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Enter a GOTH.

Goth. My lord, there is a messenger from
Rome,

Desires to be admitted to your presence.
Luc. Let him come near.-

Enter EMILIUS.

Welcome, Æmilius, what's the news from
Rome?

Emil. Lord Lucius, and you princes of the
Goths,

The Roman emperor greets you all by me:
And, for he understands you are in arms,
He craves a parley at your father's house,
Willing you to demand your hostages,
And they shall be immediately deliver'd.
1 Goth. What says our general?

Luc. Æmilius, let the emperor give his
pledges

Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
And we will come.-March away.* [Exeunt.
SCENE II.-Rome.-Before TITUS' House.
Enter TAMORA, CHIRON, and DEMETRIUS,
disguised.

Tum. Thus, in this strange and sad habili-
I will encounter with Andronicus; [ment,
And say, I am Revenge, come 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.

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.

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;
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 Ta-
She is thy enemy, and I thy friend: [mora;
I am Revenge; sent from the infernal kingdom,
To ease the knawing 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 vále,

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 be a torment to mine enemies?

[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,
Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot wheels;
And whirl along with thee about the globes.
And then I'll come, and be thy waggoner,
To hale thy vengeful waggon swift away,
Provide thee proper palfries, black as jet,
And find out murderers in their guilty caves:
And, when thy car is loaden with their heads,
I will dismount, and by the waggon wheel
Trot, like a servile footman, all day long;
Even from Hyperion's rising in the east,
Until his very downfal in the sea.
So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there,
And day by day I'll do this heavy task,
Tam. These are my ministers, and come with

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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;-
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, An-

dronicus?

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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;
I pray thee, do on them some violent death,
They have been violent to me and mine.

Tum. 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 kneel,
And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.
What says Andronicus to this device?

Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis sad Titus
calls.

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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. 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?
Tit. Know you these two?
Pub. Th' empress' sons,

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:
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;

Exit TITUS.-PUBLIUS, &c. lay hold en
CHIRON and DEMETRIUS.

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 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;
And bid that strumpet, your unhallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, swallow her own increase.
This is the feast that I have bid her to,
And this the banquet she shall surfeit on;
For worse than Philomel you us'd my daughter,
And now prepare your throats, Lavinia,
And worse than Progne I will be reveng'd:
Receive the blood: and, when that they are
[He cuts their Threats.
dead,

come,

And with this hateful liquor temper it;
Let me go grind their bones to powder small,
Come, come, be every one officious
And in that paste let their vile heads be bak'd.
[prove
To make this banquet; which I wish may
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
Tubles, &c.

Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and GOTHS, with
AARON, Prisoner.

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.

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Till he be brought unto the empress' face,
For testimony of her foul proceedings:
And see the ambush of our friends be strong:
1 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, breakt the parle;

These quarrels must be quietly debated.
The feast is ready, which the careful Titus
Hath ordain'd to an honourable end,, [Rome:
For peace, for love, for league, and good to
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; 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;
Was it well done of rash Virginius,
To slay his daughter with his own right hand,
Because she was enforc'd, stain'd, and de-
flower'd?

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
Rome,

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

Sen. Lest Rome herself be bane unto her

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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;

Sat. Because the girl should not survive her Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him

shame,

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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
Our father's tears despis'd; and basely cozen'd
And sent her enemies unto the grave. [out,
Lastly, myself unkindly banished,
The gates shut on me, and turn'd weeping
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,
And from her bosom took the enemy's point,
That have preserv'd her welfare in my blood;
Sheathing the steel in my advent'rous body.
Alas! you know, I am no vaunter, 1;

My scars can witness, dumb although they are, | Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips:
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 them-
selves.

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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, 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 old 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's gracious governor!

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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,

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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
[well:
To melt in showers: Thy grandsire lov'd thee
Many a time he danc'd thee on his knee,
Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow;
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: [woe:
Friends should associate friends in grief and
Bid him farewell; commit him to the grave;
Do him that kindness, and take leave of him.
Boy. O grandsire, grandsire! even with all
my heart

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,
That bath been breeder of these dire events.
Luc. Set him breast-deep in earth, and famish

him;

There let him stand, and rave and cry for food:
If any one relieves or pities him,

For the offence he dies. This is our doom:
Some stay, to see him fasten'd in the earth.

Aar. O, why should wrath be mute, and fury dumb?

I am no baby, I, that, with base prayers,
I should repent the evils I have done:
Ten thousand, worse than ever yet I did,
Would I perform, if I might have my will;
If one good deed in all my life I did,
I do repent it from my very soul.

Luc. Some loving friends convey the emperor hence,

And give him burial in his father's grave:
My father, and Lavinia, shall forthwith
Be closed in our household's monument.
As for that heinous tiger, Tamora,
No funeral rite, nor man in mournful weeds,
No mournful bell shall ring her burial; [prey:
But throw her forth to beasts, and birds of
Her life was beast-like, and devoid of pity;
And, being so, shall have like want of pity.
See justice done to Aaron, that damn'd Moor,
By whom our heavy haps had their beginning:
Then, afterwards, to order well the state;
That like events may ne'er it ruinate.

[Exeunt.

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ACT I.

Enter GOWER.*

Before the Palace of Antioch.
To sing a song of oldt was sung,
From ashes ancient Gower is come;
Assuming man's infirmities,

To glad your ear, and please your eyes.
It hath been sung at festivals,
On ember-eves, and holy ales;
And lords and ladies of their lives
Have read it for restoratives:
'Purpose to make men glorious;
Et quo antiquius, eo melius.

If you, born in these latter times,
When wit's more ripe, accept my rhymes,
And that to hear an old man sing,
May to your wishes pleasure bring,
I life would wish, and that I might
Waste it for you, like taper-light.-
This city then, Antioch the great
Built up for his chiefest seat;
The fairest in all Syria;

(I tell you what mine authors say:)
This king unto him took a pheere,
Who died and left a female heir,
So buxom, blithe, and full of face,
As heaven had lent her all his grace;
With whom the father liking took,
And her to incest did provoke:
Bad father! to entice his own
To evil, should be done by none.

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,
Was, with long use, account no sin.
The beauty of this sinful dame
Made many princes thither frame,
To seek her as a bed-fellow,
In marriage-pleasures play-fellow:
Which to prevent, he made a law,
(To keep her still, and men in awe,)
That whoso ask'd her for his wife,
His riddle told not, lost his life:
So for her many a wight did die,
As yon grim looks do testify.†
What now ensues, to the judgement of

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