By working wreakful vengeance on thy foes.

Come down, and welcome me to this world's light;
Confer with me of murder and of death:

There's not a hollow cave, or lurking-place,
No vaft obfcurity, or misty vale,

Where bloody murder, or detefted rape,

Can couch for fear, but I will find them out;

And in their ears tell them

my

dreadful name,

Revenge, which makes the foul offenders quake. TIT. Art thou Revenge? and art thou fent to me, To be a torment to mine enemies?

TAM. I am; therefore come down, and welcome me. TIT. Do me fome fervice, ere I come to thee. Lo, by thy fide where Rape, and Murder, ftands; Now give fome 'furance that thou art Revenge, Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot wheels; And then I'll come, and be thy waggoner, And whirl along with thee about the globes. Provide thee proper palfries, black as jet, To hale thy vengeful waggon fwift away, And find out murderers in their guilty caves : And, when thy car is loaden with their heads, I will difmount, and by the waggon wheel Trot, like a fervile footman, all day long; Even from Hyperion's rifing in the east, Until his very downfal in the sea. And day by day I'll do this heavy task, So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.

TAM. These are my minifters, and come with me. TIT. Are they thy minifters? what are they call'd? TAM. Rapine, and Murder; therefore called fo, 'Cause they take vengeance of fuch kind of men. TIT. Good lord, how like the emprefs' fons they are!

And you, the empress! But we worldly men
Have miferable, mad, mistaking eyes.

O fweet Revenge, now do I come to thee:

And, if one arm's embracement will content thee,
I will embrace thee in it by and by.

Do

[Exit TITUS, from above.

TAM. This closing with him fits his lunacy:
Whate'er I forge, to feed his brain-fick fits,
you uphold and maintain in your speeches.
For now he firmly takes me for Revenge;
And being credulous in this mad thought,
I'll make him fend for Lucius, his fon;
And, whilst I at a banquet hold him fure,
I'll find some cunning practice out of hand,
To scatter and difperfe the giddy Goths,
Or, at the leaft, make them his enemies.
See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.
Enter TITUS.

TIT. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee:
Welcome, dread fury, to my woful house ;-
Rapine, and Murder, you are welcome too:
How like the emprefs and her fons you are!
Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor :-
Could not all hell afford you
fuch a devil?—
For, well I wot, the empress never wags,
But in her company there is a Moor;
And, would you reprefent our queen aright,
It were convenient you had such a devil:
But welcome, as you are. What shall we do?
TAM. What would'st thou have us do, Andronicus?
DEM. Show me a murderer, I'll deal with him.
CHI. Show me a villain, that hath done a rape,
And I am fent to be reveng'd on him.

VOL. V.

Qq

TAM. Show me a thoufand, that have done thee wrong, And I will be revenged on them all.

TIT. Look round about the wicked ftreets of Rome;
And when thou find'ft a man that's like thyself,
Good Murder, ftab him; he's a murderer.—
Go thou with him; and, when it is thy hap,
To find another that is like to thee,

Good Rapine, ftab him; he is a ravisher.-
Go thou with them; and in the emperor's court
There is a queen, attended by a Moor;

Well may'st thou know her by thy own proportion,
For up and down the doth resemble thee;

I

pray thee, do on them fome violent death,

They have been violent to me and mine.

TAM. Well haft thou leffon'd us; this fhall we do, But would it please thee, good Andronicus,

To fend for Lucius, thy thrice valiant fon,

Who leads towards Rome a band of warlike Goths,
And bid him come and banquet at thy houfe:
When he is here, even at thy folemn feast,
I will bring in the emprefs and her fons,
The emperor himself, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy fhall they ftoop and kneel,
And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.
What fays Andronicus to this device?

TIT. Marcus, my brother!-'tis fad Titus calls.
Enter MARCus.

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius;
Thou fhalt inquire him out among the Goths:
Bid him repair to me, and bring with him
Some of the chiefeft princes of the Goths;
Bid him encamp his foldiers where they are:
Tell him, the emperor and the empress too

Feasts at my house; and he shall feast with them.
This do thou for my love; and so let him,

As he regards his aged father's life.

MAR. This will I do, and foon return again.

[Exit.

TAM. Now will I hence about thy business,

And take my minifters along with me.

TIT. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me; Or elfe I'll call my brother back again,

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

TAM. What fay you, boys? will you abide with him, Whiles I go tell my lord the emperor,

How I have govern'd our determin'd jest?

Yield to his humour, fmooth and fpeak him fair, [Afide. And tarry with him, till I come again.

TIT. I know them all, though they fuppofe me mad; And will o'er-reach them in their own devices, A pair of curfed hell-hounds, and their dam. DEM. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here. TAM. Farewell, Andronicus: Revenge now goes

To lay a complot to betray thy foes.

[Afide.

[Exit TAMORA. TIT. I know, thou doft; and, sweet Revenge, farewell. CHI. Tell us, old man, how shall we be employ'd? TIT. Tut, I have work enough for you to do.Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine!

Enter PUBLIUS, and Others.

PUB. What's your will?

TIT. Know you these two?

PUB. Th' emprefs' fons,

I take them, Chiron, and Demetrius.

TIT. Fye, Publius, fye! thou art too much deceiv'd; The one is Murder, Rape is the other's name: And therefore bind them, gentle Publius; Caius, and Valentine, lay hands on them:

Oft have you heard me wish for such an hour,
And now I find it: therefore bind them fure;
And stop their mouths, if they begin to cry.

[Exit TITUS. PUBLIUS, &c. lay bold on CHIRON and
DEMETRIUS.

CHI. Villains, forbear; we are the emprefs' fons. PUB. And therefore do we what we are commanded.Stop close their mouths, let them not speak a word: Is he fure bound? look, that you bind them fast. Re-enter TITUS ANDRONICUS, with LAVINIA; fbe bearing a bafon; and be a knife.

TIT. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound;— Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to me; But let them hear what fearful words I utter.

O villains, Chiron and Demetrius !

Here ftands the fpring whom you have ftain'd with mud
This goodly fummer with your winter mix'd.
You kill'd her husband; and, for that vile fault,
Two of her brothers were condemn'd to death:
My hand cut off, and made a merry jeft:

Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that, more dear
Than hands or tongue, her fpotless chastity,

Inhuman traitors, you conftrain'd and forc'd.
What would you fay, if I fhould let
you speak?
Villains, for fhame you could not beg for grace.
Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats;
Whilft that Lavinia 'tween her ftumps doth hold
The bason, that receives your guilty blood.

You know, your mother means to feaft with me,
And calls herfelf, Revenge, and thinks me mad,-
Hark, villains; I will grind your bones to dust,
And with your blood and it, I'll make a paste ;