1 SCENE I.-" Suffer us to famish, and their

storehouses crammed with grain." PLUTARCH describes two insurrections of the

Roman plebeians against the patricians. The second was on account of the scarcity of corn.

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they had lent was not the worst thing that was herein; but that the lenity that was favoured was a beginning of disobedience, and that the proud attempt of the commonalty was to abolish law, and to bring all to confusion; therefore he said, if the senate were wise they should betimes prevent and quench this ill-favoured and worse-meant beginning. The senate met many days in consultation about it; but in the end they concluded nothing. Of those, Menenius Agrippa was he who was sent for chief man of the message from the senate. He, after many good persuasions and gentle requests made to the people on the behalf of the senate, knit up his oration in the end with a notable tale, in this manner :-That, on a time, all the members of man's body did rebel against the belly, complaining of it that it only remained in the midst of the body, without doing anything, neither did bear any labour to the maintenance of the rest; whereas all other parts and members did labour painfully, and were very careful to satisfy the appetites and desires of the body. And so the belly, all this notwithstanding, laughed at their folly, and said, It is true I first receive all meats that nourish man's body; but afterwards I send it again to the nourish

ment of other parts of the same. Even so, (quoth he), O you, my masters and citizens of Rome, the reason is alike between the senate and you; for, matters being well digested, and their counsels thoroughly examined, touching the benefit of the commonwealth, the senators are cause of the common commodity that cometh unto every one of you. These persuasions pacified the people, conditionally that the senate would grant there should be yearly chosen five magistrates, which they now call Tribuni plebis, whose office should be to defend the poor people from violence and oppression. So Junius Brutus and Sicinius Velutus were the first tribunes of the people that were chosen, who had only been the causers and procurers of this sedition."

Shakspere found the apologue also in Camden's 'Remains,' and he has availed himself of one or two peculiarities of the story, as there

married, "never left his mother's house;" and Shakspere has beautifully exhibited Volumnia and Virgilia following their domestic occupations together.

SCENE III.-"To a cruel war I sent him; from whence he returned, his brows bound with oak."

Plutarch thus describes the prowess of Coriolanus,

"When yet he was but tender-bodied:" "The first time he went to the wars, being but a stripling, was when Tarquin, surnamed the Proud (that had been King of Rome, and was driven out for his pride, after many attempts made by sundry battles to come in again, wherein he was ever overcome), did come to Rome with all the aid of the Latins, and many other people of Italy, even, as it were, to set up his whole rest upon a battle by them, who with a great and mighty army had undertaken to put him into his kingdom again, not so much to pleasure him as to overthrow the power of the Romans, whose greatness they both feared and and sharp encounters of either party, Martius envied. In this battle, wherein were many hot valiantly fought in the sight of the dictator; and a Roman soldier being thrown to the ground and slew the enemy with his own hands that had before overthrown the Roman. Hereupon,

even hard by him, Martius straight bestrid him,

after the battle was won, the dictator did not

forget so noble an act, and therefore, first of all, he crowned Martius with a garland of oaken boughs: for whosoever saveth the life of a Roman, it is a manner among them to honour him with such a garland."

SCENE IV.-" Before Corioli."

Shakspere has followed Plutarch very closely in his narrative of the war against the Volces.

• SCENE II.

"It then remains

That you do speak to the people." THE circumstance of Coriolanus standing for the consulship, which Shakspere has painted

with such wonderful dramatic power, is told very briefly in Plutarch ::

'Shortly after this, Martius stood for the consulship, and the common people favoured his suit, thinking it would be a shame to them

to deny and refuse the chiefest noble man of blood, and most worthy person of Rome, and specially him that had done so great service and good to the commonwealth; for the custom of Rome was at that time that such as did sue for any office should, for certain days before, be in the market-place, only with a poor gown on their backs, and without any coat underneath, to pray the citizens to remember them at the day of election; which was thus devised, either to move the people the more by requesting them in such mean apparel, or else because they might show them their wounds they had gotten in the wars in the service of the commonwealth, as manifest marks and testimonies of their valiantness. Now, Martius, following this custom, showed many wounds and cuts upon his body, which he had received in seventeen years' service at the wars, and in many sundry battles, being ever the foremost man that did set out feet to fight; so that there

was not a man among the people but was ashamed of himself to refuse so valiant a man; and one of them said to another, We must needs choose him consul, there is no remedy." 7 SCENE III.-"What stock he springs of." The Life of Coriolanus,' in Plutarch, opens with the following sentence :

"The house of the Martians at Rome was of the number of the patricians, out of the which have sprung many noble personages, whereof Ancus Martius was one, King Numa's daughter's son, who was King of Rome after Tullus Hostilius. Of the same house was Publius and Quintus, who brought to Rome their best water they had by conduits. Censorinus also came of that family, that was so surnamed because the people had chosen him censor twice, through whose persuasion they made a law that no man from thenceforth might require or enjoy the censorship twice."