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The fon, the hufband, and the father, tearing
His country's bowels out. And to poor we,
Thine enmity's most capital: thou barr'ft us
Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort.
That all but we enjoy: For how can we,
Alas! how can we for our country pray,
Whereto we are bound; together with thy victory,
Whereto we are bound? Alack! or we must lofe
The country, our dear nurfe; or else thy perfon,
Our comfort in the country. We must find
An evident calamity, though we had

Our wish, which fide fhould win: for either thou
Muft, as a foreign recreant, be led

With manacles thorough our streets; or else
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin;
And bear the palm, for having bravely shed
Thy wife and children's blood. For myfelf, fon,
I purpose not to wait on fortune, till

Thefe wars determine: if I cannot perfuade thee
Rather to fhow a noble grace to both parts,
Than feek the end of one, thou shalt no fooner
March to affault thy country, than to tread

(Trust to't, thou shalt not,) on thy mother's womb, That brought thee to this world.

VIRG. Ay, and on mine," That brought you forth this boy, to keep your name Living to time.

Bor. He fhall not tread on me; I'll run away till I am bigger, but then I'll fight.

9 Thefe wars determine:] i. e. conclude, end. So, in King Henry IV. P. II:

2

"Till thy friend fickness have determin'd me."

STEEVENS.

and on mine,] On was supplied by fome former editor, to complete the meafure. STEEVENS.

COR. Not of a woman's tenderness to be, Requires nor child nor woman's face to fee.

I have fat too long.

VOL.

[rifing.

Nay, go not from us thus. If it were fo, that our requeft did tend

To fave the Romans, thereby to destroy

The Volces whom you ferve, you might condemn

us,

As poisonous of your honour: No; our fuit

Is, that you reconcile them: while the Volces
May fay, This mercy we have fhow'd; the Romans,
This we receiv'd; and each in either fide

Give the all-hail to thee, and cry, Be bless'd
For making up this peace! Thou know'ft, great fon,
The end of war's uncertain; but this certain,
That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
Which thou shalt thereby reap, is fuch a name,
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
Whofe chronicle thus. writ,-The man was noble,
But with his laft attempt he wip'd it out;
Deftroy'd his country; and his name remains
To the enfuing age, abhorr'd. Speak to me, fon:
Thou haft affected the fine ftrains of honour,
To imitate the graces of the gods;

To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o'the air,
And yet to charge thy fulphur with a bolt

4

3 the fine frains. -] The niceties, the refinements.

JOHNSON.

The old copy has five. The correction was made by Dr. Johnfon, I fhould not have mentioned fuch a manifeft error of the prefs, but that it juftifies a correction that I have made in Romeo and Juliet, Act I. another in Timon of Athens; and a third that has been made in A Midsummer Night's Dream. See Vol. V. p. 125, n.7. MALONE.

4 And yet to charge thy fulphur-] The old copy has change, The correction is Dr. Warburton's. In The Taming of the Shrew, Act III. fc. i. charge is printed instead of change. MALONE.

The meaning of the paffage is, To threaten much, and yet be merciful. WARBURTON.

That should but rive an oak. Why doft not speak?
Think'st thou it honourable for a noble man
Still to remember wrongs?-Daughter, speak you :
He cares not for your weeping.-Speak thou, boy;
Perhaps, thy childishness will move him more
Than can our reafons.-There is no man in the
world

More bound to his mother; yet here he lets me prate,

Like one i' the stocks." Thou haft never in thy life
Show'd thy dear mother any courtesy;

When the, (poor hen!) fond of no fecond brood,
Has cluck'd thee to the wars, and fafely home,
Loaden with honour. Say, my request's unjust,
And spurn me back: But, if it be not fo,
Thou art not honeft; and the gods will plague thee,
That thou reftrain'ft from me the duty, which
To a mother's part belongs. He turns away:
Down, ladies; let us fhame him with our knees.
To his furname Coriolanus 'longs more pride,
Than pity to our prayers. Down; An end:
This is the laft ;-So we will home to Rome,
And die among our neighbours.-Nay, behold us :
This boy, that cannot tell what he would have,
But kneels, and holds up hands, for fellowship,
Does reafon our petition' with more ftrength
Than thou haft to deny't.-Come, let us go:
This fellow had a Volcian to his mother;
His wife is in Corioli, and his child

Like him by chance :-Yet give us our despatch:
I am hush'd until our city be afire,

Like one the flocks.] Keep me in a state of ignominy talking to no purpose. JOHNSON.

6 Does reafon our petition -] Does argue for us and our petition. JOHNSON.

And then I'll speak a little.

COR.

O mother, mother!" [bolding Volumnia by the hands, filent. What have you done? Behold, the heavens do ope, The gods look down, and this unnatural fcene They laugh at. O my mother, mother! O! You have won a happy victory to Rome: But, for your fon,—believe it, O, believe it, Most dangerously you have with him prevail'd, If not most mortal to him. But, let it come :Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars, I'll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius, Were you in my ftead, fay, would you have heard A mother lefs? or granted lefs, Aufidius?

AUF. I was mov'd withal.

COR.

I dare be fworn, you were:

And, fir, it is no little thing, to make

Mine eyes to fweat compaffion. But, good fir, What peace you'll make, advise me: For my part, I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you; and pray you, Stand to me in this caufe.-O mother! wife!

AUF. I am glad, thou hast set thy mercy and thy honour

At difference in thee: out of that I'll work

70 mother, mother!] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "Oh mother, what have you done to me? And holding her harde by the right hande, oh mother, fayed he, you have wonne a happy victorie for your countrie, but mortall and unhappy for your fonne : for I fee myself vanquished by you alone," STEEVENS.

8 heard is here used as a diffyllable. The modern editors read-fay, would you have heard. MALONE.

As my ears are wholly unreconciled to the diffyllabificationse-arl, he-ard &c. I continue to read with the modern editors. Say, in other paffages of our author, is prefatory to a question. So, in Macbeth:

Say, if thou hadft rather hear it from our mouths, "Or from our maiters'?" STEEVENS.

Myself a former fortune."

COR.

[Afide.

[The ladies make figns to Coriolanus. Ay, by and by; [To Volumnia, Virgilia, &c. But we will drink together; and you fhall bear A better witness back than words, which we, On like conditions, will have counter-feal'd. Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deserve To have a temple built you:3 all the fwords In Italy, and her confederate arms, Could not have made this peace.

SCENE IV.

Rome. A publick Place.

Enter MENENIUS and SICINIUS.

[Exeunt.

MEN. See you yond' coign o' the Capitol; yond' corner-ftone?

SIC. Why, what of that?

MEN. If it be poffible for you to difplace it with your little finger, there is fome hope the ladies of Rome, especially his mother, may prevail with him.

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Myfelf a former fortune.] I will take advantage of this conceffion to restore myfelf to my former credit and power. JOHNSON. drink together;] Perhaps we fhould read-think.

2

FARMER.

Our author, in King Henry IV. P. II. having introduced arinking as a mark of confederation:

"Let's drink together friendly, and embrace -;" the text may be allowed to ftand; though at the expence of female delicacy, which, in the prefent inftance, has not been fufficiently confulted. STEEVENS.

3 To have a temple built you:] Plutarch informs us, that a temple dedicated to the Fortune of the Ladies, was built on this occafion by order of the fenate. STEEVENS,

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