Both the plowman and the ox have worked "in vain," the corn has "rotted," and the "crows are fatted with the murrion flock."
The one exception to this rule is when there is a parenthetical reference after the quotation, in which case the period or comma comes after the parenthesis.
Both the plowman and the ox have worked "in vain," the corn has "rotted," and the "crows are fatted with the murrion flock" (A Midsummer Night's Dream 2.1.93-97).
Note: Most high schools in B. C. still teach that the comma and period come outside the quotation marks. Many students find it hard to break themselves of this habit.
Eliot sought Pound's advice, asking "perhaps better omit Phlebas also?"
Compare:
What led Eliot to change his mind and later denounce the verses as "a rather poor pastiche"?