The Ladies make signs to CORIOLANUS
CORIOLANUS Ay, by and by;
To VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, &c.
But we will drink together; and you shall bear
A better witness back than words, which we,
On like conditions, will have counter-seal’d.
Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deserve
To have a temple built you: all the swords
In Italy, and her confederate arms,
Could not have made this peace.
Exeunt
Scene 4
Rome. A public place.
Enter MENENIUS and SICINIUS
MENENIUS See you yond coign o’ the Capitol, yond
corner-stone?
SICINIUS Why, what of that?
MENENIUS If it be possible for you to displace it with your
little finger, there is some hope the ladies of
Rome, especially his mother, may prevail with him.
But I say there is no hope in’t: our throats are
sentenced and stay upon execution.
SICINIUS Is’t possible that so short a time can alter the
condition of a man!
MENENIUS There is differency between a grub and a butterfly;
yet your butterfly was a grub. This Marcius is grown
from man to dragon: he has wings; he’s more than a
creeping thing.
SICINIUS He loved his mother dearly.
MENENIUS So did he me: and he no more remembers his mother
now than an eight-year-old horse. The tartness
of his face sours ripe grapes: when he walks, he
moves like an engine, and the ground shrinks before
his treading: he is able to pierce a corslet with
his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a
battery. He sits in his state, as a thing made for
Alexander. What he bids be done is finished with
his bidding. He wants nothing of a god but eternity
and a heaven to throne in.
SICINIUS Yes, mercy, if you report him truly.
MENENIUS I paint him in the character. Mark what mercy his
mother shall bring from him: there is no more mercy
in him than there is milk in a male tiger; that
shall our poor city find: and all this is long of
you.
SICINIUS The gods be good unto us!
MENENIUS No, in such a case the gods will not be good unto
us. When we banished him, we respected not them;
and, he returning to break our necks, they respect not us.
Enter a Messenger
Messenger Sir, if you’ld save your life, fly to your house:
The plebeians have got your fellow-tribune
And hale him up and down, all swearing, if
The Roman ladies bring not comfort home,
They’ll give him death by inches.
Enter a second Messenger
SICINIUS What’s the news?
Second Messenger Good news, good news; the ladies have prevail’d,
The Volscians are dislodged, and Marcius gone:
A merrier day did never yet greet Rome,
No, not the expulsion of the Tarquins.
SICINIUS Friend,
Art thou certain this is true? is it most certain?
Second Messenger As certain as I know the sun is fire:
Where have you lurk’d, that you make doubt of it?
Ne’er through an arch so hurried the blown tide,
As the recomforted through the gates. Why, hark you!
Trumpets; hautboys; drums beat; all together
The trumpets, sackbuts, psalteries and fifes,
Tabours and cymbals and the shouting Romans,
Make the sun dance. Hark you!
A shout within
MENENIUS This is good news:
I will go meet the ladies. This Volumnia
Is worth of consuls, senators, patricians,
A city full; of tribunes, such as you,
A sea and land full. You have pray’d well to-day:
This morning for ten thousand of your throats
I’d not have given a doit. Hark, how they joy!
Music still, with shouts
SICINIUS First, the gods bless you for your tidings; next,
Accept my thankfulness.
Second Messenger Sir, we have all
Great cause to give great thanks.
SICINIUS They are near the city?
Second Messenger Almost at point to enter.
SICINIUS We will meet them,
And help the joy.
Exeunt
Scene 5
The same. A street near the gate.
Enter two Senators with VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, VALERIA, &c. passing over the stage, followed by Patricians and others
First Senator Behold our patroness, the life of Rome!
Call all your tribes together, praise the gods,
And make triumphant fires; strew flowers before them:
Unshout the noise that banish’d Marcius,
Repeal him with the welcome of his mother;
Cry ‘Welcome, ladies, welcome!’
All Welcome, ladies, Welcome!
A flourish with drums and trumpets. Exeunt
Scene 6
Antium. A public place.
Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS, with Attendants
AUFIDIUS Go tell the lords o’ the city I am here:
Deliver them this paper: having read it,
Bid them repair to the market place; where I,
Even in theirs and in the commons’ ears,
Will vouch the truth of it. Him I accuse
The city ports by this hath enter’d and
Intends to appear before the people, hoping
To purge herself with words: dispatch.
Exeunt Attendants
Enter three or four Conspirators of AUFIDIUS’ faction
Most welcome!
First Conspirator How is it with our general?
AUFIDIUS Even so
As with a man by his own alms empoison’d,
And with his charity slain.
Second Conspirator Most noble sir,
If you do hold the same intent wherein
You wish’d us parties, we’ll deliver you
Of your great danger.
AUFIDIUS Sir, I cannot tell:
We must proceed as we do find the people.
Third Conspirator The people will remain uncertain whilst
‘Twixt you there’s difference; but the fall of either
Makes the survivor heir of all.
AUFIDIUS I know it;
And my pretext to strike at him admits
A good construction. I raised him, and I pawn’d
Mine honour for his truth: who being so heighten’d,
He water’d his new plants with dews of flattery,
Seducing so my friends; and, to this end,
He bow’d his nature, never known before
But to be rough, unswayable and free.
Third Conspirator Sir, his stoutness
When he did stand for consul, which he lost
By lack of stooping,–
AUFIDIUS That I would have spoke of:
Being banish’d for’t, he came unto my hearth;
Presented to my knife his throat: I took him;
Made him joint-servant with me; gave him way
In all his own desires; nay, let him choose
Out of my files, his projects to accomplish,
My best and freshest men; served his designments
In mine own person; holp to reap the fame
Which he did end all his; and took some pride
To do myself this wrong: till, at the last,
I seem’d his follower, not partner, and
He waged me with his countenance, as if
I had been mercenary.
First Conspirator So he did, my lord:
The army marvell’d at it, and, in the last,
When he had carried Rome and that we look’d
For no less spoil than glory,–
AUFIDIUS There was it:
For which my sinews shall be stretch’d upon him.
At a few drops of women’s rheum, which are
As cheap as lies, he sold the blood and labour
Of our great action: therefore shall he die,
And I’ll renew me in his fall. But, hark!
Drums and trumpets sound, with great shouts of the People
First Conspirator Your native town you enter’d like a post,
And had no welcomes home: but he returns,
Splitting the air with noise.
Second Conspirator And patient fools,
Whose children he hath slain, their base throats tear
With giving him glory.
Third Conspirator Therefore, at your vantage,
Ere he express himself, or move the people
With what he would say, let him feel your sword,
Which we will second. When he lies along,
After your way his tale pronounced shall bury
His reasons with his body.
AUFIDIUS Say no more:
Here come the lords.
Enter the Lords of the city
All The Lords You are most welcome home.
AUFIDIUS I have not deserved it.
But, worthy lords, have you with heed perused
What I have written to you?
Lords We have.
First Lord And grieve to hear’t.
What faults he made before the last, I think
Might have found easy fines: but there to end
Where he was to begin and give away
The benefit of our levies, answering us
With our own charge, making a treaty where
There was a yielding,–this admits no excuse.
AUFIDIUS He approaches: you shall hear him.
Enter CORIOLANUS, marching with drum and colours; commoners being with him
CORIOLANUS Hail, lords! I am return’d your soldier,
No more infected with my country’s love
Than when I parted hence, but still subsisting
Under your great command. You are to know
That prosperously I have attempted and
With bloody passage led your wars even to
The gates of Rome. Our spoils we have brought home
Do more than counterpoise a full third part
The charges of the action. We have made peace
With no less honour to the Antiates
Than shame to the Romans: and we here deliver,
Subscribed by the consuls and patricians,
Together with the seal o’ the senate, what
We have compounded on.
AUFIDIUS Read it not, noble lords;
But tell the traitor, in the high’st degree
He hath abused your powers.