The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (809 page)

MESSENGER.

Many people are talking about it,

It is spoke freely out of many mouths,--

though I don’t know if it’s true, that Marcius,

How probable I do not know,--that Marcius,

together with Aufidies, is leading an army against Rome,

Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome,

and vows revenge against everyone

And vows revenge as spacious as between

from the youngest to the oldest.

The young'st and oldest thing.  

SICINIUS.

That is likely!

This is most likely!

BRUTUS.

That rumor was started only so that weak people will want

Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may wish

Marcius to come home again.

Good Marcius home again.

SICINIUS.

That’s a very clever trick.

The very trick on 't.

MENENIUS.

That is unlikely.

This is unlikely:

He Aufidius couldn’t reconcile with each other:

He and Aufidius can no more atone

they are violent enemies.

Than violentest contrariety.

[Enter a second MESSENGER.]

SECOND MESSENGER.

You are needed in the senate.

You are sent for to the senate:

A scary army, led by Caius Marcius,

A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius

allied with Aufidius, rushes furiously

Associated with Aufidius, rages

onto our territory, and has already

Upon our territories; and have already

overwhelmed everything in their path, burnt it to the ground and took

O'erborne their way, consum'd with fire and took

everything they saw.

What lay before them.

[Enter COMINIUS.]

COMINIUS.

Oh, Tribunes, this is your fault!

O, you have made good work!  

MENENIUS.

What is the news?

What news? what news?

COMINIUS.

You have helped to rape your own daughters, and

You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and

to bring the roofs down on your heads,

To melt the city leads upon your pates;

to see your wives raped in front of you—

To see your wives dishonour'd to your noses,--

MENENIUS.

What’s the news?

What's the news? what's the news?

COMINIUS.

…your temples burned down, and

Your temples burned in their cement; and

your freedoms, which you insisted on, stuck

Your franchises, whereon you stood, confin'd

in a tiny hole.

Into an auger's bore.

MENENIUS.

Please, tell me your news!

Pray now, your news?—

You have done this, I’m afraid, tribunes. Please, your news.

You have made fair work, I fear me.--Pray, your news.

If Marcius is working with the Volscians—

If Marcius should be join'd wi' the Volscians,--

COMINIUS.

If?

If!

He is their god, he leads them like a

He is their god: he leads them like a thing

supernatural

Made by some other deity than nature,

superman, and they follow him,

That shapes man better; and they follow him,

against us fools, with all the confidence

Against us brats, with no less confidence

of boys chasing butterflies,

Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,

or butchers killing flies.

Or butchers killing flies.

MENENIUS.

You have done this, tribunes!

You have made good work,

You and your common craftsmen, you who insisted so much

You and your apron men; you that stood so much  

on the votes of tradesmen and

Upon the voice of occupation and

the voices of stinky commoners!

The breath of garlic-eaters!

COMINIUS.

He will destroy

He'll shake

Rome around you.

Your Rome about your ears.

MENENIUS.

Like Hercules [in a Greek myth]

As Hercules

plucked a golden apple guarded by a dragon. Good work!

Did shake down mellow fruit.--You have made fair work!

BRUTUS.

But is it true?

But is this true, sir?

COMINIUS.

Yes, and you’ll be dead

Ay; and you'll look pale

before you find out otherwise. All of our outlying provinces

Before you find it other. All the regions

are cheerfully revolting, and whoever fights back

Do smilingly revolt; and who resists

is mocked as a brave idiot,

Are mock'd for valiant ignorance,

and they die as loyal fools. Who can blame him?

And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him?

Your enemies and his both seem to like him.

Your enemies and his find something in him.

MENENIUS.

We are doomed unless

We are all undone unless

Coriolanus has mercy.

The noble man have mercy.

COMINIUS.

Who will ask for it?

Who shall ask it?

The tribunes can’t do it, out of shame. The people

The tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people

deserve to be to killed.

Deserve such pity of him as the wolf

As for his best friends, if they

Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if they

asked him to be kind to Rome, they would sound like

Should say 'Be good to Rome,' they charg'd him even  

those who deserve his hatred,

As those should do that had deserv'd his hate,

and therefore look like enemies.

And therein show'd like enemies.

MENENIUS.

That’s true.

'Tis true:

If he were lighting my house on fire,

If he were putting to my house the brand

I would be ashamed

That should consume it, I have not the face

to say, “Please, stop!” You have made a mess, tribunes,

To say 'Beseech you, cease.'--You have made fair hands,

you and your crafty craftsmen! You have made proper mess!

You and your crafts! You have crafted fair!

COMINIUS.

You have caused

You have brought

Rome to tremble from fear in such a way

A trembling upon Rome, such as was never

as can’t be fixed.

So incapable of help.

BOTH TRIBUNES.

Don’t say it was our fault.

Say not, we brought it.

MENENIUS.

What? Did we do it? We loved him, but, like animals,

How! Was it we? we lov'd him, but, like beasts,

and cowardly rich men, allowed your mobs

And cowardly nobles, gave way unto your clusters,

to kick him out of the city.

Who did hoot him out o' the city.

COMINIUS.

But I’m afraid

But I fear

they’ll cry in pain when he returns. Tullus Aufidius,

They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,

the second most famous man of all, listens to Coriolanus

The second name of men, obeys his points

as if Coriolanus were his superior officer. Desperation

As if he were his officer:--desperation

is the only policy and defense

Is all the policy, strength, and defence,

that Rome can use against them.

That Rome can make against them.  

[Enter a troop of citizens.]

MENENIUS.

Here comes the crowd.

Here comes the clusters.--

And is Aufidius with him? You are the ones

And is Aufidius with him?--You are they

who created this problem, when you threw up your

That made the air unwholesome, when you cast

stinking, greasy hats in celebration of

Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at

Coriolanus’ exile. Now he’s coming,

Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming;

and he’s going to use every weapon

And not a hair upon a soldier's head

he’s got against you. As many fool’s hats

Which will not prove a whip: as many coxcombs

as you threw up in celebration, he will bring down on your heads

As you threw caps up will he tumble down,

as a punishment for your votes. It doesn’t matter.

And pay you for your voices. 'Tis no matter;

If he could burn us to cinders

If he could burn us all into one coal

we would deserve it.

We have deserv'd it.

CITIZENS.

We are afraid of the news we’ve been hearing.

Faith, we hear fearful news.

FIRST CITIZEN.

As far as I’m concerned,

For mine own part,

when I voted to banish him, I said it was a shame.

When I said banish him, I said 'twas pity.

SECOND CITIZEN.

So did I.

And so did I.

THIRD CITIZEN.

And so did I. Honestly, so did many of us. What we did,

And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very many of us. That

we did for the best. And though we agreed to

we did, we did for the best; and though we willingly consented to

his banishment, it was against our will.

his banishment, yet it was against our will.

COMINIUS.

You are just great, you and your stupid votes!

You are goodly things, you voices!

MENENIUS.

You have made

You have made

a real mess, you and your demands. Should we go to the Capitol?

Good work, you and your cry!--Shall's to the Capitol?

COMINIUS.

Yes, what else can we do?

O, ay; what else?

[Exeunt COMINIUS and MENENIUS.]

SICINIUS.

Go, people, go home. Do not be afraid.

Go, masters, get you home; be not dismay'd;

Those guys would be glad to have Marcius and the Volscians invade,

These are a side that would be glad to have

though they pretend to be afraid. Go home,

This true which they so seem to fear. Go home,

and show no sign of fear.

And show no sign of fear.

FIRST CITIZEN.

Good luck to us! Come on folks, let’s go home. I

The gods be good to us!--Come, masters, let's home. I

always said we were wrong to banish him.

ever said we were i' the wrong when we banished him.

SECOND CITIZEN.

So did we all. But come, let’s go home.

So did we all. But come, let's home.