The corn o' the store-house gratis, as 'twas us'd Men. Well, well, no more of that. Cor. (Though there the people had more absolute power,) I say, they nourish'd disobedience, fed The ruin of the state. Bru. Why, shall the people give One, that speaks thus, their voice? Cor. I'll give my reasons, More worthier than their voices. They know, the corn Was not our recompense; resting well assur'd They ne'er did service for 't: Being press'd to the war, They would not thread the gates: this kind of service it is done in recompense of their service past, sithence they know well enough they haue so often refused to go to the warres, when they were commaunded: neither for their mutinies when they went with vs, whereby they haue rebelled and forsaken their countrie: neither for their accusations which their flatterers haue preferred vnto them, and they have recevued, and made good against the senate : but they will rather judge we geue and graunt them this, as abasing our selues, and standing in feare of them, and glad to flatter them euery way. By this meanes, their disobedience will still grow worse and worse; and they will neuer leave to practise newe sedition, and vprores. Therefore it were a great follie for vs, me thinckes, to do it: yea, shall I say more? we should if we were wise, take from them their tribuneshippe, which most manifestly is the embasing of the consulshippe, and the cause of the diuision of the cittie. The state whereof as it standeth, is not now as it was wont to be, but becommeth dismembered in two factions, which mainteines allwayes ciuill dissention and discorde betwene vs, and will neuer suffer us againe to be vnited into one bodie." Steevens. 8 They would not thread the gates:] That is, pass them. We yet say, to thread an alley. Johnson. So, in King Lear: 66 threading dark-ey'd night." Steevens. 9 could never be the native-] Native for natural birth." Warburton. Native is here not natural birth, but natural parent, or cause of birth. Johnson. Of our so frank donation. Well, what then? What 's like to be their words:-We did request it; Men. Come, enough.2 No, take more: What may be sworn by, both divine and human, Of general ignorance, it must omit So, in a kindred sense, in King Henry V: 66 A many of our bodies shall no doubt I cannot agree with Johnson that native can possibly mean natural parent, or cause of birth; nor with Warburton in supposing that it means natural birth; for if the word could bear that meaning, it would not be sense here, as Coriolanus is speaking not of the consequence, but the cause, of their donation. I should therefore read motive instead of native. Malone's quotation from King Henry V, is nothing to the purpose, as in that passage native graves, means evidently graves in their native soil. 1 M. Mason. -this bosom multiplied-] This multitudinous bosom; the bosom of that great monster, the people. Malone. 2 Come, enough.] Perhaps this imperfect line was originally completed by a repetition of-enough. Steevens. 3 No, take more: What may be sworn by, both divine and human Seal what I end withal!] The sense is, No, let me add this further; and may every thing divine and human which can give force to an oath, bear witness to the truth of what I shall conclude with. The Romans swore by what was human as well as divine; by their head, by their eyes, by the dead bones and ashes of their parents, &c. See Brisson de formulis, p. 808-817. Heath. 4 Where one part-] In the old copy, we have here, as in many other places, on instead of one. The correction was made by Mr. Rowe. See Vol. VII, p. 357, n. 1. Malane. Real necessities, and give way the while To unstable slightness: purpose so barr'd, it follows, Nothing is done to purpose: Therefore, beseech you,— You that will be less fearful than discreet; That love the fundamental part of state, More than you doubt the change of 't;5 that prefer To jump a body with a dangerous physick 5 That love the fundamental part of state, More than you doubt the change of 't;] To doubt is to fear. The meaning is, You whose zeal predominates over your terrors; you who do not so much fear the danger of violent measures, as wish the good to which they are necessary, the preservation of the original constitution of our government. Johnson. 6 To jump a body-] Thus the old copy. Modern editors read: To vamp To jump anciently signified to jolt, to give a rude concussion to any thing. To jump a body may therefore mean, to put it into a violent agitation or commotion. Thus, Lucretius, III, 452,—quassatum est corpus. So, in Phil. Holland's translation of Pliny's Natural History, B. XXV, ch. v, p. 219: " If we looke for good successe in our cure by ministring ellebore, &c. for certainly it putteth the patient to a jumpe, or great hazard." Steevens. From this passage in Pliny, it should seem that "to jump a body," meant to risk a body; and such an explication seems to me to be supported by the context in the passage before us. So, in Macbeth: "We 'd jump the life to come." Again, in Antony and Cleopatra, Act III, sc. viii : 7 66 our fortune lies The sweet which is their poison] So, in Measure for Measure: "Like rats that ravin up their proper bane "Steevens. 8 Mangles true judgment:] Judgment is the faculty by which right is distinguished from wrong. Johnson. 9 Of that integrity which should become it;] Integrity is in this place soundness, uniformity, consistency, in the same sense as Dr. Warburton often uses it, when he mentions the integrity of a metaphor. To become, is to suit, to befit. Johnson. For the ill which doth control it. Bru. He has said enough. Sic. He has spoken like a traitor, and shall answer As traitors do. Cor. Thou wretch! despite o'erwhelm thee!What should the people do with these bald tribunes? On whom depending, their obedience fails To the greater bench: In a rebellion, When what 's not meet, but what must be, was law, Let what is meet, be said, it must be meet,1 And throw their power i' the dust. Bru. Manifest treason. Sic. This a consul? no. Bru. The Ediles, ho!-Let him be apprehended. Sic. Go, call the people; [exit BRU.] in whose name, myself Attach thee, as a traitorous innovator, A foe to the publick weal: Obey, I charge thee, And follow to thine answer. Cor. Sen. & Pat. Com. Hence, old goat! We'll surety him. Aged sir, hands off. Cor. Hence, rotten thing, or I shall shake thy bones Out of thy garments.2 Sic. Help, ye citizens. Re-enter BRUTUS, with the Ediles, and a Rabble of Citizens. Men. On both sides more respect. Sic. Here's he, that would Seize him, Ediles. Take from you all your power. Weapons, weapons, weapons! 1 Let what is meet, be said, it must be meet,] Let it be said by you, that what is meet to be done, must be meet, i. e. shall be done, and put an end at once to the tribunitian power, which was established, when irresistible violence, not a regard to propiety, directed the legislature. Malone. "That shakes the rotten carcase of old death Tribunes, patricians, citizens!-what ho!- Cit. Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace! Speak, good Sicinius. Sic. Hear me, people;—Peace. Cit. Let's hear our tribune:-Peace. Speak, speak, speak. Sic. You are at point to lose your liberties: Marcius would have all from you; Marcius, Whom late you have nam'd for consul. Men. Fy, fy, fy! Cit. The people are the city. True, Bru. By the consent of all, we were establish'd The people's magistrates. Cit. You so remain. Men. And so are like to do. Cor. That is the way to lay the city flat; And bury all, which yet distinctly ranges, Sic. This deserves death. Bru. Or let us stand to our authority, 3 To the people,--Coriolanus, patience:] I would read: Speak to the people.-Coriolanus, patience : Speak, good Sicinius. Tyrwhitt. Tyrwhitt proposes an amendment to this passage, but nothing is necessary except to point it properly: Confusion's near,-I cannot. Speak you, tribunes, To the people. He desires the tribunes to speak to the people, because he was not able; and at the end of the speech repeats the same request to Sicinius in particular. M. Mason. I see no need of any alteration. Malone. |
