SCENE VI. Rome. A public place. The Tragedy of Coriolanus  Shakespeare homepage  |  Coriolanus  | Act 4, Scene 6 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE VI. Rome. A public place. 

 Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS  SICINIUS  We hear not of him, neither need we fear him; 

 His remedies are tame i' the present peace 

 And quietness of the people, which before 

 Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends 

 Blush that the world goes well, who rather had, 

 Though they themselves did suffer by't, behold 

 Dissentious numbers pestering streets than see 

 Our tradesmen with in their shops and going 

 About their functions friendly. 

 BRUTUS  We stood to't in good time. 



 Enter MENENIUS  Is this Menenius? 

 SICINIUS  'Tis he,'tis he: O, he is grown most kind of late. 

 Both Tribunes  Hail sir! 

 MENENIUS  Hail to you both! 

 SICINIUS  Your Coriolanus 

 Is not much miss'd, but with his friends: 

 The commonwealth doth stand, and so would do, 

 Were he more angry at it. 

 MENENIUS  All's well; and might have been much better, if 

 He could have temporized. 

 SICINIUS  Where is he, hear you? 

 MENENIUS  Nay, I hear nothing: his mother and his wife 

 Hear nothing from him. 



 Enter three or four Citizens  Citizens  The gods preserve you both! 

 SICINIUS  God-den, our neighbours. 

 BRUTUS  God-den to you all, god-den to you all. 

 First Citizen  Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our knees, 

 Are bound to pray for you both. 

 SICINIUS  Live, and thrive! 

 BRUTUS  Farewell, kind neighbours: we wish'd Coriolanus 

 Had loved you as we did. 

 Citizens  Now the gods keep you! 

 Both Tribunes  Farewell, farewell. 



 Exeunt Citizens  SICINIUS  This is a happier and more comely time 

 Than when these fellows ran about the streets, 

 Crying confusion. 

 BRUTUS  Caius Marcius was 

 A worthy officer i' the war; but insolent, 

 O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking, 

 Self-loving,-- 

 SICINIUS  And affecting one sole throne, 

 Without assistance. 

 MENENIUS  I think not so. 

 SICINIUS  We should by this, to all our lamentation, 

 If he had gone forth consul, found it so. 

 BRUTUS  The gods have well prevented it, and Rome 

 Sits safe and still without him. 



 Enter an AEdile  AEdile  Worthy tribunes, 

 There is a slave, whom we have put in prison, 

 Reports, the Volsces with two several powers 

 Are enter'd in the Roman territories, 

 And with the deepest malice of the war 

 Destroy what lies before 'em. 

 MENENIUS  'Tis Aufidius, 

 Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment, 

 Thrusts forth his horns again into the world; 

 Which were inshell'd when Marcius stood for Rome, 

 And durst not once peep out. 

 SICINIUS  Come, what talk you 

 Of Marcius? 

 BRUTUS  Go see this rumourer whipp'd. It cannot be 

 The Volsces dare break with us. 

 MENENIUS  Cannot be! 

 We have record that very well it can, 

 And three examples of the like have been 

 Within my age. But reason with the fellow, 

 Before you punish him, where he heard this, 

 Lest you shall chance to whip your information 

 And beat the messenger who bids beware 

 Of what is to be dreaded. 

 SICINIUS  Tell not me: 

 I know this cannot be. 

 BRUTUS  Not possible. 



 Enter a Messenger  Messenger  The nobles in great earnestness are going 

 All to the senate-house: some news is come 

 That turns their countenances. 

 SICINIUS  'Tis this slave;-- 

 Go whip him, 'fore the people's eyes:--his raising; 

 Nothing but his report. 

 Messenger  Yes, worthy sir, 

 The slave's report is seconded; and more, 

 More fearful, is deliver'd. 

 SICINIUS  What more fearful? 

 Messenger  It is spoke freely out of many mouths-- 

 How probable I do not know--that Marcius, 

 Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome, 

 And vows revenge as spacious as between 

 The young'st and oldest thing. 

 SICINIUS  This is most likely! 

 BRUTUS  Raised only, that the weaker sort may wish 

 Good Marcius home again. 

 SICINIUS  The very trick on't. 

 MENENIUS  This is unlikely: 

 He and Aufidius can no more atone 

 Than violentest contrariety. 



 Enter a second Messenger  Second Messenger  You are sent for to the senate: 

 A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius 

 Associated with Aufidius, rages 

 Upon our territories; and have already 

 O'erborne their way, consumed with fire, and took 

 What lay before them. 



 Enter COMINIUS  COMINIUS  O, you have made good work! 

 MENENIUS  What news? what news? 

 COMINIUS  You have holp to ravish your own daughters and 

 To melt the city leads upon your pates, 

 To see your wives dishonour'd to your noses,-- 

 MENENIUS  What's the news? what's the news? 

 COMINIUS  Your temples burned in their cement, and 

 Your franchises, whereon you stood, confined 

 Into an auger's bore. 

 MENENIUS  Pray now, your news? 

 You have made fair work, I fear me.--Pray, your news?-- 

 If Marcius should be join'd with Volscians,-- 

 COMINIUS  If! 

 He is their god: he leads them like a thing 

 Made by some other deity than nature, 

 That shapes man better; and they follow him, 

 Against us brats, with no less confidence 

 Than boys pursuing summer butterflies, 

 Or butchers killing flies. 

 MENENIUS  You have made good work, 

 You and your apron-men; you that stood so up much 

 on the voice of occupation and 

 The breath of garlic-eaters! 

 COMINIUS  He will shake 

 Your Rome about your ears. 

 MENENIUS  As Hercules 

 Did shake down mellow fruit. 

 You have made fair work! 

 BRUTUS  But is this true, sir? 

 COMINIUS  Ay; and you'll look pale 

 Before you find it other. All the regions 

 Do smilingly revolt; and who resist 

 Are mock'd for valiant ignorance, 

 And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him? 

 Your enemies and his find something in him. 

 MENENIUS  We are all undone, unless 

 The noble man have mercy. 

 COMINIUS  Who shall ask it? 

 The tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people 

 Deserve such pity of him as the wolf 

 Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if they 

 Should say 'Be good to Rome,' they charged him even 

 As those should do that had deserved his hate, 

 And therein show'd like enemies. 

 MENENIUS  'Tis true: 

 If he were putting to my house the brand 

 That should consume it, I have not the face 

 To say 'Beseech you, cease.' You have made fair hands, 

 You and your crafts! you have crafted fair! 

 COMINIUS  You have brought 

 A trembling upon Rome, such as was never 

 So incapable of help. 

 Both Tribunes  Say not we brought it. 

 MENENIUS  How! Was it we? we loved him but, like beasts 

 And cowardly nobles, gave way unto your clusters, 

 Who did hoot him out o' the city. 

 COMINIUS  But I fear 

 They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius, 

 The second name of men, obeys his points 

 As if he were his officer: desperation 

 Is all the policy, strength and defence, 

 That Rome can make against them. 



 Enter a troop of Citizens  MENENIUS  Here come the clusters. 

 And is Aufidius with him? You are they 

 That made the air unwholesome, when you cast 

 Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at 

 Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming; 

 And not a hair upon a soldier's head 

 Which will not prove a whip: as many coxcombs 

 As you threw caps up will he tumble down, 

 And pay you for your voices. 'Tis no matter; 

 if he could burn us all into one coal, 

 We have deserved it. 

 Citizens  Faith, we hear fearful news. 

 First Citizen  For mine own part, 

 When I said, banish him, I said 'twas pity. 

 Second Citizen  And so did I. 

 Third Citizen  And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very 

 many of us: that we did, we did for the best; and 

 though we willingly consented to his banishment, yet 

 it was against our will. 

 COMINIUS  Ye re goodly things, you voices! 

 MENENIUS  You have made 

 Good work, you and your cry! Shall's to the Capitol? 

 COMINIUS  O, ay, what else? 



 Exeunt COMINIUS and MENENIUS  SICINIUS  Go, masters, get you home; be not dismay'd: 

 These are a side that would be glad to have 

 This true which they so seem to fear. Go home, 

 And show no sign of fear. 

 First Citizen  The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let's home. 

 I ever said we were i' the wrong when we banished 

 him. 

 Second Citizen  So did we all. But, come, let's home. 



 Exeunt Citizens  BRUTUS  I do not like this news. 

 SICINIUS  Nor I. 

 BRUTUS  Let's to the Capitol. Would half my wealth 

 Would buy this for a lie! 

 SICINIUS  Pray, let us go. 



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