Your ignorance, (which finds not, till it feels,)"
Making not reservation of yourselves,

(Still your own foes,) deliver you, as most
Abated captives7, to some nation

That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.

[Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, Menenius,
Senators, and Patricians.

Ed. The people's enemy is gone, is gone!

Cit. Our enemy's banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo! [The People shout, and throw up their Caps. Sic. Go, see him out at gates, and follow him,

As he hath follow'd you, with all despite ;
Give him deserv'd vexation. Let a guard
Attend us through the city.

Cit. Come, come, let us see him out at gates; come:The gods preserve our noble tribunes! - Come.

6 --- Have the power still

To banish your defenders; till, at length,

[Exeunt.

Your ignorance, (which finds not, till it feels,) &c.] Still retain the power of banishing your defenders, till your undiscerning folly, which can foresee no consequences, leave none in the city but yourselves, who are always labouring your own destruction.

It is remarkable, that, among the political maxims of the speculative Harrington, there is one which he might have borrowed from this speech. The people, says he, cannot see, but they can feel. It is not much to the honour of the people, that they have the same character of stupidity from their enemy and their friend. Such was the power of our author's mind, that he looked through life in all its relations private and civil. JOHNSON.

7 Abated captives,] Abated is dejected, subdued, depressed in spirit

ACT IV.

SCENE I. The same. Before a Gate of the City.

Enter CORIOLANUS, VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, MENenius, COMINIUS, and several young Patricians.

Cor. Come, leave your tears; a brief farewell:

beast

With many heads butts me away.

the

Nay, mother,

Where is your ancient courage? you were us'd
To say, extremity was+ the trier of spirits;
That common chances common men could bear;
That, when the sea was calm, all boats alike

Show'd mastership in floating: fortune's blows,

When most struck home, being gentle wounded, craves A noble cunning; you were us'd to load me

With precepts, that would make invincible

The heart that conn'd them.

Vir. O heavens! O heavens !

Cor.

Nay, I pr'ythee, woman, —

Vol. Now the red pestilence strike all trades in Rome, And occupations perish!

+ "extremities was"- MALONE.

8 -fortune's blows,

When most struck home, being gentle wounded, craves

A noble cunning:] This is the ancient and authentick reading. The sense is, when fortune strikes her hardest blows, to be wounded, and yet continue calm, requires a generous policy. He calls this calmness cunning, because it is the effect of reflection and philosophy. Perhaps the first emotions of nature are nearly uniform, and one man differs from another in the powers of endurance, as he is better regulated by precept and instruction.

Cor.

What, what, what!

I shall be lov'd, when I am lack'd. Nay, mother,
Resume that spirit, when you were wont to say,
If you had been the wife of Hercules,

Six of his labours you'd have done, and sav'd
Your husband so much sweat. - Cominius, .
Droop not; adieu: - Farewell, my wife! my mother!
I'll do well yet. - Thou old and true Menenius,
Thy tears are salter than a younger man's,

A

And venomous to thine eyes. My sometime general
I have seen thee stern, and thou hast oft beheld
Heart-hard'ning spectacles; tell these sad women,
'Tis fond to wail inevitable strokes,

As 'tis to laugh at them. My mother, you wot well,
My hazards still have been your solace: and
Believe't not lightly, (though I go alone,

Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen

Makes fear'd, and talk'd of more than seen,) your son Will, or exceed the common, or be caught

With cautelous baits and practice.

Vol.
My first son, 2
Whither wilt thou go? Take good Cominius
With thee a while: Determine on some course,
More than a wild exposture to each chance
That starts i'the way before thee.

Cor.

O the gods!

Com. I'll follow thee a month, devise with thee
Where thou shalt rest, that thou may'st hear of us,
And we of thee: so, if the time thrust forth
A cause for thy repeal, we shall not send
O'er the vast world, to seek a single man;

'Tis fond-] i. e. 'tis foolish.

1 cautelous-] Cautelous, in the present instance, signifies insidious.

2 My first son,] First, i. e. noblest, and most eminent of men. › More than a wild exposture-] I know not whether the word erposture be found in any other author. If not, I should incline to read exposure. MALONE.

And lose advantage, which doth ever cool
I'the absence of the needer.

Fare well:

ye

Cor.
Thou hast years upon thee; and thou art too full
Of the wars' surfeits, to go rove with one
That's yet unbruis'd: bring me but out at gate.
Come, my sweet wife, my dearest mother, and
My friends of noble touch 4, when I am forth,
Bid me farewell, and smile.. I pray you, come.
While I remain above the ground, you shall
Hear from me still; and never of me aught
But what is like me formerly.

Men.

As any ear can hear.

That's worthily

If I could shake off but one seven years

From these old arms and legs, by the good gods,
I'd with thee every foot.

Cor.

Come.

Give me thy hand:

[Exeunt:

SCENE II.

The same. A Street near the Gate.

Enter SICINIUS, BRUTUS, and an Ædile.

Sic. Bid them all home; he's gone, and we'll no fur

ther.

The nobility are vex'd, who, we see, have sided

In his behalf.

Bru.

Now we have shown our power,

Let us seem humbler after it is done,

Than when it was a doing.

Sic.

Bid them home:

My friends of noble touch,] i. e. of true metal unallayed. Metaphor from trying gold on the touchstone.

Say, their great enemy is gone, and they
Stand in their ancient strength.

Vol. O, you're well met: The hoarded plague o’the

gods

Requite your love!

Men.

Peace, peace; be not so loud. Vol. If that I could for weeping, you should hear,Nay, and you shall hear some. Will you be gone? [TO BRUTUS. Vir. You shall stay too: [to SICIN.] I would, I had the power

To say so to my husband.

Sic.

Are you mankind? Vol. Ay, fool; Is that a shame?-Note but this

fool.

Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship
To banish him that struck more blows for Rome,
Than thou hast spoken words?

Sic.

5

O blessed heavens !

Vol. More noble blows, than ever thou wise words; And for Rome's good.

go:

I'll tell thee what; - Yet

-I would my son

Nay, but thou shalt stay too:

5 Hadst thou foxship—] Hadst thou, fool as thou art, mean

cunning enough to banish Coriolanus ?