BRUTUS. What's the matter?
MESSENGER. You are sent for to the Capitol. 'Tis thought
That Marcius shall be consul.
I have seen the dumb men throng to see him and
The blind to hear him speak; matrons flung gloves,
Ladies and maids their scarfs and handkerchers,
Upon him as he pass'd; the nobles bended
As to Jove's statue, and the commons made
A shower and thunder with their caps and shouts.
I never saw the like.
BRUTUS. Let's to the Capitol,
And carry with us ears and eyes for th' time,
But hearts for the event.
SICINIUS. Have with you. Exeunt
SCENE II.
Rome. The Capitol
Enter two OFFICERS, to lay cushions, as it were in the Capitol
FIRST OFFICER. Come, come, they are almost here. How many stand
for
consulships?
SECOND OFFICER. Three, they say; but 'tis thought of every one
Coriolanus will carry it.
FIRST OFFICER. That's a brave fellow; but he's vengeance proud
and
loves not the common people.
SECOND OFFICER. Faith, there have been many great men that have
flatter'd the people, who ne'er loved them; and there be many
that they have loved, they know not wherefore; so that, if
they
love they know not why, they hate upon no better a ground.
Therefore, for Coriolanus neither to care whether they love
or
hate him manifests the true knowledge he has in their
disposition, and out of his noble carelessness lets them
plainly
see't.
FIRST OFFICER. If he did not care whether he had their love or
no,
he waved indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor
harm;
but he seeks their hate with greater devotion than they can
render it him, and leaves nothing undone that may fully
discover
him their opposite. Now to seem to affect the malice and
displeasure of the people is as bad as that which he
dislikes- to
flatter them for their love.
SECOND OFFICER. He hath deserved worthily of his country; and
his
ascent is not by such easy degrees as those who, having been
supple and courteous to the people, bonneted, without any
further
deed to have them at all, into their estimation and report;
but
he hath so planted his honours in their eyes and his actions
in
their hearts that for their tongues to be silent and not
confess
so much were a kind of ingrateful injury; to report otherwise
were a malice that, giving itself the lie, would pluck
reproof
and rebuke from every ear that heard it.
FIRST OFFICER. No more of him; he's a worthy man. Make way,
they
are coming.
A sennet. Enter the PATRICIANS and the TRIBUNES
OF THE PEOPLE, LICTORS before them; CORIOLANUS,
MENENIUS, COMINIUS the Consul. SICINIUS and
BRUTUS take their places by themselves.
CORIOLANUS stands
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