1 Sen. Sit, Coriolanus: never shame to hear What you have nobly done. Cor. Your honours' pardon ; I had rather have my wounds to heal again, Than hear say how I got them. Bru. My words disbench'd you not. Sir, I hope, No, sir yet oft, Cor. When blows have made me stay, I fled from words. You sooth'd not, therefore hurt not: But, your people, I love them as they weigh. Men. Pray now, sit down. Cor. I had rather have one scratch my head i' the sun, When the alarum were struck,9 than idly sit To hear my nothings monster'd. Men. [Exit CORIOLANUS, Masters o'the people, Your multiplying spawn how can he flatter, (That's thousand to one good one,) when you now see, He had rather venture all his limbs for honour, Than one of his ears to hear it?-Proceed, Cominius. Com. I shall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus Should not be utter'd feebly.-It is held, That valour is the chiefest virtue, and I Most dignifies the haver: if it be, The man I speak of cannot in the world Be singly counterpois'd. At sixteen years, When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought Beyond the mark of others: our then dictator, Summons to battle. I Possessor. Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight, And, in the brunt of seventeen battles since, I cannot speak him home: He stopp'd the fliers; Turn terror into sport: as waves before A vessel under sail, so men obey'd, And fell below his stem: his sword (death's stamp) 2 Without a beard. 3 Bearded. 5 Reward. * Smooth-faced enough to act a woman's part. Run reeking o'er the lives of men, as if To ease his breast with panting. Men. Worthy man! 1 Sen. He cannot but with measure fit the honours Which we devise him. Com. Our spoils he kick'd at; Re-enter CORIOLANUS. Men. The senate, Coriolanus, are well pleas'd Let me o'erleap that custom; for I cannot Put on the gown, stand naked, and entreat them, For my wounds' sake, to give their suffrage: please That I may pass this doing. Sic. Must have their voices; One jot of ceremony. Men. Sir, the people neither will they bate Put them not to't : Pray you, go fit you to the custom; and Cor. It is a part That I shall blush in acting, and might well Be taken from the people. Bru. Mark you that? Cor. To brag unto them,-Thus I did, and thus ;-Show them the unaking scars which I should hide, As if I had receiv'd them for the hire Of their breath only :— Men. Sen. To Coriolanus come all joy and honour! As if he did contemn what he requested Should be in them to give. Bru. Come, we'll inform them [Exeunt. Of our proceedings here: on the market-place, I know, they do attend us. 1 Cit. Once, if he do require our voices, we ought not to deny him. 2 Cit. We may, sir, if we will. 3 Cit. We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power that we have no power to do: for if he show us his wounds, and tell us his deeds, we are to put our tongues into those wounds, and speak for them; so, if he tell us his noble deeds, we must also tell him our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monstrous and for the multitude to be ingrateful, were to make a monster of the multitude; of the which, we being members, should bring ourselves to be monstrous members. 1 Cit. And to make us no better thought of, a little help will serve: for once, when we stood up about the corn, he himself stuck not to call us the many-headed multitude. 3 Cit. We have been called so of many; not that our heads are some brown, some black, some auburn, some bald, but that our wits are so diversly coloured: and truly I think, if all our wits were to issue out of one scull, they would fly east, west, north, south; and their consent of one direct way should be at once to all the points o'the compass. |