Page:Coriolanus (1924) Yale.djvu/128

116 And the nobility of Rome are his:

The senators and patricians love him too:

The tribunes are no soldiers; and their people

Will be as rash in the repeal as hasty

To expel him thence. I think he'll be to Rome

As is the osprey to the fish, who takes it

By sovereignty of nature. First he was

A noble servant to them, but he could not

Carry his honours even; whether 'twas pride,

Which out of daily fortune ever taints

The happy man; whether defect of judgment,

To fail in the disposing of those chances

Which he was lord of; or whether nature,

Not to be other than one thing, not moving

From the casque to the cushion, but commanding peace

Even with the same austerity and garb

As he controll'd the war; but one of these,

As he hath spices of them all, not all,

For I dare so far free him, made him fear'd,

So hated, and so banish'd: but he has a merit

To choke it in the utterance. So our virtues

Lie in th' interpretation of the time;

And power, unto itself most commendable,

Hath not a tomb so evident as a chair

To extol what it hath done.

One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;

Rights by rights falter, strengths by strengths do fail.

 34, 35 osprey nature; cf. n.

37 even: steadily

38 out fortune: as a result of constant good fortune

taints: sullies

40 disposing: exploiting

42 Not to be: not capable of being

42, 43 not moving cushion; cf. n.

44 austerity and garb: austere manner

46 spices not all: some flavor of all these faults, but not in full degree

47 free: acquit

48 So: and therefore (i.e. because feared)

48, 49 but utterance; cf. n.

50 Lie in: depend upon

51–53 Cf. n.

55 Rights falter; cf. n. 