Com. So, to our tent? Where, ere we do repose us, we will write Lart. I shall, my lord. Cor. The gods begin to mock me. I that now Com. Take it: 'tis yours.-What is 't? Cor. I sometime lay, here in Corioli, At a poor man's house; he us'd me kindly: But then Aufidius was within my view, And wrath o'erwhelm'd my pity: I request you Com. O, well begg'd! extent of my power. To undercrest, I should guess, signifies pro perly, to wear beneath the crest as a part of a coat of arms. The name or title now given seems to be considered as the crest; the promised future achievements as the future additions to that coat. Heath. When two engage on equal terms, we say it is fair; fairness may therefore be equality; in proportion equal to my power. "To the fairness of my power"-is, as fairly as I can. 5 The best,] The chief men of Corioli. Johnson. Johnson. M. Mason. with whom we may articulate,] i. e. enter into articles. This word occurs again in King Henry IV, Act V, sc. i: "Indeed these things you have articulated." i. e. set down article by article. So, in Holinshed's Chronicles of Ireland, p. 163: "The earl of Desmond's treasons articulated." Steevens. 6 At a poor man's house;] So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "Only this grace (said he) I craue, and beseeche you to grant me. Among the Volces there is an old friende and hoste of mine, an honest wealthie man, and now a prisoner, who liuing before in great wealthe, in his owne countrie, liueth now a poore prisoner in the handes of his enemies: and yet notwithstanding all this his miserie and misfortune, it would doe me great pleasure if I could saue him from this one daunger: to keepe him from being solde as a slaue." Steevens. 7 -free, as is the wind] So, in As you Like it: Lart. Marcius, his name? Cor. By Jupiter, forgot: I am weary; yea, my memory is tir'd.- Com. Go we to our tent: The blood upon your visage dries: 'tis time SCENE X. The Camp of the Volces. [Exeunt. A Flourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS, bloody, with Two or Three Soldiers. Auf. The town is ta'en! 1 Sol. 'Twill be deliver'd back on good condition. Auf. Condition?— I would, I were a Roman; for I cannot, Being a Volce, be that I am.8-Condition! I' the part that is at mercy? Five times, Marcius, If e'er again I meet him beard to beard, Hath not that honour in 't, it had; for where1 (True sword to sword) I 'll potch at him some way;2 I must have liberty, "Withal, as large a charter as the wind." Malone. Being a Volce, &c.] It may be just observed, that Shakspeare calls the Volci, Volces, which the modern editors have changed to the modern termination [Volcian.] I mention it here, because here the change has spoiled the measure: Being a Volce, be that I am.—Condition! Johnson. The Volci are called Volces in Sir Thomas North's Plutarch, and so I have printed the word throughout this tragedy. Steevens. meet him beard to beard,] So, in Macbeth: 9 "We might have met them dareful, beard to beard —" Steevens. 1 - for where-] Where is used here, as in many other places, for whereas. Malone. 2 I'll potch at him some way;] Mr. Heath readspoach; but potch, to which the objection is made as no English word, is used in the midland counties for a rough, violent push. Steevens Or wrath, or craft, may get him. 1 Sol. He's the devil. Auf. Bolder, though not so subtle: My valour 's poi son'd,3 With only suffering stain by him; for him Shall fly out of itself; nor sleep, nor sanctuary, Cole, in his DICTIONARY, 1679, renders, "to poche," fundum explorare. The modern word poke is only a hard pronunciation of this word. So to eke was formerly written to ech. Malone. In Carew's Survey of Cornwall, the word potch is used in almost the same sense, p. 31: "They use also to poche them (fish) with an instrument somewhat like a almon-speare." Tollet. 3 My valour 's poison'd, &c.] The construction of this passage would be clearer, if it were written thus: my valour, poison'd With only suffering stain by him, for him The amendment proposed by Tyrwhitt would make the construction clear; but I think the passage will run better thus, and with as little deviation from the text: 4 my valour 's poison'd; Which only suffering stain by him, for him -for him Shall fly out of itself:] To mischief him, my valour should deviate from its own native generosity. Johnson. 5 nor sleep, nor sanctuary, &c. Embarquements all of fury, &c.] The word, in the old copy, is spelt embarquements, and, as Cotgrave says, meant not only an embarkation, but an embargoing. The rotten privilege and custom that follow, seem to favour this explanation, and therefore the old reading may well enough stand, as an embargo is undoubtedly an impediment. Steevens. In Sherwood's English and French Dictionary at the end of Cotgrave's, we find "To imbark, to imbargue. Embarquer. "An imbarking, an imbarguing. Embarquement." Cole, in his Latin Dictionary, 1679, has "to imbargue, or lay an imbargo upon." There can be no doubt therefore that the old copy is right.-If we derive the word from the Spanish, embargar, perhaps we ought to write embargement; but Shakspeare's word certainly came to us from the French, and therefore is more properly written embarquements, or embarkments. Malone. Their rotten privilege and custom 'gainst 6 My hate to Marcius: where I find him, were it Wash my fierce hand in his heart. Go you to the city; 1 Sol. Will not you go? Auf. I am attended at the cypress grove: I pray you, ('Tis south the city mills) bring me word thither How the world goes; that to the pace of it I may spur on my journey. 1 Sol. I shall, sir. [Exeunt. 6 At home, upon my brother's guard,] In my own house, with my brother posted to protect him. Johnson. So, in Othello: 7 66 and on the court of guard, -.” Steevens. attended —] i. e. waited for. So, in Twelfth Night: -thy intercepter-attends thee at the orchard end." Steevens. 8 (Tis south the city mills)]-But where could Shakspeare have heard of these mills at Antium? I believe we should read: ('Tis south the city a mile.) The old edition reads mils. Tyrwhitt. Shakspeare is seldom careful about such little improprieties. Coriolanus speaks of our divines, and Menenius of graves in the holy churchyard. It is said afterwards, that Coriolanus talks like a knell; and drums, and Hob, and Dick, are with as little attention to time or place, introduced in this tragedy. Steevens. Shakspeare frequently introduces those minute local descriptions, probably to give an air of truth to his pieces. So, in Romeo and Juliet: Again: underneath the grove of sycamore, "It was the nightingale and not the lark Mr. Tyrwhitt's question, "where could Shakspeare have heard of these mills at Antium?" may be answered by another question: Where could Lydgate hear of the mills near Troy? "And as I ride upon this flode, "On eche syde many a mylle stode, "When nede was their graine and corne to grinde," &c. Auncyent Historie, &c. 1555. Malone ACT II.....SCENE I. Rome. A publick Place. Enter MENENIUS, SICINIUS, and BRUTUS. Men. The augurer tells me, we shall have news tonight. Bru. Good, or bad? Men. Not according to the prayer of the people, for they love not Marcius. Sic. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends. Sic. The lamb. Men. Ay, to devour him; as the hungry plebeians would the noble Marcius. Bru. He's a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear. Men. He's a bear, indeed, that lives like a lamb.You two are old men; tell me one thing that I shall ask you. Both Trib. Well, sir. Men. In what enormity is Marcius poor, that you two have not in abundance? Bru. He's poor in no one fault, but stored with all. Sic. Especially, in pride. Bru. And topping all others in boasting. Men. This is strange now: Do you two know how you are censured here in the city, I mean of us o' the righthand file? Do you? F 9 Pray you, &c.] When the tribune, in reply to Menenius's remark, on the people's hate of Coriolanus, had observed that even Beasts know their friends, Menenius asks, whom does the wolf love? implying that there are beasts which love nobody, and that among those beasts are the people. Johnson. 1In what enormity is Marcius poor,] [Old copy-poor in.] Here we have another of our author's peculiar modes of phraseology; which, however, the modern editors have not suffered him to retain; having dismissed the redundant in at the end of this part of the sentence. Malone. I shall continue to dismiss it, till such peculiarities can, by authority, be discriminated from the corruptions of the stage, the transcriber, or the printer. It is scarce credible, that, in the expression of a common idea, in prose, our modest Shakspeare should have advanced a phraseology of his own, in equal defiance of customary language, and established grammar. As, on the present occasion, the word-in might have stood with propriety at either end of the question, it has been casually, or ignorantly, inserted at both. Steevens. |