That would depopulate the city,
And be every man himself?

Men.

You worthy tribunes,-
Sic. He shall be thrown down the Tarpeian rock
With rigorous hands; he hath resisted law,
And therefore law shall scorn him further trial
Than the severity of the public power,

Which he so sets at nought.

1 Cit.

He shall well know

The noble tribunes are the people's mouths,
And we their hands.

Men. Do not cry havoc, where you should but hunt

With modest warrant.

Sic.

Sir, how comes 't, that you have holp

:

To make this rescue?

Men.
Hear me speak
As I do know the consul's worthiness,
So can I name his faults :-

Sic.

Consul!-what consul?

He consul!

Men. The consul Coriolanus.
Bru.

Cit. No, no, no, no, no!

Men. If, by the tribunes' leave, and yours, good

people,

I may be heard, I would crave a word or two;
The which shall turn you to no further harm
Than so much loss of time.

Sic.
Speak briefly then;
For we are peremptory, to despatch

This viperous traitor: to eject him hence
Were but one danger; and to keep him here
Our certain death; therefore it is decreed,
He dies to-night.

Men.
Now the good gods forbid,
That our renowned Rome, whose gratitude
Towards her deserved children is enroll'd
In Jove's own book, like an unnatural dam
Should now eat up her own!

Sic. He's a disease that must be cut away.
Men. O, he's a limb, that has but a disease;
Mortal, to cut it off; to cure it, easy.

What has he done to Rome that 's worthy death?
Killing our enemies? The blood he hath lost,
(Which I dare vouch is more than that he hath,
By many an ounce,) he dropp'd it for his country:
And what is left, to lose it by his country,

Were to us all, that do 't, and suffer it,

A brand to the end o' the world.

Sic.

This is clean kam.a

Bru. Merely awry: When he did love his country, It honour'd him.

Men.

The service of the foot,

Being once gangren'd, is not then respected
For what before it was-b

Bru.

We 'll hear no more:

Pursue him to his house, and pluck him thence;
Lest his infection, being of catching nature,

Spread further.

Men.

One word more, one word.

This tiger-footed rage, when it shall find

The harm of unscann'd swiftness, will, too late,

Tie leaden pounds to his heels. Proceed by process; Lest parties (as he is belov'd) break out,

And sack great Rome with Romans.

Bru.

Sic. What do ye talk?

If it were so,

a We take this to mean, nothing to the purpose.

The speech of Menenius is interrupted. He would ask whether it were just not to respect the "service" of the "gangrened foot."

Have we not had a taste of his obedience?
Our Ediles smote! ourselves resisted!-Come :-
Men. Consider this ;-he has been bred i' the wars
Since he could draw a sword, and is ill school'd
In bolted language; meal and bran together
He throws without distinction. Give me leave,
I'll go to him, and undertake to bring him in peace,
Where he shall answer, by a lawful form,

(In peace,) to his utmost peril.

1 Sen.
Noble tribunes,
It is the humane way: the other course
Will prove too bloody; and the end of it
Unknown to the beginning.

Noble Menenius,

Sic.
Be you then as the people's officer :—
Masters, lay down your weapons.

Bru.

Go not home.

Sic. Meet on the market-place :-We'll attend you

there :

Where, if you bring not Marcius, we 'll proceed
In our first way.

Men.

I'll bring him to you :

Let me desire your company. He must come,

Or what is worse will follow.

1 Sen.

[To the Senators.

Pray you, let's to him.
[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-A Room in Coriolanus's House.

Enter CORIOLANUS and Patricians.

Cor. Let them pull all about mine ears; present me Death on the wheel, or at wild horses' heels;

Or pile ten hills on the Tarpeian rock,

That the precipitation might down stretch
Below the beam of sight, yet will I still
Be thus to them.

Cor. I muse my mother

Does not approve me further, who was wont
To call them woollen vassals, things created

To buy and sell with groats; to show bare heads
In congregations, to yawn, be still, and wonder
When one but of my ordinance stood up

To speak of peace or war.

I talk of you;

[TO VOLUMNIA. Would you have me

Why did you wish me milder?
False to my nature? Rather say, I play

The man I am.

Vol.

O, sir, sir, sir,

I would have had you put your power well on,
Before you had worn it out.

Cor.

Let go.

Vol. You might have been enough the man you are, With striving less to be so: Lesser had been

The thwartings of your dispositions, if

You had not show'd them how you were dispos'd

Ere they lack'd power to cross you.

Cor.

Vol. Ay, and burn too.

Let them hang.

Enter MENENIUS and Senators.

Men. Come, come, you have been too rough, some

thing too rough:

You must return, and mend it.

1 Sen.

There's no remedy;

Pray be counsell'd:

Unless, by not so doing, our good city
Cleave in the midst, and perish.

Vol.

I have a heart as little apt as yours,
But yet a brain that leads my use of anger
To better vantage.

Men.
Well said, noble woman!
Before he should thus stoop to the herd, but that
The violent fit o' the time craves it as physic
For the whole state, I would put mine armour on,
Which I can scarcely bear.

Cor. What must I do?

Repent what you have spoke.

Cor. For them?-I cannot do it to the gods; Must I then do 't to them?

Vol.

You are too absolute;

Though therein you can never be too noble,

But when extremities speak. I have heard you say, Honour and policy, like unsever'd friends,

I' the war do grow together: Grant that, and tell me, In peace, what each of them by th' other lose,

That they combine not there.

Cor.

Men.

Tush, tush!

A good demand.

Vol. If it be honour, in your wars, to seem
The same you are not, (which, for your best ends,
You adopt your policy,) how is it less, or worse,
That it shall hold companionship in peace

With honour, as in war; since that to both
It stands in like request?

Cor.

Why force you this?
Vol. Because that now it lies you on to speak
To the people; not by your own instruction,
Nor by the matter which your heart prompts you,
But with such words that are but roted in
Your tongue, though but bastards, and syllables
Of no allowance, to your bosom's truth.
Now, this no more dishonours you at all,
Than to take in a town with gentle words,
Which else would put you to your fortune, and