Then reafon fafely with you.-Therefore, be it known, As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius With all the applause and clamour of the host, The addition nobly ever! [Flourish. Trumpets found, and drums. ALL. Caius Marcius Coriolanus ! COR. I will go wash; And when my face is fair, you shall perceive To the fairness of my power." For what he did &c.] So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "After this fhowte and noyfe of the affembly was fomewhat ap peafed, the conful Cominius beganne to fpeake in this forte. We cannot compell Martius to take these giftes we offer him, if he will not receaue them: but we will geue him fuche a rewarde for the noble feruice he hath done, as he cannot refuse. Therefore we doe order and decree, that henceforth he be called Coriolanus, onles his valiant acts haue wonne him that name before our nomination." STEEVENS. 5 The folio-Marcus Caius Coriolanus. 6 To undercreft your good addition, STEEVENS. To the fairness of my power.] A phrafe from heraldry, fignifying, that he would endeavour to fupport his good opinion of him. WARBURTON. I understand the meaning to be, to illuftrate this honourable diftinction you have conferred on me by fresh defervings to the extent of my power. To undercreft, I fhould guess, fignifies properly, to wear beneath the creft as a part of a coat of arms. The name or title now given feems to be considered as the creft; the Сом. So, to our tent: Where, ere we do repofe us, we will write LART. I fhall, my lord. COR. The gods begin to mock me. I that now Сом. Take it 'tis yours.-What is't? COR. I fometime lay, here in Corioli, At a poor man's houfe; he us'd me kindly: But then Aufidius was within my view, promifed future achievements as the future additions to that coat. HEATH. When two engage on equal terms, we fay it is fair; fairness may therefore be equality; in proportion equal to my power. JOHNSON. "To the fairness of my power"-is, as fairly as I can. M. MASON. 8 The beft,] The chief men of Corioli. JOHNSON. 9 with whom we may articulate,] i. e. enter into articles. This word occurs again in Henry IV. A&t V. fc. i: "Indeed these things you have articulated.” i. e. fet down article by article. So, in Holinfhed's Chronicles of Ireland, p. 163: "The earl of Defmond's treafons articulated." STEEVENS. 2 At a poor man's houfe ;] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "Only this grace (faid he) I craue, and befeeche you to grant me. Among the Volces there is an old friende and hofte of mine, an honeft wealthie man, and now a prifoner, who liuing before in great wealth in his owne countrie, liueth now a poore prifoner in the handes of his enemies: and yet notwithstanding all this his miferie and misfortune, it would doe me great pleasure if I could faue him from this one daunger: to keepe him from being folde as a flaue." STELVENS. To give my poor hoft freedom. Сом. O, well begg'd! Were he the butcher of my fon, he should Be free, as is the wind.3 Deliver him, Titus. LART. Marcius, his name? COR. By Jupiter, forgot : I am weary; yea, my memory is tir'd.- Сом. Go we to our tent: The blood upon your visage dries: 'tis time [Exeunt. SCENE X! The Camp of the Volces. A flourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS bloody, with two or three foldiers. AUF. The town is ta'en! 1. SOL. 'Twill be deliver'd back on good condition. AUF. Condition? I would, I were a Roman; for I cannot, "Withal, as large a charter as the wind." MALONE. 4 Being a Volce, &c.] It may be just observed, that Shakfpeare calls the Volci, Volces, which the modern editors have changed to the modern termination [Volcian.] I mention it here, because here the change has fpoiled the meafure: Being a Volce, be that I am.-Condition! JOHNSON. What good condition can a treaty find I' the part that is at mercy? Five times, Marcius, I have fought with thee; fo often haft thou beat me; And would'ft do fo, I think, fhould we encounter If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,* (True fword to fword,) I'll potch at him fome way;" Or wrath, or craft, may get him. I. SOL. He's the devil. AUF. Bolder, though not fo fubtle: My valour's poifon'd,' The Volci are called Volces in Sir Thomas North's Plutarch, and fo I have printed the word throughout this tragedy. STEEVENS. 5 meet him beard to beard,] So, in Macbeth: "We might have met them dareful, beard to beard—.” STEEVENS. -for where-] Where is used here, as in many other places, for whereas. MALONE. 6I'll potch at him fome way;] Mr. Heath reads-poach; but patch, to which the objection is made as no English word, is ufed in the midland counties for a rough, violent push. STEEVENS, Cole in his DICTIONARY, 1679, renders " to poche," fundum explorare. The modern word poke is only a hard pronunciation of this word. So to eke was formerly written to ech. MALONE. In Carew's Survey of Cornwall, the word potch is used in almost the fame fenfe, p. 31: They ufe alfo to poche them (fifh) with an inftrument fomewhat like a falmon-fpeare." TOLLET. -My valour's poifon'd, &c.] The conftruction of this paffage would be clearer, if it were written thus: 8 With only fuffering ftain by him; for him Wash my fierce hand in his heart. Go you to the city; The amendment propofed by Tyrwhitt would make the conftruction clear; but I think the paffage will run better thus, and with as little deviation from the text:— my valour's poifon'd; Which only fuffering ftain by him, for him for him Shall fly out of itfelf:] To mifchief him, my valour fhould deviate from its own native generofity. JOHNSON. — nor fleep, nor fan&uary, &c. Embarquements all of fury, &c.] The word, in the old copy, is fpelt embarquements, and, as Cotgrave fays, meant not only an embarkation, but an embargoing. The rotten privilege and cuftom that follow, feem to favour this explanation, and therefore the old reading may well enough ftand, as an embargo is undoubtedly an impediment. STEEVENS. In Sherwood's English and French Dictionary at the end of Cotgrave's, we find : "To imbark, to imbargue. Embarquer. "An imbarking, an imbarguing. Embarquement." Cole in his Latin Dictionary, 1679, has" to imbargue, or lay an imbargo upon." There can be no doubt therefore that the old copy is right. If we derive the word from the Spanifh, embargar, perhaps we ought to write embargement; but Shakspeare's word. certainly came to us from the French, and therefore is more properly written embarquements, or embarkments. MALONE. At home, upon my brother's guard,] In my own house, with my brother pofted to protect him. JOHNSON. So, in Othello: and on the court of guard,-." STEEVENS. |