By th' blood w'ave fhed together, by the vows
Wave made to endure friends, that you directly
Set me against Aufidius, and his Antiates;
And that you not delay the prefent, but
Filling the air with fwords advanc'd, and darts,
We prove this very hour.

Com. Though I could wish,

You were conducted to a gentle bath,
And balms applied to you, yet dare I never
Deny your asking; take your choice of those,
That beft can aid your action.

Mar. Those are they,

That most are willing; If any fuch be here,
(As it were fin to doubt) that love this Painting,
Wherein you see me smear'd; if any fear
Lefs for his person than an ill report:

If any think, brave death out-weighs bad life,
And that his Country's dearer than himself,
Let him, alone, (or many, if fo minded)
Wave thus, t'exprefs his difpofition,

And follow Marcius.

[They all fhout, and wave their fwords, take him up in their arms, and caft up their caps.

Oh! me alone, make you a sword of me:
If these fhews be not outward, which of you
But is four Volfcians? none of you, but is
Able to bear against the great Aufidius
A fhield as hard as his. A certain number
(Tho' thanks to all) muft I felect from all:
The rest shall bear the business in fome other fight,
As cause will be obey'd; please you to march,
And four fhall quickly draw out my Command,
Which men are best inclin'd.

Com. March on, my fellows:
Make good this oftentation, and
Divide in all with u

us,

you fhall

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE changes to CORIOLI.

Titus Lartius having fet a guard upon Corioli, going with drum and trumpet toward Cominius and Caius Marcius; Enter with a lieutenant, other foldiers, and a scout.

Lart. So

O, let the Ports be guarded; keep your duties,
As I have fet them down. If I do fend, dif-
patch

Thofe Centries to our aid; the reft will ferve
For a fhort holding; if we lose the field,
We cannot keep the town.

Lieu. Fear not our care, Sir.

Lart. Hence, and thut your gates upon's:
Our guider, come! to th' Roman Camp conduct us.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Roman Camp.

Alarum, as in battel. Enter Marcius and Aufidius, at feveral doors.

Mar. I'LL fight with none but thee, for I do hate

Worfe than a promise-breaker.

Auf. We hate alike:

Not Africk owns a ferpent I abhor

More than thy Fame, and envy; fix thy foot.
Mar. Let the first budger die the other's flave,
And the Gods doom him after!

Auf. If I fly, Marcius,

Hollow me like a Hare.

Mar. Within these three hours, Tullus,

Alone I fought in your Corioli walls,

And made what work I pleas'd: 'tis not my blood,
Wherein thou fee'ft me mask'd; for thy revenge,
Wrench up thy power to th' highest.

Auf. Wert thou the Hector,

That

That was the whip of your bragg'd Progeny,
Thou should'st not 'fcape me here.

[Here they fight, and certain Volfcians come to the aid of Aufidius. Marcius fights, 'till they be driven in breathless.

Officious, and not valiant!- you have fham'd me your condemned Seconds.

In

Flourish. Alarum. A retreat is founded. Enter at one door, Cominius with the Romans; at another door, Marcius, with his arm in a fcarf.

Com. If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work, Thou'lt not believe thy deeds: but I'll report it, Where Senators fhall mingle tears with fmiles; Where great Patricians fhall attend and fhrug; I'th' end, admire; where ladies fhall be frighted, And gladly quak'd, hear more; where the dull Tribunes,

That with the fufty Plebeians, hate thine honours, Shall fay against their hearts, We thank the Gods, Our Rome hath fuch a Soldier!

Yet cam'ft thou to a morfel of this feaft,

Having fully din'd before.

Ester Titus Lartius with his Power, from the pursuit.
Lart. O General,

Here is the steed, we the caparifon :
Hadft thou beheld.

Mar. Pray now, no more: my Mother,
Who has a charter to extol her blood,
When she does praise me, grieves me :

I have done as you have done; that's, what I can; Induc'd, as you have been; that's, for my Country; He, that has but effected his good will,

Hath overta'en mine act.

Com. You shall not be

The Grave of your Deferving: Rome must know
The value of her own: 'twere a concealment
Worfe than a theft, no less than a traducement,
To hide your Doings; and to filence that,

Which, to the spire and top of praises vouch'd,
Would feem but modeft: therefore, I beseech you,
In fign of what you are, not to reward

What you have done, before our army hear me.
Mar. I have fome wounds upon me, and they fmart,
To hear themselves remembred.

Com. Should they not,

Well might they fefter 'gainft ingratitude,

And tent themfelves with death: Of all the horses,
Whereof we have ta'en good, and good ftore, of all
The treasure in the field atchiev'd, and city,
We render you the tenth, to be ta'en forth,
Before the common diftribution, at
Your only choice.

Mar. I thank you, General:

But cannot make my heart confent to take
A bribe, to pay my fword: I do refufe it,
And ftand upon my common part with those
That have beheld the doing.

[A long flourish.

They all cry,

caft up their caps and launces:

tius ftand bare.

Marcius! Marcius!
Cominius and Lar-

Mar. May thefe fame Inftruments, which you profane, (10)

(10) May these fame Inftruments, which you profane,

Never found more: when Drums and Trumpets hall
Ith' field prove Flatterers, let Courts and Cities
Be made all of falfe-faced foothing.

When Steel grows foft, as the Parafite's Silk,
Let him be made an Overture for th' Wars:
No more I fay; for that I have not wash'd
My Nofe that bled, or foil'd fome debile Wretch,
Which without Note bere's Many elfe have done,

You fbout me forth in Acclamations hyperbolical, &c.]

Never

Many of the Verfes in this truly fine Paffage are difmounted, unnumerous, and imperfect and the Laft is no less than two foot and a half too long. For this Reafon I have ventur'd to tranfpofe them to their Measure; And the Sense, 'tis plain, has been no lefs maim'd than the Numbers. To remedy This Part, I have had the Affiftance of my ingenious Friend Mr. Warburton; and with the Benefit of his happy Conjectures, which I have inferted in the Text, the Whole, I hope, is reftor'd to that Purity, which was quite loft in the Corruptions. I

fhall

Never found more! when drums and trumpets fhall
I'th' field prove flatterers, let camps, as cities,
Be made of falfe-fac'd foothing! When Steel grows
Soft, as the parafite's filk, let Hymns be made
An overture for th' wars! No more, I fay;

Commen

For that I have not wash'd my Nofe that bled,
Or foil'd fome debile wretch, which, without note
Here's many else have done; you fhout me forth
In acclamations hyperbolical;

As if I lov'd, my little fhould be dieted
In praises, fauc'd with lies.

Com. Too modest are you :

More cruel to your good report, than grateful To us, that give you truly by your patience, ! If 'gainst your self you be incens'd, we'll put you (Like one, that means his proper harm) in manacles; Then reason fafely with you: therefore be it known, As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius Wears this war's garland: in token of the which, My noble steed, known to the Camp, I give him, With all his trim belonging; and from this time, For what he did before Corioli, call him,

With all th' applause and clamour of the Hoft,

:

fhall now fubjoin his Comment, in Proof of the Emendations. "The "Meaning, that Senfe requires in the Antithefis evidently defign'd "here, is This. If One change its ufual Nature to a Thing moft oppofite, then let the Other do fo too. But Courts and Cities, being made all of smooth-fac'd Soothing, remain in their proper Nature. In the fecond Part of the Sentence, the Antithefis between "Steel and the Parafite's Silk does not indeed labour with this Abfurdity but it labours with another equally bad, and That is, Non"fense in the Expreffion. The Poet's whole Thought feems to be "This. If Drums and Trumpets change their Nature prepofterously, "let Camps do fo too: And in the latter part of the Sentence, the E"mendation feems to give a particular Beauty to the Expreffion. He "had faid before, If Drums and Trumpets prove Flatterers; now here, alluding to the fame Thought, he fays, Then let Hymns, foft "Mufick deftin'd to the praises of Gods and Heroes, be an Overture for "the Wars: Where the Overture is used with great technical Pre66 priety. I fhould obferve one Thing, that the Members of "these two Antithefes are confounded One with Another, which is a "Practice common with the beft Authors: and it is a Figure the "Rhetoricians have found a Name for.