Coriolanus

Coriolanus

ACT III SCENE III	The same. The Forum.
	Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS
BRUTUS	In this point charge him home, that he affects
	Tyrannical power: if he evade us there,
	Enforce him with his envy to the people,
	And that the spoil got on the Antiates	5
	Was ne'er distributed.
	Enter an AEdile
	What, will he come?
AEdile	He's coming.
BRUTUS	How accompanied?
AEdile	With old Menenius, and those senators	10
	That always favour'd him.
SICINIUS	Have you a catalogue
	Of all the voices that we have procured
	Set down by the poll?
AEdile	I have; 'tis ready.	15
SICINIUS	Have you collected them by tribes?
AEdile	I have.
SICINIUS	Assemble presently the people hither;
	And when they bear me say 'It shall be so
	I' the right and strength o' the commons,' be it either	20
	For death, for fine, or banishment, then let them
	If I say fine, cry 'Fine;' if death, cry 'Death.'
	Insisting on the old prerogative
	And power i' the truth o' the cause.
AEdile	I shall inform them.	25
BRUTUS	And when such time they have begun to cry,
	Let them not cease, but with a din confused
	Enforce the present execution
	Of what we chance to sentence.
AEdile	Very well.	30
SICINIUS	Make them be strong and ready for this hint,
	When we shall hap to give 't them.
BRUTUS	Go about it.
	Exit AEdile
	Put him to choler straight: he hath been used
	Ever to conquer, and to have his worth	35
	Of contradiction: being once chafed, he cannot
	Be rein'd again to temperance; then he speaks
	What's in his heart; and that is there which looks
	With us to break his neck.
SICINIUS	Well, here he comes.	40
	Enter CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS, and COMINIUS,with Senators and Patricians
MENENIUS	Calmly, I do beseech you.
CORIOLANUS	Ay, as an ostler, that for the poorest piece
	Will bear the knave by the volume. The honour'd gods
	Keep Rome in safety, and the chairs of justice
	Supplied with worthy men! plant love among 's!	45
	Throng our large temples with the shows of peace,
	And not our streets with war!
First Senator	Amen, amen.
MENENIUS	A noble wish.
	Re-enter AEdile, with Citizens
SICINIUS	Draw near, ye people.	50
AEdile	List to your tribunes. Audience: peace, I say!
CORIOLANUS	First, hear me speak.
Both Tribunes	Well, say. Peace, ho!
CORIOLANUS	Shall I be charged no further than this present?
	Must all determine here?	55
SICINIUS	I do demand,
	If you submit you to the people's voices,
	Allow their officers and are content
	To suffer lawful censure for such faults
	As shall be proved upon you?	60
CORIOLANUS	I am content.
MENENIUS	Lo, citizens, he says he is content:
	The warlike service he has done, consider; think
	Upon the wounds his body bears, which show
	Like graves i' the holy churchyard.	65
CORIOLANUS	Scratches with briers,
	Scars to move laughter only.
MENENIUS	Consider further,
	That when he speaks not like a citizen,
	You find him like a soldier: do not take	70
	His rougher accents for malicious sounds,
	But, as I say, such as become a soldier,
	Rather than envy you.
COMINIUS	Well, well, no more.
CORIOLANUS	What is the matter	75
	That being pass'd for consul with full voice,
	I am so dishonour'd that the very hour
	You take it off again?
SICINIUS	Answer to us.
CORIOLANUS	Say, then: 'tis true, I ought so.	80
SICINIUS	We charge you, that you have contrived to take
	From Rome all season'd office and to wind
	Yourself into a power tyrannical;
	For which you are a traitor to the people.
CORIOLANUS	How! traitor!	85
MENENIUS	Nay, temperately; your promise.
CORIOLANUS	The fires i' the lowest hell fold-in the people!
	Call me their traitor! Thou injurious tribune!
	Within thine eyes sat twenty thousand deaths,
	In thy hand clutch'd as many millions, in	90
	Thy lying tongue both numbers, I would say
	'Thou liest' unto thee with a voice as free
	As I do pray the gods.
SICINIUS	Mark you this, people?
Citizens	To the rock, to the rock with him!	95
SICINIUS	Peace!
	We need not put new matter to his charge:
	What you have seen him do and heard him speak,
	Beating your officers, cursing yourselves,
	Opposing laws with strokes and here defying	100
	Those whose great power must try him; even this,
	So criminal and in such capital kind,
	Deserves the extremest death.
BRUTUS	But since he hath
	Served well for Rome,--	105
CORIOLANUS	What do you prate of service?
BRUTUS	I talk of that, that know it.
CORIOLANUS	You?
MENENIUS	Is this the promise that you made your mother?
COMINIUS	Know, I pray you,--	110
CORIOLANUS	I know no further:
	Let them pronounce the steep Tarpeian death,
	Vagabond exile, raying, pent to linger
	But with a grain a day, I would not buy
	Their mercy at the price of one fair word;	115
	Nor cheque my courage for what they can give,
	To have't with saying 'Good morrow.'
SICINIUS	For that he has,
	As much as in him lies, from time to time
	Envied against the people, seeking means	120
	To pluck away their power, as now at last
	Given hostile strokes, and that not in the presence
	Of dreaded justice, but on the ministers
	That do distribute it; in the name o' the people
	And in the power of us the tribunes, we,	125
	Even from this instant, banish him our city,
	In peril of precipitation
	From off the rock Tarpeian never more
	To enter our Rome gates: i' the people's name,
	I say it shall be so.	130
Citizens	It shall be so, it shall be so; let him away:
	He's banish'd, and it shall be so.
COMINIUS	Hear me, my masters, and my common friends,--
SICINIUS	He's sentenced; no more hearing.
COMINIUS	Let me speak:	135
	I have been consul, and can show for Rome
	Her enemies' marks upon me. I do love
	My country's good with a respect more tender,
	More holy and profound, than mine own life,
	My dear wife's estimate, her womb's increase,	140
	And treasure of my loins; then if I would
	Speak that,--
SICINIUS	We know your drift: speak what?
BRUTUS	There's no more to be said, but he is banish'd,
	As enemy to the people and his country:	145
	It shall be so.
Citizens	It shall be so, it shall be so.
CORIOLANUS	You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
	As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
	As the dead carcasses of unburied men	150
	That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
	And here remain with your uncertainty!
	Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts!
	Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
	Fan you into despair! Have the power still	155
	To banish your defenders; till at length
	Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
	Making not reservation of yourselves,
	Still your own foes, deliver you as most
	Abated captives to some nation	160
	That won you without blows! Despising,
	For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
	There is a world elsewhere.
	Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, MENENIUS, Senators,and Patricians
AEdile	The people's enemy is gone, is gone!
Citizens	Our enemy is banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!	165
	Shouting, and throwing up their caps
SICINIUS	Go, see him out at gates, and follow him,
	As he hath followed you, with all despite;
	Give him deserved vexation. Let a guard
	Attend us through the city.
Citizens	Come, come; let's see him out at gates; come.	170
	The gods preserve our noble tribunes! Come.
	Exeunt