Corn for the rich men only :-With thefe fhreds fwer'd, And a petition granted them, a ftrange one, 2 M And make bold power look pale) they threw their caps Men. What is granted them? Mar. Five tribunes, to defend their vulgar wif- Of their own choice: One's Junius Brutus, Win upon power, and throw forth greater themes Men. This is ftrange. Mar. Go, get you home, you fragments! Enter a Meffenger. Mef. Where's Caius Marcius ? Mar. Here: What's the matter? Mef. The news is, fir, the Volces are in arms. vent Our mufty fuperfluity :-Sce, our beft elders. Enter Cominius, Titus Lartius, with other Senators 3 1 Sen. Marcius, 'tis true, that you have lately told us; The 2 the heart of generofity,] To give the final blow to the I nobles. Generofity is high birth. JOHNSON. 3-tis true, that you have lately told us; 1993 had eunsiono”, The Volces are in arms.] 100 s gaisd dout The Volces are in arms. Mar. They have a leader, Tullus Aufidius, that will put you to't. And were I any thing but what I am, Com. You have fought together. Mar. Were half to half the world by the ears, and he Upon my party, I'd revolt, to make Only my wars with him: He is a lion I Sen. Then, worthy Marcius, And I am conftant.-Titus Lartius, thou What, art thou stiff? stand'st out? Tit. No, Caius Marcius; I'll lean upon one crutch, and fight with the other, Ere ftay behind this bufinefs. Men. O, true bred! 1 Sen. Your company to the Capitol; where, I know, Our greatest friends attend us. Tit. Lead you on : Follow, Cominius; we must follow you; Right worthy you priority. Com. Noble Lartius! Sen. Hence! To your homes, be gone, T Mar. Nay, let them follow: [To the Citizens. The Volces have much corn; take thefe rats, thither, in arms. Coriolanus had been but just told himfelf that the Volces were The meaning is, The intelligence which you gave us fome little time ago of the defigns of the Valces are now verified; they are in arms. JOHNSON. sp of hirurg oo I To gnaw their garners :-Worshipful mutineers, * Your valour puts well forth: pray, follow followor [Exeunt, Citizens fteal away. Manent Sicinius, and Brutus. Sic. Was ever man fo proud as is this Marcius? Bru. He has no equal. Sic. When we were chofen tribunes for the people, Bru. Mark'd you his lip, and eyes? 1 Sic. Nay, but his taunts. Bru. Being mov'd, he will not spare to gird the gods. Sic. Be-mock the modeft moon. 6 Bru. The prefent wars devour him! he is grown 4 Four valour puts well forth: Too -] That is, You have in this mutiny fhewn fair bloffoms of valour. JOHNSON. 5 to gird] To fneer, to gibe. So Falstaff ufes the noun, when he says, every man has a gird at me. JOHNSON. I The prefent wars devour him! he is grown Too proud to be fo valiant.] Mr. Theobald fays, This is obfcurely expressed, but that the poet's meaning must certainly be, that Marcius is fo confcious of, and fo elate upon the notion of his own valour, that he is eaten up with pride, &c. According to this critick then, we must conclude, that when Shakespeare had a mind to fay, A man was eaten up with pride, he was fo great a blunderer in expreffion, as to fay, He was eaten up with war. But our poet wrote at another rate, and the blunder is his critick's. The prefent wars devour him, is an imprecation, and should be fo pointed. As much as to fay, May he fall in thofe wars! The reafon of the curfe is fubjoined, for (fays the fpeaker) having fo much pride with fo much valour, his life, with increafe of honours, is dangerous to the republick, But the Oxford editor alters it to, Too proud of being fo valiant. and by that means takes away the reason the fpeaker gives for his curfing. WARBURTON. I am by no means convinced that Dr. Warburton's punctuation, or explanation, is right. The fenfe may be, that the prefent wars annihilate his gentler qualities. To eat up, and confequently to devour, Too proud to be fo valiant. Sic. Such a nature, Tickled with good fuccefs, difdains the fhadow Bru. Fame, at the which he aims,- Sic. Befides, if things go well, Opinion, that fo fticks on Marcius, shall Bru. Come: Half all Cominius' honours are to Marcius, Sic. Let's hence, and hear How the dispatch is made; and in what fashion, devour, has this meaning. So, in the second part of K.Henry IV. a&t IV. fc. iv : But thou (the crown) most fine, most honour'd, most renown'd, Haft eat thy bearer up. He is grown too proud to be so valiant, may fignify, his pride is fuch as not to deserve the accompanyment of fo much valour. STEEVENS. 7 Of his demerits rob Cominius.] Merits and Demerits had an-. ciently the fame meaning: So, in Othello: 66 1 and my May fpeak, &c. demerits Again, in Stowe's Chronicle, cardinal Wolfey fays to his fervants, I have not promoted, preferred, and advanced you all according to your demerits." Again, in P. Holland's tranflation of Pliny's Epistle to T. Vefpafian, 1600: "his demerit had been •he greater to have continued his ftory." STEEVENS, 8 More than his fingularity, he goes for a Upon this prefent action. from ebsen vedT Bru. Let's along. adored [Exeunt 1 Sen. So, your opinion is, Aufidius, That they of Rome are enter'd in our counfels, Auf. Is it not yours? 9 What ever hath been thought on in this fate, They have prefs'd a power, but it is not known [Reading, (Who is of Rome worfe hated than of you). And Titus Lartius, a most valiant Roman, g Thefe three lead on this preparation Whither 'tis bent: most likely, 'tis for you no s Confider of it. I Sen. Our army's in the field: We never yet made doubt but Rome was ready Auf. Nor did you think it folly, t Yans 100. toy bat Ph More than his fingularity, &c.] We will learn what he is to do, befides going himself; what are his powers, and what is his appointment. JOHNSON. 502) ads eys Tis not four days gone,]ice. four days past.. yes 11 STEEVENS. |