Enter a GOTH. Goth. My lord, there is a messenger from Desires to be admitted to your presence. Enter EMILIUS. Welcome, Æmilius, what's the news from Emil. Lord Lucius, and you princes of the The Roman emperor greets you all by me: Luc. Æmilius, let the emperor give his Unto my father and my uncle Marcus, Tum. Thus, in this strange and sad habili- Enter TITUS, above. [They knock. Tit. Who doth molest my contemplation? Tum. Titus, I am come to talk with thee. Tit. No; not a word: How can I grace my Wanting a hand to give it action? [talk, 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: [lines; Witness this wretched stump, these crimson Witness these trenches, made by grief and care; Witness the tiring day, and heavy night; Tam. Know thou, sad man, I am not Ta- light; Confer with me of murder and of death: Where bloody murder, or detested rape, [to me, Perhaps this is a stage direction, crept into the text. Tam. I am; therefore come down, and wel come 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, And you the empress! But we worldly men Have miserable, mad, mistaking eyes. sweet Revenge, now do I come to thee: And, if one arm's embracement will content I will embrace thee in it by and by. [thee, [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. Tit. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee: Welcome, dread fury, to my woful house;- dronicus? Well may'st thou know her by thy own pro- And stop their mouths, if they begin to cry. portion, For up and down she doth resemble thee; Tum. Well hast thou lesson'd us; this shall But would it please thee, good Andronicus, And bid him come and banquet at thy house: Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis sad Titus Whiles I go tell my lord the emperor, And tarry with him, till I come again. me mad; And will o'er-reach them in their own devices, A pair of cursed hell-hounds, and their dam. Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us [Aside. here. Tam. Farewell, Andronicus: Revenge now To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [goes [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? I take them, Chiron and Demetrius. Tit. Fie, Publius, fie! thou art too much deceiv'd; The one is Murder, Rape is the other's name: Exit TITUS.-PUBLIUS, &c. lay hold en Ch. Villains, forbear: we are the empress sons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded. [word: Stop close their mouths, let them not speak a 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, Two of her brothers were condemn'd to death: Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that, My hand cut off, and made a merry jest: more dear Than hands or tongue, her spotless chastity, Inhuman traitors, you constrain'd and fore'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 basin, 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 make two pasties of your shameful heads; come, And with this hateful liquor temper it; So, now bring them in, for I will play the cook, Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and GOTHS, with Luc. Uncle Marcus, since 'tis my father's That I repair to Rome, I am content. [mind, 1 Goth. And ours, with thine, befall what fortune will. Till he be brought unto the empress' face, 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, breakt the parle; These quarrels must be quietly debated. 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; 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. Tum. We are beholden to you, good An dronicus. Tit. An if your highness knew my heart, you were. My lord the emperor, resolve me this; Sat. It was, Andronicus. Tit. Your reason, mighty lord! 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. Sut. 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 Partisans ascend the Steps before TITUS' House. Mar. You sad-fac'd men, people and sons of Scatter'd by winds and high tempestuous gusts, Sen. Lest Rome herself be bane unto her My heart is not compact of flint, nor steel; And break my very utterance; even i'the time Sat. Because the girl should not survive her Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him shame, speak. Luc. Then, noble auditory, be it known to That cursed Chiron and Demetrius [you, Were they that murdered our emperor's bro ther; And they it were that ravished our sister: For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded; [out, Of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel My scars can witness, dumb although they are, | Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips: Of this was Tamora delivered; Have we done aught amiss? Show us wherein, 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. Emil. Come, come, thou reverend man of And bring our emperor gently in thy hand, LUCIUS, &c. descend. Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans; May I govern [woe! To heal Rome's harms, and wipe away her 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 The last true duties of thy noble son! [face, Mar. Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss, O, were the sum of these that I should pay Because kind nature doth require it so: [woe: Would I were dead, so you did live again!— O lord, I cannot speak to him for weeping; My tears will choke me, if I ope my mouth. Enter Attendants, with AARON. 1 Rom. You sad Andronici, have done with woes; Give sentence on this execrable wretch, him; There let him stand, and rave and cry for food: For the offence he dies. This is our doom: Aar. O, why should wrath be mute, and fury dumb? I am no baby, I, that, with base prayers, Luc. Some loving friends convey the emperor hence, And give him burial in his father's grave: [Exeunt. ACT I. Enter GOWER.* Before the Palace of Antioch. To glad your ear, and please your eyes. If you, born in these latter times, (I tell you what mine authors say:) Chorus, in the character of Gower, an ancient English Poet, who has related the story of this play in his Confessio Amantis. I. e. That of old. 1 Whitsun-ales, &c. Wife, the word signifies a mate or companion. By custom, what they did begin, |