Coriolanus
| ACT I SCENE VI. Near the camp of Cominius. | ||
| [ Enter COMINIUS, as it were in retire, with soldiers ] | ||
| COMINIUS | Breathe you, my friends: well fought; | |
| we are come off | ||
| Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands, | ||
| Nor cowardly in retire: believe me, sirs, | ||
| We shall be charged again. Whiles we have struck, | 5 | |
| By interims and conveying gusts we have heard | ||
| The charges of our friends. Ye Roman gods! | ||
| Lead their successes as we wish our own, | ||
| That both our powers, with smiling | ||
| fronts encountering, | 10 | |
| May give you thankful sacrifice. | ||
| [Enter a Messenger] | ||
| Thy news? | ||
| Messenger | The citizens of Corioli have issued, | |
| And given to Lartius and to Marcius battle: | ||
| I saw our party to their trenches driven, | 15 | |
| And then I came away. | ||
| COMINIUS | Though thou speak’st truth, | |
| Methinks thou speak’st not well. | ||
| How long is’t since? | ||
| Messenger | Above an hour, my lord. | 20 |
| COMINIUS | ‘Tis not a mile; briefly we heard their drums: | |
| How couldst thou in a mile confound an hour, | ||
| And bring thy news so late? | ||
| Messenger | Spies of the Volsces | |
| Held me in chase, that I was forced to wheel | 25 | |
| Three or four miles about, else had I, sir, | ||
| Half an hour since brought my report. | ||
| COMINIUS | Who’s yonder, | |
| That does appear as he were flay’d? O gods | ||
| He has the stamp of Marcius; and I have | 30 | |
| Before-time seen him thus. | ||
| MARCIUS | [Within] Come I too late? | |
| COMINIUS | The shepherd knows not thunder from a tabour | |
| More than I know the sound of Marcius’ tongue | ||
| From every meaner man. | 35 | |
| [Enter MARCIUS] | ||
| MARCIUS | Come I too late? | |
| COMINIUS | Ay, if you come not in the blood of others, | |
| But mantled in your own. | ||
| MARCIUS | O, let me clip ye | |
| In arms as sound as when I woo’d, in heart | 40 | |
| As merry as when our nuptial day was done, | ||
| And tapers burn’d to bedward! | ||
| COMINIUS | Flower of warriors, | |
| How is it with Titus Lartius? | ||
| MARCIUS | As with a man busied about decrees: | 45 |
| Condemning some to death, and some to exile; | ||
| Ransoming him, or pitying, threatening the other; | ||
| Holding Corioli in the name of Rome, | ||
| Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash, | ||
| To let him slip at will. | 50 | |
| COMINIUS | Where is that slave | |
| Which told me they had beat you to your trenches? | ||
| Where is he? call him hither. | ||
| MARCIUS | Let him alone; | |
| He did inform the truth: but for our gentlemen, | 55 | |
| The common file–a plague! tribunes for them!– | ||
| The mouse ne’er shunn’d the cat as they did budge | ||
| From rascals worse than they. | ||
| COMINIUS | But how prevail’d you? | |
| MARCIUS | Will the time serve to tell? I do not think. | 60 |
| Where is the enemy? are you lords o’ the field? | ||
| If not, why cease you till you are so? | ||
| COMINIUS | Marcius, | |
| We have at disadvantage fought and did | ||
| Retire to win our purpose. | 65 | |
| MARCIUS | How lies their battle? know you on which side | |
| They have placed their men of trust? | ||
| COMINIUS | As I guess, Marcius, | |
| Their bands i’ the vaward are the Antiates, | ||
| Of their best trust; o’er them Aufidius, | 70 | |
| Their very heart of hope. | ||
| MARCIUS | I do beseech you, | |
| By all the battles wherein we have fought, | ||
| By the blood we have shed together, by the vows | ||
| We have made to endure friends, that you directly | 75 | |
| Set me against Aufidius and his Antiates; | ||
| And that you not delay the present, but, | ||
| Filling the air with swords advanced and darts, | ||
| We prove this very hour. | ||
| COMINIUS | Though I could wish | 80 |
| You were conducted to a gentle bath | ||
| And balms applied to, you, yet dare I never | ||
| Deny your asking: take your choice of those | ||
| That best can aid your action. | ||
| MARCIUS | Those are they | 85 |
| That most are willing. If any such be here– | ||
| As it were sin to doubt–that love this painting | ||
| Wherein you see me smear’d; if any fear | ||
| Lesser his person than an ill report; | ||
| If any think brave death outweighs bad life | 90 | |
| And that his country’s dearer than himself; | ||
| Let him alone, or so many so minded, | ||
| Wave thus, to express his disposition, | ||
| And follow Marcius. | ||
| [ They all shout and wave their swords, take him up in their arms, and cast up their caps ] | ||
| O, me alone! make you a sword of me? | 95 | |
| If these shows be not outward, which of you | ||
| But is four Volsces? none of you but is | ||
| Able to bear against the great Aufidius | ||
| A shield as hard as his. A certain number, | ||
| Though thanks to all, must I select | 100 | |
| from all: the rest | ||
| Shall bear the business in some other fight, | ||
| As cause will be obey’d. Please you to march; | ||
| And four shall quickly draw out my command, | ||
| Which men are best inclined. | 105 | |
| COMINIUS | March on, my fellows: | |
| Make good this ostentation, and you shall | ||
| Divide in all with us. | ||
| [Exeunt] | ||
Next: Coriolanus, Act 1, Scene 7