And the most noble mother of the world
Leave unsaluted. Sink, my knee, i'the earth; [Kneels.
Of thy deep duty more impression shew
Than that of common fons.
Vol. O, stand up blest !
Whilst with no softer cushion than the flint,
I kneel before thee; and unproperly
Shew duty, as mistaken all the while
Between the child and parent.
Cor. What is this?
Your knees to me? to your corrected son ?
Then let the pebbles on the hungry beach
Fillop the stars: then let the mutinous winds
Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun;
Murd'ring impossibility, to make
What cannot be, flight work.
Vol. Thou art my warrior;
I holp to frame thee. Do you know this lady?
Cor. The noble fister of Poplicola,
The moon of Rome; chaste as the ificle
That's curdled by the frost from purest snow
And hangs on Dian's temple, Dear Valeria!
Vol. This is a poor epitome of your's,
Which by the interpretation of full time
May shew like all yourself.
Cor. The God of foldiers,
With the consent of fupreme Jove, [4] inform
Thy thoughts with nobleness; that thou may'st prove
To shame invulnerable, and stick i' the wars
Like a great fea-mark, standing every flaw,[5]
And faving those that eye thee!
Vol. Your knee, firrah,
Cor. That's my brave boy.
Vol. Even he, your wife, this lady, and myself,
Are fuitors to you.
Cor. I beseech you, peace:
Or, if you'd ask, remember this before;
The thing, I have forfworn to grant, may never
Be held by you denial. Do not bid me
[4] This is inferted with great decorum. Jupiter was the tutelary Go of Rome. WARB.
[5] That is, every guft, every ftorm. JOHNS.
Dismiss my foldiers, or capitulate
Again with Rome's mechanics:-Tell me not
Wherein I seem unnatural: defire not
To allay my rages and revenges, with
Your colder reafons.
Vol. Oh, no more; no more!
You have faid, you will not grant us any thing ::
For we have nothing else to ask, but that
Which you deny already: Yet we will ask
That, if we fail in our request, the blame
May hang upon your hardness :---Therefore, hear us.
Cor. Aufidius, and you Volscians, mark; for we'll
Hear nought from Rome in private. Your request ?
Vol. Should we be filent and not speak, our raiment
And ftate of bodies would bewray what life
We have led fince thy exile.. Think with thyself,
How more unfortunate than all living women
Are we come hither: fince thy fight, which should
Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance with comforts,
Constrains them weep, and shake with fear and forrow ;[6]
Making the mother, wife, and child, to fee
The fon, the husband, and the father, tearing.
His country's bowels out. And to poor we,
Thine enmity's most capital: thou barr'st us
Our prayers to the Gods, which is a comfort
That all but we enjoy: For how can we,
Alas! how can we, for our country pray,
Whereto we are bound; together with thy victory,.
Whereto we are bound ? Alack! or we must lose
The country, our dear nurse; or else thy person,
Our comfort in the country. We must find
An evident calamity, though we had
Our wish, which side should win: For either thous
Muft, as a foreign recreant, be led
With manacles through our streets; or elfe
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin ;
And bear the palm, for having bravely shed
Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, fon,
I purpose not to wait on fortune, till
These wars determine: If I cannot perfuade thee
Rather to shew a noble grace to both parts,
Than feek the end of one; thou shalt no fooner
March to affault thy country, than to tread
[6] That is, constrain the eye to weep, and the heart to shake. JOHNS
(Trust to't, thou shalt not) on thy mother's womb,.
That brought thee to this world.
That brought you forth this boy, to keep your name
Living to time.
Boy. He shall not tread on me ;
I'll run away till I am bigger, but then I'll fight.
Cor. Not of a woman's tenderness to be,
Requires, nor child, nor woman's face, to fee.
I have fat too long.-
Vol. Nay, go not from us thus.
If it were so, that our request did tend
To fave the Romans, thereby to destroy
The Volscians, whom you serve, you might condemn us,
As poisonous of your honour: No; our fuit
Is, that you reconcile them; while the Volscians
May say, This mercy we have shew'd; the Romans,
This we receiv'd; and each in either fide
Give the all-hail to thee, and cry, Be bleft
For making up this peace! Thou know'st, great fon,
The end of war's uncertain; but this certain,
That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
Which thou shalt thereby reap, is such a name,
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses ;
Whose chronicle thus writ, The man was noble,
But with his last attempt he wip'd it out ;
Destroy'd his country, and his name remains
To the ensuing age abhorr'd. Speak to me, fon :
Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour, [7]
To imitate the graces of the Gods;
To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
And yet to charge thy fulphur with a bolt[8]
That should but rive an oak. Why dost not speak?
Think'st thou it honourable for a noble man
Still to remember wrongs ?-Daughter, fpeak you :
He cares not for your weeping.-Speak thou, boy;
Perhaps, thy childishness will move him more
Than can our reasons. There is no man in the world
More bound to his mother; yet here he lets me prate,
Like one i' the stocks.[9] Thou hast never in thy life
[7] The niceties, the refinements. JOHNS.
[8] The meaning of the passage is, To threaten much, and yet be merciful. WARB.
[9] Keep me in a state of ignominy, talking to no purpose.
Shew'd thy dear mother any courtefy;
When she, (poor hen) fond of no second brood;
Has cluck'd thee to the wars, and fafely home,
Loaden with honour. Say, my request's unjust,
And spurn me back; but, if it be not so,
Thou art not honest, and the Gods will plague thee,.
That thou reftrain'st from me the duty, which
To a mother's part belongs.-He turns away :..
Down, ladies; let us shame him with our knees..
To his firname Coriolanus 'longs more pride,
Than pity to our prayers. Down; and end;
This is the laft: -So we will home to Rome,
And die among our neighbours.-Nay, behold us
This boy, that cannot tell what he would have,
But kneels, and holds up hands, for fellowship,
Does reafon our petition with more strength[1]
Than thou hast to deny't. -Come, let us go :
This fellow had a Volfcian to his mother;
His wife is in Corioli, and this child-
Like him by chance :---Yet give us our dispatch :
I am hush'd, until our city be afire;
And then I'll speak a little.
Cor. Mother, mother!
[Holds her by the Hands, filent.
What have you done? Behold, the heavens do ope,
The Gods look down, and this unnatural scene
They laugh at. Oh my mother, mother! oh!
You have won a happy victory to Rome:
But for your fon-believe it, oh, believe it-
Most dangerously you have with him prevail'd,
If not most mortal to him. But, let it come :-
Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,
I'll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius,
Were you in my stead, say, would you have heard
A mother less ? or granted less, Aufidius?
Auf. I was mov'd withal.
Cor. I dare be sworn, you were : And, fir, it is no little thing, to make Mine eyes to sweat compaffion. But, good fir, What peace you'll make, advise me: For my part, I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you: and pray you, Stand to me in this caufe. O mother! wife!
[1] Does argue for us and our petition, JOHNS.
Auf. I am glad, thou'st set thy mercy and thy honour
At difference in thee; out of that I'll work
Myself a former fortune.[2]
[The Ladies make Signs to CORIOLANUS..
Cor. Ay, by and by;
But we will drink together; and you shall bear
[To VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, &
A better witness back than words, which we,
On like conditions, will have counter-feal'd.
Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deferve
To have a temple built you: all the swords
In Italy, and her confederate arms,
Could not have made this peace..
The Forum, in Rome. Enter MENENIUS and SICINIUS.
Men. See you yon' coign o'the Capitol; yon' cornerstone?
Men. If it be possible for you to displace it with your little finger, there is fome hope the ladies of Rome, efpecially his mother, may prevail with him. But, I fay, there's no hope in't; our throats are sentenc'd, and stay upon execution.
Sic. Is't possible, that so short a time can alter the condition of a man?
Men. There is difference between a grub, and a but-terfly; yet your butterfly was a grub. This Marcius is grown from man to dragon: he has wings; he's more than a creeping thing.
Sic. He lov'd his mother dearly.
Men. So did he me
and he no more remembers his mother now, than an eight years old horfe. [3] The tartness of his face fours ripe grapes. When he walks, he moves like an engine, and the ground shrinks before his treading. He is able to pierce a corflet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery. He fits in state,
[7] I will take advantage of this conceffion to restore myself to my former credit and power. JOHNS.
[8] Subintelligitur 'remembers his dam.? WARB.
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