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Coriolanus: Act IV, Scene 6

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Coriolanus
Act IV, Scene 6

Rome. A public place.

Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare

But is this true, sir?

From: Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare

Charles Cowden Clarke, Mary Cowden Clarke, 1866

  1. Enter Sicinius and Brutus.

Sicinius Velutus

1 - 9
  1. We hear not of him, neither need we fear him;
  2. His remedies are tame—the present peace
  3. And quietness of the people, which before
  4. Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends
  5. Blush that the world goes well, who rather had,
  6. Though they themselves did suffer by’t, behold
  7. Dissentious numbers pest’ring streets, than see
  8. Our tradesmen singing in their shops, and going
  9. About their functions friendly.
  1. Enter Menenius.

Brutus

10
  1. We stood to’t in good time. Is this Menenius?

Sicinius Velutus

11 - 12
  1. ’Tis he, ’tis he. O, he is grown most kind of late.
  2. Hail, sir!

Menenius

13
  1.            Hail to you both!

Sicinius Velutus

14 - 17
  1.                   Your Coriolanus
  2. Is not much miss’d but with his friends;
  3. The commonwealth doth stand, and so would do,
  4. Were he more angry at it.

Menenius

18 - 19
  1. All’s well; and might have been much better, if
  2. He could have temporiz’d.

Sicinius Velutus

20
  1.                           Where is he, hear you?

Menenius

21 - 22
  1. Nay, I hear nothing; his mother and his wife
  2. Hear nothing from him.
  1. Enter three or four Roman Citizens.

All Roman Citizens

23
  1. The gods preserve you both!

Sicinius Velutus

24
  1.                             Good-en, our neighbors.

Brutus

25
  1. Good-en to you all, good-en to you all.

First Roman Citizen

26 - 27
  1. Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our knees,
  2. Are bound to pray for you both.

Sicinius Velutus

28
  1.                                 Live, and thrive!

Brutus

29 - 30
  1. Farewell, kind neighbors! We wish’d Coriolanus
  2. Had lov’d you as we did.

All Roman Citizens

31
  1.                          Now the gods keep you!

Both Brutus and Sicinius

32
  1. Farewell, farewell.
  1. Exeunt Roman Citizens.

Sicinius Velutus

33 - 35
  1. This is a happier and more comely time
  2. Than when these fellows ran about the streets,
  3. Crying confusion.

Brutus

36 - 39
  1.                   Caius Martius was
  2. A worthy officer i’ th’ war, but insolent,
  3. O’ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking,
  4. Self-loving—

Sicinius Velutus

40 - 41
  1.              And affecting one sole throne,
  2. Without assistance.

Menenius

42
  1.                     I think not so.

Sicinius Velutus

43 - 44
  1. We should by this, to all our lamentation,
  2. If he had gone forth consul, found it so.

Brutus

45 - 46
  1. The gods have well prevented it, and Rome
  2. Sits safe and still without him.
  1. Enter an Aedile.

First Aedile

47 - 52
  1.                                  Worthy tribunes,
  2. There is a slave, whom we have put in prison,
  3. Reports the Volsces with two several powers
  4. Are ent’red in the Roman territories,
  5. And with the deepest malice of the war
  6. Destroy what lies before ’em.

Menenius

53 - 57
  1.                               ’Tis Aufidius,
  2. Who, hearing of our Martius’ banishment,
  3. Thrusts forth his horns again into the world,
  4. Which were inshell’d when Martius stood for Rome,
  5. And durst not once peep out.

Sicinius Velutus

58 - 59
  1.                              Come, what talk you
  2. Of Martius?

Brutus

60 - 61
  1. Go see this rumorer whipt. It cannot be
  2. The Volsces dare break with us.

Menenius

62 - 69
  1.                                 Cannot be?
  2. We have record that very well it can,
  3. And three examples of the like hath been
  4. Within my age. But reason with the fellow,
  5. Before you punish him, where he heard this,
  6. Lest you shall chance to whip your information,
  7. And beat the messenger who bids beware
  8. Of what is to be dreaded.

Sicinius Velutus

70 - 71
  1.                           Tell not me!
  2. I know this cannot be.

Brutus

72
  1.                        Not possible.
  1. Enter First Messenger.

First Messenger

73 - 75
  1. The nobles in great earnestness are going
  2. All to the Senate-house; some news is coming
  3. That turns their countenances.

Sicinius Velutus

76 - 78
  1.                                ’Tis this slave—
  2. Go whip him ’fore the people’s eyes—his raising,
  3. Nothing but his report.

First Messenger

79 - 81
  1.                         Yes, worthy sir,
  2. The slave’s report is seconded, and more,
  3. More fearful, is deliver’d.

Sicinius Velutus

82
  1.                             What more fearful?

First Messenger

83 - 87
  1. It is spoke freely out of many mouths—
  2. How probable I do not know—that Martius,
  3. Join’d with Aufidius, leads a power ’gainst Rome,
  4. And vows revenge as spacious as between
  5. The young’st and oldest thing.

Sicinius Velutus

88
  1.                                This is most likely!

Brutus

89 - 90
  1. Rais’d only that the weaker sort may wish
  2. Good Martius home again.

Sicinius Velutus

91
  1.                          The very trick on’t.

Menenius

92 - 93
  1. This is unlikely: he and Aufidius can
  2. No more atone than violent’st contrariety.
  1. Enter a Second Messenger.

Second Messenger

94 - 99
  1. You are sent for to the Senate.
  2. A fearful army, led by Caius Martius
  3. Associated with Aufidius, rages
  4. Upon our territories, and have already
  5. O’erborne their way, consum’d with fire, and took
  6. What lay before them.
  1. Enter Cominius.

Cominius

100
  1. O, you have made good work!

Menenius

101
  1.                             What news? What news?

Cominius

102 - 104
  1. You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and
  2. To melt the city leads upon your pates,
  3. To see your wives dishonor’d to your noses—

Menenius

105
  1. What’s the news? What’s the news?

Cominius

106 - 108
  1. Your temples burned in their cement, and
  2. Your franchises, whereon you stood, confin’d
  3. Into an auger’s bore.

Menenius

109 - 111
  1.                       Pray now, your news?—
  2. You have made fair work, I fear me.—Pray, your news?
  3. If Martius should be join’d wi’ th’ Volscians—

Cominius

112 - 118
  1.                                                If?
  2. He is their god; he leads them like a thing
  3. Made by some other deity than Nature,
  4. That shapes man better; and they follow him
  5. Against us brats with no less confidence
  6. Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,
  7. Or butchers killing flies.

Menenius

119 - 122
  1.                            You have made good work,
  2. You and your apron-men; you that stood so much
  3. Upon the voice of occupation and
  4. The breath of garlic-eaters!

Cominius

123 - 124
  1.                              He’ll shake
  2. Your Rome about your ears.

Menenius

125 - 126
  1.                            As Hercules
  2. Did shake down mellow fruit. You have made fair work!

Brutus

127
  1. But is this true, sir?

Cominius

128 - 133
  1.                        Ay, and you’ll look pale
  2. Before you find it other. All the regions
  3. Do smilingly revolt, and who resists
  4. Are mock’d for valiant ignorance,
  5. And perish constant fools. Who is’t can blame him?
  6. Your enemies and his find something in him.

Menenius

134 - 135
  1. We are all undone, unless
  2. The noble man have mercy.

Cominius

136 - 142
  1.                           Who shall ask it?
  2. The tribunes cannot do’t for shame; the people
  3. Deserve such pity of him as the wolf
  4. Does of the shepherds. For his best friends, if they
  5. Should say, “Be good to Rome,” they charg’d him even
  6. As those should do that had deserv’d his hate,
  7. And therein show’d like enemies.

Menenius

143 - 147
  1.                                  ’Tis true;
  2. If he were putting to my house the brand
  3. That should consume it, I have not the face
  4. To say, “Beseech you cease.” You have made fair hands,
  5. You and your crafts! You have crafted fair!

Cominius

148 - 150
  1.                                             You have brought
  2. A trembling upon Rome, such as was never
  3. S’ incapable of help.

Both Brutus and Sicinius

151
  1.                       Say not we brought it.

Menenius

152 - 154
  1. How? Was’t we? We lov’d him, but like beasts
  2. And cowardly nobles gave way unto your clusters,
  3. Who did hoot him out o’ th’ city.

Cominius

155 - 160
  1.                                   But I fear
  2. They’ll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
  3. The second name of men, obeys his points
  4. As if he were his officer. Desperation
  5. Is all the policy, strength, and defense
  6. That Rome can make against them.
  1. Enter a troop of Roman Citizens.

Menenius

161 - 171
  1.                                  Here come the clusters.
  2. And is Aufidius with him? You are they
  3. That made the air unwholesome, when you cast
  4. Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at
  5. Coriolanus’ exile. Now he’s coming,
  6. And not a hair upon a soldier’s head
  7. Which will not prove a whip. As many coxcombs
  8. As you threw caps up will he tumble down,
  9. And pay you for your voices. ’Tis no matter;
  10. If he could burn us all into one coal,
  11. We have deserv’d it.

All Roman Citizens

172
  1. Faith, we hear fearful news.

First Roman Citizen

173 - 174
  1.                              For mine own part,
  2. When I said banish him, I said ’twas pity.

Second Roman Citizen

175
  1. And so did I.

Third Roman Citizen

176 - 178
  1. And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very many of us.
  2. That we did, we did for the best, and though we willingly
  3. consented to his banishment, yet it was against our will.

Cominius

179
  1. Y’ are goodly things, you voices!

Menenius

180 - 181
  1.                                   You have made
  2. Good work, you and your cry! Shall ’s to the Capitol?

Cominius

182
  1. O ay, what else?
  1. Exeunt both Cominius and Menenius.

Sicinius Velutus

183 - 186
  1. Go, masters, get you home, be not dismay’d.
  2. These are a side that would be glad to have
  3. This true which they so seem to fear. Go home,
  4. And show no sign of fear.

First Roman Citizen

187 - 188
  1. The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let’s home. I ever
  2. said we were i’ th’ wrong when we banish’d him.

Second Roman Citizen

189
  1. So did we all. But come, let’s home.
  1. Exeunt Roman Citizens.

Brutus

190
  1. I do not like this news.

Sicinius Velutus

191
  1. Nor I.

Brutus

192 - 193
  1. Let’s to the Capitol. Would half my wealth
  2. Would buy this for a lie!

Sicinius Velutus

194
  1.                           Pray let’s go.
  1. Exeunt.
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