University of Virginia Library

ACT I.

SCENE I.

An Alarm; and after it enter Cominius and three Tribunes of the Legions.
COMINIUS.
Halt! give the Word.

1 Trib.
Halt!

2 Trib.
Halt!

3 Trib.
At length they make a Stand.

Com.
Lightning confound them! had they shewn in Battel
But half the Fury of this headlong Flight,
The Victory had past Dispute been ours.
With what resistless Eagerness they ran,
And with what Slaughter curs'd Aufidius follow'd!
Who now stands low'ring upon yonder Brow,
And threatens, like a Storm, to pour upon us.
What Force, what Spirit have we to receive him?
O Death to all my Hope of Fame and Conquest!
We shall be routed shamefully, entirely:
Rome for two hundred Years has been victorious,
And never lost a Battel till this Hour.
O cruel Gods! that thus have chose Cominius
To give th' Example of ignoble Flight.

1 Trib.
My Lord, one Comfort is remaining yet;
Methought that in the Intervals of Fight,
I now and then distinctly heard th' Assaults
Of those our Friends that lye before Corioli.

2 Trib.
I heard them plainly, and their shouts of Triumph,
Which Southern Gusts convey'd and snatch'd by turns from us.

Com.
Ye Gods, who have determin'd Rome shall rise
By War, to be the Mistress of the Universe,
O give them sudden Victory, and bring them
With all their Forces, and their Heroe Marcius,
To turn the Fortune of the Field and Rome.

1 Trib.
Who comes there?

2 Trib.
Stand!

3 Trib.
Give the word!

Enter Lucius Cluentius.
L. Cluent.
Mars and Quirinus!

1 Trib.
Lucius Cluentius from Corioli.

Com.
Tribune, thy News! what Fortune have our Friends?
How fares the Hope of Rome, the noble Marcius?

1 Trib.
Well, as I hope, but that the Gods best know.

Com.
Ha! What dost thou mean?
Answer, in what condition didst thou leave him?

L. Cluent.
Cover'd with Fame, and crown'd with Victory,
And warmly he pursu'd the flying Volscians.

Com.
Thou mistak'st:
The Volscians, to which Marcius stands oppos'd
With Titus Largius, are within Corioli.

L. Cluent.
Yes, but this Morning, at the break of Day,
With all their Force they made a desperate Sally,
And beat our bravest Romans to their Trenches:
Till rallied and led up by noble Marcius,
They seem'd to take new Life, new Fire from Him,
And breath'd, and look'd, and fought once more like Romans.
Then we turn'd Chasers who before were hunted,
And quickly made the Volscians seek for Shelter
Amidst their Wives and Children.

Com.
O would to all the Gods that thou wouldst end
As nobly thou begin'st!

L. Cluent.
Marcius, still foremost in the chase of Glory,
Hung like Destruction on their broken Rear,
And made a dreadful Slaughter of their Flyers;
Up to their Gates, expanded to receive them,
Swift as consuming Lightning he pursu'd them,
Still blasting, as he follow'd; when, curs'd Moment!—

Com.
And fatal Pause! Go on, for I'm prepar'd
To hear the worst of Fate.

L. Cluent.
O wonderful, but oh disastrous Valour!
Marcius, transported by his matchless Fire,
Enters the Town impetuous with the Volscians;
And while our fiercest Romans stopt and paus'd,
Struck and astonish'd at the wond'rous Action,
With Horror and Confusion I beheld
The massy Gates returning on their Hinges,
And Marcius shut among ten thousand Foes,
And left alone expos'd to all their Fury.

Com.
O noble Roman!
Marcius is slain, the Hope of Rome is gone;
For thou wouldst die, I know, a thousand Deaths,
Before thou wouldst be Captive to the Volscians.
Tho' thou speak'st Truth, methinks thou speak'st not well.
How long is't since this fatal Action happen'd?

L. Cluent.
Above an Hour, my Lord.

Com.
Corioli is distant but a Mile,
And hither we distinctly heard their Drums;
How couldst thou in a Mile confound an Hour,
And bring thy News so late?

L. Cluent.
Spies of the Volsci
Held me in chase, that I was forc'd to wheele
Three or four Miles about; or else, my Lord,
I had in less than half the time been here.

Com.
Hie thee to Rome, and let the Senate know this;
And tell them I my self have been repuls'd,
And that each moment I'm in expectation
Of being once more attack'd by fierce Aufidius.

[Exit Cluent.
Enter a fourth Tribune.
4 Trib.
My Lord, Aufidius leads his Volscians down
Into the Plain, and seems resolv'd t' attack us.

Com.
Are all the Soldiers ready to receive them?

4 Trib.
Their Hands are ready, but their Hearts are weak.

Com.
Then all, I fear, is lost.
Farewel, O Rome, and thou, O Life, farewel!
For I will ne'er return Inglorious home;
And know, O Rome, that he who for thee Dies,
Does more than he who Conquers. Ha! who's yonder,
That looks as he were flea'd all o'er? O Gods!
That Figure and that Stamp I've seen before,
And nobly painted thus with Hostile Blood.
'Tis sure the Ghost of Marcius come from Hell,
To be reveng'd of the perfidious Volscians.

Marc.
[Within.]
Come I too late?

Com.
By Immortal Jove 'tis he! he lives, he lives:
The Shepherd knows not Thunder from a Tabor,
More than I know the Sound of Marcius' Voice,
From every meaner Man's.

Enter Marcius.
Marc.
Come I too late?

Com.
Yes, if you come not in the Blood of others,
But mantled in your own.

Marc.
Oh let me clasp thee!
In Arms as sound as when I woo'd, in Heart
Jocund as when our Nuptial Day was done,
And Tapers burnt to Bedward.

Com.
What Wonder, or what God has brought thee hither?
Lucius Cluentius brought the fatal News
But now, that thou wert shut within Corioli.

Marc.
You heard the Truth.

Com.
What God, propitious to the Fate of Rome,
Wrought thy Deliverance so very soon,
So very unexpectedly?

Marc.
I want both Time and Breath t'inform you now.

Com.
Thou Flower of Warriors, how fares Titus Largius?

Marc.
As the Man fares who does the work of Fate,
Condemning some to Death, and some to Exile;
Ransoming some, some pitying, threatning others:
Holding Corioli in the Name of Rome,
E'en like a fawning Greyhound in the Leash,
To let them slip at pleasure.
But see he comes himself t'inform you further.

Enter Largius.
Com.
More Wonders! welcome, Titus; thou art come
Most unexpected, in a lucky Hour.

Larg.
Oh General! see there the noble Steed,
For we are but the bare Caparison.
Oh I have Miracles to entertain thee,
Transcending all Belief, surpassing all Example.
Behold that Wonderful, that Godlike Man,
Who when he was enclos'd among ten thousand,
Drove them, like some Divinity, before him;
Infusing mortal Terrors thro' their Souls:
Then to our Romans open'd wide their Gates,
And let in mighty Ruin on them all.

Com.
Thou Heroe of the Age, and God of War,
With Wonder I survey thee.

Marc.
No more, I do beseech you.
My Mother has a Right t' extoll her Blood;
Yet when she praises me, she always grieves me:
This is a time for Action, not for Talk.
Hast thou brought any Succours to us, Titus?

Larg.
All but a few who stay to guard the Town,
For one short Hour or two.
For if we win the Field, the Town is ours;
But losing that, we lose of course the other.

Marci.
Where lies the Enemy? Are we Lords of the Field?
If not, why, General, cease we till we are so?

Com.
Marcius, we have to disadvantage fought,
And now expect to be attack'd again.

Marci.
The Men half vanquish'd are, who are attack'd;
Let us march up to them without delay,
And be ourselves th' Attackers.
How lies their Battle? Know you on what Side
They have plac'd their Men of Trust?

Com.
As near as I can guess, my Noble Marcius,
They who compose their Center are the Veterans,
On whom they most rely, commanded by
Tullus Aufidius, their successful General.

Marci.
A fortunate and formidable Leader.
Were there a Man on Earth whom I cou'd envy,
It should be this Aufidius;
And were I any thing but what I am,
I then could wish that I were only he.

Com.
You have fought together.

Marci.
Were half this Globe in Conflict with the other,
And he upon my Party, I'd revolt
That I might combat him; he is a Lyon,
Whom I am proud to hunt; therefore beseech you,
By all the Battles we have fought together,
By all the Blood we have together shed,
And by the solemn Vows which we have made
To let no Time dissolve our bond of Friendship,
I beg you that you would directly set me
Against this fierce Aufidius and his Antiats;
And that without the least delay we march,
Filling the Air with Swords and Darts advanc'd,
And make ev'n this the great deciding Hour.

Com.
Tho' I could wish
You were conducted to a gentle Bath,
And healing Balm infus'd into your Wounds,
Yet dare I ne'er deny what Marcius asks:
Then let the Soldiers strait surround this Tent,
And take your choice of those who are most fit,
To imitate thy great and bright Example.

Marci.
They are most proper who are the most willing,
If there be such, which were a Crime to doubt;
Who love this noble Paint with which I'm dy'd;
If here are any who are less afraid
Of dangers to their Persons, than their Fames,
If any think brave Death outweighs bad Life,
And that his Country's dearer than himself,
Let all who find these noble Dispositions
Advance their Swords, to shew their Resolutions,
Such are my Friends, my Brethren and my Countrymen,
And only such are fit to follow Marcius.

[They all shout and flourish their Swords.
1st Sold.
Lead on, brave Marcius, thee we follow all
To Death or Victory.

All.
To Death or Victory we follow all.

Com.
Was ever such a sudden wondrous Change?
They look, they move, they breath with other Souls,
And more than mortal Fury.

[Shout again.
Marci.
Ay, in that Shout the Volscian Army fell;
Yes, my brave Friends, ye have already conquer'd,
I see it in your Eyes, I hear it in your Voices.
Come on, and I, as Time does Fate, will lead you
To Slaughter and unbounded Devastation.

All.
To Death or Victory lead on, brave Marcius.

[Exe.
[Alarm as in Battle.
Enter Marcius and Aufidius at several Doors.
Marci.
I'll fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee
Worse than a Promise-breaker.

Auf.
We hate alike.
Not Africk owns a Serpent I abhor
More than thy Fame and Envy; fix thy Foot.

Marci.
Let the first Starter dye the other's Slave;
And after that most ignominious Death,
May the Gods doom him to eternal Torments.

Aufid.
If I fly, Marcius, hoot me like a Hare.

Marci.
Tullus Aufidius, know, within these three Hours
Alone in your Corioli I fought,
Alone in your Corioli I vanquish'd.
Where walking like the Substitute of Jove,
I with this single Arm dealt Fate amongst them.
Believ'st thou 'tis my Blood with which I'm mark'd?
No: 'tis thy dearest Friends, and thy Relations.
Now rouse thy Faculties to great Revenge,
And scrue them to the utmost height of Fury.

Aufid.
Think'st thou, when I behold thy hated Face,
I want to be provok'd by Words to kill thee?
Thou say'st, I see upon thy painted Skin
The Blood of my dear Friends, and my Relations:
Thou Fool, what's that to t'other stabbing Sight,
When in thy haughty and insulting Eyes
I see thy boasted Triumphs o'er Aufidius.
Yes, that's the Sight that works my Rage to Madness,
And in me kindles such a raging Feaver,
That if 'tis not extinguish'd by thy Blood
I'll quench it with my own.

Marci.
Then take thy Wish,
Have at thy Life, and all the Volscian Pow'r.

[Here they fight, and certain Volscians come to the Aid of Aufidius; Marcius fights till they are driven in breathless.
Auf.
to his Men.
Stand from between us, oh, stand off, I charge you.
Stand off, ye Scandals to the Fame of Tullus!
Base and officious Cowards, how did you dare
To think that I, engaged against one Roman,
Could stand in need of you?

[Flourish, Alarm. A Retreat is sounded.
Enter at one Door Cominius with the Romans, at another Door Marcius. The Soldiers proclaim the Victory of Cominius.
Com.
Enough, my kind Companions of the War,
You force me to usurp another's Right,
For there's the Heroe to whom all is due:
'Tis he who sav'd your Persons, sav'd your Names,
And did immortal Honour to your Country;
Who rais'd Cominius to eternal Fame,
Ev'n from the brink of everlasting Infamy.
Oh Caius, Caius, I am lost in Wonder;
For I this Day have seen thee do such things,
Such more than mortal things, that should'st thou now
Hear with deliberate Calmness what before
Thou didst with godlike Fury, much I question
Whether thou wouldst not start at the Relation,
And doubt the Truth of thy own History.

Marci.
Enough, enough, my General, and too much.
I have some Wounds upon me, and they smart
To hear themselves remember'd.

Com.
But base Forgetfulness might make them angry,
And black Ingratitude might make them fester.
However, Marcius, so far thou art right,
That Talk is but a barren Recompence
For thy unequall'd Merit.
Therefore I'll say no more, 'till I report it
Where Senators shall mingle Tears with Smiles,
Where great Patricians that are used to Victory
Shall start, and shrug, and lift their Eyes to Heaven,
Where Matrons shall grow pale at the Relation,
Trembling with pleasure intermix'd with horrour;
Yet greedy still, devour the wondrous Tale:
Where the dull Tribunes, and the rank Plebeians,
That have so long malign'd thy growing Glory,
Shall say, against their Hearts, we thank the Gods,
Our Rome hath such a Soldier. Yet this Victory
Thou gain'dst, when thou wert wearied more than half
By conquering with thy single Arm Corioli.

Marci.
Nay, General—

Com.
Proceed we now to something more than Talk.
Then be it known to all the World that Marcius
By Merit wears the Laurel of this Victory;
And for a lasting Token of this Conquest,
My Noble Steed known to the Camp I give him,
With all his rich Caparison; from hence,
For what he did within Corioli, call him,
With all the applause and clamour of the Host,
Caius Marcius Coriolanus.

All.
Caius Marcius Coriolanus, Hail!

All.
All hail, Coriolanus!

Marci.
I will go wash, and when my Face is fair,
You shall perceive whether I blush or not.

Com.
Besides, of all the Horses, all the Treasure,
Whereof we have taken store in Field and City,
We render you the Tenth, to be chose out
Before the common Distribution's made.

Marci.
I thank you, General: but of all your Gifts
Your Steed and Noble Sirname I accept,
Which setting my old Honours still before me,
Shall gloriously excite my Soul to new ones.
But absolutely I refuse the rest,
And stand upon my common part with those
Who have been bare Spectators of the Victory.

Com.
Now, my Companions of the War, prepare
To march our conquering Legions back to Rome!
You, Caius Marcius, must remain with me.

[Exeunt all but Comin and Coriol.
Com.
Now we must back to Rome, Coriolanus,
Where all will now give way to Joy and Transport,
T' unruly Joy, and to tumultuous Transport,
And there will be nor time, nor place for Council;
A word then to thy darling Interest now:
When we're at Rome, I know th' assembled Senate
At my Proposal will design thee Consul,
Be not thou wanting to thy own advancement.

Cor.
And how should I be wanting?

Com.
[illeg.]s, Caius, thou art Brave beyond Example,
Thy Soul's possest of ev'ry peaceful Virtue,
Temperate, chast, observant of the Laws,
With an Integrity like that of Jove,
Above the Pow'r of Fortune or of Fate;
Yet thy one Blemish will all this disgrace.

Cor.
Name it, my Lord.

Com.
Thou hast a Soul too haughty and severe
For one who lives in a Free State, a State
That's so much founded on Equality.
You have been too harsh, and have provok'd the People.

Cor.
I hate the People.

Com.
Then give me leave to tell you, you're ungrateful;
For to this very People, whom you hate,
You more than half your matchless Conquests owe,
And more than half your Glory.

Cor.
Owe them to them!

Com.
To them, by whose Assistance you have conquer'd,
And in the Camp you cherish and esteem them.

Cor.
Because they pay a blind Obedience here,
And ne'er dispute the Will of their Superiors;
At Rome they insolently aim at Pow'r,
And to controul the Nobles and the Senate,
And therefore there I hate them.

Com.
The Discipline of War requires unbounded Sway,
But Peace restrains aspiring Pow'r by Law:
And when at Rome the People curb the Senate,
'Tis when th' ambitious Race of our Patricians
Seem aiming at that Tyranny themselves,
For which they expell'd the proud and cruel Tarquin.
Cherish the People when at Rome henceforward,
As here on Volscian Land you fight for them.

Cor.
Is it for them I fight? Is it for them
I lose my dearest Blood?

Com.
Is it not in thy Country's Cause thou fight'st?

Cor.
Most certainly.

Com.
And are the Walls or Fields thy Country then?

Cor.
No; the Patricians, and the noble Senate.

Com.
A narrow Country, of a poor Extent,
Not the tenth part so large as was our Rome,
When 'twas first founded by our Martial Romulus.
Thy Country is the People.

Cor.
When they're but nam'd, they shock my very Nature.

Com.
And doest thou think thy Nature different then
From that of this so despicable People?
Know, what they are thy Ancestors have been,
And what thou art will their Descendans be.
Alas, we're all compounded of one Stuff:
The Gods, who made us, no such difference see,
Between Patricians and th' ignoble Vulgar?
But hark! the Trumpet calls; we must to Rome;
And as we march, let's in our Minds revolve,
That this brave People, whom so much thou hat'st,
Are destin'd by the Gods to rule the Universe.
By them our Rome shall to the Stars arise:
Whom the Gods favour, let not Man despise.