William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (510 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

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Exeunt

5.4
Enter Menenius and Sicinius

MENENIUS See you yon coign o’th’ Capitol, yon 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 Martius 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 ‘hmh!’ 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!

VIENENIUS 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 (
to Sicinius
)

Sir, if you’d 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 another Messenger

SICINIUS

What’s the news?

SECOND MESSENGER

Good news, good news. The ladies have prevailed,
The Volscians are dislodged, and Martius gone.
A merrier day did never yet greet Rome,
No, not th’expulsion of the Tarquins.

SICINIUS

Friend,

Art thou certain this is true? Is’t most certain?

SECOND MESSENGER

As certain as I know the sun is fire.
Where have you lurked that you make doubt of it?
Ne’er through an arch so hurried the blown tide
As the recomforted through th’ gates.

Trumpets, hautboys, drums, beat all together

Why, hark you,
The trumpets, sackbuts, psalteries, and fifes,
Tabors and cymbals and the shouting Romans
Make the sun dance.

A shout within

Hark you!

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 prayed well today.
This morning for ten thousand of your throats
I’d not have given a doit.

Music sounds still with the shouts

Hark how they joy!

SICINIUS (
to the Messenger
)

First, the gods bless you for your tidings. Next,
⌈
Giving money
⌉ 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’ll meet them, and help the joy.

Exeunt

5.5
Enter ⌈
at one door
⌉
Lords
⌈
and Citizens
⌉, ⌈
at another door⌉ two Senators with the ladies Volumnia, Virgilia, and Valeria, passing over the stage

A 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 banished Martius,
Repeal him with the welcome of his mother.
Cry ‘Welcome, ladies, welcome!’

ALL

Welcome, ladies, welcome!

A flourish with drums and trumpets. Exeunt

5.6
Enter Tullus Aufidius with attendants

AUFIDIUS

Go tell the lords o‘th’ city I am here.
Deliver them this paper. Having read it,
Bid them repair to th’ 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 entered, and
Intends t’appear before the people, hoping
To purge himself 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 impoisoned,
And with his charity slain.

SECOND CONSPIRATOR Most noble sir,

If you do hold the same intent wherein
You wished 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 pawned
Mine honour for his truth; who being so heightened,
He watered his new plants with dews of flattery,
Seducing so my friends; and to this end
He bowed 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 banished 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 seemed 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 marvelled at it, and in the last,
When he had carried Rome and that we looked
For no less spoil than glory—

AUFIDIUS

There was it,

For which my sinews shall be stretched 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.

Drums and trumpets sound, with great shouts of the people

But hark.

FIRST CONSPIRATOR

Your native town you entered 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.

Enter the Lords of the city

AUFIDIUS

Say no more.

Here come the lords.

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?

ALL THE 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, the Commoners being with him

CORIOLANUS

Hail, lords! I am returned 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
Doth 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 th’ Romans. And we here deliver,
Subscribed by th’ consuls and patricians,
Together with the seal o’th’ senate, what
We have compounded on.

He gives the Lords a paper

AUFIDIUS

Read it not, noble lords,

But tell the traitor in the highest degree
He hath abused your powers.

CORIOLANUS Traitor? How now?

AUFIDIUS Ay, traitor, Martius.

CORIOLANUS Martius?

AUFIDIUS

Ay, Martius, Caius Martius. Dost thou think
I’ll grace thee with that robbery, thy stol’n name,
‘Coriolanus’, in Corioles?
You lords and heads o‘th’ state, perfidiously
He has betrayed your business, and given up,
For certain drops of salt, your city, Rome—
I say your city—to his wife and mother,
Breaking his oath and resolution like
A twist of rotten silk, never admitting
Counsel o’th’ war. But at his nurse’s tears
He whined and roared away your victory,
That pages blushed at him, and men of heart
Looked wond’ring each at others.

CORIOLANUS

Hear’st thou, Mars?

AUFIDIUS

Name not the god, thou boy of tears.

CORIOLANUS Ha?

AUFIDIUS

No more.

CORIOLANUS

Measureless liar, thou hast made my heart
Too great for what contains it. ‘Boy’? O slave!—
Pardon me, lords, ’tis the first time that ever
I was forced to scold. Your judgements, my grave lords,
Must give this cur the lie, and his own notion—
Who wears my stripes impressed upon him, that
Must bear my beating to his grave—shall join
To thrust the lie unto him.

FIRST LORD

Peace both, and hear me speak.

CORIOLANUS

Cut me to pieces, Volsces. Men and lads,
Stain all your edges on me. ‘Boy’! False hound,
If you have writ your annals true, ‘tis there
That, like an eagle in a dove-cote, I
Fluttered your Volscians in Corioles.
Alone I did it. ‘Boy’!

AUFIDIUS

Why, noble lords,

Will you be put in mind of his blind fortune,
Which was your shame, by this unholy braggart,
Fore your own eyes and ears?

ALL THE CONSPIRATORS

Let him die for’t.

ALL THE PEOPLE ⌈
shouting dispersedly
⌉

Tear him to pieces! Do it presently!
He killed my son! My daughter! He killed my cousin
Marcus! He killed my father!