Bru. He's a lamb, indeed, that baes like a bear. Men. He's a bear, indeed, that lives like a lamb. You are two old men, tell me one thing that I fhall Men. In what enormity is Marcius poor, two have not in abundance? that you Bru. He's poor in no one fault, but ftor'd with all. Bru. And topping all others in boasting. Men. This is ftrange now. Do you two know how you are cenfur'd here in the city, I mean of us o' th' right hand file? Do you? Bru. Why,-how are we cenfur'd? Men. Because you talk of pride now, will be angry? Both. Well, well, Sir, well. you not Men. Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of occafion will rob you of a great deal of patience. Give your difpofitions the reins, and be angry at your pleasures; at the leaft, if you take it as a pleasure to you, in being fo. You blame Marcius for being proud. Bru. We do it not alone, Sir. Men. I know, you can do very little alone; for your helps are many, or else your actions would grow wondrous fingle; your abilities are too infant-like, for doing much alone. You talk of pride-oh, that you could turn your eyes 3 towards the napes of your necks, and make but an interior furvey of your good felves! Oh, that you could! Bru. What then, Sir? Men. Why, then you should discover a brace of as 3 towards the napes of your wecks,] With allufion to the fa ble, which fays, that every man has a bag hanging before him, in which he puts his neighbour's faults, and another behind him, in which he ftows his own. un unmeriting, proud, violent, tefty magiftrates, alias, fools, as any in Rome. Sic. Menenius, you are known well enough too. Men. I am known to be a humorous Patrician, and one that loves a cup of hot wine with not a drop of allaying Tiber in't; faid to be fomething imperfect, in favouring the first complaint; hafty and tinder-like, upon too trivial motion; one that converfes more with the buttock of the night, than with the forehead of the morning. What I think, I utter; and spend my malice in my breath. Meeting two fuch weals-men as you are, I cannot call you Lycurguffes, if the drink you give me touch my palate adverfly, I make a crooked face at it. I can't fay, your Worships have delivered the matter well, when I find the afs in compound with the major part of your fyllables; and tho' I must be content to bear with thofe, that fay, you are reverend grave men; yet they lye deadly, that tell you, you have good faces. If you fee this in the map of my microcolin, follows it, that I am known well enough too? what harm can your biffon Confpetui ies glean out of this character, if I be known well enough too? 6 5 Bru. Come, Sir, come, we know you well enough. Men. You know neither me, yourfelves, nor any thing; you are ambitious for poor knaves' caps and legs: you wear out a good wholefome forenoon, in hearing a Caufe between an orange-wife and a foffetfeller, and then adjourn a controverfy of three-pence to a fecond day of audience.-When you are hearing a matter between party and party, if you chance to be pinch'd with the colick, you make faces like mummers, 4 one that converfes more, &c.] Rather a late lier down than an early rifer. s bien, blind, in the old copies, is leefome, restored by Mr. Theobalt. xbes fom Ed.1632. you wear out a good, &c.] It appears from this whole fpeech that Shakefear mistook the office of Præfe&us urbis for the Tribune's office. WARB. fet fet up the bloody flag against all patience, and, in roaring for a chamber-pot, difmifs the controverfie bleeding, the more intangled by your hearing. All the peace you make in their caufe, is calling both the parties knaves. You are a pair of strange ones. Bru. Come, come, you are well understood to be a perfecter gyber of the Table, than a neceffary bencher in the Capitol. Men. Our very priests must become mockers, if they fhall encounter fuch ridiculous fubjects as you are. When you speak beft unto the purpose, it is not worth the wagging of your beards; and your beards deferve not fo honourable a Grave, as to ftuff a botcher's cushion, or to be intomb'd in an afs's pack-faddle. Yet you must be faying, Marcius is proud; who, in a cheap estimation, is worth all your predeceffors, fince Deucalion; though, peradventure, fome of the best of them were hereditary hangmen. Good-e'en to your Worships; more of your converfation would infect my brain, being the herdfmen of beaftly Plebeians. I will be bold to take my leave of you. [Brutus and Sicinius ftand afide. SCENE II. As Menenius is going out, Enter Volumnia, Virgilia, and Valeria. How now my as fair as noble ladies, (and the moon, were the earthly, no nobler) whither do you follow your eyes fo faft? Vol. Honourable Menenius, my boy Marcius approaches. For the love of Juno, let's go. Men. Ha! Marcius coming home? 7 fet up the bloody flag against all patience, that is, declare war against patience. There is not wit enough in this fatire to recompenfe its groffnefs. berdfmen of Plebeians.] As kings are called pen; háwr. Vol. Ay, worthy Menenius; and with most profperous approbation. 8 Men. Take my Cap, Jupiter, and I thank theeHoo! Marcius coming home! Both. Nay, 'tis true. Vol. Look here's a letter from him, the State hath another; his wife, another; and, I think, there's one -at home for you. Men. I will make my very house reel to night. A letter for me! Vir. Yes, certain; there's a letter for you; I faw't. Men. A letter for me! it gives me an estate of seven years' health; in which time I will make a lip at the phyfician; the most fovereign prescription in Galen is but Empiric, and to this prefervative of no better report than a horfe-drench. Is he not wounded? he was wont to come home wounded. Vir. Oh, no, no, no. Vol. Oh, he is wounded; I thank the Gods for❜t. 'Men. So do I too, if he be not too much. Brings a' victory in his pocket? The wounds become him. Vel. On's brows, Menenius. He comes the third time home with the oaken garland. Men. Hath he difciplin'd Aufidius foundly? Vol. Titus Lartius writes, they fought together, but Aufidius got off. Men. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant him Take my CAP. Jupiter, and I thank the Tho' Menenius is made a prater and a boon-companion, yet it was not the defign of the poet to have him prophane, and bid Jupiter take bis cap. Shakespear's thought is very different from what his editors dream'd of. He wrote, Take my CUP, Jupiter. i.e. I will go offer a Libation to thee, for this good news: which was the custom of that time. There is a pleasantry, indeed, in his way of expreffing it, very agreeable to his convivial character. But the editors, not knowing the ufe of this cup, alter'd it to cap. WARBURTON. Shakespeare fo often mentions throwing up caps in this play, that Menenius may be well enough fuppofed to throw up his cap in thanks to Jupiter. that. that. If he had staid by him, I would not have been fo fidius'd for all the chefts in Corioli, and the gold that's in them. Is the Senate possest of this? Vol. Good ladies, let's go. Yes, yes, yes: the Senate has letters from the General, wherein he gives my fon the whole name of the war. He hath in this action outdone his former deeds doubly. Val. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke of him. Men. Wondrous! ay, I warrant you, and not without his true purchasing. Vir. The Gods grant them true! Vol. True? pow, waw. Men. True? I'll be fworn, they are true. Where is he wounded?-God fave your good Worships. [To the Tribunes.] Marcius is coming home. He has more cause to be proud.-Where is he wounded? Vol. I' th' fhoulder, and i' th' left arm. There will be large cicatrices to fhew the people, when he fhall ftand for his place. He receiv'd in the repulfe of Tarquin feven hurts i' th' body. Men. One i' th' neck, and one too i' th' thigh; there's nine, that I know. Vol. He had, before this last expedition, twenty five wounds upon him. Men. Now 'tis twenty feven; every gafh was an enemy's Grave. Hark, the trumpets. 9 Poffeft, in our authour's lan- He receiv'd in the repulfe of Men. One i' th' neck, and two ith thigh: there's nine, that I know] Seven,-one,—and two, and these make but nine? Surely, we may fafely affist Menenius in his Arithmetick. This is a A fhout and flourish. |
