CORIOLANUS

Act 4 Scene 2

(Enter the two tribunes, Sicinius and Brutus, with the Aedile)
l1l	Sicinius	(to the Aedile)
		 Bid them all home. He’s gone, and we’ll no further.
l2l		The nobility are vexed, whom we see have sided
l3l		In his behalf.
	Brutus	Now we have shown our power,
l4l		Let us seem humbler after it is done
l5l		Than when it was a-doing.
	Sicinius	
		(to the Aedile)
		Bid them home.
l6l		Say their great enemy is gone, and they
l7l		Stand in their ancient strength.
	Brutus	Dismiss them home.
		( 7B Exit Aedile)
l8l		(Enter Volumnia, Virgilia, weeping, and Menenius)
		 Here comes his mother.
l9l	Sicinius	Let’s not meet her.
l10l	Brutus	Why?
l11l	Sicinius	They say she’s mad.
l12l	Brutus	They have ta’en note of us. Keep on your way.
l13l	Volumnia	O, you’re well met! Th’ hoarded plague o’ th’ gods
l14l		Requite your love!
	Menenius	Peace, peace, be not so loud.
l15l	Volumnia	(to the tribunes)
		 If that I could for weeping, you should hear—
l16l		Nay, and you shall hear some. Will you be gone?
l17l	Virgilia	(to the tribunes)
		 You shall stay, too. I would I had the power
l18l		To say so to my husband.
	Sicinius	
		(to Volumnia)
		 Are you mankind?
l19l	Volumnia	Ay, fool. Is that a shame? Note but this, fool:
l20l		Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship
l21l		To banish him that struck more blows for Rome
l22l		Than thou hast spoken words?
	Sicinius	O blessèd heavens!
l23l	Volumnia	More noble blows than ever thou wise words,
l24l		And for Rome’s good. I’ll tell thee what—yet go.
l25l		Nay, but thou shalt stay too. I would my son
l26l		Were in Arabia, and thy tribe before him,
l27l		His good sword in his hand.
	Sicinius	What then?
	Virgilia	What then?
l28l		He’d make an end of thy posterity.
l29l	Volumnia	Bastards and all.
l30l		Good man, the wounds that he does bear for Rome!
l31l	Menenius	Come, come, peace.
l32l	Sicinius	I would he had continued to his country
l33l		As he began, and not unknit himself
l34l		The noble knot he made.
	Brutus	I would he had.
l35l	Volumnia	“I would he had”! ’Twas you incensed the rabble—
l36l		Cats that can judge as fitly of his worth
l37l		As I can of those mysteries which heaven
l38l		Will not have earth to know.
l39l	Brutus	(to Sicinius)
		 Pray, let’s go.
l40l	Volumnia	Now pray, sir, get you gone.
l41l		You have done a brave deed. Ere you go, hear this:
l42l		As far as doth the Capitol exceed
l43l		The meanest house in Rome, so far my son—
l44l		This lady’s husband here, this, do you see?—
l45l		Whom you have banished does exceed you all.
l46l	Brutus	Well, well, we’ll leave you.
	Sicinius	Why stay we to be baited
l47l		With one that wants her wits?
		(Exeunt tribunes)
		
	Volumnia	 Take my prayers with you.
l48l		I would the gods had nothing else to do
l49l		But to confirm my curses. Could I meet ’em
l50l		But once a day, it would unclog my heart
l51l		Of what lies heavy to ’t.
	Menenius	You have told them home
l52l		And, by my troth, you have cause. You’ll sup with me?
l53l	Volumnia	Anger’s my meat, I sup upon myself,
l54l		And so shall starve with feeding.
		(To Virgilia)
		 Come, let’s go.
l55l		Leave this faint puling and lament as I do,
l56l		In anger, Juno-like. Come, come, come.
		(Exeunt Volumnia and Virgilia)
		
	Menenius	 Fie, fie, fie.
		(Exit)