That valour is the chiefest virtue and

Most dignifies the haver: if it be,

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,
When with his Amazonian chin he drove
The bristled lips before him: he 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,
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,
He lurch'd all swords of the garland.
Before and in Corioli, let me say,

For this last,

I cannot speak him home: he stopp'd the fliers;

85

00

95

100

And by his rare example made the coward

Turn terror into sport: as weeds before

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
The mortal gate of the city, which he painted

81. That...and] Arranged as in F2F3F4. In F, the first line ends at vertue.

88. chin] F3F4. shinne F,F2. 89. bristled] Rowe. brizled Ff. 95. pupil age] pupill age F. pupilage F2F3F4.

96. waxed] F. wated F2. waited F3F4.

F4

98. of the] Fr. o'th F2. o'th' F3

102. weeds] F. waves F2F3F4· 104. below] before Becket conj.

stem] stern Pope.

105, 106. took; from face to foot He] Steevens (Tyrwhitt conj.). tooke from face to foot: He Ff.

107. timed] tim'd F. trim'd F2. trimm'd F3F4. tun'd Collier MS. The mortal gate...he painted] The gate...he mortal painted Hanmer. of the] of th' F1. o'th F2F3

F4

108.

painted] gained Becket conj.

kick'd or keck'd at Badham conj.
parted Keightley.

105

With shunless destiny; aidless came off,

And with a sudden re-enforcement struck
Corioli like a planet: now all's his:

When, by and by, the din of war gan pierce

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
Both field and city ours, he never stood
To ease his breast with panting.

Men.

Worthy man!

ΙΙΟ

115

First Sen. He cannot but with measure fit the honours 120 Which we devise him.

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

To spend the time to end it.

Men.

Let him be call'd for.

First Sen.

125

He's right noble:

Call Coriolanus.

Re-enter CORIOLANUS.

Men. The senate, Coriolanus, are well pleased

Put on

the gown, stand naked, and entreat them,

For my wounds' sake, to give their suffrage: please you
That I may pass this doing.

That I shall blush in acting, and might well

Be taken from the people.

Cor. 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

Of their breath only!

Re-enter...] Capell. Enter... Ff. 129-132. The senate...people] As in Rowe (ed. 2). Prose in Ff.

132. do beseech] beseech Pope. 135-140. For my...have] Arranged as in Capell. In Ff the lines end sufferage...doing...voyces:...ceremony...

too't...custome,...have.

135. suffrage] F4. sufferage F,F3. fufferage F2. suffrages Rowe. 136. pass] over-pass Hanmer. the people] but the people too

Hanmer.

137. neither] Ff. Nor Pope.
139. Pray you, go fit] pray fit Pope
(reading Put...custom as one line).
140. to you] t'ye Pope.

141. your form] the form Han

mer.

141-143. It is...people] Arranged as in Pope. Two lines, the first ending acting, in Ff.

143. that?] Rowe (ed. 2). that. Ff. 144, 145. thus; Show] thus, Shew F3F4 thus Shew F,F2.

145. should] would Rowe.

130

135

140

145

We recommend to you, tribunes of the people,
Our purpose to them: and to our noble consul
Wish we all joy and honour.
Senators. To Coriolanus come all joy and honour!
[Flourish of cornets. Exeunt all but Sicinius and

Brutus.

Bru. You see how he intends to use the people.
Sic. May they perceive's intent! He will require them,
As if he did contemn what he requested

Should be in them to give.

Bru.

Come, we'll inform them

Of our proceedings here: on the market-place,
I know, they do attend us.

150

155

[Exeunt.

First Cit. Once, if he do require our voices, we ought not to deny him.

Sec. Cit. We may, sir, if we will.

Third Cit. We have power in ourselves to do it, but it

is a power that we have no power to do: for if he show us

5

his wounds and tell us his deeds, we are to put our tongues into those wounds and speak for them; so, if he tell us his noble deeds, we must also tell him our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monstrous: and for the multitude to be ingrateful, were to make a monster of the multitude; of 10 the which we being members, should bring ourselves to be monstrous members.

First Cit. And to make us no better thought of, a little help will serve; for once we stood up about the corn, he himself stuck not to call us the many-headed multitude.

Third Cit. We have been called so of many; not that our heads are some brown, some black, some auburn, some bald, but that our wits are so diversely coloured: and truly I think, if all our wits were to issue out of one skull, they would fly east, west, north, south, and their consent of one direct way should be at once to all the points o' the compass. Sec. Cit. Think you so? Which way do you judge my wit would fly?

15

20

Third Cit. Nay, your wit will not so soon out as another man's will; 'tis strongly wedged up in a block-head; but if 25 it were at liberty, 'twould, sure, southward.

Sec. Cit. Why that way?

Third Cit. To lose itself in a fog; where being three parts melted away with rotten dews, the fourth would return for conscience sake, to help to get thee a wife.

Sec. Cit. You are never without your tricks: you may, you may.

Third Cit. Are you all resolved to give your voices? But that's no matter, the greater part carries it. I say, if he would incline to the people, there was never a worthier man.

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