The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 485
That Ancus Marcius, Numa's daughter's son,
who, after Hostilius, was king of Rome;
Who, after great Hostilius, here was king;
Publius and Quintus [later Roman kings] were also member’s of Martius’ family,
Of the same house Publius and Quintus were,
and they built the aqueducts that bring fresh water to Rome;
That our best water brought by conduits hither;
and Censorious, a favorite of the people,
And Censorinus, darling of the people,
(called Censorious because he was censor [important official] twice),
And nobly nam'd so, twice being censor,
was also an ancestor of Martius’.
Was his great ancestor.
SICINIUS.
He is descended from such famous people,
One thus descended,
and has personally done enough good work
That hath beside well in his person wrought
to earn himself high office, and we recommended
To be set high in place, we did commend
him to you. But you have found,
To your remembrances: but you have found,
weighing his current attitude against his past,
Scaling his present bearing with his past,
that he is your enemy, and that you should revoke
That he's your fixed enemy, and revoke
your hasty approval.
Your sudden approbation.
BRUTUS.
Say you never would have done it—
Say you ne'er had done't,--
emphasize that—if we hadn’t urged you.
Harp on that still,--but by our putting on:
And as soon as you have gathered a large crowd,
And presently when you have drawn your number,
go to the Capitol.
Repair to the Capitol.
CITIZENS.
We will do that. Almost all of us
We will so; almost all
regret voting for him.
Repent in their election.
[Exeunt.]
BRUTUS.
Let them go.
Let them go on;
We should risk staging a rebellion now
This mutiny were better put in hazard
rather than waiting for a greater one that would undoubtedly come later.
Than stay, past doubt, for greater:
If, as he tends to do, he falls in a rage
If, as his nature is, he fall in rage
when they refuse him, observe his anger and
With their refusal, both observe and answer
take advantage of it.
The vantage of his anger.
SICINIUS.
Let’s go to the Capitol.
To the Capitol,
We will get there before the crowds,
Come: we will be there before the stream o' the people;
and it will look like it was their idea, which is partly true,
And this shall seem, as partly 'tis, their own,
though we goaded them to it.
Which we have goaded onward.
[Exeunt.]
[Cornets. Enter CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS, COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS,
Senators, and Patricians.]
CORIOLANUS.
So Tullus Aufidius has raised a new army?
Tullus Aufidius, then, had made new head?
LARTIUS.
He has, my lord, and that was why we arrived so
He had, my lord; and that it was which caus'd
quickly at the conditions for the truce.
Our swifter composition.
CORIOLANUS.
So then the Volscians are threat like before,
So then the Volsces stand but as at first;
ready to attack us
Ready, when time shall prompt them, to make road
whenever they feel like it.
Upon's again.
COMINIUS.
They are exhausted, Mr. Consul, so
They are worn, lord consul, so
we won’t be a real threat
That we shall hardly in our ages see
for the rest of our lives.
Their banners wave again.
CORIOLANUS.
Did you see Aufidius?
Saw you Aufidius?
LARTIUS.
He came to see me under a guarantee of safe passage, and he cursed
On safeguard he came to me; and did curse
his Volscian soldiers for cowardly
Against the Volsces, for they had so vilely
surrendering the town of Corrioles. He has retreated to Antium [Volscian capitol].
Yielded the town; he is retir'd to Antium.
CORIOLANUS.
Did he mention me?
Spoke he of me?
LARTIUS.
He did.
He did, my lord.
CORIOLANUS.
What did he say?
How? What?
LARTIUS.
How he often fought you man to man.
How often he had met you, sword to sword;
That he hated you more than anyone on Earth.
That of all things upon the earth he hated
That he would pawn everything he owned
Your person most; that he would pawn his fortunes
without hope of getting it back, for a chance to
To hopeless restitution, so he might
finally defeat you.
Be call'd your vanquisher.
CORIOLANUS.
He lives in Antium?
At Antium lives he?
LARTIUS.
At Antium.
At Antium.
CORIOLANUS.
I wish I had a reason to go find him there,
I wish I had a cause to seek him there,
to fight him again. Welcome home.
To oppose his hatred fully.--Welcome home.
[Enter SICINIUS and BRUTUS.]
Look! Here come the representatives of the people,
Behold! these are the tribunes of the people;
the voices of the common man. I hate them,
The tongues o' the common mouth. I do despise them,
because they dress themselves up to look like they have authority,
For they do prank them in authority,
which we nobles cannot tolerate.
Against all noble sufferance.
SICINIUS.
Don’t go any further.
Pass no further.
CORIOLANUS.
Ha! What are you talking about?
Ha! what is that?
BRUTUS.
It would be dangerous for you to keeping walking: don’t go any further.
It will be dangerous to go on: no further.
CORIOLANUS.
What is the reason for this?
What makes this change?
MENENIUS.
What’s the matter?
The matter?
COMINIUS.
Hasn’t he been approved by the Senate and by the common people?
Hath he not pass'd the noble and the commons?
BRUTUS.
No.
Cominius, no.
CORIOLANUS.
Have I received the votes of children?
Have I had children's voices?
FIRST SENATOR.
Tribunes, get out of the way. Coriolanus will go to the market place.
Tribunes, give way; he shall to the market-place.
BRUTUS.
The people are furious at him.
The people are incens'd against him.
SICINIUS.
Stop,
Stop,
or things are going to get out of hand.
Or all will fall in broil.
CORIOLANUS.
Do you control this mob?
Are these your herd?—
Do they need to have v
otes, when they offer them at one moment,
Must these have voices, that can yield them now,
and then immediately change their minds? What is your job?
And straight disclaim their tongues?--What are your offices?
You are their voices, why can’t you control their violence?
You being their mouths, why rule you not their teeth?
Haven’t you urged them to attack?
Have you not set them on?
MENENIUS.
Be calm, be calm.
Be calm, be calm.
CORIOLANUS.
It’s a conspiracy, a plot,
It is a purpos'd thing, and grows by plot,
to limit the power of the noblemen.
To curb the will of the nobility:
If we allow it, we will be ruled by people who cannot rule,
Suffer't, and live with such as cannot rule,
and who can never be controlled.
Nor ever will be rul'd.
BRUTUS.
Don’t call it a plot.
Call't not a plot:
The people complain that you mocked them, and recently,
The people cry you mock'd them; and of late,
when wheat was given to them for free, you complained,
When corn was given them gratis, you repin'd;
and defamed those who pleaded on behalf of the people: you called them
Scandal'd the suppliants for the people,--call'd them
demagogues, flatterers, enemies of the upper-classes.
Time-pleasers, flatterers, foes to nobleness.
CORIOLANUS.
Well, everyone already knew that.
Why, this was known before.
BRUTUS.
Not everyone.
Not to them all.
CORIOLANUS.
Have you told them since?
Have you inform'd them sithence?
BRUTUS.
What! You think I told them?
How! I inform them!
COMINIUS.
You are likely to do such a thing.
You are like to do such business.
BRUTUS.
I am not unlikely
Not unlike,
to be better than you in every way.
Each way, to better yours.
CORIOLANUS.
Well, then, why should I be consul? Gosh darn it,
Why, then, should I be consul? By yond clouds,
why don’t you say I’m as bad as you, and make me
Let me deserve so ill as you, and make me
another tribue?
Your fellow tribune.
SICINIUS.
You have too much of those qualities
You show too much of that
which make people revolt against you. If you go
For which the people stir: if you will pass
to the market place, you’ll have to ask for directions
To where you are bound, you must inquire your way,
(because you are going the wrong way) in a nicer tone,
Which you are out of, with a gentler spirit;
or else you’ll be as noble as consul,
Or never be so noble as a consul,
nor good enough to join Brutus as a tribune.
Nor yoke with him for tribune.
MENENIUS.
Let’s stay calm.
Let's be calm.
COMINIUS.
The people have been deceived, incited to riot. This equivocating
The people are abus'd; set on. This palt'ring
is beneath us, and Coriolanus doesn’t
Becomes not Rome; nor has Coriolanus
deserve this dishonorable roadblock, treacherously placed
Deserv'd this so dishonour'd rub, laid falsely
in his path to honor.
I' the plain way of his merit.
CORIOLANUS.
You want to know about wheat?
Tell me of corn!
That’s what I said, and I’ll say it again—
This was my speech, and I will speak't again,--
MENENIUS.
Not now, not now.
Not now, not now.
FIRST SENATOR.
Not now, in this heat, sir.
Not in this heat, sir, now.
CORIOLANUS.
Now, I will speak. My nobler friends,
Now, as I live, I will.--My nobler friends,
I beg your pardon.
I crave their pardons:
As for the fickle, smelly masses, let them
For the mutable, rank-scented meiny, let them
listen to me, because I will not flatter them, and
Regard me as I do not flatter, and
they will hear what they’re truly like. I repeat:
Therein behold themselves: I say again,
by humoring them we give fuel to this weed-like rebellion
In soothing them we nourish 'gainst our senate
against the Senate (along with insolence and treason),
The cockle of rebellion, insolence, sedition,
which we have brought upon ourselves,
Which we ourselves have plough'd for, sow'd, and scatter'd,
by allowing them to mix with us socially, even though
By mingling them with us, the honour'd number,
we are way better, and have all the power, except for the power that
Who lack not virtue, no, nor power, but that
we gave to the beggars.
Which they have given to beggars.
MENENIUS.
Well, never again.
Well, no more.
FIRST SENATOR.
Stop talking, please!
No more words, we beseech you.
CORIOLANUS.
What are you talking about, never again?
How! no more!
I have been wounded for my country,
As for my country I have shed my blood,
fearlessly, and now I will speak so much
Not fearing outward force, so shall my lungs
that my lungs will get sick from the nasty common people,
Coin words till their decay against those measles
and covered with pustules, and I’ll still
Which we disdain should tetter us, yet sought
keep talking.
The very way to catch them.
BRUTUS.
You speak about the people
You speak o' the people
as if you were an angry go, not
As if you were a god, to punish, not
mortal man.
A man of their infirmity.
SICINIUS.
We should tell
'Twere well
the people that.
We let the people know't.
MENENIUS.
What? Tell them about these words he spoke in anger?
What, what? his choler?
CORIOLANUS.
Anger?
Choler!
Even if I were as calm as a sleeping person,
Were I as patient as the midnight sleep,
that’s what I would think.
By Jove, 'twould be my mind!
SICINIUS.
That’s an opinion
It is a mind
that is terrible, but it isn’t going to spread
That shall remain a poison where it is,
any further.
Not poison any further.
CORIOLANUS.
You’re giving orders now?
Shall remain!—
Do you hear this guy pretending to be powerful?
Hear you this Triton of the minnows? mark you
Hear how he’s trying to give orders?
His absolute 'shall'?
COMINIUS.
You don’t have that authority.
'Twas from the canon.
CORIOLANUS.
Orders!
'Shall'!
/> Oh you good but stupid rich men! Silly senators,
O good, but most unwise patricians! why,
why have you allowed
You grave but reckless senators, have you thus
the monster of a mob to choose a representative
Given Hydra leave to choose an officer,
who thinks that though he’s just the voice of
That with his peremptory 'shall,' being but
the monster, he can
The horn and noise o' the monster, wants not spirit
steal your water
To say he'll turn your current in a ditch,
and make it his? If he has power,
And make your channel his? If he have power,
then bow your silly heads to him, if not wake up
Then vail your ignorance: if none, awake
and stop him! If you are wise,
Your dangerous lenity. If you are learn'd,
don’t act like fools. If you are fools,
Be not as common fools; if you are not,
the common people join you in the senate. If they become senators,
Let them have cushions by you. You are plebeians,
you become peasants, and they are no less than senators
If they be senators: and they are no less
then when you work together on policy, it will represent their interests
When, both your voices blended, the great'st taste
more than your own. They choose a representative
Most palates theirs. They choose their magistrate;
like Sicinius, who tries to issue orders
And such a one as he, who puts his 'shall,'
in opposition to a more powerful authority
His popular 'shall,' against a graver bench
than ever existed in Greece. By God,
Than ever frown'd in Greece. By Jove himself,
it lessens the office of consulship. I hate to
It makes the consuls base: and my soul aches
see what will happen when two competing parts of
To know, when two authorities are up,
the government are in rebellion against each other, and how soon destruction
Neither supreme, how soon confusion