I ask your voices, and your suffrages :
Will you bestow them friendly on Andronicus?
Trib. To gratify the good Andronicus,

And gratulate his safe return to Rome,
The people will accept whom he admits.

Tit. Tribunes, I thank you; and this suit I make,
That you create your emperor's eldest son,
Lord Saturnine, whose virtues will, I hope,
Reflect on Rome, as Titan's rays on earth,
And ripen justice in this common-weal :
Then, if you will elect by my advice,
Crown him, and say,-" Long live our emperor!"
Mar. With voices and applause of every sort,
Patricians, and plebeians, we create

Lord Saturninus, Rome's great emperor,

And say," Long live our Emperor Saturnine!"

[A long Flourish.

Sat. Titus Andronicus, for thy favours done

To us in our election this day,

I give thee thanks in part of thy deserts,
And will with deeds requite thy gentleness:
And, for an onset, Titus, to advance
Thy name and honourable family,
Lavinia will I make my empress,

Rome's royal mistress, mistress of my heart,
And in the sacred Pantheon her espouse.

Tell me, Andronicus, doth this motion please thee?
Tit. It doth, my worthy lord; and in this match
I hold me highly honour'd of your grace:
And here, in sight of Rome, to Saturnine,-
King and commander of our common-weal,
The wide world's emperor,-do I consecrate
My sword, my chariot, and my prisoners;
Presents well worthy Rome's imperial lord3:

3 Rome's IMPERIAL lord:] So the quarto, 1611, and the folio: the quarto, 1600, reads imperious. The words were often used indifferently.

Receive them, then, the tribute that I owe,
Mine honour's ensigns humbled at thy feet.
Sat. Thanks, noble Titus, father of my life!
How proud I am of thee, and of thy gifts,
Rome shall record; and, when I do forget
The least of these unspeakable deserts,
Romans, forget your fealty to me.

Tit. Now, madam, are you prisoner to an emperor;

[TO TAMORA. To him, that for your honour and your state, Will use you nobly, and your followers.

Sat. A goodly lady, trust me; of the hue That I would choose, were I to choose anew.— Clear up, fair queen, that cloudy countenance: Though chance of war hath wrought this change of cheer,

Thou com'st not to be made a scorn in Rome:

Princely shall be thy usage every way.

Rest on my word, and let not discontent

Daunt all your hopes: madam, he comforts you,
Can make you greater than the queen of Goths.-
Lavinia, you are not displeas'd with this?

Lav. Not I, my lord; sith true nobility
Warrants these words in princely courtesy.

Sat. Thanks, sweet Lavinia.-Romans, let us go. Ransomless here we set our prisoners free: Proclaim our honours, lords, with trump and drum. Bas. Lord Titus, by your leave, this maid is mine. [Seizing LAVINIA.

Tit. How, sir? Are you in earnest, then, my lord? Bas. Ay, noble Titus; and resolv'd withal,

To do myself this reason and this right.

[The Emperor courts TAMORA in dumb show.

Mar. Suum cuique is our Roman justice :

This prince in justice seizeth but his own.

Luc. And that he will, and shall, if Lucius live.

Tit. Traitors, avaunt! Where is the emperor's

guard?

Treason, my lord! Lavinia is surpriz❜d.

Sat. Surpriz'd! By whom?

By him that justly may

Bas.
Bear his betroth'd from all the world away.

[Exeunt MARCUS and BASSIANUS, with LAVINIA. Mut. Brothers, help to convey her hence away,

And with my sword I'll keep this door safe.

[Exeunt LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS. Tit. Follow, my lord, and I'll soon bring her back. Mut. My lord, you pass not here.

Luc. My lord, you are unjust; and, more than so, In wrongful quarrel you have slain your son. Tit. Nor thou, nor he, are any sons of mine: My sons would never so dishonour me. Traitor, restore Lavinia to the emperor.

Luc. Dead, if you will; but not to be his wife, That is another's lawful promis'd love.

[Exit. Sat. No, Titus, no; the emperor needs her not1, Nor her, nor thee, nor any of thy stock: I'll trust, by leisure, him that mocks me once; Thee never, nor thy traitorous haughty sons, Confederates all thus to dishonour me.

Was there none else in Rome to make a stale",

No, Titus, no; the emperor needs her not,] Before this line, in all the old copies, this stage-direction is inserted:-"Enter aloft the Emperor, with Tamora and her two sons, and Aaron the Moore." The two sons were, of course, Demetrius and Chiron; but why they entered "aloft," i. e. probably, in the balcony at the back of the stage, we cannot determine. The stage-arrangements in this scene are not easily understood.

5 Was THERE none ELSE in Rome to make a stale,] The line stands thus in the three earliest authorities, "Was

But Saturnine?

Full well, Andronicus,

Agree these deeds with that proud brag of thine,
That saidst, I begg'd the empire at thy hands.

Tit. O monstrous! what reproachful words are these?

Sat. But go thy ways; go, give that changing piece To him that flourish'd for her with his sword. A valiant son-in-law thou shalt enjoy;

One fit to bandy with thy lawless sons,

To ruffle in the commonwealth of Rome.

Tit. These words are razors to my wounded heart. Sat. And therefore, lovely Tamora, queen of Goths, That, like the stately Phoebe 'mongst her nymphs, Dost overshine the gallant'st dames of Rome, If thou be pleas'd with this my sudden choice, Behold, I choose thee, Tamora, for my bride, And will create thee empress of Rome.

Speak, queen of Goths, dost thou applaud my choice?
And here I swear by all the Roman gods,-

Sith priest and holy water are so near,
And tapers burn so bright, and every thing
In readiness for Hymeneus stand,-

I will not re-salute the streets of Rome,

Or climb my palace, till from forth this place

I lead espous'd my bride along with me.

Tam. And here, in sight of heaven, to Rome I

swear,

If Saturnine advance the queen of Goths,
She will a handmaid be to his desires,

A loving nurse, a mother to his youth.

Sat. Ascend, fair queen, Pantheon.-Lords, accompany

"Was none in Rome to make a stale,”

the words "there" and "else" having been added in the folio, 1632. With reference to the word "stale," we have a very similar line in "Henry VI." part iii. Vol. v. p. 295:

6

"Had he none else to make a stale but me?"

EMPRESS of Rome.] Here, and in some other places, "empress" is to be pronounced as a trisyllable, and it is so printed in the old copies.

Your noble emperor, and his lovely bride,
Sent by the heavens for prince Saturnine,
Whose wisdom hath her fortune conquered:
There shall we consummate our spousal rites.

[Exeunt SATURNINUS and his Followers; TAMORA, and her Sons; AARON and Goths.

Tit. I am not bid to wait upon this bride. Titus, when wert thou wont to walk alone, Dishonour'd thus, and challenged of wrongs?

Re-enter MARCUS, LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS. Mar. O, Titus, see, O, see what thou hast done! In a bad quarrel slain a virtuous son.

Tit. No, foolish tribune, no; no son of mine,
Nor thou, nor these, confederates in the deed
That hath dishonour'd all our family:
Unworthy brother, and unworthy sons!

Luc. But let us give him burial, as becomes:
Give Mutius burial with our brethren.

Tit. Traitors, away! he rests not in this tomb.
This monument five hundred years hath stood,
Which I have sumptuously re-edified:

Here none but soldiers, and Rome's servitors,
Repose in fame; none basely slain in brawls.
Bury him where you can, he comes not here.
Mar. My lord, this is impiety in you.

My nephew Mutius' deeds do plead for him:
He must be buried with his brethren.

Quin. Mart. And shall, or him we will accompany.
Tit. And shall! What villain was it spoke that

word?

Quin. He that would vouch it in any place but here. Tit. What would you bury him in my despite? Mar. No, noble Titus; but entreat of thee

To pardon Mutius, and to bury him.

Tit. Marcus, even thou hast struck upon my crest, And, with these boys, mine honour thou hast wounded: