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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. 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness my knife's sharp point.

[killing Tamora.

Sat. Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed.

[killing Titus. Lucius. 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-faced 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.

Se. Lest Rome herself be bane unto herself,
And she, whom mighty kingdoms courtesy 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 love-sick Dido's sad attending ear,

The story of that baleful, burning night,

When subtle Greeks surprised king Priam's Troy;
Tell us, what 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. Lucius. 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 despised; and basely cozen'd1
Of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel
out,

And sent her enemies unto the grave:
Lastly, myself unkindly banished,

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 oped their arms to embrace me as a friend :
And I am the turn'd-forth, be it known to you,
That have preserved her welfare in my blood;
And from her bosom took the enemy's point,
Sheathing the steel in my adventurous body.
Alas! you know, I am no vaunter, I:
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;

1 i. e. and he basely cozened.

For when no friends are by, men praise them

selves.

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, Ro

mans?

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,
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.

Em. 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.

Ro. [several speak.] Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal emperor !

Lucius, &c. descend.

Mar. Go, go into old Titus' sorrowful house, [to an Attendant.

And hither hale that misbelieving Moor,

To be adjudged some direful slaughtering death,
As punishment for his most wicked life.

Ro. [several speak.] Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious governor!

Lucius. Thanks, gentle Romans. May I govern

So,

To heal Rome's harms, and wipe away her woe!
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! Lucius. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us

To melt in showers. Thy grandsire loved thee

well:

Many a time he danced thee on his knee,

Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow;

Many a matter hath he told to thee,

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