And vows revenge as spacious as between

The young’st and oldest thing.

SICINIUS

This is most likely!

BRUTUS

Raised only that the weaker sort may wish

Good Martius home again.

SICINIUS The very trick on’t.

MENENIUS This is unlikely.

He and Aufidius can no more atone

Than violent’st contrariety.

Enter another Messenger

SECOND MESSENGER

You are sent for to the senate.

A fearful army, led by Caius Martius

Associated with Aufidius, rages

Upon our territories, and have already

O’erborne their way, consumed with fire and took

What lay before them.

Enter Cominius

COMINIUS O, you have made good work!

MENENIUS What news? What news?

COMINIUS

You have holp to ravish your own daughters and

To melt the city leads upon your pates,

To see your wives dishonoured to your noses.

MENENIUS What’s the news? What’s the news?

COMINIUS

Your temples burned in their cement, and

Your franchises, whereon you stood, confined

Into an auger’s bore.

MENENIUS Pray now, your news?

(To the tribunes) You have made fair work, I fear me.

(To Cominius) Pray, your news.

If Martius should be joined wi’th’ Volscians—

COMINIUS

If? He is their god. He leads them like a thing

Made by some other deity than nature,

That shapes man better, and they follow him

Against us brats with no less confidence

Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,

Or butchers killing flies.

MENENIUS (to the tribunes) You have made good work,

You and your apron-men, you that stood so much

Upon the voice of occupation and

The breath of garlic-eaters!

COMINIUS (to the tribunes)

He’ll shake your Rome about your ears.

MENENIUS

As Hercules did shake down mellow fruit. (To the tribunes) You have made fair work.

BRUTUS But is this true, sir?

COMINIUS Ay, and you’ll look pale

Before you find it other. All the regions

Do smilingly revolt, and who resists

Are mocked for valiant ignorance,

And perish constant fools. Who is’t can blame him?

Your enemies and his find something in him.

MENENIVS We are all undone unless

The noble man have mercy.

COMINIUS

Who shall ask it?

The tribunes cannot do‘t, for shame; the people

Deserve such pity of him as the wolf

Does of the shepherds. For his best friends, if they

Should say ‘Be good to Rome’, they charged him even

As those should do that had deserved his hate,

And therein showed like enemies.

MENENIUS

’Tis true.

If he were putting to my house the brand

That should consume it, I have not the face

To say ‘Beseech you, cease.’

(To the tribunes) You have made fair hands,

You and your crafts! You have crafted fair!

COMINIUS (to the tribunes)

You have brought

A trembling upon Rome such as was never

S’incapable of help.

SICINIUS and BRUTUS Say not we brought it.

MENENIUS How? Was’t we?

We loved him, but like beasts and cowardly nobles

Gave way unto your clusters, who did hoot

Him out o’th’ city.

COMINIUS

But I fear

They’ll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,

The second name of men, obeys his points

As if he were his officer. Desperation

Is all the policy, strength, and defence

That Rome can make against them.

Enter a troop of Citizens

MENENIUS

Here come the clusters.

(To the Citizens) And is Aufidius with him? You are they

That made the air unwholesome when you cast

Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at

Coriolanus’ exile. Now he’s coming,

And not a hair upon a soldier’s head

Which will not prove a whip. As many coxcombs

As you threw caps up will he tumble down,

And pay you for your voices. ’Tis no matter.

If he could burn us all into one coal,

We have deserved it.

ALL THE CITIZENS Faith, we hear fearful news.

FIRST CITIZEN For mine own part,

When I said ‘banish him’ I said ’twas pity.

SECOND CITIZEN And so did I.

THIRD CITIZEN And so did I, and to say the truth so did very many of us. That we did, we did for the best, and though we willingly consented to his banishment, yet it was against our will.

COMINIUS

You’re goodly things, you voices.

MENENIUS You have made good work,

You and your cry. Shall’s to the Capitol?

COMINIUS O, ay, what else?

Exeunt Menenius and Cominius

SICINIUS

Go, masters, get you home. Be not dismayed.

These are a side that would be glad to have

This true which they so seem to fear. Go home,

And show no sign of fear.

FIRST CITIZEN The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let’s home. I ever said we were i’th’ wrong when we banished him.

SECOND CITIZEN So did we all. But come, let’s home.

Exeunt Citizens

BRUTUS

I do not like this news.

SICINIUS

Nor I.

BRUTUS

Let’s to the Capitol. Would half my wealth

Would buy this for a lie.

SICINIUS

Pray let’s go.

Exeunt

4.7 Enter Aufidius with his Lieutenant

AUFIDIUS Do they still fly to th’ Roman?

LIEUTENANT

I do not know what witchcraft’s in him, but

Your soldiers use him as the grace fore meat,

Their talk at table, and their thanks at end,

And you are darkened in this action, sir,

Even by your own.

AUFIDIUS

I cannot help it now,

Unless by using means I lame the foot

Of our design. He bears himself more proudlier,