Ausidius assigns three probable reasons of the miscarriage of Coriolanus; pride, which easily follows an uninterrupted train of success; unskilfulness to regulate the consequences of his own victories; a stubborn uniformity of nature, which could not make the proper transition from the casque or helmet to the cushion or chair of civil authority; but acted with the same despotism in peace as in war.

IV.vii.48 (418,2) he has a merit,/To choak it in the utterance] He has a merit, for no other purpose than to destroy it by boasting it.

IV.vii.55 (418,4) Right’s by right fouler] [W:  fouled] I believe rights, like strengths, is a plural noon.  I read,

  Rights by rights founder, strengths by strengths do fail.

That is, by the exertion of one right another right is lamed.

V.i.20 (420,2) It was a bare petition] [Bare, for mean, beggarly.  WARBURTON.] I believe rather, a petition unsupported, unaided by names that might give it influence.

V.i.63 (422,4) I tell you, he does sit in gold] He is inthroned in all the pomp and pride of imperial splendour.

  [Greek:  Chruzothronos Aerae]—­Hom.

V.i.69 (422,5) Bound with an oath to yield to his conditions] This if apparently wrong.  Sir T. Hanmer, and Dr. Warburton after him, read,

  Bound with an oath not to yield to new conditions.

They might have read more smoothly,

  —­to yield no new conditions.

But the whole speech is in confusion, and I suspect something left out.  I should read,

  —­What he would do,
  He sent in writing after; what he would not,
  Bound with an oath.  To yield to his conditions.

Here is, I think, a chasm.  The speaker’s purpose seems to be this:  To yield to his conditions is ruin, and better cannot be obtained, so that all hope is vain.

V.ii.10 (424,7) it is lots to blanks] A lot here is a prize.

V.ii.17 (424,8)

  For I have ever verify’d my friends,
  (Of whom he’s chief) with all the size that verity
  Would without lapsing suffer]

[W:  narrified] [Hanmer:  magnified] If the commentator had given any example of the word narrify, the correction would have been not only received, but applauded.  Now, since the new word stands without authority, we must try what sense the old one will afford.  To verify is to establish by testimony.  One may say with propriety, he brought false witnesses to verify his title.  Shakespeare considered the word with his usual laxity, as importing rather testimony than truth, and only meant to say, I bore witness to my friends with all the size that verity would suffer.