| ACT IV SCENE VI. Rome. A public place. |
| [Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS] |
| SICINIUS | We hear not of him, neither need we fear him; |
| His remedies are tame i' the present peace |
| And quietness of the people, which before |
| Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends |
| Blush that the world goes well, who rather had, | 5 |
| Though they themselves did suffer by't, behold |
| Dissentious numbers pestering streets than see |
| Our tradesmen with in their shops and going |
| About their functions friendly. |
| BRUTUS | We stood to't in good time. | 10 |
[Enter MENENIUS] |
| Is this Menenius? |
| SICINIUS | 'Tis he,'tis he: O, he is grown most kind of late. |
| Both Tribunes | Hail sir! |
| MENENIUS | Hail to you both! |
| SICINIUS | Your Coriolanus | 15 |
| Is not much miss'd, but with his friends: |
| The commonwealth doth stand, and so would do, |
| Were he more angry at it. |
| MENENIUS | All's well; and might have been much better, if |
| He could have temporized. | 20 |
| SICINIUS | Where is he, hear you? |
| MENENIUS | Nay, I hear nothing: his mother and his wife |
| Hear nothing from him. |
| [Enter three or four Citizens] |
| Citizens | The gods preserve you both! |
| SICINIUS | God-den, our neighbours. | 25 |
| BRUTUS | God-den to you all, god-den to you all. |
| First Citizen | Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our knees, |
| Are bound to pray for you both. |
| SICINIUS | Live, and thrive! |
| BRUTUS | Farewell, kind neighbours: we wish'd Coriolanus | 30 |
| Had loved you as we did. |
| Citizens | Now the gods keep you! |
| Both Tribunes | Farewell, farewell. |
| [Exeunt Citizens] |
| SICINIUS | This is a happier and more comely time |
| Than when these fellows ran about the streets, | 35 |
| Crying confusion. |
| BRUTUS | Caius Marcius was |
| A worthy officer i' the war; but insolent, |
| O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking, |
| Self-loving,-- | 40 |
| SICINIUS | And affecting one sole throne, |
| Without assistance. |
| MENENIUS | I think not so. |
| SICINIUS | We should by this, to all our lamentation, |
| If he had gone forth consul, found it so. | 45 |
| BRUTUS | The gods have well prevented it, and Rome |
| Sits safe and still without him. |
| [Enter an AEdile] |
| AEdile | Worthy tribunes, |
| There is a slave, whom we have put in prison, |
| Reports, the Volsces with two several powers | 50 |
| Are enter'd in the Roman territories, |
| And with the deepest malice of the war |
| Destroy what lies before 'em. |
| MENENIUS | 'Tis Aufidius, |
| Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment, | 55 |
| Thrusts forth his horns again into the world; |
| Which were inshell'd when Marcius stood for Rome, |
| And durst not once peep out. |
| SICINIUS | Come, what talk you |
| Of Marcius? | 60 |
| BRUTUS | Go see this rumourer whipp'd. It cannot be |
| The Volsces dare break with us. |
| MENENIUS | Cannot be! |
| We have record that very well it can, |
| And three examples of the like have been | 65 |
| Within my age. But reason with the fellow, |
| Before you punish him, where he heard this, |
| Lest you shall chance to whip your information |
| And beat the messenger who bids beware |
| Of what is to be dreaded. | 70 |
| SICINIUS | Tell not me: |
| I know this cannot be. |
| BRUTUS | Not possible. |
| [Enter a Messenger] |
| Messenger | The nobles in great earnestness are going |
| All to the senate-house: some news is come | 75 |
| That turns their countenances. |
| SICINIUS | 'Tis this slave;-- |
| Go whip him, 'fore the people's eyes:--his raising; |
| Nothing but his report. |
| Messenger | Yes, worthy sir, | 80 |
| The slave's report is seconded; and more, |
| More fearful, is deliver'd. |
| SICINIUS | What more fearful? |
| Messenger | It is spoke freely out of many mouths-- |
| How probable I do not know--that Marcius, | 85 |
| Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome, |
| And vows revenge as spacious as between |
| The young'st and oldest thing. |
| SICINIUS | This is most likely! |
| BRUTUS | Raised only, that the weaker sort may wish | 90 |
| Good Marcius home again. |
| SICINIUS | The very trick on't. |
| MENENIUS | This is unlikely: |
| He and Aufidius can no more atone |
| Than violentest contrariety. | 95 |
| [Enter a second Messenger] |
| Second Messenger | You are sent for to the senate: |
| A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius |
| Associated with Aufidius, rages |
| Upon our territories; and have already |
| O'erborne their way, consumed with fire, and took | 100 |
| What lay before them. |
| [Enter COMINIUS] |
| COMINIUS | O, you have made good work! |
| MENENIUS | What news? what news? |
| COMINIUS | You have holp to ravish your own daughters and |
| To melt the city leads upon your pates, | 105 |
| To see your wives dishonour'd to your noses,-- |
| MENENIUS | What's the news? what's the news? |
| COMINIUS | Your temples burned in their cement, and |
| Your franchises, whereon you stood, confined |
| Into an auger's bore. | 110 |
| MENENIUS | Pray now, your news? |
| You have made fair work, I fear me.--Pray, your news?-- |
| If Marcius should be join'd with Volscians,-- |
| COMINIUS | If! |
| He is their god: he leads them like a thing | 115 |
| Made by some other deity than nature, |
| That shapes man better; and they follow him, |
| Against us brats, with no less confidence |
| Than boys pursuing summer butterflies, |
| Or butchers killing flies. | 120 |
| MENENIUS | You have made good work, |
| You and your apron-men; you that stood so up much |
| on the voice of occupation and |
| The breath of garlic-eaters! |
| COMINIUS | He will shake | 125 |
| Your Rome about your ears. |
| MENENIUS | As Hercules |
| Did shake down mellow fruit. |
| You have made fair work! |
| BRUTUS | But is this true, sir? | 130 |
| COMINIUS | Ay; and you'll look pale |
| Before you find it other. All the regions |
| Do smilingly revolt; and who resist |
| Are mock'd for valiant ignorance, |
| And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him? | 135 |
| Your enemies and his find something in him. |
| MENENIUS | We are all undone, unless |
| The noble man have mercy. |
| COMINIUS | Who shall ask it? |
| The tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people | 140 |
| Deserve such pity of him as the wolf |
| Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if they |
| Should say 'Be good to Rome,' they charged him even |
| As those should do that had deserved his hate, |
| And therein show'd like enemies. | 145 |
| MENENIUS | 'Tis true: |
| If he were putting to my house the brand |
| That should consume it, I have not the face |
| To say 'Beseech you, cease.' You have made fair hands, |
| You and your crafts! you have crafted fair! | 150 |
| COMINIUS | You have brought |
| A trembling upon Rome, such as was never |
| So incapable of help. |
| Both Tribunes | Say not we brought it. |
| MENENIUS | How! Was it we? we loved him but, like beasts | 155 |
| And cowardly nobles, gave way unto your clusters, |
| Who did hoot him out o' the city. |
| COMINIUS | But I fear |
| They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius, |
| The second name of men, obeys his points | 160 |
| As if he were his officer: desperation |
| Is all the policy, strength and defence, |
| That Rome can make against them. |
| [Enter a troop of Citizens] |
| MENENIUS | Here come the clusters. |
| And is Aufidius with him? You are they | 165 |
| That made the air unwholesome, when you cast |
| Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at |
| Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming; |
| And not a hair upon a soldier's head |
| Which will not prove a whip: as many coxcombs | 170 |
| As you threw caps up will he tumble down, |
| And pay you for your voices. 'Tis no matter; |
| if he could burn us all into one coal, |
| We have deserved it. |
| Citizens | Faith, we hear fearful news. | 175 |
| First Citizen | For mine own part, |
| When I said, banish him, I said 'twas pity. |
| Second Citizen | And so did I. |
| Third Citizen | And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very |
| many of us: that we did, we did for the best; and | 180 |
| though we willingly consented to his banishment, yet |
| it was against our will. |
| COMINIUS | Ye re goodly things, you voices! |
| MENENIUS | You have made |
| Good work, you and your cry! Shall's to the Capitol? | 185 |
| COMINIUS | O, ay, what else? |
| [Exeunt COMINIUS and MENENIUS] |
| SICINIUS | Go, masters, get you home; be not dismay'd: |
| These are a side that would be glad to have |
| This true which they so seem to fear. Go home, |
| And show no sign of fear. | 190 |
| First Citizen | The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let's home. |
| I ever said we were i' the wrong when we banished |
| him. |
| Second Citizen | So did we all. But, come, let's home. |
| [Exeunt Citizens] |
| BRUTUS | I do not like this news. | 195 |
| SICINIUS | Nor I. |
| BRUTUS | Let's to the Capitol. Would half my wealth |
| Would buy this for a lie! |
| SICINIUS | Pray, let us go. |
| [Exeunt] |
Shakespeare's Sources for Coriolanus