The Tragedy of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (scary books to read txt) 📖

make my misery serve thy turn: so use it That my revengeful services may prove As benefits to thee; for I will fight Against my canker'd country with the spleen Of all the under fiends. But if so be Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes Th'art tir'd, then, in a word, I also am Longer to live most weary, and present My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice; Which not to cut would show thee but a fool, Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate, Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast, And cannot live but to thy shame, unless It be to do thee service.

AUFIDIUS. O Marcius, Marcius! Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter Should from yond cloud speak divine things, And say ''Tis true,' I'd not believe them more Than thee, all noble Marcius. - Let me twine Mine arms about that body, where against My grained ash an hundred times hath broke And scar'd the moon with splinters; here I clip The anvil of my sword, and do contest As hotly and as nobly with thy love As ever in ambitious strength I did Contend against thy valour. Know thou first, I lov'd the maid I married; never man Sighed truer breath; but that I see thee here, Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart Than when I first my wedded mistress saw Bestride my threshold. Why, thou Mars! I tell thee We have a power on foot; and I had purpose Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn, Or lose mine arm for't: thou hast beat me out Twelve several times, and I have nightly since Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me; We have been down together in my sleep, Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat, And wak'd half dead with nothing. Worthy Marcius, Had we no other quarrel else to Rome, but that Thou art thence banish'd, we would muster all From twelve to seventy; and, pouring war Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome, Like a bold flood o'erbear. O, come, go in, And take our friendly senators by the hands; Who now are here, taking their leaves of me, Who am prepar'd against your territories, Though not for Rome itself.

CORIOLANUS. You bless me, gods!

AUFIDIUS. Therefore, most absolute sir, if thou wilt have The leading of thine own revenges, take Th' one half of my commission; and set down, - As best thou art experienc'd, since thou know'st Thy country's strength and weakness, - thine own ways; Whether to knock against the gates of Rome, Or rudely visit them in parts remote, To fright them, ere destroy. But come in; Let me commend thee first to those that shall Say yea to thy desires. A thousand welcomes! And more a friend than e'er an enemy; Yet, Marcius, that was much. Your hand: most welcome!

[Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS.]


FIRST SERVANT. Here's a strange alteration!

SECOND SERVANT. By my hand, I had thought to have strucken him with a cudgel; and yet my mind gave me his clothes made a false report of him.

FIRST SERVANT. What an arm he has! He turned me about with his finger and his thumb, as one would set up a top.

SECOND SERVANT. Nay, I knew by his face that there was something in him; he had, sir, a kind of face, methought, - I cannot tell how to term it.

FIRST SERVANT. He had so, looking as it were, - would I were hanged, but I thought there was more in him than I could think.

SECOND SERVANT. So did I, I'll be sworn: he is simply the rarest man i' the world.

FIRST SERVANT. I think he is; but a greater soldier than he you wot on.

SECOND SERVANT. Who, my master?

FIRST SERVANT. Nay, it's no matter for that.

SECOND SERVANT. Worth six on him.

FIRST SERVANT. Nay, not so neither: but I take him to be the greater soldier.

SECOND SERVANT. Faith, look you, one cannot tell how to say that: for the defence of a town our general is excellent.

FIRST SERVANT. Ay, and for an assault too.

[Re-enter third SERVANT.]

THIRD SERVANT. O slaves, I can tell you news, - news, you rascals!

FIRST and SECOND SERVANT. What, what, what? let's partake.

THIRD SERVANT. I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lief be a condemned man.

FIRST and SECOND SERVANT. Wherefore? wherefore?

THIRD SERVANT. Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our general, - Caius Marcius.

FIRST SERVANT. Why do you say, thwack our general?

THIRD SERVANT. I do not say thwack our general; but he was always good enough for him.

SECOND SERVANT. Come, we are fellows and friends: he was ever too hard for him; I have heard him say so himself.

FIRST SERVANT. He was too hard for him directly, to say the troth on't; before Corioli he scotched him and notched him like a carbonado.

SECOND SERVANT. An he had been cannibally given, he might have broiled and eaten him too.

FIRST SERVANT. But more of thy news?

THIRD SERVANT. Why, he is so made on here within as if he were son and heir to Mars; set at upper end o' the table: no question asked him by any of the senators but they stand bald before him: our general himself makes a mistress of him, sanctifies himself with's hand, and turns up the white o' the eye to his discourse. But the bottom of the news is, our general is cut i' the middle, and but one half of what he was yesterday; for the other has half, by the entreaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he says, and sowl the porter of Rome gates by the ears; he will mow all down before him, and leave his passage polled.

SECOND SERVANT. And he's as like to do't as any man I can imagine.

THIRD SERVANT. Do't! he will do't; for look you, sir, he has as many friends as enemies; which friends, sir, as it were, durst not, look you, sir, show themselves, as we term it, his friends, whilst he's in dejectitude.

FIRST SERVANT. Dejectitude! what's that?

THIRD SERVANT. But when they shall see, sir, his crest up again, and the man in blood, they will out of their burrows, like conies after rain, and revel all with him.

FIRST SERVANT. But when goes this forward?

THIRD SERVANT. To-morrow; to-day; presently; you shall have the drum struck up this afternoon: 'tis as it were parcel of their feast, and to be executed ere they wipe their lips.

SECOND SERVANT. Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is nothing but to rust iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad-makers.

FIRST SERVANT. Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace as far as day does night; it's spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mulled, deaf, sleepy, insensible; a getter of more bastard children than war's a destroyer of men.

SECOND SERVANT. 'Tis so: and as war in some sort, may be said to be a ravisher, so it cannot be denied but peace is a great maker of cuckolds.

FIRST SERVANT. Ay, and it makes men hate one another.

THIRD SERVANT. Reason: because they then less need one another. The wars for my money. I hope to see Romans as cheap as Volscians. They are rising, they are rising.

ALL. In, in, in, in!

[Exeunt.]


SCENE VI. Rome. A public place.

[Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS.]

SICINIUS. We hear not of him, neither need we fear him; His remedies are tame i' the present peace And quietness of the people, which before Were in wild hurry. Here do make his friends Blush that the world goes well; who rather had, Though they themselves did suffer by't, behold Dissentious numbers pestering streets than see Our tradesmen singing in their shops, and going About their functions friendly.

BRUTUS. We stood to't in good time. - Is this Menenius?

SICINIUS. 'Tis he, 'tis he. O, he is grown most kind Of late.

[Enter MENENIUS

BRUTUS. Hail, sir!

MENENIUS. Hail to you both!

SICINIUS. Your Coriolanus is not much miss'd But with his friends: the commonwealth doth stand; And so would do, were he more angry at it.

MENENIUS. All's well, and might have been much better if He could have temporiz'd.

SICINIUS. Where is he, hear you?

MENENIUS. Nay, I hear nothing: his mother and his wife Hear nothing from him.

[Enter three or four Citizens.]

CITIZENS. The gods preserve you both!

SICINIUS. God-den, our neighbours.

BRUTUS. God-den to you all, God-den to you all.

FIRST CITIZEN. Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our knees, Are bound to pray for you both.

SICINIUS. Live and thrive!

BRUTUS. Farewell, kind neighbours: we wish'd Coriolanus Had lov'd you as we did.

CITIZENS. Now the gods keep you!

BOTH TRIBUNES. Farewell, farewell.

[Exeunt Citizens.]

SICINIUS. This is a happier and more comely time Than when these fellows ran about the streets Crying confusion.

BRUTUS. Caius Marcius was A worthy officer i' the war; but insolent, O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking, Self-loving, -

SICINIUS. And affecting one sole throne, Without assistance.

MENENIUS. I think not so.

SICINIUS. We should by this, to all our lamentation, If he had gone forth consul, found it so.

BRUTUS. The gods have well prevented it, and Rome Sits safe and still without him.

[Enter an AEDILE.]

AEDILE. Worthy tribunes, There is a slave, whom we have put in prison, Reports, - the Volsces with several powers Are enter'd in the Roman territories, And with the deepest malice of the war Destroy what lies before 'em.

MENENIUS. 'Tis Aufidius, Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment, Thrusts forth his horns again into the world; Which were inshell'd when Marcius stood for Rome, And durst not once peep out.

SICINIUS. Come, what talk you of Marcius?

BRUTUS. Go see this rumourer whipp'd. - It cannot be The Volsces dare break with us.

MENENIUS. Cannot be! We have record that very well it can; And three examples of the like hath been Within my age. But reason with the fellow, Before you punish him, where he heard this; Lest you shall chance to whip your information And beat the messenger who bids beware Of what is to be dreaded.

SICINIUS. Tell not me: I know this cannot be.

BRUTUS. Not possible.

[Enter A MESSENGER.]

MESSENGER. The nobles in great earnestness are going All to the senate-house: some news is come That turns their countenances.

SICINIUS. 'Tis this slave, - Go whip him fore the people's eyes: - his raising; Nothing but his report.

MESSENGER. Yes, worthy sir, The slave's report is seconded, and more, More fearful, is deliver'd.

SICINIUS. What more fearful?

MESSENGER. It is spoke freely out of many mouths, - How probable I do not know, - that Marcius, Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome, And vows revenge as spacious as between The young'st and oldest thing.

SICINIUS. This is most likely!

BRUTUS. Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may wish Good Marcius home again.

SICINIUS. The very trick on 't.

MENENIUS. This is unlikely: He and Aufidius can no more atone Than violentest contrariety.

[Enter a second