And, when it bows, stands up! Thou art left, Mar cius: A carbuncle entire, as big as thou art, Were not so rich a jewel5. Thou wast a soldier Re-enter MARCIUS bleeding, assaulted by the 1 Sol. Lart. enemy, Look, sir. "Tis Marcius: Let's fetch him off, or make remain alikeo. SCENE V. [They fight, and all enter the city. Within the Town. A Street. Enter certain Romans, with spoils. 1 Rom. This will I carry to Rome. 2 Rom. And I this. 3 Rom. A murrain on't! I took this for silver. [Alarum continues still afar off. Sidney's Arcadia, ed. 1633, p. 293: Their very armour by piece-meale fell away from them: yet their flesh abode the wounds constantly, as though it were less sensible of smart than the senseless armour,' &c. We have a similar thought in Othello: 'If heaven had made me such another woman, Of one entire and perfect chrysolite, I'd not have ta'en it for her.' The old copy has erroneously Calues wish;' the error would easily arise: Shakspeare wrote, according to the mode of his time, Catoes wish,' omitting to cross the t, and forming the o inaccurately. Cato was not born till the year of Rome 519, that is, 255 years after the death of Coriolanus; but the poet was led into the anachronism by following Plutarch. 7 some say, the earth Was feverous, and did shake." Macbeth. Make remain' is an old manner of speaking, which means no more than remain. 1 Enter MARCIUS, and TITUS LARTIUS, with a Trumpet. Mar. See here these movers, that do prize their hours 1 At a crack'd drachm! Cushions, leaden spoons, Irons of a doit, doublets that hangmen would Bury with those that wore them, these base slaves, Ere yet the fight be done, pack up:-Down with them. And hark, what noise the general makes!-Tohim: There is the man of my soul's hate, Aufidius, Piercing our Romans: Then, valiant Titus, take Convenient numbers to make good the city; Whilst I, with those that have the spirit, will haste To help Cominius. Lart. Worthy sir, thou bleed'st; Thy exercise hath been too violent for A second course of fight. Mar. Sir, praise me not: My work hath yet not warm'd me: Fare you well. The blood I drop is rather physical Than dangerous to me: To Aufidius thus I will appear, and fight. Lart. Now the fair goddess, Fortune, Fall deep in love with thee; and her great charms Misguide thy opposers' swords? Bold gentleman, Prosperity be thy page! Mar. Thy friend no less Than those she placeth highest! So farewell. Lart. Thou worthiest Marcius! [Exit MARCIUS. Go, sound thy trumpet in the market-place; Call thither all the officers of the town, Where they shall know our mind. Away. [Exeunt. 9 ie. their time. Johnson adopted Pope's reading-honours; for which there was no necessity. { SCENE VI. Near the Camp of Cominius. Com. Breathe you, my friends; well fought: we Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands, Nor cowardly in retire: believe me, sirs, We shall be charg'd again. Whiles we have struck, By interims, and conveying gusts, we have heard The charges of our friends :-The Roman gods, Lead their successes as we wish our own; That both our powers, with smiling fronts encountering, Enter a Messenger. May give you thankful sacrifice!-Thy news? And then I came away. Com. Though thou speak'st truth, Methinks, thou speak'st not well. How long is't since? Mess. Above an hour, my lord. Com. 'Tis not a mile; briefly we heard their drums : How could'st thou in a mile confound1 an hour, And bring thy news so late? Mess. So in King Henry VI. Part 1. Act i. Sc. 3: 'He did confound the best part of an hour,' &c. Confound is here used not in its common acceptation, but in the sense of to expend: conterere tempus. We have a similar Latinism in The Taming of the Shrew : Please you we may contrive this afternoon, Three or four miles about; else had I, sir, Com. Enter MARCIUS. Who's yonder, That does appear as he were flay'd? O gods! Mar. Come I too late? Com. The shepherd knows not thunder from a tabor, More than I know the sound of Marcius' tongue From every meaner man's. Mar. Come I too late? Com. Ay, if you come not in the blood of others, But mantled in your own. Mar. O! let me clip you In arms as sound, as when I woo'd; in heart Com. How is't with Titus Lartius? Flower of warriors, Mar. As with a man busied about decrees: Condemning some to death, and some to exile; Ransoming him, or pitying 3, threat'ning the other; Holding Corioli in the name of Rome, Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash, 2 i. e. towards bed or rest, or the time of resting. Compounds were formerly made at pleasure, by subjoining ward to the thing towards which the action tended. Tooke makes ward the imperative of the A. S. verb waɲdian, to look out, or to direct the view. We have in the New Testament, to us-ward, and to God-ward; and such compounds as Rome-ward, Paris-ward, &c. were very common. The word in the text is used by Milton, Paradise Lost, iv. 350: Couch'd and now fill'd with pasture gazing sat, 3 i. e. remitting his ransom. Com. Where is that slave, Which told me they had beat you to your trenches? Where is he? Call him hither. Mar. Let him alone, He did inform the truth: But for our gentlemen, The common file (A plague!—Tribunes for them!) The mouse ne'er shunn'd the cat, as they did budge From rascals worse than they. Com. But how prevail'd you? Mar. Will the time serve to tell? I do not thinkWhere is the enemy? Are you lords o' the field? If not, why cease you till you are so? Com. Marcius, We have at disadvantage fought, and did Retire, to win our purpose. Mar. How lies their battle? Know you on which side They have plac'd their men of trust? Com. As I guess, Marcius, Their bands in the vaward are the Antiates 4, Their very heart of hope. Mar. I do beseech you, By the blood we have shed together, by the vows We prove this very hour. Com. Though I could wish You were conducted to a gentle bath, And balms applied to you, yet dare I never 4i. e. in the front are the soldiers of Antium. Shakspeare uses Antiates as a trisyllable, as if it had been written Antiats. i.e.' do not let slip the present time.' |