⌈VIRGILIA⌉ O the gods!

COMINIUS

I’ll follow thee a month, devise with thee

Where thou shalt rest, that thou mayst hear of us

And we of thee. So, if the time thrust forth

A cause for thy repeal, we shall not send

O‘er the vast world to seek a single man,

And lose advantage, which doth ever cool

I’th’ absence of the needer.

CORIOLANUS Fare ye well.

Thou hast years upon thee, and thou art too full

Of the wars’ surfeits to go rove with one

That’s yet unbruised. Bring me but out at gate.

Come, my sweet wife, my dearest mother, and

My friends of noble touch. When I am forth,

Bid me farewell, and smile. I pray you come.

While I remain above the ground you shall

Hear from me still, and never of me aught

But what is like me formerly.

MENENIUS That’s worthily

As any ear can hear. Come, let’s not weep.

If I could shake off but one seven years

From these old arms and legs, by the good gods,

I’d with thee every foot.

CORIOLANUS Give me thy hand. Come.

Exeunt

4.2 Enter the two tribunes, Sicinius and Brutus, with the Aedile

SICINIUS (to the Aedile)

Bid them all home. He’s gone, and we’ll no further.

The nobility are vexed, whom we see have sided

In his behalf.

BRUTUS Now we have shown our power,

Let us seem humbler after it is done

Than when it was a-doing.

SICINIUS (to the Aedile) Bid them home.

Say their great enemy is gone, and they

Stand in their ancient strength.

BRUTUS

Dismiss them home.

Exit Aedile

Enter Volumnia, Virgilia, ⌈weeping,⌉ and Menenius

Here comes his mother.

SICINIUS Let’s not meet her.

BRUTUS Why?

SICINIUS They say she’s mad.

BRUTUS

They have ta’en note of us. Keep on your way.

VOLUMNIA

O, you’re well met! Th‘hoarded plague o’th’ gods

Requite your love!

MENENIUS Peace, peace, be not so loud.

VOLUMNIA (to the tribunes)

If that I could for weeping, you should hear—

Nay, and you shall hear some. Will you be gone?

VIRGILIA (to the tribunes)

You shall stay, too. I would I had the power

To say so to my husband.

SICINIUS (to Volumnia) Are you mankind?

VOLUMNIA

Ay, fool. Is that a shame? Note but this, fool:

Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship

To banish him that struck more blows for Rome

Than thou hast spoken words?

SICINIUS O blessed heavens!

VOLUMNIA

More noble blows than ever thou wise words,

And for Rome’s good. I’ll tell thee what—yet go.

Nay, but thou shalt stay too. I would my son

Were in Arabia, and thy tribe before him,

His good sword in his hand.

SICINIUS

What then?

VIRGILIA

What then?

He’d make an end of thy posterity.

VOLUMNIA Bastards and all.

Good man, the wounds that he does bear for Romeǃ MENENIUS Come, come, peace.

SICINIUS

I would he had continued to his country

As he began, and not unknit himself

The noble knot he made.

BRUTUS

I would he had.

VOLUMNIA

‘I would he had’! ’Twas you incensed the rabble—

Cats that can judge as fitly of his worth

As I can of those mysteries which heaven

Will not have earth to know.

BRUTUS (to Sicinius) Pray, let’s go.

VOLUMNIA Now pray, sir, get you gone.

You have done a brave deed. Ere you go, hear this:

As far as doth the Capitol exceed

The meanest house in Rome, so far my son—

This lady’s husband here, this, do you see?—

Whom you have banished does exceed you all.

BRUTUS

Well, well, we’ll leave you.

SICINIUS

Why stay we to be baited

With one that wants her wits?

Exeunt tribunes

VOLUMNIA Take my prayers with you.

I would the gods had nothing else to do

But to confirm my curses. Could I meet ’em

But once a day, it would unclog my heart

Of what lies heavy to’t.

MENENIUS

You have told them home

And, by my troth, you have cause. You’ll sup with me?

VOLUMNIA

Anger’s my meat, I sup upon myself,

And so shall starve with feeding.

(To Virgilia) Come, let’s go.

Leave this faint puling and lament as I do,

In anger, Juno-like. Come, come, come.

Exeunt Volumnia and Virgilia

MENENIUS

Fie, fie, fie.

Exit

4.3 Enter Nicanor, a Roman, and Adrian, a Volscian

NICANOR I know you well, sir, and you know me. Your name, I think, is Adrian.

ADRIAN It is so, sir. Truly, I have forgot you.

NICANOR I am a Roman, and my services are, as you are, against ’em. Know you me yet?

ADRIAN Nicanor, no?

NICANOR The same, sir.

ADRIAN You had more beard when I last saw you, but your favour is well approved by your tongue. What’s the news in Rome? I have a note from the Volscian state to find you out there. You have well saved me a day’s journey.

NICANOR There hath been in Rome strange insurrections, the people against the senators, patricians, and nobles.

ADRIAN Hath been?—is it ended then? Our state thinks not so. They are in a most warlike preparation, and hope to come upon them in the heat of their division.

NICANOR The main blaze of it is past, but a small thing would make it flame again, for the nobles receive so to heart the banishment of that worthy Coriolanus that they are in a ripe aptness to take all power from the people, and to pluck from them their tribunes for ever. This lies glowing, I can tell you, and is almost mature for the violent breaking out.

ADRIAN Coriolanus banished?

NICANOR Banished, sir.

ADRIAN You will be welcome with this intelligence, Nicanor.

NICANOR The day serves well for them now. I have heard it said the fittest time to corrupt a man’s wife is when she’s fallen out with her husband. Your noble Tullus Aufidius will appear well in these wars, his great opposer Coriolanus being now in no request of his country.

ADRIAN He cannot choose. I am most fortunate thus accidentally to encounter you. You have ended my business, and I will merrily accompany you home.