Which thou shouldst bear me: only that name re

mains :

The cruelty and envy of the people,
Permitted by our dastard nobles, who
Have all forsook me, hath devour'd the rest;
And suffer'd me by the voice of slaves to be
Whoop'd out of 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 1 in thee, that will 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

Of all the under fiends. But if so be

Thou darest not this, and that to prove more for

tunes

Thou art tired ;-then, in a word, I also am
Longer to live most weary, and present
My throat to thee, and to thy ancient malice:

1 Resentment.

2 Disgraceful diminutions of territory.

Which not to cut, would show 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,

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. O, let me twine

Mine arms about that body, where against
My grained ash a hundred times hath broke,
And scared the moon with splinters. Here I clip 1
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 valor. Know thou first,
I loved the maid I married; 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 have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,2
Or lose mine arm for 't.

Thou hast beat me out 3

1 Embrace.

2 Arm.

3 Full.

Twelve several times; and I have nightly since
Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me:
We have been down together in my sleep,
Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat,
And waked half-dead with nothing. Worthy Marcius,
Had we no other 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'erbeat. O, come, go in,
And take our friendly senators by the hands;
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,
Who am prepared against your territories,
Though not for Rome itself.

Cor.

You bless me, gods!

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 experienced, since thou know'st
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!

[Exeunt Coriolanus and Aufidius.

1 Ser. [advancing.] Here's a strange alteration! 2 Ser. 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 Ser. What an arm he has! He turned me about with his finger and his thumb, as one would set up a top.

2 Ser. 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.

1 Ser. He had so; looking, as it were,

-would

I were hanged, but I thought there was more in him than I could think.

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

1 Ser. I think he is; but a greater soldier than he, you wot1 one.

2 Ser. Who? my master?

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

2 Ser. Worth six of him.

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

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

1 Ser. Ay, and for an assault too.

1 Know.