Bru.
Then you hear nothing from him?

Men.
No, I hear nothing;
His Mother and his Wife hear nothing from him.

Bru.
In War this Marcius was a worthy Officer,
But insolent in Peace, o'ercome with Pride;
Ambitious even beyond Imagination,
And doating on himself.

Sic.
And aiming at perpetual Soveraignty.

Men.
Had Caius Marcius aim'd at Soveraignty
He would have been more popular.
For the Patrician who enslaves this People
Must do it by themselves.

Sic.
We should, by this, have felt his Tyranny,
To all our Sorrows, had he gone forth Consul.

Bru.
The Gods have well prevented it, and Rome
Sits safe and easy still without him. Enter an Ædile.

Æd.
Worthy Tribunes,

There is a Slave, whom we have thrown in Prison,
Reports, the Voscians, with two several Powers,
Are entred in the Roman Territories,
And with the deepest Malice of the War
Destroy what lies before them.

Bru.
Go see this Rumourer whipt for his bold Lie.
The Volscians, whom so lately we reduc'd,
Have not the Heart to break with us. Enter Messenger.

Mess.
The Fathers, in great Earnestness, are going
All to the Senate House; some News is come
That turns their Countenances.

Sic.
'Tis this Slave.
Whip him before the People's Eyes, for daring
Thus to disturb the Town by his Invention.

Mess.
But, worthy Sir,
The Slave's Report is seconded; and more,
More fearful is deliver'd.

Sic.
What more fearful?

Mess.
Sir, 'tis by many Mouths deliver'd freely,
How probably I cannot tell, that Marcius,
Join'd with Aufidius, marches against Rome,
And vows Revenge as ample as between
The youngest and the oldest of our Romans.

Sic.
This is most likely!

Bru.
Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may wish
Good Marcius home again.

Sic.
The very Trick on't.

Men.
This is improbable, and highly so;
He and Aufidius are no more compatible
Than the two Branches of a Contradiction. Enter second Messenger.

2 Mess.
You are sent for to the Senate:
A fearful Army, led by Caius Marcius,
Associated with fell Aufidius, rages
Upon our Territories, and already
Have mark'd their way with Fire, and Blood, and Ruin. Enter Cominius.

Com.
Oh! you have made rare Work!

Men.
What News, what News?

Com.
Yes, you have helpt to ravish your own Daughters!
To see your Wives dishonour'd to your Noses.

Men.
What is the News, what is the News, Cominius?
If Marcius should be join'd with Volscians—

Com.
If Marcius should be join'd—
Why he's their God, he leads them like a Being
Made by some nobler Artist than meer Nature,
That forms Man perfecter, and shapes him better.
And under him they march with no less Confidence,
Than Heroes when commanded by a God.

Men.
Oh! you have made good Work!

Com.
He'll shake your Rome about your Ears.

Men.
As Hercules the Pillars which he rais'd.
You have made fair Work.

Bru.
But is this true, Sir?

Com.
As sure as you'll look pale, and tremble too,
Before you find it other; all the Regions
With cheerfulness revolt, they who resist
Are mock'd for valiant Ignorance,
And perish constant Fools. And who can blame him?
Your Enemies and his find something in him,
Tho' you so much contemn'd him.

Men.
We are all undone, unless the Godlike Man
Have Mercy equal to forgiving Gods.

Com.
And who shall dare to ask it?
The Tribunes cannot do't for shame, the People
Deserve such Pity of him as the Wolf
Does of the Shepherd: Which of his best Friends
Has not deserted him, and seem'd his Enemy?

Men.
True! Were he putting to my House the Brand
Which should consume it, I have not the Face
To say, I beg you cease. You have made fair Hands:
You and your Crafts-Men, you have crafted fair.

Com.
You have brought
A Trembling upon Rome, such as was never
So incapable of Help.

Trib.
Say not we brought it.

Men.
How! Was it we? We lov'd him.
But yet, like timerous Beasts, and dastard Nobles,
Submitted basely to your Noisy Clusters,
And passively beheld him hooted from our Walls.

Com.
But they, I fear, who thus could hoot him out,
Will roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
The second Name of Men, obeys his Nod,
As if he were his Subaltern: Despair
Is all the Strength, Defence and Policy
That Rome can make against them. Enter a Troop of Citizens.

Men.
Here come the Clusters!
And is Aufidius with him! You are they
That made the Air unwholsome, when you cast
Your stinking greasy Caps in nauseous hooting
At Coriolanus Exile. Now he's coming,
And not a Hair upon a Soldier's Head
Which will not prove a Scorpion.
As many Coxcombs as you threw up Caps,
He'll tumble down, and pay you for your Voices.
Nay, 'tis no Matter.
If he could burn us all into one Coal,
We have deserv'd to be consum'd together.

All Cit.
Faith, we hear fearful News.

1 Cit.
For my own part,
When I said Banish him, I said 'twas pity.

2 Cit.

And so did I.

3 Cit.

And so did I. And, to say the Truth, so did very many of us; nay, indeed, all of us.

All Cit.

Ay, all of us.

Com.

All of you say so! How came he banish'd then?

1 Cit.

What we did, we did for the best, and tho' we consented to his Banishment, yet was it against our Wills.

Com.
Against your Wills! You goodly things, you
Who urg'd you on to such a fatal Injury?

1 Cit.
Why e'en our worthy Tribunes.

Com.
Why then your worthy Tribunes are the Persons
Who have laid waste the Roman Territory,
Have brought their Country to the brink of Ruin,
Have to the Temples of our Gods set Fire,
Have fix'd the murthering Knife to all your Throats,
And, to the Arms of leud Licentious Ruffians,
Have given your Wives and Daughters. So farewell.

1 Cit.

O terrible!

Com.
Come on, Menenius, let us to the Capitol. [Exe. Com. and Men.

2 Cit.
Have our Tribunes done all this?

3 Cit.
The Furies break their Necks for it.

4 Cit.

What need we trouble the damn'd Neighbours, for what we can do ourselves. We are the Furies.

All Cit.

Ay, we are the Furies, we are the Furies. To the Rock, to the Rock with them.

Bru.

How!

Sic.

What do I hear?

4 Cit.

The Punishment they design'd for Coriolanus, let them feel themselves.

All Cit.

To the Rock, to the Rock with them.

Bru.

Hear me, my Masters.

1 Cit.

No, no, you have prated us into Mischief enough already, a Plague o'your Rhetorical Throats for it.

Sic.

Can you refuse to hear us then, my Masters?

2 Cit.

No, by no Means, but you shall take a gentle leap first.

4 Cit.

We shall see what a delicate Speech you'll make when your Neck's broke.

All Cit.

To the Rock, to the Rock, away with 'em.

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