Tit. Fear her not, Lucius:-Somewhat doth | What God will have discover'd for revenge : she mean: See, Lucius, see, how much she makes of thee: Canst thou not guess wherefore she plies thee thus ? Boy. My lord, I know not, I, nor can I guess, Causeless, perhaps : But pardon me, sweet aunt: [LAVINIA turns over the books which LUCIUS has let fall. Tit. How now, Lavinia ?-Marcus, what means this? Some book there is that she desires to see :- than one Confederate in the fact :-Ay, more there was :— Or else to heaven she heaves them for revenge. Tit. Lucius, what book is that she tosseth so? Boy. Grandsire, 'tis Ovid's Metamorphosis; My mother gave't me. Mar. For love of her that's gone, What would she find ?-Lavinia, shall I read ? And treats of Terens' treason and his rape; Mar. See, brother, see! note, how she quotes the leaves. Tit. Lavinia, wert thou thus surpris'd, sweet girl, Ravish'd and wrong'd, as Philomela was, Ay, such a place there is, where we did hunt, Mar. Oh! why should nature build so foul a den. Unless the gods delight in tragedies! Heaven guide thy pen to print thy sorrows plain, That we may know the traitors and the truth! [She takes the staff in her mouth, and guides it with her stumps, and writes. Tit. Oh! do you read, my lord, what she hath Stuprum-Chiron-Demetrius. [writ ? Mar. What, what the lustful sons of Ta mora Performers of this heinous, bloody deed? Tam lentus audis scelera? tam lentus vides? There is enough written upon this earth, : Boy. I say, my lord, that if I were a man, Their mother's bed-chamber should not be safe For these bad-bondmen to the yoke of Rome. Mar. Ay, that's my boy! thy father hath full oft, For this ungrateful country done the like. Boy. Ay, with my dagger in their bosoms, grandsire. Tit. No, boy, not so; I'll teach thee another course. Lavinia, come :-Marcus, look to my house : Ay, marry, will we, Sir: and we'll be waited on. [Exeunt TITUS, LAVINIA, and Bor. Mar. O heavens, can you hear a good man groan, And not relent, or not compassion him? Tit. Give signs, sweet girl,-for here are none That hath more scars of sorrow in his heart, but friends, What Romau lord it was durst do the deed: Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury, [He writes his name with his staff, and guides it with his feet and mouth. Curs'd be that heart, that forc'd us to this shift!— Write thon, good niece; and here display, at last, Tully's Treatise on Eloquence entitled Orater. Succession. ↑ Observes. $ Fitiless. Than foe men's marks upon his batter'd shield: But yet so just, that he will not revenge :Revenge the heavens for old Andronicus ! ¡Exit. And sends the weapons wrapp'd about with lines, dar. Had he not reason, lord Demetrius ? Dad yw not use his daughter very friendly? Dem. I would we had a thousand Roman dames At each a hay, by turn to serve our lust. C. Bake for joy the emperor hath a son. Dem. Soft; who comes here? Enter a NURSE, with a black-a-moor Child in her arias. Var. Good morrow, lords: el me, did you see Aaron the Moor.. Aar. Well, more or less, or ne'er a whit at all, Where Aaron is: and what with Aaron now? Var. O gentle Aaron, we are all undone ! Mum brip or woe betide thee evermore! Aur. Why, what a caterwauling dost thou korp! What doet thon wrap and fumble in thine arms? mr. Of that which I would hide from hea. [grace; ven's eye, press shame, and stately Rome's disBetur ta defiver'd, lords, she is deliver'd. Aar. To whom ? ~ «r. I mean, she's brought to bed. Ar. Well, God aber good rest! What hath he sent her? Var. A devil. ar. Why then she's the devil's dam; a joy fui issue. Nur. A joyless, dismal, black, and sorrowful issue : Here is the babe, as loathsome as a toad Aar. Out, out, you whore! is black so base a bue? Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous blossom, sure. Canst not undo. Chi. Thou hast undone our mother. Woe to her chance, and damn'd her loathed choice! Accurs'd the offspring of so foul a fiend! Aar. It shall not die. Nur. Aaron, it must; the mother wills it so. Aar. What, must it, nurse? then let no man but I, Do execution on my flesh and blood. Dem. I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point: [it. Nurse, give it me; my sword shall soon despatch Aar. Sooner this sword shall plough thy bowels up. [Takes the Child from the NURSE and draws. Stay, murderous villains! will you kill your brother? Now, by the burning tapers of the sky, Coal black is better than another hue, Can never turn a swan's black legs to white, The vigour and the picture of my youth: Dem. By this our mother is for ever sham'd. death. Chi. I blush to think upon this ignomy, || bears: Fie, treacherous hue! that will betray with blushing The close enacts and counsels of the heart! As who should say, Old lad, I am thine own. Dem. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done, | And pierce the inmost centre of the earth: My son and I will have the wind of you: I am a lamb but if you brave the Moor, Nur. Cornelia the midwife, and myself, Aar. O lord, Sir, 'tis a deed of policy: Dem. For this care of Tamora, Aar. Now to the Goths, as swift as swallow There to dispose this treasure in mine arins, For it is you that puts us to our shifts: SCENE III.—The same.-A Public Place. Tit. Come, Marcus, come; Kinsmen, this is Sir boy, now let me see your archery: Be you remember'd, Marcus, she's gone, she's fled. Sir, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall Bargain with. Then, when you come to Pluto's region, cerns, By day and night to attend him carefully; Mar. Kinsmen, his sorrows are past remedy. Have you met with her? Pub. No, my good lord; but Plutos sends you If you will have revenge from hell, you shall: Tit. He doth me wrong, to feed me with de- And sith+ there is no justice in earth nor hell, court: We will afflict the emperor in his pride. Good boy, in Virgo's lap; give it Pallas. done! Tit. Ha! Publius, Publius what hast thou court; And who should find them but the empress choose But give them to his master for a present. ship joy. Clo. Ho! the gibbet-maker? he says that he | The effects of sorrow for his valiant sons, hath taken them down again, for the man must Whose loss hath pierc'd him deep, and scarr'd not be hanged till the next week. Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee? Cle. Alas, Sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with him in all my life. Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier ? Cla. Ay, of my pigeons, Sir; nothing else. Tit. Why, didst thou not come from heaven? Clo. From heaven? alas, Sir, I never came there: God forbid I should be so bold to press to heaven in my young days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men. Mar. Why, Sir, that is as fit as can be, to serve for your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the emperor from you. Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the emperor with a grace? Clo. Nay, truly, Sir, I could never say grace in all my life. Tit. Sirrab, come hither: make no more ado, Bat give your pigeons to the emperor: By me thou shalt have justice at his hands. Hold, bold-mean while, here's money for thy charges. Give me a pen and ink. [tion? Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplicaClo. Av, Sir. Tit. Then here is a supplication for you. And when you come to him, at the first approach, you must kneel; then kiss his foot; then deliver up your pigeons; and then look for your reward; I'll be at hand, Sir: see you do it bravely. (l. I warrant you, Sir; let me alone. T. Sirrah, hast thou a knife? Come, let me Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration; [see it. For thou hast made it like an humble suppli And when thou hast given it to the emperor, Knock at my door, and tell me what he says. Cle. God be with you, Sir; I will. Tit. Come, Marcus, let's go :-Publius, follow me. [Excunt. SCENE IV.-The same.-Before the Palace. Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, CHIRON. DEME TRUS, LORDS, and others: SATURNINUS with the arrows in his hand, that TITUS shot. Sat. Why, lords, what wrongs are these? Was ever seen An emperor of Rome thus overborne, But even with law, against the wilful sons hath he writes to heaven for his redress: See, bere's to Jove, and this to Mercury; This to Apollo; this to the god of war: Sweet sells to fly about the streets of Rome! Wer's this, but libelling against the senate, And Mazoning our injustice every where ? Agual amour, is it not, my lords? A who wooid say, in Rome no justice were. 1. If I live, his feigned ecstacies • aŭ be no shelter to these outrages: Tim. My gracious lord, iny lovely Saturnine, Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts, Cam thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age, • The Clown means to say plebeian tribune, i. e. tribane of the prople. † Equal. his heart; And rather comfort his distressed plight, Clo. Yes, forsooth, an your mistership be imperial. Tam. Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor. Clo. 'Tis he.-God and saint Stephen give you good den:-I have brought you a letter, and a couple of pigeons here. [SATURNINUS reads the Letter. Sat. Go, take him away, and hang him presently. Clo. How much money must I have? Tam. Come, Sirrah, you must be hang'd. Clo. Hang'd! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end. [Exit guarded Sat. Despiteful and intolerable wrongs! Shall I endure this monstrous villany? I know from whence this same device proceeds: May this be borne ?-as if his traitorous sons, That died by law for murder of our brother, Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully.Go, drag the villain hither by the hair; Nor age, nor honour, shall shape privilege :For this proud mock, I'll be thy slaughterman; Sly frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great, In hope thyself should govern Rome and me. Enter EMILIUS. What news with thee, Æmilius? Emil. Arm, arm, my lord; Rome never had more cause! The Goths have gather'd head; and with a power Of high-resolved men, bent to the spoil, They hither march amain, under the conduct Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus; Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do As much as ever Coriolanus did. Sat. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths ↑ These tidings nip me; and I hang the head As flowers with frost, or grass beat down with Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it? With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous, Sat. But he will not entreat his son for us. For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear With golden promises; that were his heart Almost inpregnable, his old ears deaf, Luc. O worthy Goth! this is the incarnate devil That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand: Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.-This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' Go thou before, be our ambassador; [To EMILIUS. Say, that the emperor requests a parley Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus'. Sat. Emilius, do this message honourably: And if he stand on hostage for his safety, Bid him demand what pledge will please him best. Emil. Your bidding shall I do effectually. [Exit EMILIUS. Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus; And temper him, with all the art I have, To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths. And now, sweet emperor, be blithe again, And bury all thy fear in my devices. Sat. Then go successfully, and plead to him. ACT V. [Exeunt. SCENE I.-Plains near Rome. Enter LUCIUS and GOTHS, with drum and colours. Luc. Approved warriors, and my faithful friends, I have received letters from great Rome, 1 Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus, [fort, Whose name was once our terror, now our comWhose high exploits, and honourable deeds, Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt, Be bold in us: we'll follow where thou lead'st, Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day, Led by their master to the flower'd fields,And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora. Goths. And, as he saith, so say we all with him. Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all. But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth? Enter a GOTH, leading AARON, with his child in his arms. eye; And here's the base fruit of his burning Inst.Say, wall-ey'd slave, whither would'st thou con vey This growing image of thy fiend-like face? A halter, soldiers; hang him on this tree, Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood. [A ladder brought, which AARON is obliged to ascend. Aar. Lucius, save the child; And bear it from me to the emperess. speak'st, Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd. Aar. An if it please thee? why, assure thee, Lucius, 'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak; For I must talk of murders, rapes, and mas Aar. Swear that he shall, and then I will begin. Luc. Who should I swear by thou believ'st That granted, how canst thou believe an oath? no god : Aar. What if I do not? as indeed, I do not: Yet, for I know thou art religious, And hast a thing within thee, called conscience, With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies, Which I have seen thee careful to observe, Therefore I urge thy oath ;-For that, I know, An idiot holds his bauble for a god, And keeps the oath, which by that god he swears ; To that I'll urge him :-Therefore, thou shalt VOW By that same god, what god soe'er it be, 2 Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I That thou ador'st and hast in reverence, stray'd, To gaze upon a ruinous monastery; I heard a child cry underneath a wall: I made unto the noise; when soon I heard Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art, They never do beget a coal-black calf. babe, Luc. détestable villain! call'st thou that trimming? Aar. Why, she was wash'd, and cut, and trimm'd; and 'twas Trim sport for them that had the doing of it. Luc. O barbarous, beastly villains, like thy |