Coriolanus
ACT II SCENE II. The same. The Capitol. | ||
[Enter two Officers, to lay cushions] | ||
First Officer | Come, come, they are almost here. How many stand | |
for consulships? | ||
Second Officer | Three, they say: but ’tis thought of every one | |
Coriolanus will carry it. | ||
First Officer | That’s a brave fellow; but he’s vengeance proud, and | 5 |
loves not the common people. | ||
Second Officer | Faith, there had been many great men that have | |
flattered the people, who ne’er loved them; and there | ||
be many that they have loved, they know not | ||
wherefore: so that, if they love they know not why, | 10 | |
they hate upon no better a ground: therefore, for | ||
Coriolanus neither to care whether they love or hate | ||
him manifests the true knowledge he has in their | ||
disposition; and out of his noble carelessness lets | ||
them plainly see’t. | 15 | |
First Officer | If he did not care whether he had their love or no, | |
he waved indifferently ‘twixt doing them neither | ||
good nor harm: but he seeks their hate with greater | ||
devotion than can render it him; and leaves | ||
nothing undone that may fully discover him their | 20 | |
opposite. Now, to seem to affect the malice and | ||
displeasure of the people is as bad as that which he | ||
dislikes, to flatter them for their love. | ||
Second Officer | He hath deserved worthily of his country: and his | |
ascent is not by such easy degrees as those who, | 25 | |
having been supple and courteous to the people, | ||
bonneted, without any further deed to have them at | ||
an into their estimation and report: but he hath so | ||
planted his honours in their eyes, and his actions | ||
in their hearts, that for their tongues to be | 30 | |
silent, and not confess so much, were a kind of | ||
ingrateful injury; to report otherwise, were a | ||
malice, that, giving itself the lie, would pluck | ||
reproof and rebuke from every ear that heard it. | ||
First Officer | No more of him; he is a worthy man: make way, they | 35 |
are coming. | ||
[ A sennet. Enter, with actors before them, COMINIUS the consul, MENENIUS, CORIOLANUS, Senators, SICINIUS and BRUTUS. The Senators take their places; the Tribunes take their Places by themselves. CORIOLANUS stands ] | ||
MENENIUS | Having determined of the Volsces and | |
To send for Titus Lartius, it remains, | ||
As the main point of this our after-meeting, | ||
To gratify his noble service that | 40 | |
Hath thus stood for his country: therefore, | ||
please you, | ||
Most reverend and grave elders, to desire | ||
The present consul, and last general | ||
In our well-found successes, to report | 45 | |
A little of that worthy work perform’d | ||
By Caius Marcius Coriolanus, whom | ||
We met here both to thank and to remember | ||
With honours like himself. | ||
First Senator | Speak, good Cominius: | 50 |
Leave nothing out for length, and make us think | ||
Rather our state’s defective for requital | ||
Than we to stretch it out. | ||
[To the Tribunes] | ||
Masters o’ the people, | ||
We do request your kindest ears, and after, | 55 | |
Your loving motion toward the common body, | ||
To yield what passes here. | ||
SICINIUS | We are convented | |
Upon a pleasing treaty, and have hearts | ||
Inclinable to honour and advance | 60 | |
The theme of our assembly. | ||
BRUTUS | Which the rather | |
We shall be blest to do, if he remember | ||
A kinder value of the people than | ||
He hath hereto prized them at. | 65 | |
MENENIUS | That’s off, that’s off; | |
I would you rather had been silent. Please you | ||
To hear Cominius speak? | ||
BRUTUS | Most willingly; | |
But yet my caution was more pertinent | 70 | |
Than the rebuke you give it. | ||
MENENIUS | He loves your people | |
But tie him not to be their bedfellow. | ||
Worthy Cominius, speak. | ||
[CORIOLANUS offers to go away] | ||
Nay, keep your place. | 75 | |
First Senator | Sit, Coriolanus; never shame to hear | |
What you have nobly done. | ||
CORIOLANUS | Your horror’s pardon: | |
I had rather have my wounds to heal again | ||
Than hear say how I got them. | 80 | |
BRUTUS | Sir, I hope | |
My words disbench’d you not. | ||
CORIOLANUS | No, sir: yet oft, | |
When blows have made me stay, I fled from words. | ||
You soothed not, therefore hurt not: but | 85 | |
your people, | ||
I love them as they weigh. | ||
MENENIUS | Pray now, sit down. | |
CORIOLANUS | I had rather have one scratch my head i’ the sun | |
When the alarum were struck than idly sit | 90 | |
To hear my nothings monster’d. | ||
[Exit] | ||
MENENIUS | Masters of the people, | |
Your multiplying spawn how can he flatter– | ||
That’s thousand to one good one–when you now see | ||
He had rather venture all his limbs for honour | 95 | |
Than one on’s ears to hear it? Proceed, Cominius. | ||
COMINIUS | I shall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus | |
Should not be utter’d feebly. It is held | ||
That valour is the chiefest virtue, and | ||
Most dignifies the haver: if it be, | 100 | |
The man I speak of cannot in the world | ||
Be singly counterpoised. At sixteen years, | ||
When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought | ||
Beyond the mark of others: our then dictator, | ||
Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight, | 105 | |
When with his Amazonian chin he drove | ||
The bristled lips before him: be bestrid | ||
An o’er-press’d Roman and i’ the consul’s view | ||
Slew three opposers: Tarquin’s self he met, | ||
And struck him on his knee: in that day’s feats, | 110 | |
When he might act the woman in the scene, | ||
He proved best man i’ the field, and for his meed | ||
Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil age | ||
Man-enter’d thus, he waxed like a sea, | ||
And in the brunt of seventeen battles since | 115 | |
He lurch’d all swords of the garland. For this last, | ||
Before and in Corioli, let me say, | ||
I cannot speak him home: he stopp’d the fliers; | ||
And by his rare example made the coward | ||
Turn terror into sport: as weeds before | 120 | |
A vessel under sail, so men obey’d | ||
And fell below his stem: his sword, death’s stamp, | ||
Where it did mark, it took; from face to foot | ||
He was a thing of blood, whose every motion | ||
Was timed with dying cries: alone he enter’d | 125 | |
The mortal gate of the city, which he painted | ||
With shunless destiny; aidless came off, | ||
And with a sudden reinforcement struck | ||
Corioli like a planet: now all’s his: | ||
When, by and by, the din of war gan pierce | 130 | |
His ready sense; then straight his doubled spirit | ||
Re-quicken’d what in flesh was fatigate, | ||
And to the battle came he; where he did | ||
Run reeking o’er the lives of men, as if | ||
‘Twere a perpetual spoil: and till we call’d | 135 | |
Both field and city ours, he never stood | ||
To ease his breast with panting. | ||
MENENIUS | Worthy man! | |
First Senator | He cannot but with measure fit the honours | |
Which we devise him. | 140 | |
COMINIUS | Our spoils he kick’d at, | |
And look’d upon things precious as they were | ||
The common muck of the world: he covets less | ||
Than misery itself would give; rewards | ||
His deeds with doing them, and is content | 145 | |
To spend the time to end it. | ||
MENENIUS | He’s right noble: | |
Let him be call’d for. | ||
First Senator | Call Coriolanus. | |
Officer | He doth appear. | 150 |
[Re-enter CORIOLANUS] | ||
MENENIUS | The senate, Coriolanus, are well pleased | |
To make thee consul. | ||
CORIOLANUS | I do owe them still | |
My life and services. | ||
MENENIUS | It then remains | 155 |
That you do speak to the people. | ||
CORIOLANUS | I do beseech you, | |
Let me o’erleap that custom, for I cannot | ||
Put on the gown, stand naked and entreat them, | ||
For my wounds’ sake, to give their suffrage: please you | 160 | |
That I may pass this doing. | ||
SICINIUS | Sir, the people | |
Must have their voices; neither will they bate | ||
One jot of ceremony. | ||
MENENIUS | Put them not to’t: | 165 |
Pray you, go fit you to the custom and | ||
Take to you, as your predecessors have, | ||
Your honour with your form. | ||
CORIOLANUS | It is apart | |
That I shall blush in acting, and might well | 170 | |
Be taken from the people. | ||
BRUTUS | Mark you that? | |
CORIOLANUS | To brag unto them, thus I did, and thus; | |
Show them the unaching scars which I should hide, | ||
As if I had received them for the hire | 175 | |
Of their breath only! | ||
MENENIUS | Do not stand upon’t. | |
We recommend to you, tribunes of the people, | ||
Our purpose to them: and to our noble consul | ||
Wish we all joy and honour. | 180 | |
Senators | To Coriolanus come all joy and honour! | |
[ Flourish of cornets. Exeunt all but SICINIUS and BRUTUS ] | ||
BRUTUS | You see how he intends to use the people. | |
SICINIUS | May they perceive’s intent! He will require them, | |
As if he did contemn what he requested | ||
Should be in them to give. | 185 | |
BRUTUS | Come, we’ll inform them | |
Of our proceedings here: on the marketplace, | ||
I know, they do attend us. | ||
[Exeunt] |
Next: Coriolanus, Act 2, Scene 3