Cor. I' the city of kites and crows.

3 Serv. I' the city of kites and crows?-What an ass it is! Then thou dwell'st with daws too?

Cor. No, I serve not thy master.

261

3 Serv. How, sir! Do you meddle with my master? Cor. Ay; 'tis an honester service, than to meddle with thy mistress:

Thou prat'st, and prat'st; serve with thy trencher, [Beats him away.

hence!

Enter AUFIDIUS, with the Second Serving-Man. Auf. Where is this fellow ?

2 Serv. Here, sir; I'd have beaten him like a dog, but for disturbing the lords within.

Auf. Whence comest thou? what wouldest thou? Thy name?

270

Why speak'st not? Speak, man: What's thy name ? Cor. If, Tullus,

Not yet thou know'st me, and seeing me, dost not Think me for the man I am, necessity

Commands me name myself.

Auf. What is thy name?

Cor. A name unmusical to the Volsces' ears, And harsh in sound to thine.

Auf. Say, what's thy name?

28.

Thou hast a grim appearance, and thy face
Bears a command in't; though thy tackle's torn,
Thou shew'st a noble vessel: What's thy name?
Cor. Prepare thy brow to frown: Know'st thou

me yet?

Auf.

Auf. I know thee not:-Thy name?

Cor. My name is Caius Marcius, who hath done
To thee particularly, and to all the Volsces,
Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may
My surname, Coriolanus: The painful service,
The extreme dangers, and the drops of blood
Shed for my thankless country, are requited
But with that surname; a good memory,
And witness of the malice and displeasure

290

Which thou shouldst bear me, only that name remains :

The cruelty and envy of the people,

Permitted by our dastard nobles, who

300

Have all forsook me, hath devour'd the rest;
And suffer'd me by the voice of slaves to be
Whoop'd out Rome. Now, this extremity
Hath brought me to thy hearth; Not out of hope,
Mistake me not, to save my
life; for if
I had fear'd death, of all the men i' the world
I would have 'voided thee: but in mere spite,
To be full quit of those my banishers,
Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
A heart of wreak in thee, that wilt revenge

Thine own particular wrongs, and stop those maims Of shame seen through thy country, speed thee straight,

And make my misery serve thy turn; so use it,
That my revengeful services may prove

As benefits to thee; for I will fight

Against my canker'd country with the spleen
K

310

of

Of all the under fiends. But if so be

Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes
Thou art tir'd, then, in a word, I also am
Longer to live most weary, and present

My throat to thee, and to thy ancient malice :
Which not to cut, would shew thee but a fool;
Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate,

Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast,
And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
It be to do thee service.

Auf. O Marcius, Marcius,

320

Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart

A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter

Should from yon cloud speak divine things, and say, 'Tis true; I'd not believe them more than thee,

All noble Marcius. Let me twine

Mine arms about that body, where against

My grained ash an hundred times hath broke,

And scar'd the moon with splinters! Here I clip 330
The anvil of my sword; and do contest

As hotly and as nobly with thy love,
As ever in ambitious strength I did

Contend against thy valour. Know thou first,
I lov'd the maid I marry'd; never man

Sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here,
Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart,
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw
Bestride my threshold. Why, thou Mars! I tell

thee,

We

340

We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,
Or lose mine arm for't: Thou hast beat me out
Twelve several times, and I have nightly since
Dream't of encounters 'twixt thyself and me;
We have been down together in my sleep,
Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat,
And wak'd half dead with nothing. Worthy Mar-
cius,

Had we no quarrel else to Rome, but that
Thou art thence banish'd, we would muster all
From twelve to seventy; and, pouring war
Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,

Like a bold flood o'er-beat. O, come, go in,
And take our friendly senators by the hands;
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,
Who am prepar'd against your territories,
Though not for Rome itself.

Cor. You bless me, Gods!

350

Auf. Therefore, most absolute sir, if thou wilt have

The leading of thine own revenges, take

The one half of my commission; and set down-
As best thou art experienc'd, since thou know'st 361
Thy country's strength and weakness-thine own
ways:

Whether to knock against the gates of Rome,

Or rudely visit them in parts remote,

To fright them, ere destroy. But come in:

Let me commend thee first to those, that shall

Say, yea, to thy desires. A thousand welcomes !
And more a friend than e'er an enemy;

Yet, Marcius, that was much. Your hand: Most welcome!

1 Serv. Here's a strange alteration!

[Exeunt. 370

2 Serv. By my hand, I had thought to have strucken him with a cudgel; and yet my mind gave me, his clothes made a false report of him.

1 Serv. What an arm he has! He turn'd me about with his finger and his thumb, as one would set up a top.

2 Serv. Nay, I knew by his face that there was something in him: He had, sir, a kind of face, methought I cannot tell how to term it.

379

1 Serv. He had so; looking, as it were-'Would I were hang'd, but I thought there was more in him than I could think.

2 Serv. So did I, I'll be sworn: He is simply the rarest man i' the world.

1 Serv. I think, he is: but a greater soldier than he, you wot one.

2 Serv. Who? my master?

1 Serv. Nay, it's no matter for that.

2 Serv. Worth six of him.

1 Serv. Nay, not so neither: but I take him to be the greater soldier.

391

2 Serv. 'Faith, look you, one cannot tell how to say that for the defence of a town, our general is excellent.

1 Serv.