Page:Coriolanus (1924) Yale.djvu/78

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Cor. How! no more!

As for my country I have shed my blood,

Not fearing outward force, so shall my lungs

Coin words till their decay against those measles,

Which we disdain should tetter us, yet sought

The very way to catch them.

Bru. You speak o' the people,

As if you were a god to punish, not

A man of their infirmity.

Sic. 'Twere well

We let the people know 't.

Men. What, what? his choler?

Cor. Choler!

Were I as patient as the midnight sleep,

By Jove, 'twould be my mind!

Sic. It is a mind

That shall remain a poison where it is,

Not poison any further.

Cor. Shall remain!

Hear you this Triton of the minnows? mark you

His absolute 'Shall'?

Com. 'Twas from the canon.

Cor. 'Shall!'

O good but most unwise patricians! why,

You grave but reckless senators, have you thus

Given Hydra here to choose an officer,

That with his peremptory 'shall,' being but

The horn and noise o' the monster's, wants not spirit

To say he'll turn your current in a ditch,

And make your channel his? If he have power,

 77 measles: disease spots

78 tetter: form an eruption on

85 mind: resolved opinion

88 Triton: sea-god

89 from the canon: not authorized by law

92 Given: allowed

Hydra: the many-headed monster

94 horn and noise: noisy horn

