Cor.
We will before the walls of Rome to-morrow
Set down our host. My partner in this action,
You must report to the Volscian lords how plainly
I have ^note borne this business.

Auf.
Only their ends ^note
You have respected; stopp'd your ears against
The general suit of Rome; never admitted
A private ^note whisper, no, not with such friends ^note
That thought them sure of you.

Cor.
This last old ^note man,
Whom with a crack'd heart I have sent to Rome,
Loved me above the measure of a father,
Nay, godded me indeed. Their latest refuge
Was to send him; for whose old love I have,
Though I show'd sourly to him, once more offer'd
The first conditions, which they did refuse ^note
And cannot now accept; to grace him only

That thought he could do more, ^note a very little
I have ^note yielded to ^note: fresh embassies ^note and suits,
Nor from ^note the state nor private friends, hereafter
Will I lend ear to. [Shout within. ^note] Ha! what shout ^note is this?
Shall I be tempted to infringe my vow
In the same time 'tis made? I will not. ^note Enter ^note, in mourning habits, Virgilia, Volumnia, leading young Marcius, Valeria, and Attendants.
My wife comes foremost; then the honour'd mould
Wherein this trunk was framed, and in her hand
The grandchild to her blood. But out, affection!
All bond and privilege of nature, break ^note!
Let it be virtuous to be obstinate.
What is that curtsy worth? or those doves' ^note eyes,
Which can make gods forsworn? I melt, and am not
Of stronger earth than others. My mother bows;
As if Olympus to a molehill should
In supplication nod: and my young boy
Hath an aspect of intercession, which
Great nature cries ‘Deny not.’ Let the Volsces
Plough Rome, and harrow Italy: I'll never
Be such a gosling to obey instinct; but stand,
As if ^note a man were author of himself
And knew no other kin ^note.

Vir.
My lord and husband!

Cor.
These eyes are not the same I wore in Rome.

Vir.
The sorrow that delivers us thus changed

Makes you think so.

Cor.
Like a dull actor now
I have forgot my part and I am out,
Even to a full disgrace. Best of my flesh, ^note
Forgive my tyranny; but do not say,
For that ‘Forgive our Romans.’ O, a kiss
Long as my exile, sweet as my revenge!
Now, by the jealous queen of heaven, that kiss
I carried from thee, dear, and my true lip
Hath virgin'd it e'er since. You gods! I prate ^note,
And the most noble mother of the world
Leave unsaluted: sink, my knee, i' the earth; [Kneels.
Of thy ^note deep duty more impression show
Than that of common sons.

Vol.
O, stand up blest!
Whilst, with no softer cushion than the flint,
I kneel before thee, and unproperly
Show duty, as mistaken ^note all this ^note while
Between the child and parent. [Kneels. ^note

Cor.
What is ^note this?
Your knees to me? to your corrected son? ^note
Then let the pebbles on the hungry ^note beach
Fillip ^note the stars; then let the mutinous winds
Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun,
Murdering impossibility, to make
What cannot be, slight work.

Vol.
Thou art my warrior;
I holp ^note to frame thee. Do you know this lady? ^note

Cor.
The noble sister of Publicola ^note,

The moon of Rome; chaste as the icicle
That's curdied ^note by the frost from purest snow
And hangs on Dian's temple: dear Valeria!

Vol. ^{note note}
This is a poor epitome of yours ^note,
Which by the interpretation of full time
May show like all yourself.

Cor.
The god of soldiers, ^note
With the consent of supreme Jove, inform
Thy thoughts with nobleness, that thou mayst prove
To shame unvulnerable, and stick ^note i' the wars
Like a great sea-mark, standing every flaw ^note
And saving those that eye thee!

Vol.
Your knee, sirrah.

Cor.
That's my brave boy!

Vol.
Even he, your wife, this lady and myself
Are suitors to you.

Cor.
I beseech you, peace:
Or, if you'ld ask, remember this before:
The thing I have forsworn to grant may never
Be held by you denials ^note. Do not bid me
Dismiss my soldiers, or capitulate
Again with Rome's mechanics: tell me not
Wherein I seem unnatural: desire not
To allay my rages and revenges with
Your colder reasons. ^note

Vol.
O, no more, no more!
You have ^note said you will not grant us any thing;
For we have nothing else to ask, but that
Which you deny already: yet we will ask;
That, if you ^note fail in our request, the blame
May hang upon your hardness: therefore hear us.

Cor.
Aufidius, and you Volsces, mark; for we'll
Hear nought from Rome in private. Your request?

Vol.
Should we be silent and not speak, our raiment
And state of bodies would bewray what life
We have ^note led since thy exile. Think with thyself
How more unfortunate than all ^note living women
Are we come hither: since that ^note thy sight, which should
Make our eyes ^note flow with joy, hearts dance with comforts,
Constrains them weep and shake with fear and sorrow;
Making the mother, wife and child, to see
The son, the husband and the father, tearing
His country's ^note bowels out. And to poor we
Thine enmity's ^{note note} most capital: thou barr'st us
Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort
That all but we enjoy; for how can we,
Alas, how can we for our country pray,
Whereto we are ^note bound, together with thy victory,
Whereto we are ^note bound? alack, or we must lose
The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person,
Our comfort in the country. We must find
An evident ^note calamity, though we had
Our wish, which side should win; for either thou
Must, as a foreign recreant, be led
With manacles thorough ^note our streets ^note, or else
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin
And bear the palm for having bravely shed
Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, son,
I purpose not to wait on fortune till
These wars determine: if I cannot ^note persuade thee
Rather to show a noble grace to both parts ^note

Than seek the end of one, thou shalt no sooner ^note
March to assault thy country than to tread—
Trust to't, thou shalt not—on thy mother's womb,
That brought thee to ^note this world.

Vir.
Ay, and mine ^note,
That brought you forth this boy, to keep your name
Living to time.

Boy.
A' ^note shall not tread on me;
I'll run away till I am bigger, but then I'll fight. ^note

Cor.
Not of a woman's tenderness to be,
Requires nor child ^note nor woman's face to see.
I have ^note sat too long. [Rising. ^note

Vol.
Nay, go not from us thus.
If it were so that our request did tend
To save the Romans, thereby to ^note destroy
The Volsces whom you serve, you might condemn us,
As poisonous ^note of your honour: no; our suit
Is, that you reconcile them: while the Volsces
May say ‘This mercy we have show'd,’ the Romans,
‘This we received;’ and each in either side
Give the all-hail to thee and cry ‘Be blest
For making up this peace!’ Thou know'st, great son,
The end of war's ^note uncertain, but this certain,
That if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
Which thou shalt thereby reap is such a name
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
Whose chronicle thus writ: ‘The man was noble,
But with his last attempt he wiped it out,
Destroy'd his country, and his name remains
To the ensuing age abhorr'd.’ Speak to me, son:
Thou hast affected the fine ^note strains of honour,

To imitate the graces of the gods;
To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
And yet to charge thy ^note sulphur with a bolt
That should ^note but rive an oak. Why dost not speak?
Think'st thou it honourable for a noble man ^note
Still to remember wrongs? Daughter, speak you:
He cares not for your weeping. Speak thou, boy:
Perhaps thy childishness will move him more
Than can our reasons. There's ^note no man in the world
More bound to 's ^note mother, yet here he lets me prate
Like one i' the stocks. Thou hast ^note never in thy life
Show'd thy dear mother any courtesy;
When she, poor hen, fond of no second brood,
Has cluck'd ^note thee to the wars, and safely home,
Loaden with honour. Say my request's unjust,
And spurn me back: but if it be not so,
Thou art not honest, and the gods will plague thee,
That thou restrain'st from me the duty which
To a mother's part belongs. He turns away:
Down, ladies; let us shame him with ^note our knees.
To his ^note surname Coriolanus 'longs ^note more pride
Than pity to our prayers. Down: an end; ^note
This is the last: so we will home to Rome,
And die among our neighbours. Nay, behold's ^note:
This boy, that cannot tell what he would have,
But kneels and holds up hands for fellowship,
Does reason our petition with more strength
Than thou hast to deny't. Come, let us go:
This fellow had a Volscian to his mother;

His wife is in Corioli, and his child ^note
Like him by chance. Yet give us our dispatch:
I am ^note hush'd until our city be a-fire,
And then I'll speak a little. ^note

Cor. [After holding her by the hand, silent ^{note note}]
O ^note mother, mother!
What have you done? Behold, the heavens do ope,
The gods look down, and this unnatural scene
They laugh at. O my mother, mother! O!
You have ^note won a happy victory to Rome;
But, for your son, believe it, O, believe it,
Most dangerously ^note you have with him prevail'd,
If not most mortal to him. But ^note let it come.
Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,
I'll frame convenient peace. Now ^note, good Aufidius,
Were you ^note in my stead ^note, would ^note you have heard
A mother less? or granted less, Aufidius ^note?

Auf.
I was moved withal. ^note

Cor.
I dare be sworn you were:
And, sir, it is no little thing to make
Mine eyes to sweat compassion. But, good sir,
What peace you'll make, advise me: for my part,
I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you; and pray you,
Stand to me in this cause. O mother! wife!

Auf. [Aside ^note]
I am glad thou hast ^note set thy mercy and thy honour
At difference in thee: out of that I'll work

Myself a former ^note fortune. [The Ladies ^note make signs to Coriolanus.

Cor. [To Volumnia ^note, Virgilia, &c.]
Ay, by and by:—
But we will drink ^note together; and you shall bear ^note
A better witness back than words, which we
On like conditions will have counter-seal'd.
Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deserve
To have a temple built you: all the swords
In Italy, and her confederate arms,
Could not have made this peace. ^note [Exeunt. ^note

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