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To the greater bench? In a rebellion, |
When what's not meet, but what must be, was law, |
Then were they chosen; in a better hour |
Let what is meet be said it must be meet, |
And throw their power i' th' dust. |
BRUTUS. Manifest treason! |
SICINIUS. This a consul? No. |
BRUTUS. The aediles, ho! |
Enter an AEDILE |
Let him be apprehended. |
SICINIUS. Go call the people, [Exit AEDILE] in whose name myself |
Attach thee as a traitorous innovator, |
A foe to th' public weal. Obey, I charge thee, |
And follow to thine answer. |
CORIOLANUS. Hence, old goat! |
PATRICIANS. We'll surety him. |
COMINIUS. Ag'd sir, hands off. |
CORIOLANUS. Hence, rotten thing! or I shall shake thy bones |
Out of thy garments. |
SICINIUS. Help, ye citizens! |
Enter a rabble of plebeians, with the AEDILES |
MENENIUS. On both sides more respect. |
SICINIUS. Here's he that would take from you all your power. |
BRUTUS. Seize him, aediles. |
PLEBEIANS. Down with him! down with him! |
SECOND SENATOR. Weapons, weapons, weapons! |
[They all bustle about CORIOLANUS] |
ALL. Tribunes! patricians! citizens! What, ho! Sicinius! |
Brutus! Coriolanus! Citizens! |
PATRICIANS. Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace! |
MENENIUS. What is about to be? I am out of breath; |
Confusion's near; I cannot speak. You tribunes |
To th' people- Coriolanus, patience! |
Speak, good Sicinius. |
SICINIUS. Hear me, people; peace! |
PLEBEIANS. Let's hear our tribune. Peace! Speak, speak, speak. |
SICINIUS. You are at point to lose your liberties. |
Marcius would have all from you; Marcius, |
Whom late you have nam'd for consul. |
MENENIUS. Fie, fie, fie! |
This is the way to kindle, not to quench. |
FIRST SENATOR. To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat. |
SICINIUS. What is the city but the people? |
PLEBEIANS. True, |
The people are the city. |
BRUTUS. By the consent of all we were establish'd |
The people's magistrates. |
PLEBEIANS. You so remain. |
MENENIUS. And so are like to do. |
COMINIUS. That is the way to lay the city flat, |
To bring the roof to the foundation, |
And bury all which yet distinctly ranges |
In heaps and piles of ruin. |
SICINIUS. This deserves death. |
BRUTUS. Or let us stand to our authority |
Or let us lose it. We do here pronounce, |
Upon the part o' th' people, in whose power |
We were elected theirs: Marcius is worthy |
Of present death. |
SICINIUS. Therefore lay hold of him; |
Bear him to th' rock Tarpeian, and from thence |
Into destruction cast him. |
BRUTUS. AEdiles, seize him. |
PLEBEIANS. Yield, Marcius, yield. |
MENENIUS. Hear me one word; beseech you, Tribunes, |
Hear me but a word. |
AEDILES. Peace, peace! |
MENENIUS. Be that you seem, truly your country's friend, |
And temp'rately proceed to what you would |
Thus violently redress. |
BRUTUS. Sir, those cold ways, |
That seem like prudent helps, are very poisonous |
Where the disease is violent. Lay hands upon him |
And bear him to the rock. |
[CORIOLANUS draws his sword] |
CORIOLANUS. No: I'll die here. |
There's some among you have beheld me fighting; |
Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me. |
MENENIUS. Down with that sword! Tribunes, withdraw awhile. |
BRUTUS. Lay hands upon him. |
MENENIUS. Help Marcius, help, |
You that be noble; help him, young and old. |
PLEBEIANS. Down with him, down with him! |
[In this mutiny the TRIBUNES, the AEDILES, |
and the people are beat in] |
MENENIUS. Go, get you to your house; be gone, away. |
All will be nought else. |
SECOND SENATOR. Get you gone. |
CORIOLANUS. Stand fast; |
We have as many friends as enemies. |
MENENIUS. Shall it be put to that? |
FIRST SENATOR. The gods forbid! |
I prithee, noble friend, home to thy house; |
Leave us to cure this cause. |
MENENIUS. For 'tis a sore upon us |
You cannot tent yourself; be gone, beseech you. |
COMINIUS. Come, sir, along with us. |
CORIOLANUS. I would they were barbarians, as they are, |
Though in Rome litter'd; not Romans, as they are not, |
Though calved i' th' porch o' th' Capitol. |
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