Sic.

Where is he, hear you?

Men. Nay, I hear nothing; his mother and his wife

Hear nothing from him.

Enter Three or Four Citizens.

Cit. The gods preserve you both!

Sic.

Good e'en, our neighbours.

Bru. Good e'en to you all, good e'en to you all.

1 Cit. Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our

knees,

Are bound to pray for you both.

Sic.

Live, and thrive!

Bru. Farewell, kind neighbours: We wish'd Co

riolanus

Had lov'd you as we did.

Cit.

Now the gods keep you!

Both Tri. Farewell, farewell.

[Exeunt Citizens. Sic. This is a happier and more comely time, Than when these fellows ran about the streets, Crying, Confusion.

Bru.

Caius Marcius was

A worthy officer i'the war; but insolent,

O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking,
Self-loving,-

Sic.

And affecting one sole throne,

Without assistance".

Men.

I think not so.

Sic. We should by this, to all our lamentation,

If he had gone forth consul, found it so.

Bru. The gods have well prevented it, and Rome Sits safe and still without him.

Without assistance.] That is, without assessors; without any other suffrage.

Ed.

Enter Edile.

Worthy tribunes,

There is a slave, whom we have put in prison,
Reports, the Volces with two several powers
Are enter'd in the Roman territories;
And with the deepest malice of the war
Destroy what lies before them.

Men.

'Tis Aufidius,

Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment,

Thrusts forth his horns again into the world;

Which were inshell'd, when Marcius stood for Rome",

And durst not once peep out.

Sic.

Of Marcius?

Come, what talk you

Bru. Go see this rumourer whipp'd.-It cannot be, The Volces dare break with us.

Men.

Cannot be !
We have record, that very well it can ;
And three examples of the like have been
Within my age. But reason with the fellow',
Before you punish him, where he heard this:
Lest you shall chance to whip your information,
And beat the messenger who bids beware
Of what is to be dreaded.

Mess. The nobles, in great earnestness, are going All to the senate-house: some news is come +,

7

6 stood for Rome,] i. e. stood up in its defence.

reason with the fellow,] That is, have some talk with him.

In this sense Shakspeare often uses the word.

+"come in,"-MALONE.

'Tis this slave ;—

That turns their countenances.

Sic.

Go whip him 'fore the people's eyes:-his raising!

Nothing but his report!

Mess.

Yes, worthy sir,

The slave's report is seconded; and more,
More fearful, is deliver❜d.

Sic.

What more fearful?

Mess. It is spoke freely out of many mouths,
(How probable, I do not know,) that Marcius,
Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome;
And vows revenge as spacious, as between

The young'st and oldest thing.

Sic.
This is most likely!
Bru. Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may
Good Marcius home again.

Sic.

Men. This is unlikely:

wish

The very trick on't.

He and Aufidius can no more atone',

Than violentest contrariety.

Enter another Messenger.

Mess. You are sent for to the senate;

A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius,
Associated with Aufidius, rages

Upon our territories; and have already,

O'erborne their way, consum'd with fire, and took
What lay before them.

8

sour.

some news is come,

That turns their countenances.] i. e. that renders their aspect

9 — can no more atone,] To atone, in the active sense, is to reconcile, and is so used by our author. To atone here, is in the neutral sense, to come to reconciliation. To atone is to unite.

Enter COMINIUS.

Com. O, you have made good work!

Men.

What news? what news?

Com. You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and

To melt the city leads upon your pates;

To see your wives dishonour'd to your noses ;

Men. What's the news? what's the news?

Com. Your temples burned in their cement; and Your franchises, whereon you stood, confin'd

Into an augre's bore.

Men.

Pray now, your news?—

You have made fair work, I fear me :-Pray, your news? If Marcius should be join'd with Volcians,

Com

He is their god; he leads them like a thing
Made by some other deity than nature,

That shapes man better: and they follow him,
Against us brats, with no less confidence,
Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,
Or butchers killing flies.

Men.

If!

You have made good work,

You, and your apron-men; you that stood so much

Upon the voice of occupation', and

The breath of garlick-eaters!

Com.

Your Rome about your ears.

Men.

He will shake

As Hercules

Did shake down mellow fruit: You have made fair

work!

Bru. But is this true, sir?

Com.

Ay; and you'll look pale

Before you find it other. All the regions

1 Upon the voice of occupation,] Occupation is here used for mechanicks, men occupied in daily business.

2 As Hercules, &c.] A ludicrous allusion to the apples of the

Hesperides.

VOL. VI.

Qq

Do smilingly revolt'; and, who resist,

Are only mock'd for valiant ignorance,

And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him? Your enemies, and his, find something in him.

Men. We are all undone, unless

The noble man have mercy.

Who shall ask it?

Com.
The tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people
Deserve such pity of him, as the wolf

Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if they
Should say, Be good to Rome, they charg'd him even
As those should do that had deserv'd his hate,
And therein show'd like enemies.

Men.

'Tis true:

If he were putting to my house the brand
That should consume it, I have not the face
Το say, 'Beseech you, cease. You have made fair hands,
You, and your crafts! you have crafted fair!
Com.
A trembling upon Rome, such as was never
So incapable of help.

Tri.

You have brought

Say not, we brought it.

Men. How! Was it we? We lov'd him; but, like

beasts,

And cowardly nobles, gave way to your clusters,

Who did hoot him out o'the city.

Com.
But, I fear
They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
The second name of men, obeys his points
As if he were his officer:-Desperation
Is all the policy, strength, and defence,
That Rome can make against them.

3 Do smilingly revolt ;] To revolt smilingly is to revolt with signs of pleasure, or with marks of contempt.