. 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, Ran mad through sorrow: That made me to fear; Causeless, perhaps : But pardon me, sweet aunt: [LAVINIA turns over the books which Tit. How now, Lavinia ?-Marcus, what means this? Some book there is that she desires to see :- Confederate in the fact :-Ay, more there was :— Mar. For love of her that's gone, Perhaps she cull'd it from among the rest. Tit. Soft! see, how busily she turns the leaves ! Help her: What would she find ?-Lavinia, shall I read ? And treats of Tereus' 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 i [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 Tirus, Lavinia, and Boy. 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 Roman lord it was durst do the deed: Or slunk not Saturnine, as Tarquin erst, That left the camp to sin in Lucrece' bed? Mar. Sit down, sweet niece;-brother, down by me. Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury, sit {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 thou, good niece; and here display, at last, Tully's Treatise on Eloquence entitled Orator. + SuccessiON. * Observes. i Heless. 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. SCENE II.-The same.-A Room in the Palace. Enter AARON, CHIRON, and DEMETRIUS, at one Door; at another Door, young LuCIUS, and an Attendant, with a Bundle of Weapons, and Verses writ upon them. Chi. Demetrius, here's the son of Lucius; He hath some message to deliver to us. Aar. Ay, some mad message from his mad grandfather. Boy. My lords, with all the humbleness I may, 1 greet your honors from Andronicus ;And pray the Roman gods, confound you both. [Aside. Dem. Gramercy, lovely Lucius: What's the news? Boy. That you are both decipher'd that's the news, For villains mark'd with rape. [Aside.] May it please you, My grandsire, well-advis'd, hath sent by me The hope of Rome; for so he bade me say; [Exeunt Boy and Attendant. Dem. What's here? A scroll; and written round about? Let's see: Integer vita, scelerisque purus, Chi. Oh! 'tis a verse in Horace; I know it I read it in the grammar long ago. [well: Aar. Ay, just!-a verse in Horace :-right, you have it. Now, what a thing it is to be an ass ! [Aside. Here's no sound jest! the old man hath found their guilt; And sends the weapons wrapp'd about with lines, Aar. Had he not reason, lord Demetrius ? At such a bay, by turn to serve our lust. amen. Chi. And that would she for twenty thousand more. Dem. Come, let us go; and pray to all the For our beloved mother in her pains. [gods Aar. Pray to the devils; the gods have given us o'er. [Aside. Flourish. Dem. Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus ? Chi. Belike for joy the emperor hath a son. Dem. Soft; who comes here? Enter a NURSE, with a black-a-moor Child in her arms. Nur. Good morrow, lords: Oh! tell me, did you see Aaron the Moor. Aar. Well, more or less, or ne'er a whit at all, Here Aaron is: and what with Aaron now? Nur. O gentle Aaron, we are all undone ! Now help or woe betide thee evermore! Aur. Why, what a caterwauling dost thou keep! Nur. A joyless, dismal, black, and sorrowfu. issue : Here is the babe, as loathsome as a toad Aar. Out, out, you whore! is black so base a hue ? Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous blossom, sure. Caust not undo. Chi. Thou hast undone our mother. Dem. And therein, hellish dog, thou hast undone. 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 desh and blood. 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, self; Fie, treacherous hue ! that will betray with blushing The close enacts and counsels of the heart! Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer: ¶ Look, how the black slave smiles upon the father; What dost thou wrap and fumble in thine arms? As who should say, Old lad, I am thine own. Nur. Oh that which I would hide from hea-He is your brother, lords; sensibly fed Of that self-blood that first gave life to you; Dem. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done, And we will all subscribe to thy advice: Save thou the child, so we may all be safe. Aar. Then sit we down, and let us all con sult. 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: Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours? A long-tonga'd babbling gossip? no, lords, no. And now be it known to you my full intent. Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman, His wife but yesternight was brought to bed, His child is like to her, fair as you are: Go pack with him, and give the mother gold, And tell them both the circumstance of all; And how by this their child shall be advanc'd And be received for the emperor's heir, And substituted in the place of mine, To calm this tempest whirling in the court; And let the emperor dandle him for his own, Hark ye, lords, ye see, that I have given her physic, [Pointing to the NURSE. And you must needs bestow her funeral; The fields are near and you are gallant grooms: This done, see that you take no longer days, But send the midwife presently to me. The midwife, and the nurse, well made away, Then let the ladies tattle what they please. Chi. Aaron, I see, thou wilt not trust the air With secrets. Dem. For this care of Tamora, Herself, and her's, are highly bound to thee. [Exeunt DEM. and CHI. bearing off the NURSE. Aar. Now to the Goths, as swift as swallow flies; There to dispose this treasure in mine arms, And secretly to greet the empress' friends.Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you hence; For it is you that puts us to our shifts: SCENE III.-The same.-A Public Place. Enter TITUS, bearing arrows, with letters at the ends of them; with him MARCUS, young Lucius, and other Gentlemen with bows. And pierce the inmost centre of the earth: To see thy noble uncle thus distract? By day and night to attend him carefully; Mar. Kinsmen, his sorrows are past remedy. Tit. Publius, how now? how now, my mas ters! What, Have you met with her? Pub. No, my good lord; but Plutos sends you word, If you will have revenge from bell, you shall: Marry, for Justice, she is so employ'd, [else, He thinks, with Jove in heaven, or somewhere So that perforce you must needs stay a time. Tit. He doth me wrong, to feed me with deI'll dive into the burning lake below, [lays. And pull her out of Acheron by the heels.Marcus, we are but shrubs, no cedars we; No big-bon'd men, fram'd of the Cyclop's size: But metal, Marcus, steel to the very back; Yet wrung with wrongs, more than our backs can bear: And sith there is no justice in earth nor hell, + We will solicit heaven; and move the gods To send down justice for to wreak our wrongs: Come, to this gear. You are a good archer, Marcus. [He gives them the arrows. Ad Jovem, that's for you :-Here, ad ApolliAd Martem, that's for myself;- [nem: Here, boy, to Pallas: Here, to Mercury: To Saturn, Caius, not to Saturnine,— You were as good to shoot against the wind.To it, boy. Marcus, loose when I hid; O' my word, I have written to effect; There's not a god left unsolicited. Mar. Kinsmen, shoot all your shafts into the See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns, Tit. Come, Marcus, come; Kinsmen, this is And who should find them but the empress' She laugh'd, and told the Moor, he should not choose the way : 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, Clo. Ho! the gibbet-maker? he says that he hath taken them down again, for the man must not be banged till the next week. Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee? lo. Alas, Sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with him in all my life. Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier? Clo. Ay, of my pigeons, Sir; nothing else. Tit. Why, didst thou not come from heaven? Cl. From heaven? alas, Sir, I never came there: God forbid 1 should be so bold to press to heaven in my young days. Why, I am going with any pigeous to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's mea. 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. Tut. 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. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado, But give your pigeons to the emperor: By me thou shalt have justice at his hands. Hold, hold-mean while, here's money for thy charges. Give me a pen and ink. [tion? Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplicaClo. Ay, 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 pigeo s; and then look for your reward; I'll be at hand, Sir: see you do it bravely. Clo. I warrant you, Sir; let me alone. Tit. 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 ant : And when thou hast given it to the emperor, Knock at my door, and tell me what he says. Clo. God be with you, Sir; I will. Tit. Come, Marcus, let's go :-Publius, fol-1 low me. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.—The same.-Before the Palace. Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, CHIRON. DEME TRIUS, 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 And now he writes to heaven for his redress : As who would say, in Rome no justice were. But he and his shall know that justice lives The Clown means to say plebeian tribune, i. e. tribuse of the people. † Equal. The effects of sorrow for his valiant son3, And rather comfort his distressed plight, But, Titus, I have touch'd thee to the quick, How now, good fellow? would'st thou speak with us ? Clo. Yes, forsooth, an your mistership be imperial. Tam. Empress I am, but yonder sits the em peror. Clo. 'Tis he.-God and saint Stephen give you good den:-1 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, Sirral, 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 ? 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, Emilius ? Emil. Arin, arm, my lord; Rome never had thy name. Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it? Sat. But he will not entreat his son for us. For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear [76 EMILIUS. Sat. Then go successfully, and plead to him. ACT V. [Exeunt. SCENE 1.-Plains near Rome. Enter LUCIUS and GOTHS, with drum and colours. Luc. Approved warriors, and my faithful I have received letters from great Rome, 1 Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great An- 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. Luc. O worthy Goth! this is the incarnate This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye; And here's the base fruit of his burning lust.- 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 Aar. Lucius, save the child; And bear it from me to the emperess. I'll speak no more-But vengeance rot you all Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd. Lucius, 'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak ; Acts of black night, abominable deeds, Aar. Swear that he shall, and then I will Luc. Who should I swear by? thou believ'st no god : That granted, how canst thou believe an oath ? 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, For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth; babe, Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake. Surpris'd him suddenly, and brought him hi-That codding spirit had they from their mother, |