SCENE VIII. A field of battle. The Tragedy of Coriolanus  Shakespeare homepage  |  Coriolanus  | Act 1, Scene 8 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE VIII. A field of battle. 

 Alarum as in battle. Enter, from opposite sides, MARCIUS and AUFIDIUS  MARCIUS  I'll fight with none but thee; for I do hate thee 

 Worse than a promise-breaker. 

 AUFIDIUS  We hate alike: 

 Not Afric owns a serpent I abhor 

 More than thy fame and envy. Fix thy foot. 

 MARCIUS  Let the first budger die the other's slave, 

 And the gods doom him after! 

 AUFIDIUS  If I fly, Marcius, 

 Holloa me like a hare. 

 MARCIUS  Within these three hours, Tullus, 

 Alone I fought in your Corioli walls, 

 And made what work I pleased: 'tis not my blood 

 Wherein thou seest me mask'd; for thy revenge 

 Wrench up thy power to the highest. 

 AUFIDIUS  Wert thou the Hector 

 That was the whip of your bragg'd progeny, 

 Thou shouldst not scape me here. 



 They fight, and certain Volsces come to the aid of  AUFIDIUS. MARCIUS fights till they be driven in breathless  Officious, and not valiant, you have shamed me 

 In your condemned seconds. 



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