stocratic temper, and
so influential among the patricians, should be invested with the power
which that office would give him, he might employ it to deprive the
people of all that liberty which was yet left them. In conclusion,
they rejected Marcius. Two other names were announced, to the great
mortification of the senators, who felt as if the indignity reflected
rather upon themselves than on Marcius. He, for his part, could not bear
the affront with any patience. He had always indulged his temper, and
had regarded the proud and contentious element of human nature as a sort
of nobleness and magnanimity; reason and discipline had not imbued
him with that solidity and equanimity which enter so largely into the
virtues for the statesman. He had never learned how essential it is
for any one who undertakes public business, and desires to deal with
mankind, to avoid above all things that self-will, which, as Plato says,
belongs to the family of solitude; and to pursue, above all things,
that capacity so generally ridiculed, of submission to ill-treatment.
Marcius, straightforward and direct, stand together, and come in to
their assistance. The assembly met, and soon became tumultuous. The sum
of what Marcius had spoken, having been reported to the people, excited
them to such fury, that they were ready to break in upon the senate. The
tribunes prevented this, by laying all the blame on Coriolanus, and they
accordingly cited him to come before them, and defend himself.

He came, therefore, as it were, to make his apology, and clear himself;
in which belief the people kept silence, and gave him a quiet hearing.
But when instead of the submissive and deprecatory language expected
from him, he began to use not only an offensive kind of freedom, seeming
rather to accuse than apologize, but as well by the tone of his voice as
the expression of his countenance, displayed a security that was not
far from disdain and contempt of them, the whole multitude then became
angry, and gave evident signs of impatience and disgust; and Sicinnius,
the most violent of the tribunes, after a little private conference with
his colleagues, proceeded solemnly to pronounce before them all, that
Marcius was condemned to die by the tribunes of the people, and bid
the Aediles take him to the Tarpeian rock, and without delay throw him
headlong from the precipice. When they, however, in compliance with the
order, came to seize upon his body, many, even of t