CORIOLANUS

Act 3 Scene 2

(Enter Coriolanus, with Nobles)
l1l	Coriolanus	Let them pull all about mine ears, present me
l2l		Death on the wheel or at wild horses’ heels,
l3l		Or pile ten hills on the Tarpeian rock,
l4l		That the precipitation might down stretch
l5l		Below the beam of sight, yet will I still
l6l		Be thus to them.
		(Enter Volumnia)
	A Patrician					You do the nobler.
	Coriolanus										I muse my mother
l7l		Does not approve me further, who was wont
l8l		To call them woollen vassals, things created
l9l		To buy and sell with groats, to show bare heads
l10l		In congregations, to yawn, be still, and wonder,
l11l		When one but of my ordinance stood up
l12l		To speak of peace or war.
		(To Volumnia)				I talk of you.
l13l		Why did you wish me milder? Would you have me
l14l		False to my nature? Rather say I play
l15l		The man I am.
	Volumnia					O, sir, sir, sir,
l16l		I would have had you put your power well on
l17l		Before you had worn it out.
	Coriolanus								Let go.
l18l	Volumnia	You might have been enough the man you are
l19l		With striving less to be so. Lesser had been
l20l		The taxings of your dispositions if
l21l		You had not showed them how ye were disposed
l22l		Ere they lacked power to cross you.
	Coriolanus										Let them hang.
l23l	Volumnia	Ay, and burn too.
		(Enter Menenius, with the Senators)
	Menenius	(to Coriolanus)
l24l			Come, come, you have been too rough, something too 		rough.
l25l		You must return and mend it.
	[First] Senator							There’s no remedy
l26l		Unless, by not so doing, our good city
l27l		Cleave in the midst and perish.
	Volumnia	(to Coriolanus)					Pray be counselled.
l28l		I have a heart as little apt as yours,
l29l		But yet a brain that leads my use of anger
l30l		To better vantage.
	Menenius					Well said, noble woman.
l31l		Before he should thus stoop to th’ herd, but that
l32l		The violent fit o’ th’ time craves it as physic
l33l		For the whole state, I would put mine armour on,
l34l		Which I can scarcely bear.
l35l	Coriolanus	What must I do?
l36l	Menenius	Return to th’ tribunes.
l37l	Coriolanus	Well, what then, what then?
l38l	Menenius	Repent what you have spoke.
l39l	Coriolanus	For them? I cannot do it to the gods.
l40l		Must I then do ’t to them?
	Volumnia								You are too absolute,
l41l		Though therein you can never be too noble,
l42l		But when extremities speak. I have heard you say,
l43l		Honour and policy, like unsevered friends,
l44l		I’ th’ war do grow together. Grant that, and tell me
l45l		In peace what each of them by th’ other lose
l46l		That they combine not there.
	Coriolanus								Tush, tush!
	Menenius											A good demand.
l47l	Volumnia	If it be honour in your wars to seem
l48l		The same you are not, which for your best ends
l49l		You adopt your policy, how is it less or worse
l50l		That it shall hold companionship in peace
l51l		With honour, as in war, since that to both
l52l		It stands in like request?
	Coriolanus							Why force you this?
l53l	Volumnia	Because that now it lies you on to speak to th’ people,
l54l		Not by your own instruction, nor by th’ matter
l55l		Which your heart prompts you, but with such words
l56l		That are but roted in your tongue, though but
l57l		Bastards and syllables of no allowance
l58l		To your bosom’s truth. Now this no more
l59l		Dishonours you at all than to take in
l60l		A town with gentle words, which else would put you
l61l		To your fortune and the hazard of much blood.
l62l		I would dissemble with my nature where
l63l		My fortunes and my friends at stake required
l64l		I should do so in honour. I am in this
l65l		Your wife, your son, these senators, the nobles;
l66l		And you will rather show our general louts
l67l		How you can frown than spend a fawn upon ’em
l68l		For the inheritance of their loves and safeguard
l69l		Of what that want might ruin.
	Menenius									Noble lady!
		(To Coriolanus)
l70l		Come, go with us, speak fair. You may salve so,
l71l		Not what is dangerous present, but the loss
l72l		Of what is past.
	Volumnia					I prithee now, my son,
		(She takes his bonnet)
l73l		Go to them with this bonnet in thy hand,
l74l		And thus far having stretched it—here be with them—
l75l		Thy knee bussing the stones—for in such business
l76l		Action is eloquence, and the eyes of th’ ignorant
l77l		More learnèd than the ears—waving thy head,
l78l		With often, thus, correcting thy stout heart,
l79l		Now humble as the ripest mulberry
l80l		That will not hold the handling; or say to them
l81l		Thou art their soldier and, being bred in broils,
l82l		Hast not the soft way which, thou dost confess,
l83l		Were fit for thee to use as they to claim,
l84l		In asking their good loves; but thou wilt frame
l85l		Thyself, forsooth, hereafter theirs so far
l86l		As thou hast power and person.
	Menenius	(to Coriolanus)					This but done
l87l		Even as she speaks, why, their hearts were yours;
l88l		For they have pardons, being asked, as free
l89l		As words to little purpose.
	Volumnia	(to Coriolanus)				Prithee now,
l90l		Go, and be ruled, although I know thou hadst rather
l91l		Follow thine enemy in a fiery gulf
l92l		Than flatter him in a bower.
		(Enter Cominius)
									Here is Cominius.
l93l	Cominius	I have been i’ th’ market-place; and, sir, ’tis fit
l94l		You make strong party, or defend yourself
l95l		By calmness or by absence. All’s in anger.
l96l	Menenius	Only fair speech.
	Cominius					I think ’twill serve, if he
l97l		Can thereto frame his spirit.
	Volumnia								He must, and will.
l98l		Prithee now, say you will, and go about it.
l99l	Coriolanus	Must I go show them my unbarbèd sconce?
l100l		Must I with my base tongue give to my noble heart
l101l		A lie that it must bear? Well, I will do ’t.
l102l		Yet were there but this single plot to lose,
l103l		This mould of Martius they to dust should grind it
l104l		And throw ’t against the wind. To th’ market-place.
l105l		You have put me now to such a part which never
l106l		I shall discharge to th’ life.
	Cominius								Come, come, we’ll prompt you.
l107l	Volumnia	I prithee now, sweet son, as thou hast said
l108l		My praises made thee first a soldier, so,
l109l		To have my praise for this, perform a part
l110l		Thou hast not done before.
	Coriolanus								Well, I must do ’t.
l111l		Away, my disposition; and possess me
l112l		Some harlot’s spirit! My throat of war be turned,
l113l		Which choired with my drum, into a pipe
l114l		Small as an eunuch or the virgin voice
l115l		That babies lull asleep! The smiles of knaves
l116l		Tent in my cheeks, and schoolboys’ tears take up
l117l		The glasses of my sight! A beggar’s tongue
l118l		Make motion through my lips, and my armed knees,
l119l		Who bowed but in my stirrup, bend like his
l120l		That hath received an alms! I will not do ’t,
l121l		Lest I surcease to honour mine own truth,
l122l		And by my body’s action teach my mind
l123l		A most inherent baseness.
	Volumnia							At thy choice, then.
l124l		To beg of thee it is my more dishonour
l125l		Than thou of them. Come all to ruin. Let
l126l		Thy mother rather feel thy pride than fear
l127l		Thy dangerous stoutness, for I mock at death
l128l		With as big heart as thou. Do as thou list.
l129l		Thy valiantness was mine, thou sucked’st it from me,
l130l		But owe thy pride thyself.
	Coriolanus							Pray be content.
l131l		Mother, I am going to the market-place.
l132l		Chide me no more. I’ll mountebank their loves,
l133l		Cog their hearts from them, and come home beloved
l134l		Of all the trades in Rome. Look, I am going.
l135l		Commend me to my wife. I’ll return consul,
l136l		Or never trust to what my tongue can do
l137l		I’ th’ way of flattery further.
	Volumnia								Do your will.
		(Exit Volumnia)
l138l	Cominius	Away! The tribunes do attend you. Arm yourself
l139l		To answer mildly, for they are prepared
l140l		With accusations, as I hear, more strong
l141l		Than are upon you yet.
l142l	Coriolanus	The word is “mildly”. Pray you let us go.
l143l		Let them accuse me by invention, I
l144l		Will answer in mine honour.
l145l	Menenius	Ay, but mildly.
l146l	Coriolanus	Well, mildly be it, then—mildly.
		(Exeunt)