Page:Coriolanus (1924) Yale.djvu/85

The Tragedy of Coriolanus, III. i

Though in Rome litter'd,—not Romans,—as they are not,

Though calv'd i' the porch o' the Capitol,—

Men. Begone;

Put not your worthy rage into your tongue;

One time will owe another.

Cor. On fair ground

I could beat forty of them.

Men. I could myself

Take up a brace o' the best of them; yea, the two tribunes.

Com. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetic;

And manhood is call'd foolery when it stands

Against a falling fabric. Will you hence,

Before the tag return? whose rage doth rend

Like interrupted waters and o'erbear

What they are us'd to bear.

Men. Pray you, begone.

I'll try whether my old wit be in request

With those that have but little: this must be patch'd

With cloth of any colour.

Com. Nay, come away.

Exeunt Coriolanus and Cominius.

Patri. This man has marr'd his fortune.

Men. His nature is too noble for the world:

He would not flatter Neptune for his trident,

Or Jove for 's power to thunder. His heart's his mouth:

What his breast forges, that his tongue must vent;

 238 litter'd: whelped, born like beasts

241 One another: a balance will be struck between this unlucky time and one that will be more favorable

244 beyond arithmetic: incalculable

246 fabric: building

247 tag: rabble

248 interrupted: obstructed

251, 252 this colour: we must use the roughest remedies

