Vol. I' the shoulder, and i' the left arm: There will be 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. Men. One in the neck, and two in the thigh,there's nine that I know 17. Vol. He had, before this last expedition, twentyfive wounds upon him. Men. Now it's twenty-seven: every gash was an enemy's grave: [A Shout, and Flourish.] Hark! the trumpets. Vol. These are the ushers of Marcius: before him He carries noise, and behind him he leaves tears; Death, that dark spirit, in's nervy arm doth lie; Which being advanc'd, declines; and then men die 18. A Sennet. Trumpets sound. Enter COMINIUS and TITUS LARTIUS; between them, CORIOLANUS, crowned with an oaken garland; with Captains, Soldiers, and a Herald. Her. Know, Rome, that all alone Marcius did Within Corioli' gates: where he hath won, Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus ! [Flourish. All. Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus! Cor. No more of this, it does offend my heart; Pray now, no more. Com. Look, sir, your mother, 17 The old man is minutely particular: 'Seven wounds? let me see; one in the neck, two in the thigh-Nay, I am sure there are nine that I know of.' 18 Volumnia, in her boasting strain, says, that her son, to kill his enemy, has nothing to do but to lift his hand and let it fall. VOL. VIII. ♦ Cor: O! [Kneels. You have, I know, petition'd all the gods For my prosperity. Cor. My gracious silence19, hail! Would'st thou have laugh'd, had I come coffin'd home, That weep'st to see me triumph? Ah, my dear, eyes And mothers that lack sons. Men. Now the gods crown thee! Cor. And live you yet?-O my sweet lady, pardon. [TO VALERIA. Vol. I know not where to turn:- -O welcome home; And welcome, general;-And you are welcome all. Men. A hundred thousand welcomes: I could weep, And I could laugh; I am light, and heavy: Wel come: 19 By 'gracious silence' it is probable the poet meant, thou whose silent tears are more eloquent and grateful to me than the clamorous applause of the rest. Thus in Love's Cure, or The Martial Maid, by Beaumont and Fletcher :- A lady's tears are silent orators, Or should be so at least, to move beyond Again in Daniel's Complaint of Rosamond: Ah, beauty, siren, fair enchanting good! Sweet silent rhetoric of persuading eyes! Dumb eloquence, whose pow'r doth move the blood And in Every Man Out of his Humour :- You shall see sweet silent rhetoric and dumb eloquence speaking in her eye.' Gracious is frequently used by Shakspeare for grateful, acceptable, in the sense of the Italian gratiato. A curse begin at very root of his heart, That is not glad to see thee!-You are three, and Be grafted to your relish. Yet welcome, warriors: Cor. Menenius, ever, ever 20, Cor. Ever right. and go on. Your hand, and yours: [To his Wife and Mother. Ere in our own house I do shade my head, From whom I have receiv'd not only greetings, Vol. To see inherited my very wishes, I have lived And the buildings of my fancy: only there Know, good mother, Cor. Than sway with them in theirs. Com. On to the Capitol. [Flourish. Cornets. Exeunt in state, as before. The Tribunes remain. Bru. All tongues speak of him, and the bleared sights Are spectacled to see him: Your prattling nurse 20 By these words it should seem that Coriolanus means to say, 'Menenius is still the same affectionate friend as formerly.' So in Julius Cæsar: For always I am Cæsar.' 21 Change of honours' is variety of honours, as change of raiment is variety of raiment. Theobald would read charge. Into a rapture 22 lets her baby cry, While she chats him: the kitchen malkin 23 pins Her richest lockram 'bout her reechy 24 neck, Clambering the walls to eye him: stalls, bulks, windows, Are smother'd up, leads fill'd, and ridges hors'd In earnestness to see him: seld 25 shown flamens 22 A rapture anciently was synonymous with a fit or trance. Thus Torriano:- Ratto, s. a rapture or trance of the mind, or a distraction of the spirits.' This is confirmed by Steevens's quotation from The Hospital for London Follies, 1602, where gossip Luce says, 'Your darling will weep itself into a rapture, if you do not take heed. 23 ▲ malkin or maulkin was a kind of mop made of rags, used for sweeping ovens, &c.; a figure made of clouts to scare birds was also so called: hence it came to signify a dirty wench. The scullion very naturally takes her name from this utensil, her French title escouillon being only another name for a malkin. Lockram was a kind of coarse linen. 'Thou thought'st because I wear lockram shirts Glapthorne's Wit in a Constable. 24 Reechy is fumant with sweat or grease. 25 Seld is seldom, often so used by old writers. 26 A vulgar station' is a common standing-place among vulgar. 27 So in Tarquin and Lucrece : The silent war of lilies and of roses, Which Tarquin view'd in her fair face's field.' And in the Taming of the Shrew : 'Such war of white and red,' &c. Again in Venus and Adonis : To note the fighting conflict of her hue, the Numerous examples might be adduced from Shakspeare's cotemporaries of the same image. As if that whatsoever god, who leads him, Sic. I warrant him consul. Bru. On the sudden, Then our office may, During his power, go sleep. Sic. He cannot temperately transport his honours From where he should begin, and end 29; but will Lose those that he hath won. Bru. In that there's comfort. Sic. Doubt not, the commoners, for whom we stand, But they, upon their ancient malice, will Forget, with the least cause, these his new honours; Bru. 28 That is, as if that god who leads him, whatsoever god he be. So in Shakspeare's 26th Sonnet : Till whatsoever star that guides my moving, Points on me graciously with fair aspect.' And in Antony and Cleopatra : he hath fought to-day As if a god, in hate of mankind, had 29 The meaning, though obscurely expressed, is, He cannot carry his honours temperately from where he should begin to where he should end. We have the same phraseology in Cymbeline: the gap That we shall make in time, from our hence going 30 Proud to do't,' is the same as 'proud of doing it.' 31 i. e. threadbare. |