William Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Coriolanus

ACT IV. 5. SCENE V. Antium. A hall in AUFIDIUS'S house. (continued)

FIRST SERVANT.
But when goes this forward?

THIRD SERVANT.
To-morrow; to-day; presently; you shall have the drum struck up
this afternoon: 'tis as it were parcel of their feast, and to be
executed ere they wipe their lips.

SECOND SERVANT.
Why, then we shall have a stirring world again. This peace is
nothing but to rust iron, increase tailors, and breed
ballad-makers.

FIRST SERVANT.
Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace as far as day does
night; it's spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent. Peace is
a very apoplexy, lethargy; mulled, deaf, sleepy, insensible; a
getter of more bastard children than war's a destroyer of men.

SECOND SERVANT.
'Tis so: and as war in some sort, may be said to be a ravisher,
so it cannot be denied but peace is a great maker of cuckolds.

FIRST SERVANT.
Ay, and it makes men hate one another.

THIRD SERVANT.
Reason: because they then less need one another. The wars for my
money. I hope to see Romans as cheap as Volscians. They are
rising, they are rising.

ALL.
In, in, in, in!

[Exeunt.]