Another Alarum. The Volces and Romans re-enter, and the Fight is renewed. The Volces retire into Corioli, and MARCIUS follows them to the Gates. So, now the gates are ope:-Now prove good seconds: 'Tis for the followers fortune widens them, Not for the fliers: mark me, and do the like. [He enters the Gates, and is shut in. Slain, sir, doubtless. Lart. What is become of Marcius? 1 Sol. Following the fliers at the very heels, Lart. O noble fellow! Who, sensible, outdares his senseless sword, And, when it bows, stands up! Thou art left, Marcius: Were not so rich a jewel. Thou wast a soldier 9 Who, sensible, outdares -] The old editions read: Who sensibly out-dares Thirlby reads: Who, sensible, outdoes his senseless sword. He is followed by the later editors, but I have taken only his correction. Johnson. Sensible is here, having sensation. So before: "I would, your cambrick were sensible as your finger." Though Coriolanus has the feeling of pain like other men, he is more hardy in daring exploits than his senseless sword, for after it is bent, he yet stands firm in the field. Malone. The thought seems to have been adopted from Sidney's Arcadia, edit. 1633, p. 293: 66 "Their very armour by piece-meale fell away from them: and yet their flesh abode the wounds constantly, as though it were Jesse sensible of smart than the senselesse armour," &c. Steevens. 1 A carbuncle entire, &c.] So, in Othello: "If heaven had made me such another woman, "I'd not have ta'en it for her." Malone. Only in strokes;2 but, with thy grim looks, and Even to Cato's wish: not fierce and terrible Only in strokes; &c.] In the old editions it was: Calvus' wish: Plutarch, in The Life of Coriolanus, relates this as the opinion of Cato the Elder, that a great soldier should carry terrour in his looks and tone of voice; and the poet hereby following the histo rian, is fallen into a great chronological impropriety. Theobald. The old copy reads-Calues wish. The correction made by Theobald is fully justified by the passage in Plutarch, which Shakspeare had in view: "Martius, being there [before Corioli] at that time, ronning out of the campe with a fewe men with him, he slue the first enemies he met withal, and made the rest of them staye upon a sodaine; crying out to the Romaines that had turned their backes, and calling them againe to fight with a lowde voyce. For he was even such another as Cato would have a souldier and a captaine to be; not only terrible and fierce to lay about him, but to make the enemies afeard with the sounde of his voyce and grimnes of his countenance." North's translation of Plutarch, 1579, p. 240. Mr. M. Mason supposes that Shakspeare, to avoid the chronological impropriety, put this saying of the elder Cato "into the mouth of a certain Calvus, who might have lived at any time.” Had Shakspeare known that Cato was not contemporary with Coriolanus, (for there is nothing in the foregoing passage to make him even suspect that was the case) and in consequence made this alteration, he would have attended in this particular instance to a point, of which almost every page of his works shows that he was totally negligent; a supposition which is so improbable, that I have no doubt the correction that has been adopted by the modern editors, is right. In the first Act of this play, we have Lucius and Marcius printed instead of Lartius, in the original and only authentick ancient copy. The substitution of Calues, instead of Cato's, is easily accounted for. Shakspeare wrote, according to the mode of his time, Catoes wish; (So, in Beaumont's Masque, 1613: "And what will Junoes Iris do for her?") omitting to draw a line across the t, and writing the o inaccurately, the transcriber or printer gave us Calues. See a subsequent passage in Act II, sc. ult. in which our author has been led by another passage in Plutarch into a similar anachronism. 3 as if the world Were feverous, and did tremble.] So, in Macbeth: some say, the earth "Was feverous, and did shake." Steevens. Malone Re-enter MARCIUS, bleeding, assaulted by the enemy. 1 Sol. Lart. Look, sir. 'Tis Marcius: Let 's fetch him off, or make remain1 alike. [They fight, and all enter the City. SCENE V. Within the Town. A Street. Enter certain Romans, with Spoils. 1 Rom. This will I carry to Rome. 2 Rom. And I this. 3 Rom. A murrain on 't! I took this for silver. [Alarum continues still afar off. Enter MARCIUS, and TITUS LARTIUS, with a Trumpet. Mar. See here these movers, that do prize their hours5 At a crack'd drachm! Cushions, leaden spoons, Irons of a doit, doublets that hangmen would Bury with those that wore them, these base slaves, Whilst I, with those that have the spirit, will haste make remain] is an old manner of speaking, which means no more than remain. Hanmer. 5 -prize their hours-] Mr. Pope arbitrarily changed the word hours to honours, and Dr. Johnson, too hastily I think, approves of the alteration. Every page of Mr. Pope's edition abounds with similar innovations. Malone. A modern editor, who had made such an improvement, would have spent half a page in ostentation of his sagacity. Johnson. Coriolanus blames the Roman soldiers only for wasting their time in packing up trifles of such small value. So, in Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch: "Martius was marvellous angry with them, and cried out on them, that it was no time now to looke after spoyle, and to ronne straggling here and there to enrich themselves, whilst the other consul and their fellow citizens peradventure were fighting with their enemies." Steevens. doublets that hangmen would 6 Bury with those that wore them,] Instead of taking them as their lawful perquisite. Malone. Lart. Worthy sir, thou bleed'st; Thy exercise hath been too violent for Mar. Sir, praise me not: My work hath yet not warm'd me: Fare you well. Than dangerous to me: To Aufidius thus I will appear, and fight. Lart. Now the fair goddess, Fortune,7 Mar. SCENE VI. Near the Camp of Cominius. [Exit MAR. Enter COMINIUS and Forces, retreating. [Exeunt. Com. Breathe you, my friends; well fought: we are come off Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands, We shall be charg'd again. Whiles we have struck, That both our powers, with smiling fronts encountering, * Than dangerous to me: To Aufidius thus I will appear, and fight. Lart. Now the fair goddess, Fortune,] The metre being here violated, I think we might safely read with Sir T. Hanmer (omitting the words-to me:) The Roman gods, Lead their successes as we wish our own;]i. e. May the Roman gods, &c. Malone. Enter a Messenger. May give you thankful sacrifice!-Thy news? Com. Though thou speak'st truth, Methinks, thou speak'st not well. How long is 't since? Mess. Above an hour, my lord. Com. 'Tis not a mile; briefly we heard their drums: How could'st thou in a mile confound an hour,9 And bring thy news so late? Mess. Enter MARCIUS. Who 's yonder, Com. Mar. Come I too late? Com. The shepherd knows not thunder from a tabor, More than I know the sound of Marcius' tongue From every meaner man's.1 9 confound an hour,] Confound is here used not in its common acceptation, but in the sense of to expend. Conterere tempus. Malone. So, in King Henry IV, P. I, Act I, sc. iii: "He did confound the best part of an hour," &c. Steevens. 1 From every meaner man's.] [Old copy-meaner man.] That is, from that of every meaner man. This kind of phraseology is found in many places in these plays; and as the peculiarities of our author, or rather the language of his age, ought to be scrupulously attended to, Hanmer and the subsequent editors who read here-every meaner man's, ought not in my apprehension to be followed, though we should now write so. Malone. When I am certified that this, and many corresponding offences against grammar, were common to the writers of our author's age, I shall not persevere in correcting them. But while I suspect (as in the present instance) that such irregularities were the gibberish of a theatre, or the blunders of a transcriber, I shall forbear to set nonsense before my readers; especially when it can be avoided by the insertion of a single letter, which indeed might have dropped out at the press. Steevens. |