Cor. The noble sister of Publicola,[3783]
The moon of Rome; chaste as the icicle 65
That's curdied by the frost from purest snow[3784]
And hangs on Dian's temple: dear Valeria!
Vol. This is a poor epitome of yours,[3785]
Which by the interpretation of full time
May show like all yourself.
Cor. The god of soldiers,[3786] 70
With the consent of supreme Jove, inform
Thy thoughts with nobleness, that thou mayst prove
To shame unvulnerable, and stick i' the wars[3787]
Like a great sea-mark, standing every flaw
And saving those that eye thee!
Vol. Your knee, sirrah.[3788] 75
Cor. That's my brave boy!
Vol. Even he, your wife, this lady and myself
Are suitors to you.
Cor. I beseech you, peace:
Or, if you'ld ask, remember this before:
The thing I have forsworn to grant may never[3789] 80
Be held by you denials. Do not bid me[3789]
Dismiss my soldiers, or capitulate
Again with Rome's mechanics: tell me not
Wherein I seem unnatural: desire not[3790]
To allay my rages and revenges with[3790] 85
Your colder reasons.[3790]
Vol. O, no more, no more!
You have said you will not grant us any thing;[3791]
For we have nothing else to ask, but that
Which you deny already: yet we will ask;
That, if you fail in our request, the blame[3792] 90
May hang upon your hardness: therefore hear us.
Cor. Aufidius, and you Volsces, mark; for we'll
Hear nought from Rome in private. Your request?
Vol. Should we be silent and not speak, our raiment
And state of bodies would bewray what life 95
We have led since thy exile. Think with thyself[3793]
How more unfortunate than all living women[3794]
Are we come hither: since that thy sight, which should[3795]
Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance with comforts,[3796]
Constrains them weep and shake with fear and sorrow; 100
Making the mother, wife and child, to see
The son, the husband and the father, tearing
His country's bowels out. And to poor we[3797][3798]
Thine enmity's most capital: thou barr'st us[3798][3799]
Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort 105
That all but we enjoy; for how can we,
Alas, how can we for our country pray,
Whereto we are bound, together with thy victory,[3800]
Whereto we are bound? alack, or we must lose[3800]
The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person, 110
Our comfort in the country. We must find
An evident calamity, though we had[3801]
Our wish, which side should win; for either thou
Must, as a foreign recreant, be led
With manacles thorough our streets, or else[3802] 115
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin
And bear the palm for having bravely shed
Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, son,
I purpose not to wait on fortune till
These wars determine: if I cannot persuade thee[3803] 120
Rather to show a noble grace to both parts[3804]
Than seek the end of one, thou shalt no sooner[3805]
March to assault thy country than to tread—
Trust to 't, thou shalt not—on thy mother's womb,
That brought thee to this world.