Coriolanus Part 9

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Choler!

Were I as patient as the midnight sleep, By Jove, 'twould be my mind!

SICINIUS. It is a mind That shall remain a poison where it is, Not poison any further.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Shall remain!

Hear you this Triton of the minnows? Mark you His absolute 'shall'?

COMINIUS. 'Twas from the canon.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. 'Shall'!

O good but most unwise patricians! Why, You grave but reckless senators, have you thus Given Hydra leave to choose an officer That with his peremptory 'shall,' being but The horn and noise o' th' monster's, wants not spirit To say he'll turn your current in a ditch, And make your channel his? If he have power, Then vail your ignorance; if none, awake Your dangerous lenity. If you are learn'd, Be not as common fools; if you are not, Let them have cushions by you. You are plebeians, If they be senators; and they are no less, When, both your voices blended, the great'st taste Most palates theirs. They choose their magistrate; And such a one as he, who puts his 'shall,'

His popular 'shall,' against a graver bench Than ever frown'd in Greece. By Jove himself, It makes the consuls base; and my soul aches To know, when two authorities are up, Neither supreme, how soon confusion May enter 'twixt the gap of both and take The one by th' other.

COMINIUS. Well, on to th' market-place.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Whoever gave that counsel to give forth The corn o' th' storehouse gratis, as 'twas us'd Sometime in Greece- MENENIUS. Well, well, no more of that.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Though there the people had more absolute pow'r- I say they nourish'd disobedience, fed The ruin of the state.

BRUTUS. Why shall the people give One that speaks thus their voice?

CORIOLa.n.u.s. I'll give my reasons, More worthier than their voices. They know the corn Was not our recompense, resting well a.s.sur'd They ne'er did service for't; being press'd to th' war Even when the navel of the state was touch'd, They would not thread the gates. This kind of service Did not deserve corn gratis. Being i' th' war, Their mutinies and revolts, wherein they show'd Most valour, spoke not for them. Th' accusation Which they have often made against the Senate, All cause unborn, could never be the motive Of our so frank donation. Well, what then?

How shall this bosom multiplied digest The Senate's courtesy? Let deeds express What's like to be their words: 'We did request it; We are the greater poll, and in true fear They gave us our demands.' Thus we debase The nature of our seats, and make the rabble Call our cares fears; which will in time Break ope the locks o' th' Senate and bring in The crows to peck the eagles.

MENENIUS. Come, enough.

BRUTUS. Enough, with over measure.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. No, take more.

What may be sworn by, both divine and human, Seal what I end withal! This double worship, Where one part does disdain with cause, the other Insult without all reason; where gentry, t.i.tle, wisdom, Cannot conclude but by the yea and no Of general ignorance- it must omit Real necessities, and give way the while To unstable slightness. Purpose so barr'd, it follows Nothing is done to purpose. Therefore, beseech you- You that will be less fearful than discreet; That love the fundamental part of state More than you doubt the change on't; that prefer A n.o.ble life before a long, and wish To jump a body with a dangerous physic That's sure of death without it- at once pluck out The mult.i.tudinous tongue; let them not lick The sweet which is their poison. Your dishonour Mangles true judgment, and bereaves the state Of that integrity which should become't, Not having the power to do the good it would, For th' ill which doth control't.

BRUTUS. Has said enough.

SICINIUS. Has spoken like a traitor and shall answer As traitors do.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Thou wretch, despite o'erwhelm thee!

What should the people do with these bald tribunes, On whom depending, their obedience fails To the greater bench? In a rebellion, When what's not meet, but what must be, was law, Then were they chosen; in a better hour Let what is meet be said it must be meet, And throw their power i' th' dust.

BRUTUS. Manifest treason!

SICINIUS. This a consul? No.

BRUTUS. The aediles, ho!

Enter an AEDILE

Let him be apprehended.

SICINIUS. Go call the people, [Exit AEDILE] in whose name myself Attach thee as a traitorous innovator, A foe to th' public weal. Obey, I charge thee, And follow to thine answer.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Hence, old goat!

PATRICIANS. We'll surety him.

COMINIUS. Ag'd sir, hands off.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Hence, rotten thing! or I shall shake thy bones Out of thy garments.

SICINIUS. Help, ye citizens!

Enter a rabble of plebeians, with the AEDILES

MENENIUS. On both sides more respect.

SICINIUS. Here's he that would take from you all your power.

BRUTUS. Seize him, aediles.

PLEBEIANS. Down with him! down with him!

SECOND SENATOR. Weapons, weapons, weapons!

[They all bustle about CORIOLa.n.u.s]

ALL. Tribunes! patricians! citizens! What, ho! Sicinius!

Brutus! Coriola.n.u.s! Citizens!

PATRICIANS. Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace!

MENENIUS. What is about to be? I am out of breath; Confusion's near; I cannot speak. You tribunes To th' people- Coriola.n.u.s, patience!

Speak, good Sicinius.

SICINIUS. Hear me, people; peace!

PLEBEIANS. Let's hear our tribune. Peace! Speak, speak, speak.

SICINIUS. You are at point to lose your liberties.

Marcius would have all from you; Marcius, Whom late you have nam'd for consul.

MENENIUS. Fie, fie, fie!

This is the way to kindle, not to quench.

FIRST SENATOR. To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat.

SICINIUS. What is the city but the people?

PLEBEIANS. True, The people are the city.

BRUTUS. By the consent of all we were establish'd The people's magistrates.

PLEBEIANS. You so remain.

MENENIUS. And so are like to do.

COMINIUS. That is the way to lay the city flat, To bring the roof to the foundation, And bury all which yet distinctly ranges In heaps and piles of ruin.

SICINIUS. This deserves death.

BRUTUS. Or let us stand to our authority Or let us lose it. We do here p.r.o.nounce, Upon the part o' th' people, in whose power We were elected theirs: Marcius is worthy Of present death.

SICINIUS. Therefore lay hold of him; Bear him to th' rock Tarpeian, and from thence Into destruction cast him.

BRUTUS. AEdiles, seize him.

PLEBEIANS. Yield, Marcius, yield.

MENENIUS. Hear me one word; beseech you, Tribunes, Hear me but a word.

AEDILES. Peace, peace!

MENENIUS. Be that you seem, truly your country's friend, And temp'rately proceed to what you would Thus violently redress.

BRUTUS. Sir, those cold ways, That seem like prudent helps, are very poisonous Where the disease is violent. Lay hands upon him And bear him to the rock.

[CORIOLa.n.u.s draws his sword]

CORIOLa.n.u.s. No: I'll die here.

There's some among you have beheld me fighting; Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me.

MENENIUS. Down with that sword! Tribunes, withdraw awhile.

BRUTUS. Lay hands upon him.

MENENIUS. Help Marcius, help, You that be n.o.ble; help him, young and old.

PLEBEIANS. Down with him, down with him!

[In this mutiny the TRIBUNES, the AEDILES, and the people are beat in]

MENENIUS. Go, get you to your house; be gone, away.

All will be nought else.

SECOND SENATOR. Get you gone.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. Stand fast; We have as many friends as enemies.

MENENIUS. Shall it be put to that?

FIRST SENATOR. The G.o.ds forbid!

I prithee, n.o.ble friend, home to thy house; Leave us to cure this cause.

MENENIUS. For 'tis a sore upon us You cannot tent yourself; be gone, beseech you.

COMINIUS. Come, sir, along with us.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. I would they were barbarians, as they are, Though in Rome litter'd; not Romans, as they are not, Though calved i' th' porch o' th' Capitol.

MENENIUS. Be gone.

Put not your worthy rage into your tongue; One time will owe another.

CORIOLa.n.u.s. On fair ground I could beat forty of them.

MENENIUS. I could myself Take up a brace o' th' best of them; yea, the two tribunes.

COMINIUS. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetic, And manhood is call'd foolery when it stands Against a falling fabric. Will you hence, Before the tag return? whose rage doth rend Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear What they are us'd to bear.

MENENIUS. Pray you be gone.

I'll try whether my old wit be in request With those that have but little; this must be patch'd With cloth of any colour.

COMINIUS. Nay, come away.

Exeunt CORIOLa.n.u.s and COMINIUS, with others PATRICIANS. This man has marr'd his fortune.

MENENIUS. His nature is too n.o.ble for the world: He would not flatter Neptune for his trident, Or Jove for's power to thunder. His heart's his mouth; What his breast forges, that his tongue must vent; And, being angry, does forget that ever He heard the name of death. [A noise within]