His fellowship i'the eause against your city, In part for his sake mov'd. 1 Sen. Enter Senators from TIMON. " Here come our brothers. 3 Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect.. The enemies' drum is heard, and fearful scouring Doth choke the air with dust: In, and prepare ; Ours is the fall, I fear; our foes the snare. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. - The Woods. Timon's Cave, and a Tomb-stone seen. Enter a Soldier, seeking TIMON. Sold. By all description this should be the place, Who's here? speak, ho! — No answer? - What is SCENE V.—Before the Walls of Athens.' Trumpets sound. Enter ALCIBIADES and Forces. Alcib. Sound to this coward and lascivious town Our terrible approach. [A parley sounded. Enter Senators on the walls. Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time With all licentious measure, making your wills The scope of justice; till now, myself, and such As slept within the shadow of your power, Have wander'd with our travers'd arms, and breath'd Our sufferance vainly: Now the time is flush, When crouching marrow, in the bearer strong, Cries, of itself, No more: now breathless wrong Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease; And pursy insolence shall break his wind, With fear, and horrid flight. 1 Sen. Noble, and young, When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit, Ere thou hadst power, or we had cause of fear, We sent to thee; to give thy rages balm, To wipe out our ingratitude with loves Above their quantity. 2 Sen.. So did we woo Transformed Timon to our city's love, By humble message, and by promis'd means; 1 Sen. These walls of ours For those that were, it is not square, to take, 2 Sen. 1 Sen. 2 Sen. Throw thy glove; Alcib. Both. The Senators descend, and open the gates. Sol. My noble general, Timon is dead; Alcib. [Reads.] Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft: Seek not my name: A plague consume you wicked caitiff's left! Here lie I Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate: Pass by, and curse thy fill; but pass and stay not Young MARCIUS, son to Coriolanus. A Roman Herald. TULLUS AUFIDIUS, general of the Volscians. Conspirators with Aufidius. A Citizen of Antium. VOLUMNIA, mother to Coriolanus. Roman and Volscian Senators, Patricians, Ediles Lictors, Soldiers, Citizens, Messengers, Servants to Aufidius, and other Attendants. SCENE, —partly in Rome; and partly in the territories of the VOLSCIANS and Antiates. Cit. Resolved, resolved. 2 Cit. Would you proceed especially again Caius Marcius? Cit. Against him first; he's a very dog to th commonalty. 2 Cit. Consider you what services he has done fo his country? 1 Cit. Very well; and could be content to g him good report for't, but that he pays himself wi being proud. 2 Cit. Nay, but speak not maliciously. 1 Cit. I say unto you, what he hath done f 1 Cit. First you know, Caius Marcius is chief mously, he did it to that end; though soft enemy to the people. Cit. We know't, we know't. scienc'd men can be content to say, it was for h country, he did it to please his mother, and to 1 Cit. Let us kill him, and we'll have corn at our partly proud; which he is, even to the altitude own price. Is't a verdict? Cit. No more talking on't: let it be done: away, away. 2 Cit. One word, good citizens. 1 Cit. We are accounted poor citizens; the patricians, good: What authority surfeits on, would relieve us; If they would yield us but the superfluity, while it were wholesome, we might guess, they relieved us humanely; but they think, we are too dear: the leanness that afflicts us, the object of our misery, is an inventory to particularize their abundance; our sufferance is a gain to them. Let as revenge this with our pikes, ere we become rakes: for the gods know, I speak this in hunger for bread, not in thirst for revenge. his virtue. 2 Cit. What he cannot help in his nature, account a vice in him: You must in no way say, be is covetous. 1 Cit. If I must not, I need not be barren accusations; he hath faults, with surplus, to tire repetition. [Shouts within.] What shouts are these The other side o'the city is risen: Why stay prating here? to the Capitol. Cit. Come, come. 1 Cit. Soft; who comes here? Enter MENENIUs Agrippa. 2 Cit. Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that h always loved the people. 1 Cit. He's one honest enough; 'Would, all the rest were so! Men. What work's, my countrymen, in hand? Where go you With bats and clubs? The matter? Speak, I pray you. 1 Cit. Our business is not unknown to the senate; they have had inkling, this fortnight, what we intend to do, which now we'll show 'em in deeds. They say, poor suitors have strong breaths; they shall know, we have strong arms too. Men. Why, masters, my good friends, mine honest neighbours, Will you undo yourselves? Alack, 1 Cit. We cannot, sir, we are undone already. Men. I tell you, friends, most charitable care Have the patricians of you. For your wants, Your suffering in this dearth, you may as well Strike at the heaven with your staves, as lift them Against the Roman state; whose course will on The way it takes, cracking ten thousand curbs Of more strong link asunder, than can ever Appear in your impediment: For the dearth, The gods, not the patricians, make it; and Your knees to them, not arms, must help. You are transported by calamity Thither where more attends you; and you slander The helms o'the state, who care for you like fathers, When you curse them as enemies. 1 Cit. Care for us!-True, indeed! They ne'er cared for us yet. Suffer us to famish, and their store-houses crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to support usurers: repeal daily any wholesome act established against the rich; and provide more piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and there's all the love they bear us. Men. Either you must Confess yourselves wondrous malicious, 1 Cit. Well, I'll hear it, sir: yet you must not think to fob off our disgrace with a tale: but, an't please you, deliver. Men. There was a time, when all the body's members Rebell'd against the belly; thus accus'd it: I' the midst o'the body, idle and inactive, Like labour with the rest; where the other instru 1 Cit. Should by the cormorant belly be restrain'd, Who is the sink o' the body, Men. Men. Well, what then? 1 Cit. The former agents, if they did complain, What could the belly answer? I will tell you; If you'll bestow a small (of what you have little,) Patience, a while, you'll hear the belly's answer. 1 Cit. You are long about it. Men. Note me this, good friend; Your most grave belly was deliberate, Not rash like his accusers, and thus answer'd. True is it, my incorporate friends, quoth he, That I receive the general food at first, Which you do live upon and fit it is; Because I am the store-house, and the shop Of the whole body: But if you do remember, I send it through the rivers of your blood, Even to the court, the heart, -to the seat o'the brains And, through the cranks and offices of man, The strongest nerves, and small inferior veins, From me receive that natural competency Whereby they live: And though that all at once, You, my good friends, (this says the belly), mark me, 1 Cit. Ay, sir; well, well. Men. Though all at once cannot See what I do deliver out to each; Yet I can make my audit up, that all From me do back receive the flower of all, And leave me but the bran. What say you to't? 1 Cit. It was an answer: How apply you this? Men. The senators of Rome are this good belly, And you the mutinous members: For examine Their counsels, and their cares; digest things rightly, Touching the weal o'the common; you shall find, No publick benefit, which you receive, But it proceeds, or comes, from them to you, And no way from yourselves. - What do you think? You, the great toe of this assembly? — 1 Cit. I the great toe? Why the great toe? Men. For that being one o'the lowest, basest, poorest, Of this most wise rebellion, thou go'st foremost : But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs; That like nor peace, nor war? the one affrights, you, The other makes you proud. He that trusts you, Where he should find you lions, finds you hares; Where foxes, geese: You are no surer, no, Sic. Opinion, that so sticks on Marcius, shall Bru. Come: Half all Cominius' honours are to Marcius, Bru. When Besides, if things go well, self in a more comfortable sort: If my son were my Let's along. SCENE II.. Corioli. The Senate-House. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS, and certain Senators. Auf. Is it not yours? (Who is of Rome worse hated than of you,) 1 Sen. Our army's in the field: [Reads. We never yet made doubt but Rome was ready To answer us. Auf. Nor did you think it folly, It seem'd, appear'd to Rome. By the discovery, Should know we were afoot. 2 Sen. Noble Aufidius, Take your commission; hie you to your bands: If they set down before us, for the remove O, doubt not that; All. The gods assist you! Auf. And keep your honours safe! 1 Sen. 2 Sen. Farewell. Farewell. Vol. Indeed, you shall not. Methinks, I hear hither your husband's drum ; Vir. His bloody brow! O, Jupiter, no blood! Re-enter Gentlewoman, with VALERIA and her Val. My ladies both, good day to you. Vir. I am glad to see your ladyship. Val. How do you both? you are manifest housekeepers. What, are you sewing here? A fine spot, in good faith. How does your little son? Vir. I thank your ladyship; well, good madam. Vol. He had rather see the swords, and hear a drum, than look upon his school-master, Val. O' my word, the father's son: I'll swear, 'tis a very pretty boy. O' my troth, I looked upon him o' Wednesday half an hour together: he has such a confirmed countenance. I saw him run after a gilded butterfly; and when he caught it, he Vol. I pray you, daughter, sing; or express your-let it go again; and after it again; and over and over Enter VOLUMNIA and VIRGILIA: They sit down on two low stools, and sew. |