Auf.

Where is this fellow?

Sec. Serv.

Here, sir: I'ld have beaten him like a dog, but for disturbing the lords within.

Auf.
Whence comest thou? what wouldst ^note thou ^note? thy name?
Why speak'st not? speak, man: what's ^note thy name?

Cor. [Unmuffling ^note]
If, Tullus,
Not yet thou knowest me, and, seeing me, dost not
Think me for ^note the man I am, necessity ^note
Commands me name myself. ^note

Auf.
What is thy name?

Cor.
A name unmusical to the Volscians' ^note ears,
And harsh in sound to thine.

Auf.
Say, what's thy name?
Thou hast a grim appearance, and thy face
Bears a command ^note in't; though thy tackle's torn,
Thou show'st a noble vessel: what's thy name?

Cor.
Prepare thy brow to frown:—know'st thou me yet?

Auf.
I know thee not:— ^notethy name?

Cor.
My name is Caius Marcius ^note, who hath done
To thee particularly, and to all the Volsces,
Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may
My surname, Coriolanus: the painful service,
The extreme dangers, and the drops of blood
Shed for my ^note thankless country, are requited
But with that surname; a good memory ^note,
And witness of the malice and displeasure
Which thou shouldst ^note bear me: only that name remains:
The cruelty and envy of the people, ^note
Permitted by our dastard nobles, who
Have all forsook me, hath devour'd the rest;
And suffer'd me by the voice of slaves to be
Whoop'd ^note out of ^note Rome. Now, this extremity
Hath brought me to thy hearth: not out of hope—
Mistake me not—to save my life, for if
I had fear'd death, of all the men i' the world
I would have 'voided ^note thee; but in mere spite,
To be full quit of those my banishers,
Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
A heart of wreak in thee, that wilt ^note revenge
Thine own particular wrongs and stop those maims
Of shame ^note seen through thy country, speed thee straight,
And make my misery serve thy turn: so use it
That my revengeful services may prove
As benefits to thee; for I will fight
Against my canker'd country with the spleen
Of all the under fiends. But if so be
Thou darest not this and that to prove more fortunes
Thou'rt ^note tired, then, in a word, I also am

Longer to live most weary, and present
My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice;
Which not to cut would show thee but a fool ^note,
Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate,
Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast,
And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
It be to do thee service.

Auf.
O Marcius ^note, Marcius!
Each word thou hast ^note spoke hath weeded from my heart
A root of ancient envy. If ^note Jupiter
Should from yond cloud ^note speak divine things ^note,
And say ‘Tis true,’ I'ld not believe them ^note more
Than thee, all noble Marcius. Let me twine ^note
Mine arms about that body, where against ^note
My grained ash an hundred times hath broke,
And scarr'd ^note the moon with splinters: here I clip ^note
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. Know thou first,
I ^note loved the maid I married; never man
Sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here,
Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw
Bestride ^note my threshold. Why, thou Mars! I tell thee,
We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,
Or lose mine ^note arm for't: thou hast beat me out

Twelve several times, and I have nightly since
Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me;
We have been down together in my sleep,
Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat;
And waked half dead with nothing. Worthy Marcius,
Had we no quarrel else ^note to Rome but that
Thou art thence banish'd, we would muster all
From twelve to seventy, and pouring war
Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,
Like a bold flood o'er-beat ^note. O, come, go in,
And take our friendly senators by the hands,
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,
Who am prepared against your territories,
Though not for Rome itself.

Cor.
You bless me, gods!

Auf.
Therefore, most absolute sir, if thou wilt have
The leading of thine own revenges, take
The one ^note half of my commission, and set down—
As best thou art experienced, since thou know'st
Thy country's strength and weakness—thine own ways;
Whether to knock against the gates of Rome,
Or rudely visit them in parts remote,
To fright them, ere destroy ^note. But come ^note in:
Let me commend ^note thee first to those that shall
Say yea to thy desires. A thousand welcomes!
And more a friend than e'er an enemy;
Yet, Marcius, that was much. Your hand: most welcome! [Exeunt ^note Coriolanus and Aufidius. The two Servingmen come forward. ^note

^note

First Serv. ^note

Here's a strange alteration!

Sec. Serv.

By my hand, I had thought to have strucken ^note him with a cudgel; and yet my mind gave ^note me his clothes made a false report of him.

First Serv.

What an arm he has! he turned me about with his finger and his thumb, as one would set up a top.

Sec. Serv.

Nay, I knew by his face that there was something in him: he had, sir, a kind of face, methought,— ^note I cannot tell how to term it.

First Serv.

He had so; looking as it were— ^noteWould I were hanged, but I thought there was more in him than I could think.

Sec. Serv.

So did I, I'll be sworn: he is simply the rarest man i' the world.

First Serv.

I think he is: but a greater soldier than he, you wot one ^note.

Sec. Serv.

Who? my ^note master?

First Serv.

Nay, it's no matter for that.

Sec. Serv.

Worth six on him.

First Serv.

Nay, not so neither: but I take him to be the greater soldier.

Sec. Serv.

Faith, look you, one cannot tell how to say that: for the defence of a town, our general is excellent.

First Serv.

Ay, and for an assault too.

Third Serv. ^note

O slaves, I can tell you news; news, you rascals!

First and Sec. Serv. ^note

What, what, what? let's partake.

Third Serv.

I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lieve ^note be a condemned man.

First and Sec. Serv. ^note

Wherefore? wherefore?

Third Serv.

Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our general, Caius Marcius.

First Serv.

Why do you say, thwack our general?

Third Serv.

I do not say, thwack our general; but he was always good enough for him.

Sec. Serv.

Come, we are fellows and friends: he was ever too hard for him; I have heard him say so himself.

First Serv.

He was too hard for him directly, to say the troth ^note on't: before ^note Corioli he scotched him and notched him like a carbonado ^note.

Sec. Serv.

An he had ^note been cannibally given, he might have broiled ^note and eaten him too.

First Serv.

But, more of thy news? ^note

Third Serv.

Why, he is so made on here within as if he were son and heir to Mars; set at upper end o' the table; no question asked him by any of the senators, but they stand bald before him. Our general himself makes a mistress of him; sanctifies himself with's hand ^note, and turns up the white o' the eye to his discourse. But the bottom of the news is, our general is cut i' the middle, and but one half of what he was yesterday; for the other has half, by the entreaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he says, and sowl ^note the porter of Rome gates by the ears: he will mow all down ^note before him, and leave his passage poll'd ^note.

Sec. Serv.

And he's as like to do't as any man I can imagine.

Third Serv.

Do't! he will do't; for, look you, sir, he has as many friends as enemies; which friends, sir, as it were, durst not, look you, sir, show themselves, as we term it, his friends whilst he's ^note in directitude ^note.

First Serv.

Directitude ^note! what's that?

Third Serv.

But when they shall see, sir, his crest up again and the man in blood, they will out of their burrows, like conies after rain, and revel ^note all with him.

First Serv.

But when goes this forward?

Third Serv.

To-morrow; to-day; presently: you shall have the drum struck up this afternoon: 'tis, as it were, a parcel of their feast, and to be executed ere they wipe their lips.

Sec. Serv.

Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing ^note, but to rust iron, increase tailors and breed ballad-makers.

First Serv.

Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace as far as day does night; it's spritely, waking ^note, audible, and full of vent ^note. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy ^note, mull'd ^note, deaf, sleepy ^note, insensible; a getter of more bastard children than war's ^note a destroyer of men.

Sec. Serv.

'Tis so: and as war ^note, in some sort, may be said to be a ravisher, so it cannot be denied but peace is a great maker of cuckolds.

First Serv.

Ay, and it makes men hate one another.

Third Serv.

Reason; because they then less need one another. The wars for my money. I hope to see Romans as cheap as Volscians. They are rising, they are rising.

First and Sec. Serv. ^note

In, in, in, in!

^note

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