
And in the brunt of feventeen battels fince,
He lurcht all fwords o'th' garland. For this laft,
Before, and in Corioli, let me fay

I cannot speak him home: he ftopt the fliers,
And by his rare example made the coward
Turn terror into port.

As waves before
A veffel under fail, fo men obey'd,

And fell below his ftern: his fword (death's ftamp)
Where it did mark, it took from face to foot:
He was a thing of blood, whofe every motion
Was tim'd with dying cries: alone he enter'd
The gate o'th' city, which he mortal painted
With fhunless destiny: aidlefs came off,
And with a fudden re-enforcement ftruck
Corioli, like a planet. Nor's this all;
For by and by the din of war 'gan pierce
His ready fenfe, when ftraight his doubled spirit
Requicken'd what in flesh was fatigate,
And to the battel came he; where he did
Run reeking o'er the lives of men, as if
'Twere a perpetual spoil; and 'till we call'd
Both field and city ours, he never stood
To ease his breaft with panting.

Men, Worthy man!

I Sen. He cannot but with measure fill the honours Which we devise him.

Com. All our fpoils he kick'd at,

And look'd upon things precious, as they were
The common muck o'th' world: he covets lefs
Than mifery it felf would give, rewards
His deeds with doing them, and is content
To spend his time to end it.

Men.

Men. The Senate, Coriolanus, are well pleas'd

To make thee Conful.

Cor. I do owe them ftill

My life, and fervices.

Men. It then remains

That you do speak to th' people.
Cor. I beseech you,

Let me o'er-leap that cuftom; for I cannot
Put on the gown, ftand naked, and entreat them,
For my wounds fake, to give their fuffrages:
Please you that I may over-pass this doing.

Sic. Sir, but the people too must have their voices,
Nor will they bate one jot of ceremony.

Men. Put them not to't: pray fat you to the cuftom And take t'ye, as your predeceffors have, Your honour with the form.

Cor. It is a part

That I fhall blush in acting, and might well
Be taken from the people.

Bru. Mark you that?

Cor. To brag unto them, thus I did, and thus, Shew them th' unaking scars, which I would hide, As if I had receiv'd them for the hire

Of their breath only ·

Men. Do not ftand upon't:

We recommend t'ye, Tribunes of the people,
Our purpose, and to them: to our noble Conful
With we all joy and honour.

Sen. To Coriolanus come all joy and honour!

[Flourish Cornets. Then Exeunt.

Manent Sicinius and Brutus.

Bru. You fee how he intends to use the people.

Sic. May they perceive's intent! he will require them, As if he did contemn what he requested

Should be in them to give.

Bru,

Bru. Come, we'll inform them

Of our proceedings here: on th' market-place
I know they do attend us.

SCENE VII. The Forum.
Enter feven or eight Citizens.

[Exeunt.

1 Cit. Once if he do require our voices, we ought not to deny him.

2 Cit. We may, Sir, if we will.

Cit. We have power in our felves to do it, but it is power that we have no power to do; for, if he fhew us his wounds, and tell us his deeds, we are to put our tongues into those wounds, and speak for them: fo, if he tells us his noble deeds, we must also tell him of our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monftrous, and for the multitude to be ingrateful, were to make a monster of the multitude; of the which we being members, fhould bring our felves to be monftrous members.

1 Git. And to make us no better thought of, a little help will ferve: for once when we ftood up about the corn, he himself stuck not to call us the many-headed monfter.

3 Cit. We have been call'd fo of many, not that our heads are fome brown, fome black, fome auburn, fome bald; but that our wits are fo diversely colour'd; and truly, I think, if all our wits were to iffue out of our fculls, they would fly Eaft, Weft, North, South, and their confent of one direct way would be at once to all points o'th' compass.

2 Cit. Think you so? which way do you judge my wit would fly?

3 Cit. Nay, your wit will not fo foon out as another man's will, 'tis ftrongly wedg'd up in a blockhead: but if it were at liberty, 'twould fure Southward.

2 Cit. Why that way?

3 Cit. To lofe it self in a fog, where being three parts melted away with rotten dews, the fourth would return for confcience fake, to help to get thee a wife.

2 Cit. You are never without your tricks you may

-you may,

Once here means the fame as when we fay once for all.