Menenius with him.
1 Cit.
Look, here he comes in the Robe of Humility: Mark his
Behaviour; Observe me Neighbours, we are not to Advance altogether;
but to come to him where he stands, by One's, by Two's,
and by Three's; then is he to make his Request by Particulars,
wherein every one of us has a single Honour, in giving Him our
own Voices, with our own Tongues; therefore follow me, and I'll
shew you the Trick on't.
All.
Content, content.
Men.
Oh! Sir you are not Right in this, you know
The Worthyest Men have don't.
Cor.
What must I say? I pray Sir? Plague upon't,
I cannot bring my Tongue to such Tune:
Look Sir, my Wounds
I got 'em in my Country's Service, when
Some, Certain of your Brethren Roar'd, and Ran
From the Noise of our own Drums.
-- 21 --
Men.
O Gods! You must not speak of this,
You must Desire 'em Sir, to Think upon you.
Cor.
Think on me? Hang 'em,
I wou'd they wou'd Forget me, like their Pray'rs.
Men.
You will Marr All; I'll leave you;
Beseech you speak to 'em in the Mildest manner.
Cor.
Hell! Bid 'em Wash their Faces,
And keep their Teeth Clean: so, here comes a Brace;
You know the Cause Sir of my standing here.
1 Cit.
We do Sir; therefore Desire you tell us what brought
you hither.
Cor.
My own Desert.
2 Cit.
Your own Desert!
Cor.
But not my own Desire.
3 Cit.
How! Not your own Desire.
Cor.
No Sir,
It never yet was my Desire to Trouble
The Poor with Begging.
1 Cit.
You must think Sir, if we give you any thing, it is in
Hope to Gain by you.
Cor.
Well, Then your Price o'th' Consulship?
1 Cit.
The Price is, to Ask it Kindly.
Cor.
Then Kind Sir, let me have it, I have Wounds to shew,
Which shall be yours in Private: Your good Voice Sir,
What say You?
2 Cit.
You have it Worthy Sir.
Cor.
A Match Sir; so, There's in All, two Worthy Voices
Begg'd; I have your Alms, Adieu.
Enter Two more.
Cor.
Pray now, If it may stand with the Tune of your good
Voices, that I may be Consul? I have here the Customary
Gown.
3 Cit.
You have Deserv'd Nobly of your Country, and you
have not Deserv'd Nobly.
Cor.
Your Enigma?
3 Cit.
You have been a Scourge to Her Enemies, and a Rod
-- 22 --
to Her Friends: You Hate the People.
Cor.
You shou'd Account me the more Virtuous for't,
That I have not been Common in my Love.
Therefore let me be Consul.
4 Cit.
Well, We Hope to find you our Friend yet; and therefore
give you our Voices.
Cor.
Agreed Sir, better 'tis to Dye, to Starve,
Than Beg the Hire, for which we first did Serve:
This Imposition is by Custom laid;
Must Custom then in All things be Obey'd?
The Dust on Antique Time, wou'd lye Unswept,
And Mountains Errour, be too highly Heapt
For Truth t'ore-peer; rather than Fool it so,
Let the High Office, and the Honour go
To one cou'd bear This—yet am I half through.
Here come more Judges.
Two more come forward.
Your Voices; for your Voices have I Fought;
Watch't for your Voices; for your Voices bear,
Of Wounds Two Dozen Odd: have for your Voices
Done many Things, some more, some less;
Your Voices then: Indeed I wou'd be Consul.
5 Cit.
The Truth is, You have Behav'd your self, as I shou'd
have done in the same Place; and therefore you shall have my
Voice, as I wou'd Expect it my self.
6 Cit.
Heav'n Bless our Noble Consul.
[Exeunt.
Cor.
Precious Voters.
Enter Menenius, with Brutus and Sicinius.
Men.
You have stood your Limitation, and the Tribunes
Endue you with the Peoples Choice.
It now remains, that in Robes of Honour,
You Wait upon the Senate.
Cor.
Is this done?
Sic.
The Custom of Request you have Discharg'd;
-- 23 --
The People do Admit you, and are Summon'd
To Meet Anon upon your Approbation.
Cor.
Where? at the Senate-House.
Bru.
There Coriolanus.
Cor.
Then I may Shift these Garments?
Sic.
You may Sir.
Cor.
Good, then I'll Know my self again,
And hast to the Capitol.
Men.
I'll bear you Company; will you along.
Sic.
We stay here to Dismiss the People.
[Ex. Cor. Men.
He has it now, and by his Looks, Methinks
'Tis Warm at's Heart.
Bru.
With a Proud Heart, He Wore his humble Weeds:
Will you Dismiss the Crow'd.
Enter the Plebeians.
Sic.
How now my Masters, have you Chose this Man.
1 Cit.
He has our Voices Sir.
Bru.
We Pray the Gods He may Deserve your Kindness.
1 Cit.
The Gods, and We, are Agreed about that Matter already:
You say He's Proud. I say He call'd me Sir, and Carry'd himself
Like a most Civil Gentleman.
2 Cit.
To my Thinking, he Flouted us down-right.
1 Cit.
It is his kind of Speech, he has a Scurvy handsome Way
with him, that's the Truth on't.
Sic.
He shew'd You too, his Marks of Merit, Wounds
Receiv'd for's Country.
1 Cit.
He did so; I remember All, as well as the Wart on my
Nose.
2 All.
No, no, no Man saw 'em.
1 Cit.
Right, now I Remember better, I saw never a One of 'em:
The Gods send he have Any, I say: he said he Wounds for us,
I think some Eight or Ten Douzen; and Waving his Hand thus
in Scorn, I wou'd be Consul, sayes he, and Custom will not let me,
but by your Voices; I have need at present of your Voices; therefore
let me have your Voices; which when we Granted, I Thank you
for 'em (quoth he) and now you have left your Voices, I have no further
-- 24 --
with you. And he's the dullest Rogue in Rome, that cou'd
not find This to be meer Mockery.
Bru.
Why then were you so Stupid not to see't;
Or seeing it, so Senseless to Approve Him?
Sic.
Cou'd you not have told him,
As we had Taught you; That when he had no Pow'r,
But was a petty Servant to the State:
He was your Enemy, and ever spoke against
The Liberties and Charters, that you bear
I'th' Common-wealth; and being now Arriv'd
To a Place of Pow'r and Sway, if he shou'd still
Malignantly Remain your Foe;
Your Voices wou'd be Curses to your selves.
1 Cit.
I, so I told 'em, but their Hearts were as Hard as their
Forehead.
Bru.
Thus to have said, as you were Fore-instructed,
Had Touch't his Spirit, and Try'd his Inclination:
Had either Forc't from him a gracious Promise,
Which you might afterwards have Held him to,
Or else it wou'd have Gall'd his surly Nature:
And to such angry Mood Enrag'd him, that
You might have took Advantage of his Passion,
And pass'd him Unelected.
1 Cit.
I Told 'em that too. Well, He's not Confirm'd, and we
may Deny him yet.
2 Cit.
And will Deny him:
I have Five Hundred Voters of that Sound.
1 Cit.
I, Twice Five Hundred, with their Friends to Back 'em.
Bru.
Get you Hence Instantly, and tell those Friends,
They have Chose a Consul that will take from 'em
Their Liberties; make 'em of no more Voice
Than Dogs, that often are for Barking beaten,
Yet only Kept to Bark.
Sic.
Assemble therefore on a safer Judgement,
And All Revoke your Ignorant Election;
Enforce his Pride to shew his Hate; Forget not
With what Contempt he Wore the Custom'd Robe:
And Lastly, Lay the Fault on us your Tribunes.
-- 25 --
Bru.
I, Spare us not,
Say any thing whereby you may Revoke your suddain Choice;
And then, as soon as you have Drawn your Number,
Repair to the Capitol.
All.
We will so.
1 Cit.
And rather then Fail, we'll Swear every Man of us, we
never gave him our Consent. Away, away.
[Exeunt.
Bru.
Let 'em go on;
This Mutiny were better put in Hazzard,
Than Run a greater, and more certain Mischief:
If (as he surely will) he fall in Rage
With their Refusal, we'll be close at Hand,
To watch th'Advantage his blind Fury yeilds;
And from his own Spleen, work a Snare to Hold him.
[Exeunt.
Nahum Tate [1682], The ingratitude of a Common-Wealth: Or, the fall of Caius Martius Coriolanus. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal. By N. Tate (Printed by T. M. for Joseph Hindmarsh [etc.], London) [word count] [S30600].
