Volusius.
Whence is it, Tullus, that our arms are stopt
Here on the borders of the Roman state?
Why sleeps that spirit, whose heroick ardour
Urg'd you to break the truce, and pour'd our host
From all th' united cantons of the Volsci,
On their unguarded frontiers; such designs
Brook not an hour's delay; their whole success
Depends on instant vigorous execution.

Tullus.
Volusius, I approve thy brave impatience;
And will to thee, in confidence of friendship,
Disclose my secret soul. Thou know'st Galesus,
Whose freedom Caius Marcius, once his guest,
Of all the spoil of sack'd Corioli,
Alone demanded; and who thence to Rome,
From gratitude and friendship, follow'd Marcius:
Whence lately to our Antium he return'd,
With overtures of peace propos'd by Rome.

Volusius.
O, 'tis a wild chimæra! Peace with Rome!
Dream not of that, unless the Volcian courage
Be quite subdu'd, and only seeks to gild
A vile submission with that specious name.
Learn wisdom from your neighbours. Peace with Rome
Has quell'd the Latins, tam'd their free-born spirit,
And by her friendship honour'd them with chains.

Tullus.
She ne'er will grant it on the just conditions
I now have brought the Volsci to demand:
The restitution of our conquer'd cities,
And fair alliance upon equal terms.

I know the Roman insolence will scorn
To yield to this; and Titus must return
Within three days, the longest term allow'd him;
Of which the third is near elaps'd already.
Then even Galesus will not dare to stop us,
With superstitious forms, and solemn trifles,
From letting loose th' unbridled rage of war
Against those hated tyrants of Hesperia.

Volusius.
Thanks to the Gods! my sword will then be free.
Then, poor Corioli! thy bleeding wounds,
Thy treasures sack'd, thy captivated matrons,
Shall amply be reveng'd by thy Volusius:
Then, Tullus, from the lofty brows of Marcius,
Thou may'st regain the wreaths his conquering hand,
By partial fortune aided, tore from thine.

Tullus.
O, my Volusius! thou, who art a soldier,
A try'd and brave one too, say, in thy heart
Dost thou not scorn me? Thou, who sawst me bend
Beneath the half-spent thunder of a foe,
Warm from the conquest of Corioli;
His wounds undrest, in haste he flew
To where our armies on the fearful edge
Of battle stood; and asking, of the consul,
To be oppos'd to me, with mighty rage,
Resistless, bore us down.

Volusius.
True Valour, Tullus,
Lies in the mind, the never-yielding purpose,
Nor owns the blind award of giddy fortune.

Tullus.
My soul, my friend, my soul is all on fire!
Thirst of revenge consumes me! the revenge
Of generous emulation, not of hatred.
Yes, Marcius, I will yet redeem my fame.
To face thee once again is the great purpose
For which alone I live—'Till then, how slow,

How tedious lags the time! while shame corrodes me,
With many a bitter thought; and injur'd honour
Sick, and desponding, preys upon it self.

Volusius.
It fast approaches now, the hour of vengeance,
To this fam'd land, to ancient Latium due.
Unballanc'd Rome, at variance with her self;
To order lost, in hot and deep commotion,
Stands on the dangerous point of civil war;
Her haughty nobles and seditious commons
Reviling, fearing, hating one another:
While, on our part, all wears a prosperous face:
Our troops united, numerous, high in spirit,
As if their general's soul inform'd them all.
O long expected day!

Tullus.
Go, brave Volusius,
Go breath thy ardour into every breast,
That when the Volscian envoy shall return,
One spirit may unite us in the cause
Of generous freedom, and our native rights,
So long opprest by Rome's encroaching power. [Exit Volusius. Tullus alone.
Galesus said that Marcius stands for consul.
O favour thou his suit, propitious Jove!
That I may brave him at his army's head,
In all the majesty of sovereign power! Enter an Officer.
Ha! why this haste? You look alarm'd.

Officer.
My lord,
One of exalted port, his visage hid,
Has plac'd himself upon your sacred hearth,

Beneath the dread protection of your lares,
And sits majestic there in solemn silence.

Tullus.
Did you not ask him who, and what he was?

Officer.
My lord, I cou'd not speak; I felt appall'd,
As if the presence of some god had struck me.

Tullus.
Come, dastard! Let me find this man of terrors. [Exeunt. Scene 2 SCENE Opens and discovers Coriolanus as described.

Enter Tullus, after some silence he speaks.
Illustrious stranger!—for thy high demeanour
Bespeaks thee such—Who art thou?

Coriolanus. [Rising, and unmuffling his face.]
View me Tullus—
Dost thou not know me?

Tullus. [After some pause.]
No, that noble front
I never saw before. What is thy name?

Coriolanus.
Does not the secret voice of hostile instinct,
Does not thy swelling heart declare me to thee!

Tullus.
Gods!—Can it be?

Coriolanus.
Yes, I am Caius Marcius;
Known to thy smarting country by the name
Of Coriolanus; that alone is left me,
That empty name, for all my toils, my service,
The blood which I have shed for thankless Rome.
Behold me banish'd thence, a victim yielded
By her weak nobles to the maddening rabble.

I seek revenge. Thou may'st employ my sword,
With keener edge, with heavier force against her,
Than e'er it fell upon the Volscian nation.
But if thou, Tullus, dost refuse me this,
The only wish of my collected heart,
Where every passion in one burning point
Concenters; give me death: Death from thy hand
I sure have well deserv'd—Nor shall I blush
To take or life or death from Attius Tullus.

Tullus.
Oh! Marcius! Marcius!
Each word, thou'st spoke, hath weeded from my heart
A Root of ancient envy. Let me twine
Mine arms about that body, where against
My grained ash an hundred times hath broke,
And scar'd the moon with splinters: Here I clip
The anvil of my sword, and do contest
As hotly, and as nobly with thy love,
As ever in ambitious strength I did
Contend against thy valour.

Coriolanus.
Thus, generous Tullus, take a soldier's thanks. [Embracing him.
Who is not practis'd in the gloss of words—
Thou friend indeed! Friend to my cause, my quarrel!
Friend to the darling passion of my soul!
All else I set at naught! immortal Gods!
I am new made, and wonder at myself!
A little while ago, and I was nothing;
A powerless reptile, crawling on the earth,
Curs'd with a soul that restless wish'd to wield
The bolts of Jove! I dwelt in Erebus.
I wandred through the hopeless glooms of hell,
Stung with revenge, tormented by the furies!
Now, Tullus, like a God, you draw me thence,
Throne me amidst the skies, with tempest charg'd,
And put the ready thunder in my hand!

Tullus.
What I have promis'd, Marcius, I will do.
Within an hour at farthest we expect
The freedman of Galesus back from Rome
Who carry'd to the senate our demands.
Their answer will, I doubt not, end the truce,
And instant draw our angry swords against them.
Till then retire within my inmost tent,
Unknown to all but me, that when our chiefs
Meet in full council to declare for war,
I may produce thee to their wondering eyes,
As if descended from avenging Heaven,
To humble lofty Rome, and teach her justice.

Coriolanus.
O righteous Jove! protector of the injur'd!
If from my earliest youth, with pious awe,
I still have reverenc'd thy all-powerful justice,
Still by her sacred dictates rul'd my actions,
O let that Justice now support my cause,
And arm my strong right hand with all her terrors
When that is done, be life or death my lot,
As thy almighty pleasure shall determine. Enter an Officer.

Officer.
My lord Galesus asks admittance to you.

Tullius.
Marcius, retire an instant, 'till I hear
The business brings him hither—Bid him enter [Exit. Officer and Coriolanus Enter Galesus.

Galesus.
Tullus, the Roman Senate has return'd
No other answer, to our late demands,
But absolute denial and defiance.

Tullus.
It is what I expected—we shall teach them
An humbler language soon—Hast thou assembled,
As I desir'd, the Volscian chiefs in council?

Galesus.
Titus is gone to summon their attendance.

Tullus.
It is enough—Come forth, my noble guest;
And shew Galesus how the Gods assist us. Enter Coriolanus.

Galesus.
O my astonish'd soul! What do I see?
What! Caius Marcius! Caius Marcius here,
Beneath one tent with Tullus?

Tullus.
Ay, and more,
With Tullus, now his friend and fellow-soldier.
Yes, thou shalt see him thundering at the head
Of Volscian armies; he, who oft has carry'd
Destruction thro' their ranks—your leave a moment,
While to our chiefs and fathers I anounce
Their unexpected guest. [Exit Tullus.

Coriolanus.
Thou good old man!
Close let me strain thee to my faithful heart,
Which now is doubly thine, united more
By the protection which thy country gives me,
Than by our former friendship.

Galesus.
Strange event!
This is thy work, almighty providence!
Whose power, beyond the stretch of human thought,
Revolves the orbs of empire; bids them sink
Deep in the deadning night of thy displeasure,
Or rise majestic o'er a wondering world.
The Gods, by thee—I see it, Coriolanus,—

Mean to exalt us, and depress the Romans.

Coriolanus.
Galesus, yes, the Gods have sent me hither;
Those righteous Gods, who, when vindictive justice
Excites them to destroy a worthless people,
Make their own crimes and follies strike the blow.

Galesus.
Ah! the full image of thy woes dissolves me!
The pangs thou must have born at parting from thee,
Thy mother and thy wife. I cannot think
Of that sad scene without some drops of pity!

Coriolanus.
Who was it forc'd me to that bitter parting?
Who, in one cruel hasty moment, chas'd me
From wife, from children, friends, and houshold Gods?
Me! who so often had protected theirs.
Who, from the sacred city of my fathers
Drove me with nature's commoners to dwell,
To lodge beneath their wide unshelter'd roof,
And at their table feed? O blast me, Gods!
With every woe! debility of mind,
Dishonour, just contempt, and palsy'd weakness,
If I forgive the villains!

Galesus.
May Coriolanus
Be to the Volscian nation, and himself,
The dread, the God-like instrument of justice!
But let not rage and vengeance mix their rancour;
Let them not trouble with their fretful storm,
Their angry gleams, that azure, where enthron'd
The calm divinity of justice sits,
And pities, while she punishes mankind. Enter Tullus.

Tullus. [Embracing]
Marcius, I joy to call thee my companion,

And colleague in this war. Our senators,
With eager joy agreed to my request,
And give thee rule o'er half the Volscian powers.

Coriolanus.
By all the Gods!
Thou art the generous victor of my soul!
Yes, Tullus, I am conquer'd by thy virtue.
I burn to enter on the glorious task
You now have mark'd me out. How slow the time
To the warm soul, that in the very instant
It forms, wou'd execute, a great design.
'Tis my advice we march direct to Rome;
We cannot be too quick.

Tullus.
I much approve
Of this advice. 'Tis what I thought before,
Ere strengthen'd, Marcius, by thy mighty arm:
But now 'tis doubly right—to Rome, away;
Straight let us urge our march—as yet the stars
Ride in their middle watch: We shall with ease
Reach it by dawn.

Coriolanus.
Yes, we have time—too much!
Six tedious hours 'till morn—But, let's away!
My soul on fire anticipates the dawn. End of the THIRD ACT.

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