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Than prosecute the meanest, or the best,
For these contempts. Why, thus it shall become
High-witted Tamora to gloze1 with all: [Aside.
But, Titus, I have touch'd thee to the quick,
Thy life-blood out: if Aaron now be wise,
Then is all safe, the anchor's in the port.-

Enter Clown.

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 emperor.
Clo. 'Tis he.-God, and saint Stephen, give you
good den :-I have brought you a letter, and a cou-
p.e of pigeons here.
[SAT. 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 lords; 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 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 storms.
Ay, now begin our sorrows to approach:
'Tis he the common people love so much;
Myself hath often overheard them say
(When I have walked like a private man,)
That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully,
And they have wish'd that Lucius were their

peror.

Tam. Why should you fear? is not your strong?

Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius: And will revolt from me, to succour him.

With golden promises; that were his heart
Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf,

Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Go thou before, be our embassador; [To ÆMIL
Say, that the emperor requests a parley
Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting,
Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus.
Sat. Æmilius, 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 with him all the art I have,
To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths
now, sweet emperor, be blithe again,
And bury all thy fear in my devices.
Sat. Then go successfully, and plead to him.
[Exeunt

And

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and Goths, with Drum and Colours.
Luc. Approved warriors, and my faithful friends,
I have received letters from great Rome,
Which signify, what hate they bear their emperor,
And how desirous of our sight they are.
Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious, and impatient of your wrongs;
And, wherein Rome hath done you any scath."
Let him make treble satisfaction.

1 Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great An
dronicus,

Whose high exploits, and honourable deeds,
Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort
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 avenged 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.

2 Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I
stray'd,

em-To gaze upon a ruinous monastery ;6
And as I earnestly did fix mine eye
Upon the wasted building, suddenly

city

I heard a child cry underneath a wall:

I made unto the noise; when soon I heard

The crying babe controll'd with this discourse:

Tim. King, be thy thoughts imperious,2 like thy Peace, tawny slave; half me, and half thy dam'

name.

Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it'
The eagle suffers little birds to sing,

And is not careful what they mean thereby ;
Knowing that with the shadow of his wings,
He can at pleasure stint3 their melody:
Even so may'st thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy spirit; for know, thou emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus,

With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,
Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks* to sheep;
When as the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious feed.

Sat. But he will not entreat his son for us.
Tam If Tamora entreat him, then he will:
For I can smooth and fill his aged ear

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Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,
Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look,
Villain, thou might'st have been an emperor :
But where the bull and cow are both milk-white,
They never do beget a coal-black calf.
Peace, villain, peace !-even thus he rates the babe
For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth;
Who, when he knows thou art the empress' babe,
Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake.
With this, my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him,
Surpris'd him suddenly; and brought him hither,
To use as you think needful of the man.

Luc. O, worthy Goth! this is the incarnate devil,
That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand:
This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye;'

chronology, that no very conclusive argument can be
deduced from the particular absurdity of these anachro-
nisms relative to the authenticity of Titus Andronicus.
And yet the ruined monastery, the popish tricks, &c
that Aaron talks of, and especially the French saluta-
tion from the mouth of Titus, are altogether so ver▾
much out of place, that I cannot persuade myself that
even our hasty poet could have been guilty of their
insertion, or would have permitted them to remain, had
he corrected the performance of another.'-Steevens.
7 Alluding to the proverb, ' A black man is a pearl in

Shakspeare has sc perpetually offended against a fair woman's eye.

And here's the base fruit of his burning lust.-
Say, wall-ey'd slave, whither would'st thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
Why dost not speak? What! deaf? No; not a
word?

A halter, soldiers; hang him on this tree,
And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood. Luc. Too like the sire for ever being good. First, hang the child, that he may see it sprawl; A sight to vex the father's soul withal.

Get me a ladder.

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Lucius, save the child;

And bear it from me to the emperess.
If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things,
That highly may advantage thee to hear:
If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,
I'll speak no more; But vengeance rot you all!
Luc. Say on; and, if it please me which thou
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 massacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischief, treason; villanies
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:'
And this shall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live.
Luc. Tell on thy mind; I say, thy child shall live.
Aar. Swear, that he shall, and then I will begin.
Luc. Who should I swear by? thou believ'st no
god;

That granted, how canst thou believe an oath?
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 bauble2 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,
That thou ador'st and hast in reverence,-
To save my boy, to nourish and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my god, I swear, to thee I will.
Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the em-

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mc,

That bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of
As true a dog as ever fought at head.5-
Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth.
I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole,
Where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay:
I wrote the letter that thy father found,"
And hid the gold within the letter mention'd,
Confederate with the queen and her two sons;
And what not done, that thou hast cause to rue,
Wherein I had no stroke of mischief in it?
I play'd the cheater for thy father's hand;
And, when I had it, drew myself apart,
And almost broke my heart with extreme laughter
I pry'd me through the crevice of a wall,
When for his hand, he had his two sons' heads
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd so heartily,
That both mine eyes were rainy like to his;
And when I told the empress of this sport,
She swounded' almost at my pleasing tale,
And, for my tidings gave me twenty kisses.
Goth. What! canst thou say all this, and neve:
blush?

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Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is. Luc. Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds? Aar. Ay, that I had not done a thousand more. Even now I curse the day (and yet, I think, Few come within the compass of my curse,) Wherein I did not some notorious ill; As kill a man, or else devise his death; Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it Accuse some innocent, and forswear myset. Set deadly enmity between two friends ; Make poor men's cattle break their necks ; Set fire on barns and haystacks in the night, And bid the owners quench them with their tears. Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves, And set them upright at their dear friends" doors, Even when their sorrows almost were forgot And on their skins, as on the bark of trees, Have with my knife carved, in Roman letters, Let not your sorrow die though I am dead. Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things, As willingly as one would kill a fly; And nothing grieves me heartily indeed, But that I cannot do ten thousand more.

Luc. Bring down the devil; for he must not die So sweet a death as hanging presently. Aar. If there be devils, 'would I were a devil, To live and burn in everlasting fire; So I might have your company in hell, But to torment you with my bitter tongue! Luc. Sirs, stop his mouth and let him speak ne

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7 The verb to swound, which we now write swoon was anciently in common use.

9 Marlowe has been supposed to be the author of this play; and whoever will read the conversation between Barabas and Ithimore, in the Jew of Malta, Act ii. and compare it with these sentiments of Aaron, will perceive much reason for the opinion.

9 It appears from these words that the audience were entertained with part of the apparatus of an execution, and that Aaron was mounted on a ladder, as ready to be turned off.

10 Perhaps this is a stage direction crept into ta, text.

ter TAMORA, CHIRON, aud DEMETRIUS, dis-
guised.

Tam. Thus, in this strange and sad habiliment,
I will encounter with Andronicus;
And say, I am Revenge, sent from below,
To join with him and right his heinous wrongs.
Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps,
To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge;
Tell him, Revenge is come to join with him,
And work confusion on his enemies.

SCENE II. Rome. Before Titus's House. En- | Have miserable, mad, mistaking eyes.
En-Have
O, sweet 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.
[Exit TITUS, from above
Tam. This closing with him fits his lunacy:
Whate'er I forge, to feed his brain-sick fits,
Do 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 send for Lucius, his son;
And, whilst I at a banquet hold him sure,
I'll find some cunning practice out of hand,
To scatter and disperse the giddy Goths,
Or, at the least, make them his enemies.
See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.
Enter TITUS.

Enter TITUS, above.

[They knock.

Tit Who doth molest my contemplation?
Is it your trick, to make me ope the door;
That so my sad decrees may fly away,
And all my study be to no effect?

You are deceiv'd: for what I mean to do,
See here, in bloody lines I have set down;
And what is written shall be executed.

Tam. Titus, I am come to talk with thee.
Tit. No; not a word: How can I grace my talk,
Wanting a hand to give it action?

Thou hast the odds of me, therefore no more.
Tam. If thou didst know me, thou would'st talk

with me.

Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough: Witness this wretched stump, witness these crimson lines;

Witness these trenches, made by grief and care;
Witness the tiring day, and heavy night;
Witness all sorrow, that I know thee well
For our proud empress, mighty Tamora :
Is not thy coming for my other hand?

Tam. Know thou, sad man, I am not Tamora ;
She is thy enemy, and I thy friend:

I am Revenge; sent from the infernal kingdom,
To ease the gnawing vulture of thy mind,
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 vast obscurity, or misty vale,
Where bloody murder, or detested 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 offender quake.
Tit. Art thou Revenge? and art thou sent to me,

To be a torment to mine enemies?

Tam. I am; therefore come down and welcome

.me.

Tit. Do me some service, ere I come to thee.
Lo, by thy side where Rape, and Murder, stands;
Now give some 'surance that thou art Revenge,
Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot wheels;
And then I'll come, and be thy wagoner,
And whirl along with thee about the globes.
Provide thee proper palfreys, black as jet,
To hale thy vengeful wagon swift away,
And find out murderers in their guilty caves:
And, when thy car is loaden with their heads,
I will dismount, and by the wagon wheel
Trot, like a servile footman, all day long;
Even from Hyperion's rising in the east,
Until his very downfall in the sea.
And day by day I'll do this heavy task,
So thou destroy Rapine' and Murder there.
Tam. These are my ministers, and come with me.
Tit. Are them2 thy ministers? what are they
call'd?

Tam. Rapine and Murder; therefore called so,
'Cause they take vengeance of such kind of men.
Tit. Good lord, how like the empress' sons they
are!

And you the empress! But we worldly men

1 Rape and rapine appear to have been sometimes used anciently as synonymous terms. Gower, De Con. fessione Amantis, lib. v ver. 116, uses ravyne in the

same sense :

"For if thou be of suche covine

To get of love by ravyne,
Thy love,' &c

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 empress and her sons you are!
Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor :-
Could not all hell afford you such a devil ?—
For, well I wot, the empress never wags,
But in her company there is a Moor
And, would you represent 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, Androm-
cus ?

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Dem. Show me a murderer, I'll deal with him. Chi. Show me a villain, that hath done a rape, And I am sent to be reveng'd on him.

Tam. Show me a thousand, that hath done thee wrong,

And I will be revenged on them all.

Tit. Look round about the wicked streets of

Rome;

And when thou find'st a man that's like thyself,
Good Murder, stab 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, stab 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 she doth resemble thee ;
I pray thee, do on them some violent death,
They have been violent to me and mine.
Tam. Well hast thou lesson'd us; this shall we do
But would it please thee, good Andronicus,
To send for Lucius, thy thrice valiant son,
Who leads towards Rome a band of warlike Goths,
And bid him come and banquet at thy house :
When he is here, even at thy solemn feast,
I will bring in the empress and her sons,
The emperor himself, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy shall they stoop and kneci,
And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.
What says Andronicus to this device?

Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis sad Titus calla
Enter MARCUS.

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Or else I'll call my brother back again, And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

And bid that strumpet, your unhallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, swallow her own increase.

Tam. What say you, boys? will you abide with This is the feast that I have bid her to,

him,

Whiles I go tell tell my

lord the emperor,

How I have govern'd our determin'd jest?
Yield to his humour, smooth and speak him fair,

And tarry with him, till I come again.

[Aside.

Tit. I know them all, though they suppose me mad;

And will o'er-reach them in their own devices,
A pair of cursed hell-hounds, and their dam.

୮ Aside. Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here. Tam. Farewell, Andronicus: Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit TAMORA. Tit. I know, thou dost; 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.

Pub.

Know you these two?
Th' empress' sons,
I take them, Chiron and Demetrius.
Tit. Fie, Publius, fie! thou art too much de-
ceiv'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 sure;
And stop their mouths, if they begin to cry.

[Exit TITUS. PUBLIUS, &c. lay hold on CHIRON and DEMETRIUS. Chi. Villains, forbear: we are the empress' sons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded.

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Than hands or tongue, her spotless chastity,
Inhuman traitors, you constrain❜d and forc❜d.
What would you say, if I should let you speak?
Villains, for shame you could not beg for grace.
Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats;
Whilst that Lavinia 'tween her stumps doth hold
The bason, that receives your guilty blood.
You know, your mother means to feast with me,
And calls herself 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;
And of the paste a coffin' I will rear,
And make two pasties of your shameful heads ;

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And this the banquet she shall surfeit on ;
For worse than Philomel you us'd my daughter,
And worse than Progne I will be reveng'd:
And now prepare your throats.--Lavinia, come,
[He cuts their Throats,
Receive the blood: and, when that they are dead
Let me go grind their bones to powder small,
And with this hateful liquor temper it

And in that paste let their vile heads be bak'a.
Come, come, be every one officious
To make this banquet; which I wish may prove
More stern and bloody than the Centaur's feast.
So, now bring them in, for I will play the cook,
And see them ready 'gainst their mother comes.
[Exeunt, bearing the dead Bodies.
SCENE III. The same. A Pavilion, with Tables,
&c. Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with
AARON, Prisoner.

Luc. Uncle Marcus, since 'tis my father's mind, That I repair to Rome, I am content.

1 Goth. And ours, with thine,3 befall what fortune will.

Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor, This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil; Let him receive no sustenance, fetter him, Till he be brought unto the empress' face, For testimony of her foul proceedings: And see the ambush of our friends be strong I fear, the emperor means no good to us.

Aar. Some devil whisper curses in mine ear, And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth The venomous malice of my swelling heart!

Luc. Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd slave!Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.

[Exeunt Goths, with AARON. Flourish. The trumpets show the emperor is at hand. Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with Tribunes, Senators, and others.

Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns than one?

Luc. What boots it thee, to call thyself a sun? Mar. Rome's emperor, and nephew, break the parle ;

These quarrels must be quietly debated.
The feast is ready, which the careful Titus
Hath ordain'd to an honourable end,

For peace, for love, for league, and good to Rome : Please you, therefore, draw nigh, and take your places.

Sat. Marcus, we will.

[Hautboys sound. The Company sit down at

Enter TITUS, dressed like a Cook, LAVINIA, veiled,
TITUS places the
Young LUCIUS, and others.
Dishes on the Table.

Tit. Welcome, my gracious lord: welcome, dread

queen;

Welcome, ye warlike Goths; welcome, Lucius; And welcome, all: although the cheer be poor, "Twill fill your stomachs; please you eat of it.

Sat. Why art thou thus attir'd, Andronicus? Tit. Because I would be sure to have all well, To entertain your highness and your empress. Tam. We are beholden to you, good Andronicus. Tit. An if your highness knew my heart, you were. My lord the emperor resolve me this; Was it well done of rash Virginius, To slay his daughter with his own right hand, Because she was enforc'd, stain'd, and deflour'd ?'

5 Rowe may have availed himself of this passage in The Fair Penitent, where Sciolto asks Calista :

'Hast thou not heard what brave Virginius did? With his own hand he slew his only daughter,' &c. Titus Andronicus (as Steevens observes) is incorrect in his statement of this occurrence, for Virginia died unviolated. Mr. Boswell seems to think this is qualified by his saying that he had more cause to slay his daughter than Virginius.

Sat. It was, Andronicus.

Tit. Your reason, mighty lord!

Of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel ouɩ
And sent her enemies unto the grave.

Sat. Because the girl should not survive her Lastly, myself unkindly banished,

shame,

And by her presence still renew his sorrows.
Tit. A reason mighty, strong, and effectual
A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant,
For me, most wretched, to perform the like:-
Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee;

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[He kills LAVINIA. And, with thy shame, thy father's sorrow die! Sat. What hast thou done, unnatural, and unkind! Tit. Kill'd her, for whom my tears have made me

blind.

I am as woful as Virginius was:

And have a thousand times more cause than he
To do this outrage ;-and it is now done.

Sat. What, was she ravish'd? tell, who did the deed.

Tit. Will't please you eat? will't please your highness feed?

Tam. Why hast thou slain thine only daughter thus?

:

Tit. Not I; 'twas Chiron, and Demetrius They ravish'd her, and cut away her tongue, And they, 'twas they, that did her all this wrong. Sat. Go, fetch them hither to us presently. Tit. Why, there they are both, baked in that pie; Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.1 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness my knife's sharp point. [Killing TAMORA. Sat. Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed. [Killing TITUS. Luc. Can the son's eye behold his father bleed? There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed. [Kills SATURninus. A great tumult. The People in confusion disperse. MARCUS, LUCIUS, and their Partisans ascend the Steps before TITUS's House.

Mar. You sad-fac'd men, people and sons of
Rome,

By uproar sever'd, like a flight of fowl
Scatter'd by winds and high tempestuous gusts,
O, let me teach you how to knit again
This scatter'd corn into one mutual sheaf,
These broken limbs again into one body.

Sen. Lest Rome herself be bane unto herself
And she, whom mighty kingdoms court'sy to,
Like a forlorn and desperate castaway,
Do shameful execution on herself.
But if my frosty signs and chaps of age,
Grave witnesses of true experience,
Cannot induce you to attend my words,-
Speak, Rome's dear friend; [To LUCIUS] as erst

our ancestor,

When with his solemn tongue he did discourse
To lovesick Dido's sad attending ear,
The story of that baleful burning night,
When subtle Greeks surpris'd King Priam's Troy ;
Tell us, wha Sinon hath bewitch'd our ears,
Or who hath brought the fatal engine in,
That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.
My heart is not compact of flint, nor steel
Nor can I utter all our bitter grief,

But floods of tears will drown my oratory,
And break my very utterance; even i the time
When it should move you to attend me most,
Lending your kind commiseration:
Here is a captain, let him tell the tale;
Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him speak.
Luc. Then, noble auditory, be it known to you,
'That cursed Chiron and Demetrius
Were they that murdered our emperor's brother ;
And they it were that ravished our sister:
For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded ;
Our father's tears despis'd; and basely, cozen'd2

1 The additions made by Ravenscroft to this scene are much of a piece with it :—

'Thus cramm'd, thou'rt bravely fatten' up for hell, And thus to Pluto I do serve thee up.'

[Stubs the Empress

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The gates shut on me, and turn'd weeping out,
To beg relief among Rome's enemies;
Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears,
And op'd their arms to embrace me as a friend:
And I am the turn'd-forth, be it known to you,
That have preserv'd her welfare in my blood:
And from her bosom took the enemy's point,
Sheathing the steel in my advent'rous body.
Alas! you know, I am no vaunter, 1;
My scars can witness, dumb although they are,
That my report is just, and full of truth.
But, soft; methinks, I do digress too much,
Citing my worthless praise: O, pardon me;
For when no friends are by, men praise themselves.
Mar. Now is my turn to speak; Behold this child,
[Pointing to the Child in the Arms of an
Attendant.

Of this was Tamora delivered;
The issue of an irreligious Moor,
Chief architect and plotter of these woes;
The villain is alive in Titus' house,
Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true.
Now judge, what cause had Titus to revenge
These wrongs, unspeakable, past patience,
Or more than any living man could bear.
Now you have heard the truth, what say you,

Romans?

Have we done aught amiss? Show us wherein,
And, from the place where you behold us now,
The poor remainder of Andronici
Will, hand in hand, all headlong cast us down,3
And on the ragged stones beat forth our brains,
And make a mutual closure of our house.
Speak, Romans, speak; and, if you say, we shall,
Lo, hand in hand, Lucius and I will fall.

Emil. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,
And bring our emperor gently in thy hand,
Lucius our emperor; for, well I know,
The common voice do cry, it shall be so.
Rom. [Several speak.] Lucius, all hail; Rome's
royal emperor!

LUCIUS, &c. descend. Mar. Go, go into oid Titus' sorrowful house, [To an Attendant. And hither hale that misbelieving Moor, To be adjudg'd some direful slaughtering death, As punishment for his most wicked life.

Rom. [Several speak.] Lucius, all hail; Rome' gracious governor!

Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans; May I govern so,
To heal Rome's harms, and wipe away her wo!
But, gentle people, give me aim awhile,—
For nature puts me to a heavy task ;—
Stand all aloof,-but, uncle, draw you near,
To shed obsequious tears upon this trunk:-
O, take this warm kiss on thy pale cold lips,
[Kisses TITUS.
These sorrowful drops upon thy blood-stain'd face,
The last true duties of thy noble son!

Mar. Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss,
Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips:
O, were the sum of these that I should pay
Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them!

Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us

To melt in showers: Thy grandsire lov'd thee well:
Many a time he danc'd thee on his knee,
Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy piilow:
Many a matter hath he told to thee,
Meet and agreeing with thine infancy
In that respect, then, like a loving child,
Shed yet some small drops from thy tender spring,
Because kind nature doth require it so:
Friends should associate friends in grief and wo:

| And then A curtain drawn discovers the heads and
hands of Demetrius and Chiron hanging up against the
wall: their bodies in chairs in bloody linen.'
2 i. e. and he basely cozen'd.

3 i. e. we the poor remainder, &c. will cast us down.

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