He that has but effected his good will

Hath overta'en mine act.

Com.

You shall not be

The grave of your deserving; Rome must know
The value of her own: 'twere a concealment
Worse than a theft, no less than a traducement,

To hide your doings; and to silence that
Which, to the spire and top of praises vouch'd,
Would seem but modest : 5 therefore, I beseech you -
In sign of what you are, not to reward

What you have done - before our army hear me.

Mar. I have some wounds upon me, and they smart To hear themselves remember'd.

Com.

Should they not,

Well might they fester 'gainst ingratitude,

And tent themselves with death. Of all the horses,-
Whereof we've ta'en good, and good store,

The treasure in this field achieved and city,
We render you the tenth; to be ta'en forth,
Before the common distribution, at

Your only choice.

Mar.

I thank you, general;

But cannot make my heart consent to take
A bribe to pay my sword: I do refuse it;
And stand upon my common part with those
That have beheld the doing.

of all

[A long flourish. They all cry, Marcius! Marcius!

cast up their caps and lances: COMINIUS and LARTIUS stand bare.

5 An irregular construction; but the meaning is, "It were no less than a slander, to pass silently over that prowess which might be praised to the utmost, and still the praise would come short of the truth."

6 To hear is equivalent to at hearing. See page 195, note 25.

7 To tent a wound is, properly, to probe it: here the word is used in the general sense of to dress, or to heal.

Mar. May these same instruments, which you profane, Never sound more! Shall drums and trumpets, when I' the field, prove flatterers? Let Courts and cities be Made all of false-faced soothing, where steel grows Soft as the parasite's silk: let them be made An overture for th' wars.8 No more, I say!

For that I have not wash'd my nose that bled,

Or foil'd some debile wretch,

- which, without note,

Here's many else have done, - you shout me forth

In acclamations hyperbolical;

As if I loved my little should be dieted

In praises sauced with lies.

Com.

Too modest are you;

More cruel to your good report than grateful
To us that give you truly by your patience,
If 'gainst yourself you be incensed, we'll put you
Like one that means his proper harm — in manacles,
Then reason safely with you.
9
Therefore, be't known,

As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius
Wears this war's garland: in token of the which,
My noble steed, known to the camp, I give him,
With all his trim belonging; and from this time,
For what he did before Corioli, call him,

With all th' applause and clamour of the host,
CAIUS MARCIUS CORIOLANUS. Bear

That is, let drums and trumpets be used in making introductions or preludes to battle. As to the meaning of the whole passage, it may be observed that the speaker is referring to the "long flourish which has just been made with the instruments in honour of what he has done. This he regards as a profanation: he would have drums and trumpets used only for sounding incitements to valiant action, not for sounding compliments and flatteries on the battle-field. All such "false-faced soothing" he would have confined to "Courts and cities," where steel itself, like silk, is used for ornament, not for fighting.

9 To reason, as the word is here used, is to talk or converse. Often so.

Th' addition nobly ever!

[Flourish.

Trumpets sound and drums.

All. Caius Marcius Coriolanus !

Cor. I will go wash ;

And, when my face is fair, you shall perceive
Whether I blush or no: howbeit, I thank you.
I mean to stride your steed; and at all times,
To undercrest your good addition

To th' fairness of my power.10

Com.

So, to our tent ;

You, Titus Lartius,

Where, ere we do repose us, we will write

To Rome of our success.
Must to Corioli back: send us to Rome
The best, with whom we may articulate,11
For their own good and ours.

Lart.

I shall, my lord.

Cor. The gods begin to mock me. I, that now Refused most princely gifts, am bound to beg

Of my lord general.

Com.

Take't; 'tis yours.

What is't?

Cor. I sometime lay, here in Corioli,

At a poor man's house; he used me kindly.

He cried to me; I saw him prisoner;

But then Aufidius was within my view,

And wrath o'erwhelm'd my pity: I request you
To give my poor host freedom.12

10 Addition is title; the monumental surname just conferred upon him. To undercrest is to sustain, to bear; as a man bears his helmet, or the distinctive badge worn upon it. So that the meaning is, “I will support, as fairly as I can, the honourable distinction you have bestowed upon me."

11 The chief men of Corioli, with whom we may enter into articles. Bullokar has the word " articulate, to set down articles, or conditions of agreement." We still retain the word capitulate, which anciently had nearly the same meaning, namely, “ To article, or agree upon articles."

12 The Poet found this incident thus related in Plutarch: "Onely this

Com.

O, well begg'd!

Were he the butcher of my son, he should
Be free as is the wind. - Deliver him, Titus.
Lart. Marcius, his name?

Cor.

By Jupiter, forgot!

I'm weary; yea, my memory is tired.

Have we no wine here?

Com.

Go we to our tent:

The blood upon your visage dries; 'tis time

It should be look'd to: come.

[Exeunt.

A flourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS bloody, with two or three Soldiers.

Auf. The town is ta'en!

1 Sol. "Twill be deliver'd back on good condition. Auf. Condition!

I would I were a Roman; for I cannot,

Being a Volsce, be that I am.1 Condition!
What good condition can a treaty find

I' the part that is at mercy?— Five times, Marcius,
I've fought with thee; so often hast thou beat me ;
And wouldst do so, I think, should we encounter

If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,

grace, said he, I crave, and beseech you to grant me: Among the Volsces there is an old friend and hoast of mine, an honest wealthy man, and now a prisoner; who, living before in great wealth in his owne countrey, liveth now a poore prisoner in the hands of his enemies; and yet, notwithstanding all this his misery and misfortune, it would do me great pleasure, if I could save him from this one danger, to keepe him from being sold as a slave."

1 "If I were a Roman, I could love Marcius as a compatriot and friend; but, being a Volsce, I cannot remain true to myself; my hatred of him as an enemy is transforming me from what I rightly am into a villain."

He's mine, or I am his: mine emulation

Hath not that honour in't it had; for, where 2

I thought to crush him in an equal force,

True sword to sword, I'll poach 3 at him some way,

Or wrath or craft may get him.

I Sol.

He's the Devil.

Auf. Bolder, though not so subtle. My valour, poi

son'd

With only suffering stain by him, for him.

Shall fly out of itself: 4 nor sleep nor sanctuary,

Being naked, sick; nor fane nor Capitol,
The prayers of priests nor times of sacrifice,
Embankments all of fury, shall lift up

Their rotten privilege and custom 'gainst
My hate to Marcius: where I find him, were it
At home, upon my brother's guard,5 even there,
Against the hospitable canon,6 would I

Wash my fierce hand in's heart. Go you to th' city;
Learn how 'tis held; and what they are that must
Be hostages for Rome.

2 Where for whereas again. See page 189, note 7.

Thus in

3 To poach is to thrust at with a sharp-pointed instrument. Carew's Survey of Cornwall, speaking of fish: "They use to poche them with an instrument somewhat like a salmon-speare."

4" My valour, to reach his life, shall lose its nature, cease to be generous in respect of time and means."- In the next line, the meaning is," he being naked, sick."

--

5 That is, in my own house under my brother's protection. Upon this speech of Aufidius, Coleridge remarks as follows: "I have such deep faith in Shakespeare's heart-lore, that I take for granted that this is in nature; although I cannot in myself discover any germ of possible feeling, which could wax and unfold itself into such a sentiment. However, I perceive that in this speech is meant to be contained a prevention of shock at the after-change in Aufidius' character."

6 "The hospitable canon" is the law or obligation of hospitality. In the Roman code of morals, the person of a guest was sacred.