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Coriolanus

Act I, Scene 6

Near the camp of Cominius.
 
[Enter COMINIUS, as it were in retire, with soldiers]
 
COMINIUS
         ,       2        T       T     T                ,   ,
      Breathe you my | friends, well fought,| we are / come off
            ,         ,       ,        ,          ,
      Like^Rom|ans, neith|er fool|ish in | our stands,
           ,     2   ,       ,        ,          ,
      Nor cow|ardly in | retire:| believe | me sirs,
       ,               ,         ,            ,           ,
      We shall | be charged | again.| Whiles^we | have struck
          ,     ,       2    ,        ,       2       ,
      By int|erims | and convey|ing gusts,| we have heard
            ,       ,          ,           ,       ,
      The charg|es of | our friends.| The Rom|an gods,
        ,              ,         ,        ,         ,
      Lead their | success|ses, as | we wish | our own,
             ,         x           ,        ,       ,
      That both our powers, with smiling fronts encountering,  ????
            ,          ,        ,      ,          ,
      May give | you thank|ful sac|rifice.| Thy news?
 
MESSENGER
           ,     ,        ,   ,   2      ,    ,
      The cit|izens | of Cor|io|li have is|sued,
            x         ,        ,        ,        ,       o
      And given | to Lar|tius and | to Mar|tius bat|tle:    (hex with prev)
         ,          ,     ,            ,         x
      I saw | our part|y to | their trench|es driven,
            ,        ,      ,
      And then | I came | away.
 
COMINIUS
         ,            ,         ___
      Though thou | speakest | truth,  (tri with prev)
           ,             ,            ,          ,      2     ,
      Methinks | thou speakst | not well.| How long | is it since?
 
MESSENGER
         ,         ,         ,
      Above | an hour,| my lord.  \\
 
COMINIUS
            ,        ,      ,            ,             ,
      'Tis not | a mile:| briefly | we heard | their drums.
             ,            ,       ,         ,          ,
      How couldst | thou in | a mile | confound | an hour,
            ,           ,         ,
      And bring | thy news | so late?
 
MESSENGER
                                       ,     2       ,
                                     Spies of the | Volces
        ,            ,          ,          ,          ,
      Held me | in chase,| that I | was forced | to wheel
        T    .   T    T        ,          ,       ,
      Three or four miles | about,| else had | I sir
        ,         ,            ,      2     ,
      Half an | hour since^|brought my re|port.
 
COMINIUS
                                                        ,
                                                Who's^|yonder,
             ,        ,        ,           ,         ,
      That does | appear | as he | were flayed?| O gods,
          ,          ,         ,         ,        ,
      He has | the stamp | of Mar|tius, and | I have
       .  T    T    T          ,
      Before-time seen | him thus.
 
MARTIUS
                                    ,             ,
                                  Come I | too* late?
 
COMINIUS
            ,         ,           ,        ,       ,     ->
      The shep|herd knows | not thund|er from | a tab||or,
        ,        2    ,          ,         ,           ,
      More | than I know | the sound | of Mar|tius' tongue
            ,      ,       ,
      From eve|ry mean|er man.
 
MARTIUS
                                 ,             ,
                               Come I | too* late?
 
COMINIUS
       ,              ,     ,    2        ,        ,
      Aye, if | you come | not in the | blood of | others,
           ,        ,         ,
      But mant|led in | your own.
 
MARTIUS
                                   ,     2       ,
                                  Oh! Let^me | clip ye
           ,         ,          ,        ,          ,
      In arms | as sound,| as when | I wooed | in heart;
          ,       ,       2     ,        ,          ,
      As mer|ry, as | when our nup|tial day | was done,
           ,         ,         ,       o
      And tap|ers burned | to bed|ward.
 
COMINIUS
      <-   x          ,     ,           x           ,       ,
        Flower of || warri|ors, how | is it with | Titus | Lartius?
 
MARTIUS
       ,           ,     ,          ,        ,
      As with | a man | busied | about | decrees:
           ,        ,         ,      .    T   Tx   T
      Condemn|ing some | to death,| and some to exile,  ????
       ,   2       ,         ,  2       ,     3  3      ,
      Ransoming | him, or | pitying,| threatening the | other;
       ,           ,   ,     2      ,         ,
      Holding | Cori|oli | in the name | of Rome,
       Tx    T  .   T        ,         ,         ,
      Even like a fawn|ing grey|hound^in | the leash,
          ,          ,         ,
      To let | him slip | at will.
 
COMINIUS
                                     ,               ,
                                   Where is | that slave
              ,         ,          ,     ,    2         ,
      Which told | me they | had beat | you to your | trenches?
             ,         ,         ,
      Where is | he? Call | him hith|er.
 
MARTIUS
                                         ,       2   ,
                                        Let | him alone,
          ,        ,          ,      ,     2         x
      He did | inform | the truth:| but for our | gentlemen,
           ,        ,         ,      ,         ,
      The com|mon file,|(a plague | tribunes^|for them)
            ,              ,           ,         ,          ,
      The mouse | nere* shunned | the cat,| as they | did budge
            ,         ,            ,
      From ras|cals worse | than they.
 
COMINIUS
                                            ,          ,          ->
                                       But how | prevailed || you?
 
MARTIUS
          2        ,    ,          ,       ,         ,
      Will the / time serve | to tell,| I do | not think:
        ,            ,    ,      2      ,       2      ,
      Where is | the en|emy?| Are you lords | of the field?
          ,          ,           ,         ,    __
      If not,| why cease | you till | you are | so?
 
COMINIUS
       ,             ,        ,     ,          ,
      Martius,| we have | at dis|advant|age fought,
           ,        ,        ,         ,
      And did | retire | to win | our pur|pose.
 
MARTIUS
      <- ,       ,           ,         ,         T   T     T
        How || lies their | battle?| Know you | on which side
          2        ,            ,         ,
      They have placed | their men | of trust?
 
COMINIUS
                                                 2    ,      ,
                                               As I guess | Martius,
              ,       2     ,       ,         ,     ,
      Their bands | in the va|ward are | the Ant|iates
                   ,    ,           ,       ,    ,
      Of their / best trust:| ore them | Aufid|ius,
             ,      ,          ,
      Their ve|ry heart | of hope.
 
MARTIUS
                                   ,    2     ,
                                   I do* be|seech you,
          ,         ,         ,       ,           ,
      By all | the bat|tles where|in we | have fought,
        2      ,      ,          ,      ,       oo
      By the blood | we have | shed to|gether,|
       ,         T   T   T     __    oo
      By the | vows we have | made |
             ,        ,            ,       ,       ,
      To endure | friends, that | you di|rectly | set me
          ,        ,   2    ,         ,     ,
      Against | Aufid|ius, and | his Ant|iates,
            ,         ,       ,          ,        ,
      And that | you not | delay | the pres|ent (but
       ,             ,            ,          ,           ,
      Filling | the air | with swords | advanced | and darts,
           ,           ,      ,
      We prove | this ve|ry hour.
 
COMINIUS
                                         ,           ,
                                  Though I | could wish,
            ,         ,      ,       ,       ,
      You were | conduct|ed to | a gent|le bath,
            ,         ,         ,          ,        x
      And balms | applied | to you,| yet dare | I never
         ,         ,         ,            ,          ,
      Deny | your ask|ing, take | your choice | of those
             ,         ,          ,
      That best | can aid | your ac|tion.
 
MARTIUS
                                           ,           ,
                                         Those | are they
             ,         ,         ,    2    ,         ,
      That most | are wil|ling; If | any such | be here,
        ,   2        ,         ,             ,           ,
      (As it were | sin to | doubt) that | love this | painting
            ,        ,           ,        ,      ,
      Wherein | you see | me smeared,| if an|y fear
       ,            ,         ,        ,        ,
      Lesser | his pers|on, than | an ill | report:
          2      ,      ,       ,          T    T    T
      If any / think, brave | death out|weighs bad life,
            ,          ,          ,       ,         ,
      And that | his count|ry's dear|er than | himself,
       ,           ,     ,       ,  2      ,
      Let him | alone:| or so | many so | minded,
        ,    ,            ,          ,     ,
      Wave thus / to ex|press his | dispo|sition,
           ,       ,
      And fol|low Mar|tius.   \\
 
[They all shout and wave their swords, take him up in their arms, and cast up their caps]
          ,      ,      ,            ,         ,
      Oh me | alone,| make you | a sword | of me:
       .   T     T    T        ,          ,         ,
      If these shows be | not out|ward, which | of you
                 ,   ,         ,        ,     ,
      But is / four Vol|ces? None | of you,| but is
       x          ,      ,            ,       ,  2
      Able to | bear a|gainst the | great Au|fidius
           ,          ,        ,       ,        ,      2->
      A shield,| as hard | as his.| A cert|ain num||ber
                 ,         ,         ,       ,          ,
      (Though thanks | to all)| must I | select | from^all:
            ,            ,         ,       3  3      ,       ,
      The rest | shall bear | the bus|iness in some oth|er fight  ??
            ,           ,      ,         ,              ,
      (As cause | will be | obeyed:)| Please you | to march,
            ,            ,        ,         ,        ,
      And four | shall quick|ly draw | out my | command,
             ,          ,         ,
      Which men | are best | inclined.
 
COMINIUS
                                              ,         x
                                       March^on | my fellows:
             ,          ,     ,        ,          ,
      Make good | this os|tenta|tion, and | you shall
          ,        ,          ,
      Divide | in all,| with us.  \\
 
[Exeunt]

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