THIRD SERVANT.
Where dwell’st thou?
CORIOLANUS.
Under the canopy.
THIRD SERVANT.
Under the canopy?
CORIOLANUS.
Ay.
THIRD SERVANT.
Where’s that?
CORIOLANUS.
I’ the city of kites and crows.
THIRD SERVANT. I’ the city of kites and crows!—What an ass it is!—Then thou dwell’st with daws too?
CORIOLANUS.
No, I serve not thy master.
THIRD SERVANT.
How, sir! Do you meddle with my master?
CORIOLANUS.
Ay; ‘tis an honester service than to meddle with thy mistress.
Thou prat’st and prat’st; serve with thy trencher, hence!
[Beats him away.]
[Enter AUFIDIUS and the second SERVANT.]
AUFIDIUS.
Where is this fellow?
SECOND SERVANT. Here, sir; I’d have beaten him like a dog, but for disturbing the lords within.
AUFIDIUS.
Whence com’st thou? what wouldst thou? thy name?
Why speak’st not? speak, man: what’s thy name?
CORIOLANUS.
[Unmuffling.] If, Tullus,
Not yet thou know’st me, and, seeing me, dost not
Think me for the man I am, necessity
Commands me name myself.
AUFIDIUS.
What is thy name?
[Servants retire.]
CORIOLANUS.
A name unmusical to the Volscians’ ears,
And harsh in sound to thine.
AUFIDIUS.
Say, what’s thy name?
Thou has a grim appearance, and thy face
Bears a command in’t; though thy tackle’s torn,
Thou show’st a noble vessel: what’s thy name?
CORIOLANUS.
Prepare thy brow to frown:—know’st thou me yet?
AUFIDIUS.
I know thee not:—thy name?
CORIOLANUS.
My name is Caius Marcius, who hath done
To thee particularly, and to all the Volsces,
Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may
My surname, Coriolanus: the painful service,
The extreme dangers, and the drops of blood
Shed for my thankless country, are requited
But with that surname; a good memory,
And witness of the malice and displeasure
Which thou shouldst bear me: only that name remains;
The cruelty and envy of the people,
Permitted by our dastard nobles, who
Have all forsook me, hath devour’d the rest,
And suffer’d me by the voice of slaves to be
Whoop’d out of Rome. Now, this extremity
Hath brought me to thy hearth: not out of hope,
Mistake me not, to save my life; for if
I had fear’d death, of all the men i’ the world
I would have ‘voided thee; but in mere spite,
To be full quit of those my banishers,
Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
A heart of wreak in thee, that wilt revenge
Thine own particular wrongs, and stop those maims
Of shame seen through thy country, speed thee straight
And make my misery serve thy turn: so use it
That my revengeful services may prove
As benefits to thee; for I will fight
Against my canker’d country with the spleen
Of all the under fiends. But if so be
Thou dar’st not this, and that to prove more fortunes
Th’art tir’d, then, in a word, I also am
Longer to live most weary, and present
My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice;
Which not to cut would show thee but a fool,
Since I have ever follow’d thee with hate,
Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country’s breast,
And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
It be to do thee service.
AUFIDIUS.
O Marcius, Marcius!
Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart
A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter
Should from yond cloud speak divine things,
And say ”Tis true,’ I’d not believe them more
Than thee, all noble Marcius.—Let me twine
Mine arms about that body, where against
My grained ash an hundred times hath broke
And scar’d the moon with splinters; here I clip
The anvil of my sword, and do contest
As hotly and as nobly with thy love
As ever in ambitious strength I did
Contend against thy valour. Know thou first,
I lov’d the maid I married; never man
Sighed truer breath; but that I see thee here,
Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw
Bestride my threshold. Why, thou Mars! I tell thee
We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,
Or lose mine arm for’t: thou hast beat me out
Twelve several times, and I have nightly since
Dreamt of encounters ‘twixt thyself and me;
We have been down together in my sleep,
Unbuckling helms, fisting each other’s throat,
And wak’d half dead with nothing. Worthy Marcius,
Had we no other quarrel else to Rome, but that
Thou art thence banish’d, we would muster all
From twelve to seventy; and, pouring war
Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,
Like a bold flood o’erbear. O, come, go in,
And take our friendly senators by the hands;
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,
Who am prepar’d against your territories,
Though not for Rome itself.
CORIOLANUS.