Act II, Scene 1

Rome. A public place.

[Enter MENENIUS with the two Tribunes of the people,] [p]SICINIUS and BRUTUS.

• Menenius Agrippa. The augurer tells me we shall have news to-night.

• Junius Brutus. Good or bad?

• Menenius Agrippa. Not according to the prayer of the people, for they 920
  love not CORIOLANUS.

• Sicinius Velutus. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.

• Menenius Agrippa. Pray you, who does the wolf love?

• Sicinius Velutus. The lamb.

• Menenius Agrippa. Ay, to devour him; as the hungry plebeians would the 925
  noble CORIOLANUS.

• Junius Brutus. He's a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear.

• Menenius Agrippa. He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb. You two
  are old men: tell me one thing that I shall ask you.

• Both. Well, sir. 930

• Menenius Agrippa. In what enormity is CORIOLANUS poor in, that you two
  have not in abundance?

• Junius Brutus. He's poor in no one fault, but stored with all.

• Sicinius Velutus. Especially in pride.

• Junius Brutus. And topping all others in boasting. 935

• Menenius Agrippa. This is strange now: do you two know how you are
  censured here in the city, I mean of us o' the
  right-hand file? do you?

• Both. Why, how are we censured?

• Menenius Agrippa. Because you talk of pride now,—will you not be angry? 940

• Both. Well, well, sir, well.

• Menenius Agrippa. Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of
  occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience:
  give your dispositions the reins, and be angry at
  your pleasures; at the least if you take it as a 945
  pleasure to you in being so. You blame CORIOLANUS for
  being proud?

• Junius Brutus. We do it not alone, sir.

• Menenius Agrippa. I know you can do very little alone; for your helps
  are many, or else your actions would grow wondrous 950
  single: your abilities are too infant-like for
  doing much alone. You talk of pride: O that you
  could turn your eyes toward the napes of your necks,
  and make but an interior survey of your good selves!
  O that you could! 955

• Junius Brutus. What then, sir?

• Menenius Agrippa. Why, then you should discover a brace of unmeriting,
  proud, violent, testy magistrates, alias fools, as
  any in Rome.

• Sicinius Velutus. Menenius, you are known well enough too. 960

• Menenius Agrippa. 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; said to be something imperfect in
  favouring the first complaint; hasty and tinder-like
  upon too trivial motion; one that converses more 965
  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 such wealsmen as
  you are—I cannot call you Lycurguses—if the drink
  you give me touch my palate adversely, I make a 970
  crooked face at it. I can't say your worships have
  delivered the matter well, when I find the ass in
  compound with the major part of your syllables: and
  though I must be content to bear with those that say
  you are reverend grave men, yet they lie deadly that 975
  tell you you have good faces. If you see this in
  the map of my microcosm, follows it that I am known
  well enough too? what barm can your bisson
  conspectuities glean out of this character, if I be
  known well enough too? 980

• Junius Brutus. Come, sir, come, we know you well enough.

• Menenius Agrippa. You know neither me, yourselves nor any thing. You
  are ambitious for poor knaves' caps and legs: you
  wear out a good wholesome forenoon in hearing a
  cause between an orange wife and a fosset-seller; 985
  and then rejourn the controversy of three pence to a
  second day of audience. When you are hearing a
  matter between party and party, if you chance to be
  pinched with the colic, you make faces like
  mummers; set up the bloody flag against all 990
  patience; and, in roaring for a chamber-pot,
  dismiss the controversy bleeding the more entangled
  by your hearing: all the peace you make in their
  cause is, calling both the parties knaves. You are
  a pair of strange ones. 995

• Junius Brutus. Come, come, you are well understood to be a
  perfecter giber for the table than a necessary
  bencher in the Capitol.

• Menenius Agrippa. Our very priests must become mockers, if they shall
  encounter such ridiculous subjects as you are. When 1000
  you speak best unto the purpose, it is not worth the
  wagging of your beards; and your beards deserve not
  so honourable a grave as to stuff a botcher's
  cushion, or to be entombed in an ass's pack-
  saddle. Yet you must be saying, CORIOLANUS is proud; 1005
  who in a cheap estimation, is worth predecessors
  since Deucalion, though peradventure some of the
  best of 'em were hereditary hangmen. God-den to
  your worships: more of your conversation would
  infect my brain, being the herdsmen of the beastly 1010
  plebeians: I will be bold to take my leave of you.
  [BRUTUS and SICINIUS go aside]
  [Enter VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and VALERIA]
  How now, my as fair as noble ladies,—and the moon,
  were she earthly, no nobler,—whither do you follow 1015
  your eyes so fast?

• Volumnia. Honourable Menenius, my boy CORIOLANUS approaches; for
  the love of Juno, let's go.

• Menenius Agrippa. Ha! CORIOLANUS coming home!

• Volumnia. Ay, worthy Menenius; and with most prosperous 1020
  approbation.

• Menenius Agrippa. Take my cap, Jupiter, and I thank thee. Hoo!
  CORIOLANUS coming home!

• Volumnia. [together with Virgilia] Nay, 'tis true.

• Virgilia. Nay, 'tis true. 1025

• Volumnia. Look, here's a letter from him: the state hath
  another, his wife another; and, I think, there's one
  at home for you.

• Menenius Agrippa. I will make my very house reel tonight: a letter for
  me! 1030

• Virgilia. Yes, certain, there's a letter for you; I saw't.

• Menenius Agrippa. A letter for me! it gives me an estate of seven
  years' health; in which time I will make a lip at
  the physician: the most sovereign prescription in
  Galen is but empiricutic, and, to this preservative, 1035
  of no better report than a horse-drench. Is he
  not wounded? he was wont to come home wounded.

• Virgilia. O, no, no, no.

• Volumnia. O, he is wounded; I thank the gods for't.

• Menenius Agrippa. So do I too, if it be not too much: brings a' 1040
  victory in his pocket? the wounds become him.

• Volumnia. On's brows: Menenius, he comes the third time home
  with the oaken garland.

• Menenius Agrippa. Has he disciplined Aufidius soundly?

• Volumnia. Titus TITUS writes, they fought together, but 1045
  Aufidius got off.

• Menenius Agrippa. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant him that:
  an he had stayed by him, I would not have been so
  fidiused for all the chests in Corioli, and the gold
  that's in them. Is the senate possessed of this? 1050

• Volumnia. Good ladies, let's go. Yes, yes, yes; the senate
  has letters from the general, wherein he gives my
  son the whole name of the war: he hath in this
  action outdone his former deeds doubly

• Valeria. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke of him. 1055

• Menenius Agrippa. Wondrous! ay, I warrant you, and not without his
  true purchasing.

• Virgilia. The gods grant them true!

• Volumnia. True! pow, wow.

• Menenius Agrippa. True! I'll be sworn they are true. 1060
  Where is he wounded?
  [To the Tribunes]
  God save your good worships! CORIOLANUS is coming
  home: he has more cause to be proud. Where is he wounded?

• Volumnia. I' the shoulder and i' the left arm there will be 1065
  large cicatrices to show the people, when he shall
  stand for his place. He received in the repulse of
  Tarquin seven hurts i' the body.

• Menenius Agrippa. One i' the neck, and two i' the thigh,—there's
  nine that I know. 1070

• Volumnia. He had, before this last expedition, twenty-five
  wounds upon him.

• Menenius Agrippa. Now it's twenty-seven: every gash was an enemy's grave.
  [A shout and flourish]
  Hark! the trumpets. 1075

• Volumnia. These are the ushers of CORIOLANUS: before him he
  carries noise, and behind him he leaves tears:
  Death, that dark spirit, in 's nervy arm doth lie;
  Which, being advanced, declines, and then men die.
  [A sennet. Trumpets sound. Enter COMINIUS the] 1080
  general, and TITUS LARTIUS; between them, CORIOLANUS,
  crowned with an oaken garland; with Captains and
  Soldiers, and a Herald]

• Herald. Know, Rome, that all alone CORIOLANUS did fight
  Within Corioli gates: where he hath won, 1085
  With fame, a name to Caius CORIOLANUS; these
  In honour follows Coriolanus.
  Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus!

[Flourish]

• All. Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus! 1090

• Coriolanus. No more of this; it does offend my heart:
  Pray now, no more.

• Cominius. Look, sir, your mother!

• Coriolanus. O,
  You have, I know, petition'd all the gods 1095
  For my prosperity!

[Kneels]

• Volumnia. Nay, my good soldier, up;
  My gentle CORIOLANUS, worthy Caius, and
  By deed-achieving honour newly named,— 1100
  What is it?—Coriolanus must I call thee?—
  But O, thy wife!

• Coriolanus. My gracious silence, hail!
  Wouldst thou have laugh'd had I come coffin'd home,
  That weep'st to see me triumph? Ay, my dear, 1105
  Such eyes the widows in Corioli wear,
  And mothers that lack sons.

• Menenius Agrippa. Now, the gods crown thee!

• Coriolanus. And live you yet?
  [To VALERIA] 1110
  O my sweet lady, pardon.

• Volumnia. I know not where to turn: O, welcome home:
  And welcome, general: and ye're welcome all.

• Menenius Agrippa. A hundred thousand welcomes. I could weep
  And I could laugh, I am light and heavy. Welcome. 1115
  A curse begin at very root on's heart,
  That is not glad to see thee! You are three
  That Rome should dote on: yet, by the faith of men,
  We have some old crab-trees here
  at home that will not 1120
  Be grafted to your relish. Yet welcome, warriors:
  We call a nettle but a nettle and
  The faults of fools but folly.

• Cominius. Ever right.

• Coriolanus. Menenius ever, ever. 1125

• Herald. Give way there, and go on!

• Coriolanus. [To VOLUMNIA and VIRGILIA] Your hand, and yours:
  Ere in our own house I do shade my head,
  The good patricians must be visited;
  From whom I have received not only greetings, 1130
  But with them change of honours.

• Volumnia. I have lived
  To see inherited my very wishes
  And the buildings of my fancy: only
  There's one thing wanting, which I doubt not but 1135
  Our Rome will cast upon thee.

• Coriolanus. Know, good mother,
  I had rather be their servant in my way,
  Than sway with them in theirs.

• Cominius. On, to the Capitol! 1140
  [Flourish. Cornets. Exeunt in state, as before.]
  BRUTUS and SICINIUS come forward]

• Junius Brutus. All tongues speak of him, and the bleared sights
  Are spectacled to see him: your prattling nurse
  Into a rapture lets her baby cry 1145
  While she chats him: the kitchen malkin pins
  Her richest lockram 'bout her reechy neck,
  Clambering the walls to eye him: stalls, bulks, windows,
  Are smother'd up, leads fill'd, and ridges horsed
  With variable complexions, all agreeing 1150
  In earnestness to see him: seld-shown flamens
  Do press among the popular throngs and puff
  To win a vulgar station: or veil'd dames
  Commit the war of white and damask in
  Their nicely-gawded cheeks to the wanton spoil 1155
  Of Phoebus' burning kisses: such a pother
  As if that whatsoever god who leads him
  Were slily crept into his human powers
  And gave him graceful posture.

• Sicinius Velutus. On the sudden, 1160
  I warrant him consul.

• Junius Brutus. Then our office may,
  During his power, go sleep.

• Sicinius Velutus. He cannot temperately transport his honours
  From where he should begin and end, but will 1165
  Lose those he hath won.

• Junius Brutus. In that there's comfort.

• Sicinius Velutus. Doubt not
  The commoners, for whom we stand, but they
  Upon their ancient malice will forget 1170
  With the least cause these his new honours, which
  That he will give them make I as little question
  As he is proud to do't.

• Junius Brutus. I heard him swear,
  Were he to stand for consul, never would he 1175
  Appear i' the market-place nor on him put
  The napless vesture of humility;
  Nor showing, as the manner is, his wounds
  To the people, beg their stinking breaths.

• Sicinius Velutus. 'Tis right. 1180

• Junius Brutus. It was his word: O, he would miss it rather
  Than carry it but by the suit of the gentry to him,
  And the desire of the nobles.

• Sicinius Velutus. I wish no better
  Than have him hold that purpose and to put it 1185
  In execution.

• Junius Brutus. 'Tis most like he will.

• Sicinius Velutus. It shall be to him then as our good wills,
  A sure destruction.

• Junius Brutus. So it must fall out 1190
  To him or our authorities. For an end,
  We must suggest the people in what hatred
  He still hath held them; that to's power he would
  Have made them mules, silenced their pleaders and
  Dispropertied their freedoms, holding them, 1195
  In human action and capacity,
  Of no more soul nor fitness for the world
  Than camels in the war, who have their provand
  Only for bearing burdens, and sore blows
  For sinking under them. 1200

• Sicinius Velutus. This, as you say, suggested
  At some time when his soaring insolence
  Shall touch the people—which time shall not want,
  If he be put upon 't; and that's as easy
  As to set dogs on sheep—will be his fire 1205
  To kindle their dry stubble; and their blaze
  Shall darken him for ever.

[Enter a Messenger]

• Junius Brutus. What's the matter?

• Messenger. You are sent for to the Capitol. 'Tis thought 1210
  That CORIOLANUS shall be consul:
  I have seen the dumb men throng to see him and
  The blind to bear him speak: matrons flung gloves,
  Ladies and maids their scarfs and handkerchers,
  Upon him as he pass'd: the nobles bended, 1215
  As to Jove's statue, and the commons made
  A shower and thunder with their caps and shouts:
  I never saw the like.

• Junius Brutus. Let's to the Capitol;
  And carry with us ears and eyes for the time, 1220
  But hearts for the event.

• Sicinius Velutus. Have with you.

[Exeunt]