editors have changed to the modern termination, Vol cian. I mention it here, because here the change has spoiled the measure.

Being a Volce, be that I am. Condition!

JOHNSON.

19 At home, upon my brother's guard-] In my own house, with my brother posted to protect him.

20bisson] Bisson, blind, in the old copies, is beesome, restored by Mr. Theobald. JOHNSON.

21 You are ambitious, &c.] It appears from this whole speech that Shakspeare mistook the office of præfectus urbis for the tribune's office.

WARBURton.

22 He received in the repulse of Tarquin, seven hurts i the body.

Men. One i' the neck, and two i' the thigh: there's nine, that I know.] Seven,-one,-and two, and these make but nine? Surely, we may safely assist Menenius in his arithmetick. This is a stupid blunder; but wherever we can account by a probable reason for the cause of it, that directs the emendation. Here it was easy for a negligent transcriber to omit the second one, as a needless repetition of the first, and to make a numeral word of too. The old man, agreeable to his character, is minutely particular:

WARBURTON.

Seven wounds? let me see; one in the neck; two in the thigh-Nay I am sure there are more; there are nine that I know of.

UPTON.

23 My gracious silence, hail!] By my gracious silence,

I believe, the poet meant, thou whose silent tears are more eloquent and grateful to me, than the clamorous applause of the rest!

So in the Martial Maid of Beaumont and Fletcher: A lady's tears are silent orators,

Or should be so at least, to move beyond

STEEVENS.

The honey-tongued rhetorician. 4seld-shown flamens,] i. e. priests who seldom exhibit themselves to public view. The word is used in Humour out of Breath, a comedy, by John Day, 1607: "O seld-seer, metamorphosis."

STEEVENS.

25supple and courteous to the people, bonnetted,] The sense, I think, requires that we should read, unbonnetted. Who have risen only by pulling off their hats to the people. Bonnetted may relate to people, but not without harshness.

JOHNSON.

Bonneter, Fr. is to pull one's cap, therefore there is no occasion to read unbonnetted. See Cotgrave.

26

-Masters o' the people,

STEEVENS.

Your multiplying spawn how can he flatter,] The reasoning of Menenius is this: How can he be expected to practise flattery to others, who abhors it so much, that he cannot hear it even when offered to himself.

JOHNSON.

27 -his Amazonian chin-] i. e. his chin on which there was no beard.

28 When he might act the woman in the scene— -] It has been more than once mentioned, that the parts of women were, in Shakspeare's time, represented by

the most smooth-faced young men to be found among the players.

STEEVENS.

29 The mortal gate-] The gate of death.

30 We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power that we have no power to do:] I am persuaded this was intended as a ridicule on the Augustine manner of defining free-will at that time in the schools.

WARBURTON.

A ridicule may be intended, but the sense is clear enough. Power first signifies natural power or force, and then moral power or right. Davies has used the same word with great variety of meaning.

.

Use all thy powers that heavenly power to praise,
That gave thee power to do.

or hirsute

32

JOHNSON.

woolvish gown-] Toga hirsuta, the rough gown.

—aged custom-] This was a strange inattention. The Romans at this time had but lately changed the regal for the consular government: for Coriolanus was banished the eighteenth year after the expulsion of the kings.

WARBURTON.

33 prank them in authority,] To prank is to plume themselves.

Becomes not Rome;] That is, this trick of dissimulation, this shuffling.

JOHNSON.

95 The cockle of rebellion,-] Cockie is a weed which grows. up. taken from, sir Thomas North's translation of Plu

with the corn.

The thought is

tarch, where it is given as follows. "Moreover, he "said, that they nourished against themselves the "naughty seed and cockle of insolency and sedition, "which had been sowed and scattered abroad among "the people, &c."

STEEVENS.

36-the minnows?] i. e. Small fry.

WARBURTON.

A minnow is one of the smallest river fish, called in some counties a pink.

JOHNSON.

37 The horn and noise-] Alluding to his having called him Triton before.

WARBURTON.

38 -my soul akes,] The mischief and absurdity of what is called Imperium in imperio, is here finely expressed.

WARBURTON.

39 could never be the native-] Native for natural birth.

WARBURTON.

Native is here not natural birth, but natural parent, or cause of birth. But I would read motive, which, without any distortion of its meaning, suits the speaker's purpose.

JOHNSON.

40 To jump a body-] Thus the old copy. Modern editors read,

To vamp

To jump anciently signified to jolt, to give a rude concussion to any thing. To jump a body may therefore mean, to put it into a violent agitation or commotion.

STEEVENS,

241. One time will owe another-] I know not whether to owe in this place means to possess by right, or to be indebted. Either sense may be admitted. One time,

in which the people are seditious, will give us power in some other time: or, this time of the people's predominance will run them in debt: that is, will lay them open to the law, and expose them hereafter to more servile subjection.

42

JOHNSON.

Before the tag return?] The lowest and most despicable of the populace are still denominated by those a little above them, Tag, rag, and bobtail.

JOHNSON.

43 clean kam.] i. e. Awry. So Cotgrave interprets Tout va à contrepoil. All goes clean kam. Hence a kambrel for a crooked stick, or the bend in a horse's hinder leg. WARBURTON.

44I am in this,

Your wife, your son, &c.] I rather think the meaning is, I am in their condition, I am at stake, together with your wife, your son.

45

JOHNSON.

my unbarbed sconce?] The suppliants of the people used to present themselves to them in sordid and neglected dresses.

46 Which quired with my drum,] Which played in concert with my drum.

JOHNSON.

47 Tent in my cheeks;] To tent here means to abide,

Thy mother rather feel thy pride, than fear

Thy dangerous stoutness ;- -]

This is obscure. Perhaps, she means, Go, do thy worst; let me rather feel the utmost extremity that thy pride can bring upon us, than live thus in fear of thy dangerous obstinacy.

JOHNSON.