Did shake down mellow fruit.-You've made fair work!

Bru. But is this true, sir?

Com.

Ay; and you'll look pale

Before you find it other. All the regions (207)

Do smilingly revolt; and who resist

Are mock'd (208) 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.

Com

Who shall ask it?

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.(209)

Men.

'Tis true:

If he were putting to my house the brand
That should consume it, I have not the face

(207) regions] Altered by Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector to "legions;" which (as elsewhere we have had "legions" misprinted "regions," -see note 135 on The First Part of King Henry VI.) I have felt strongly inclined to adopt but Mr. W. N. Lettsom remarks that "the Romans had no army on foot, and consequently no legions."

(208) Are mock'd] Hanmer, for the metre, gave "Are only mock'd." they charg'd him even

(209)

As those should do that had deserv'd his hate,
And therein show'd like enemies.]

And

"Their charge or injunction would show them insensible of his wrongs, and make them show like enemies." JOHNSON.-" They charg'd.. And therein show'd' has here the force of 'They would charge. therein show."" MALONE." Plutarch says that when Coriolanus was besieging Lavinium with the Volsces, the Roman people were desirous to annul the decree of his banishment, but the Senate then maintained it. Possibly Shakespeare may here allude to that circumstance, though it is not mentioned in the play." W. N. LETTSOM.

To say, "Beseech you, cease."-You've made fair hands,
You and your crafts! you've crafted fair!

Men. How! Was it we? we lov'd him; but, like beasts And cowardly nobles, gave way unto your clusters,

Who did hoot him out o' the city.

Com.

They'll roar him in again.

But I fear
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.

Men.

Enter a troop of Citizens.

Here come the clusters.

And is Aufidius with him ?-You are they

That made the air unwholesome, when you cast
Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at
Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming;

And not a hair upon a soldier's head

Which will not prove a whip: as many coxcombs

(210)

You've made fair hands,
You and your crafts! you've crafted fair!

Com.

You've brought]

"We ought unquestionably," says Mr. Collier, "to read [with the Ms. Corrector] handycrafts for crafts,' and to print the lines as follows, both on account of the sense and the metre ;

'You have made fair hands;

You and your handycrafts have crafted fair.'

This change completes the defective line, and shows that Menenius uses the introductory expression, 'You have made fair hands,' in order that he may follow it up by the contemptuous mention of handycrafts." No: the old text is quite right. To "make fair hands" (or a fine hand") is a common enough expression (so in Henry VIII. vol. v. p. "Ye've made a fine hand, fellows"); and the change of "crafts to "handycrafts" is unnecessary for the sense, because manual labour is sufficiently implied in the former word. As to "the metre," it is perfect with the old reading; while the Corrector's alteration deranges it entirely.

571,

VOL. VI.

છે

As you threw caps up will he tumble down,
And pay you for your voices.

'Tis no matter;

If he could burn us all into one coal,

We have deserv'd it.

Citizens. Faith, we hear fearful news.
First Cit.

For mine own part,

When I said, banish him, I said, 'twas pity.

Sec. Cit. And so did I.

Third Cit. And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very many of us that we did, we did for the best; and though we willingly consented to his banishment, yet it was against our will.

Com. Ye're goodly things, you voices !

Men.
You have made
Good work, you and your cry!-Shall's to the Capitol?
Com. O, ay, what else? [Exeunt Cominius and Menenius.
Sic. Go, masters, get you home; be not dismay'd:
These are a side that would be glad to have

This true which they so seem to fear. Go home,
And show no sign of fear.

First Cit. The gods be good to us!-Come, masters, let's home. I ever said we were i' the wrong when we banished him.

Sec. Cit. So did we all.

But, come, let's home.

[Exeunt Citizens.

Bru. I do not like this news.

Sic. Nor I.

Bru. Let's to the Capitol.-Would half my wealth

Would buy this for a lie!

Sic.

Pray, let us go.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII. A camp, at a small distance from Rome.

Enter AUFIDIUS and his Lieutenant.

Auf. Do they still fly to the Roman?

Lieu. I do not know what witchcraft's in him, but Your soldiers use him as the grace 'fore meat,

Their talk at table, and their thanks at end;
And you are darken'd in this action, sir,

Even by your own.

Auf.

I cannot help it now,

Unless, by using means, I lame the foot

Of our design. He bears himself more proudlier,
Even to my person, than I thought he would
When first I did embrace him: yet his nature
In that's no changeling; and I must excuse
What cannot be amended.

Lieu.
Yet I wish, sir,-
I mean for your particular,-you had not
Join'd in commission with him; but either
Had (211) borne the action of yourself, or else
To him had left it solely.

Auf. I understand thee well; and be thou sure,
When he shall come to his account, he knows not
What I can urge against him. Although it seems,
And so he thinks, and is no less apparent

To the vulgar eye, that he bears all things fairly,
And shows good husbandry for the Volscian state,
Fights dragon-like, and does achieve as soon
As draw his sword; yet he hath left undone
That which shall break his neck or hazard mine,
Whene'er we come to our account.

Lieu. Sir, I beseech you, think you he'll carry Rome?
Auf. All places yield to him ere he sits down;

And the nobility of Rome are his

The senators and patricians love him too:
The tribunes are no soldiers; and their people
Will be as rash in the repeal, as hasty

T expel him thence. I think he'll be to Rome
As is the osprey to the fish, who takes it
By sovereignty of nature. First he was
A noble servant to them; but he could not
Carry his honours even: whether 'twas pride,
Which out of daily fortune ever taints

(211) Had] The folio has "Haue."

The happy man; whether defect of judgment,
To fail in the disposing of those chances
Which he was lord of; or whether nature,
Not to be other than one thing, not moving

From the casque to the cushion, but commanding peace
Even with the same austerity and garb

As he controll'd the war; but one of these―

As he hath spices of them all, not all,

For I dare so far free him-made him fear'd,

So hated, and so banish'd: (212) but he has a merit,

To choke it in the utterance. So our virtues (213)
Lie (214) in th' interpretation of the time;

And power, unto itself most commendable,
Hath not a tomb so evident as a chair

T' extol what it hath done. (215)

One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;

Rights by rights falter, strengths by strengths do fail.(216) Come, let's away. When, Caius, Rome is thine,

Thou'rt poor'st of all; then shortly art thou mine. [Exeunt.

(212) So hated, and so banish'd:] According to Mr. Staunton, “After 'So hated, and so banish'd,' there is obviously a chasm, which it were vain to think of filling up.'

"

(213) virtues] So the second folio.-The first folio has "Vertue." (214) Lie] Perhaps Live;' yet I think not." Walker's Crit. Exam., &c., vol. ii. p. 210.—Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector reads "Live.”

(215)

Hath not a tomb so evident as a chair
Textol what it hath done.]

A very dark (or rather, a manifestly corrupted) passage; on which the comments in the Varior. Shakespeare and elsewhere are alike unsatisfactory.-Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector (having previously made two alterations in this speech) substitutes "cheer" for "chair," Mr. Singer (Shakespeare Vindicated, &c., p. 225) would read "hair;" and Mr. Grant White (Shakespeare's Scholar, &c., P. 336) is well persuaded that the genuine text is "Hath not a tomb so eloquent as a cheer," &c.-1865. Mr. Grant White now proposes "Hath not a tongue so eloquent as a chair," &c.; and Leo conjectures "Hath not a tomb so evident as a claim," &c.

(216) One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;

Rights by rights falter, strengths by strengths do fail.]

The folio has "Rights by rights fouler, strengths," &c., which editors and critics have thus variously altered; "Right's by right fouler," &c., 'Right's by right fouled," &c., "Right's by right foiled," &c., "Rights by rights foul are," &c., "Rights by rights founder," &c., "Rights by rights