And cleave to no revenge but Lucius. Tam. What say 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, smooth and speak him fair, [Aside. And tarry with him, till I come again. 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. [Aside. [Exit TAM. 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. Know you these two? Pub. Th' empress' sons, 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 [Exit TITUS.PUBLIUS, &c. lay hold on Chi. Villains, forbear; we are the empress' sons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded.Stop close their mouths, let them not speak a word : Is he sure bound? look, that you bind them fast. Re-enter TITUS ANDRONICUS, with LAVINIA; she bearing a Basin, and he 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 stands the spring whom you have stain'd with mud; This goodly summer with your winter mix'd. You kill'd her husband; and, for that vile fault, 6 Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that, more dear i To make this banquet; which I wish may prove The same. [Exeunt, bearing the dead bodies. SCENE III. 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. [6] A coffin is the term of art for the cavity of a raised pye. JOHNSON. 1 Goth. And ours, with thine, 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 Table. Enter TITUS, dressed like a Cook, LAVINIA veiled, young LUCIUS, and others. TITUS places the dishes on the Table. Tit. Welcome, my gracious lord;-welcome, dread queen ; : Welcome, ye warlike Goths ;—welcome, Lucius ;— JOHNSON.. Q 2 -My lord the emperor, resolve me this; To slay his daughter with his own right hand, Tit. Your reason, mighty lord! Sat. Because the girl should not survive her shame, And by her presence still renew his sorrows. Tit. A reason mighty, strong, and effectual; [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 pye ; 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. 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 Partizans 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 cast-away, 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 surpriz'd 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.- 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 Here is a captain, let him tell the tale ; Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him speak. Were they that murdered our emperor's brother; Lastly, myself unkindly banished, The gates shut on me, and turn'd weeping out, My scars can witness, dumb although they are, |