Rome. A Public Place.
 Enter the two Tribunes, SICINIUS and BRUTUS.

Sicinius	We hear not of him, neither need we fear him;
	His remedies are tame i'th' present peace
	And quietness o' the people, which before
	Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends
	Blush that the world goes well, who rather had,
	Though they themselves did suffer by't, behold
	Dissentious numbers pestering streets, than see
	Our tradesmen singing in their shops and going
	About their functions friendly.

Brutus	We stood to't in good time.

                             Enter MENENIUS.

									Is this Menenius?

Sicinius	'Tis he, 'tis he. O, he is grown most kind
	Of late. Hail, sir!

Menenius							Hail to you both!

Sicinius	Your Coriolanus is not much missed
	But with his friends: the commonwealth doth stand,
	And so would do, were he more angry at it.

Menenius	All's well, and might have been much better if
	He could have temporized.

Sicinius								Where is he, hear you?

Menenius	Nay, I hear nothing: his mother and his wife
	Hear nothing from him.

                      Enter three or four CITIZENS.

Citizens	The gods preserve you both!

Sicinius								Good-den, our neighbours.

Brutus	Good den to you all, good den to you all.

1st Citizen	Ourselves, our wives, and children, on our knees
	Are bound to pray for you both.

Sicinius										Live and thrive!

Brutus	Farewell, kind neighbours. We wished Coriolanus
	Had loved you as we did.

Citizens								Now the gods keep you!

Sicinius &
Brutus	Farewell, farewell.
												[Exeunt CITIZENS.

Sicinius	This is a happier and more comely time
	Than when those fellows ran about the streets
	Crying confusion.

Brutus							Caius Martius was
	A worthy officer i'th' war, but insolent,
	O'ercome with pride, ambitious past all thinking,
	Self-loving-

Sicinius					And affecting one sole throne
	Without assistance.

Menenius							I think not so.

Sicinius	We should by this, to all our lamentation,
	If he had gone forth Consul, found it so.

Brutus	The gods have well prevented it, and Rome
	Sits safe and still without him.

                             Enter an AEDILE.

Aedile										Worthy Tribunes,
	There is a slave whom we have put in prison,
	Reports the Volsces with two several powers
	Are entered in the Roman territories,
	And with the deepest malice of the war,
	Destroy what lies before 'em.

Menenius									'Tis Aufidius,
	Who, hearing of our Martius' banishment,
	Thrusts forth his horns again into the world,
	Which were inshelled when Martius stood for Rome,
	And durst not once peep out.

Sicinius	Come, what talk you of Martius?

Brutus	Go see this rumourer whipped. It cannot be
	The Volsces dare break with us.

Menenius										Cannot be?
	We have record that very well it can,
	And three examples of the like hath been
	Within my age. But reason with the fellow
	Before you punish him, where he heard this,
	Lest you shall chance to whip your information,
	And beat the messenger who bids beware
	Of what is to be dreaded.

Sicinius								Tell not me.
	I know this cannot be.

Brutus							Not possible.

                            Enter a MESSENGER.

Messenger	The nobles in great earnestness are going
	All to the Senate House. Some news is come
	That turns their countenances.

Sicinius									'Tis this slave-
	Go whip him 'fore the people's eyes - his raising,
	Nothing but his report.

Messenger								Yes, worthy sir,
	The slave's report is seconded; and more
	More fearful is delivered.

Sicinius									What more fearful?

Messenger	It is spoke freely out of many mouths,
	How probable I do not know, that Martius
	Joined with Aufidius leads a power 'gainst Rome,
	And vows revenge as spacious as between
	The young'st and oldest thing.

Sicinius										This is most likely.

Brutus	Raised only that the weaker sort may wish
	Good Martius home again.

Sicinius							The very trick on't.

Menenius	This is unlikely.
	He and Aufidius can no more atone
	Than violentest contrariety.

                          Enter a 2nd MESSENGER.

2nd Messenger	You are sent for to the Senate.
	A fearful army, led by Caius Martius,
	Associated with Aufidius, rages
	Upon our territories, and have already
	O'erborne their way, consumed with fire, and took
	What lay before them.

                             Enter COMINIUS.

Cominius	O, you have made good work.

Menenius									What news? What news?

Cominius	You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and
	To melt the city leads upon your pates,
	To see your wives dishonoured to your noses-

Menenius	What's the news? What's the news?

Cominius	Your temples burnd in their cement, and
	Your franchises, whereon you stood, confined
	Into an auger's bore.

Menenius							Pray now, your news?-
	You have made fair work, I fear me. Pray, your news?
	If Martius should be joined wi'th' Volscians-

Cominius											If?
	He is their god. He leads them like a thing
	Made by some other deity than nature,
	That shapes man better; and they follow him
	Against us brats with no less confidence
	Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,
	Or butchers killing flies.

Menenius								You have made good work,
	You and your apron-men; you that stood so much
	Upon the voice of occupation and
	The breath of garlic-eaters.

Cominius	He'll shake your Rome about your ears.

Menenius	As Hercules did shake down mellow fruit.
	You have made fair work.

Brutus	But is this true, sir?

Cominius							Ay, and you'll look pale
	Before you find it other. All the regions
	Do smilingly revolt; and who resists
	Are mocked for valiant ignorance,
	And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him?
	Your enemies and his find something in him.

Menenius	We are all undone unless
	The noble man have mercy.

Cominius								Who shall ask it?
	The Tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people
	Deserve such pity of him as the wolf
	Does of the shepherds. For his best friends, if they
	Should say, 'Be good to Rome', they charged him even
	As those should do that had deserved his hate,
	And therein showed like enemies.

Menenius										'Tis true.
	If he were putting to my house the brand
	That should consume it, I have not the face
	To say "Beseech you, cease". You have made fair hands,
	You and your crafts: you have crafted fair.

Cominius										You have brought
	A trembling upon Rome such as was never
	S'incapable of help.

Sicinius &
Brutus							Say not we brought it.

Menenius	How? Was't we? We loved him, but, like beasts
	And cowardly nobles, gave way unto your clusters,
	Who did hoot him out o'th' city.

Cominius										But I fear
	They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
	The second name of men, obeys his points
	As if he were his officer. Desperation
	Is all the policy, strength and defence,
	That Rome can make against them.

                        Enter a troop of CITIZENS.

Menenius										Here come the clusters.
	And is Aufidius with him? You are they
	That made the air unwholesome when you cast
	Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at
	Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming;
	And not a hair upon a soldier's head
	Which will not prove a whip. As many coxcombs
	As you threw caps up will he tumble down,
	And pay you for your voices. 'Tis no matter;
	If he could burn us all into one coal,
	We have deserved it.

Citizens	Faith, we hear fearful news.

1st Citizen									For mine own part,
	When I said banish him, I said 'twas pity.

2nd Citizen	And so did I.

3rd Citizen	And so did I; and, to say the truth, so did very many of 
	us. That we did we did for the best, and though we 
	willingly consented to his banishment, yet it was against 
	our will.

Cominius	You're goodly things, you voices.

Menenius	You have made good work,
	You and your cry. Shall's to the Capitol?

Cominius	O, ay, what else?
											[Exeunt COMINIUS and MENENIUS.

Sicinius	Go masters, get you home; be not dismayed;
	These are a side that would be glad to have
	This true which they so seem to fear. Go home,
	And show no sign of fear.

1st Citizen	The gods be good to us! Come, masters, let's home. I ever 
	said we were i'th' wrong when we banished him.

2nd Citizen	So did we all. But come, let's home.
												[Exeunt CITIZENS.
Brutus	I do not like this news.

Sicinius	Nor I.

Brutus	Let's to the Capitol. Would half my wealth
	Would buy this for a lie!

Sicinius									Pray let's go.
												[Exeunt.
