Dem. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done, And we will all subscribe to thy advice: Save thou the child, so we may all be safe. Aar. Then sit we down, and let us all consult.

My son and I will have the wind of you:
Keep there Now talk at pleasure of your safety.
[They sit on the Ground.
Dem. How many women saw this child of his?
Aar. Why, so, brave lords: When we all join
in league,

I am a lamb but if you brave the Moor,
The chafed boar, the mountain lioness,
The ocean swells not so as Aaron storins.-
But, say again, how inany saw the child?

And pierce the inmost centre of the earth:
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you, deliver him this petition:
Tell him, it is for justice and for aid,
And that it comes from old Andronicus,
Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome.-
Ah! Rome !-Well, well; I made thee miserable
What time I threw the people's suffrages
On him that thus doth tyrannise o'er ine.-
Go, get you gone; and pray be careful all,
And leave you not a man of war unsearch'd;
This wicked emperor may have shipp'd her hence,
And, kinsmen, then we may go pipe for justice.
Mar. O Publius, is not this a heavy case,
To see thy noble uncle thus distract?

Pub. Therefore, my lord, it highly us concerns,

By day and night to attend him carefully;
And feed his humour kindly as we may,
Till time beget some careful remedy.
Mar. Kinsmen, his sorrows are past remedy.

didst thou this?

Aar. O lord, Sir, 'tis a deed of policy: Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours? A long-tongu'd babbling gossip? no, lords, no. And now be it known to you my full intent. Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman, His wife but yesternight was brought to bed, His child is like to her, fair as you are: Go pack with him, and give the mother gold, And tell them both the circumstance of all; And how by this their child shall be advanc'd And be received for the emperor's heir, And substituted in the place of mine, To calm this tempest whirling in the court; And let the emperor dandle him for his own, Hlark ye, lords, ye see, that I have given her physic, [Pointing to the NURSE. And you must needs bestow her funeral; The fields are near and you are gallant grooms: This done, see that you take no longer days, But send the midwife presently to me. The midwife, and the nurse, well made away, Then let the ladies tattle what they please. Chi. Aaron, I see, thou wilt not trust the air With secrets.

Dem. For this care of Tamora, Herself, and her's, are highly bound to thee. [Exeunt DEM. and CHI. bearing off the

NURSE.

He thinks, with Jove in heaven, or somewhere
So that perforce you must needs stay a time.
Tit. He doth me wrong, to feed me with de-
I'll dive into the burning lake below, [lays.
And pull her out of Acheron by the heels.-
Marcus, we are but shrubs, no cedars we;
No big-bon'd men, fram'd of the Cyclop's size:
But metal, Marcus, steel to the very back;
Yet wrung with wrongs, more than our backs
can bear:

And sith there is no justice in earth nor hell,
We will solicit heaven; and move the gods
To send down justice for to wreak our wrongs :
Come, to this gear. You are a good archer,
Marcus. [He gives them the arrows.
Ad Jovem, that's for you :-Here, ad Apolli-
Ad Martem, that's for myself ;— [nem :-
Here, boy, to Pallas: Here, to Mercury:
To Saturn, Caius, not to Saturnine,-
You were as good to shoot against the wind.-
To it, boy. Marcus, loose when I bid;
O' my word, I have written to effect;
There's not a god left unsolicited.
Mar. Kinsmen, shoot all your shafts into the

court:

We will afflict the emperor in his pride.
Tit. Now, masters, draw. They shoot.] 0,
well said, Lucius !

Good boy, in Virgo's lap; give it Pallas.
Mur. My lord, I aim a mile beyond the moon ;
Your letter is with Jupiter by this.

Tit. Ha! Publius, Publius what hast thou done!

See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns,
Mar. This was the sport, my lord: when
Publius shot,
The bull being gall'd, gave Aries such a knock
That down fell both the rain's horns in the
[villain !

court;

the way :

Sir boy, now let me see your archery:
Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there straight: |
Terras Astræa reliquit :

Be you remember'd, Marcus, she's gone, she's

fled.

Sir, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall
Go sound the ocean, and cast your nets;
Happily you may find her in the sea;
Yet there's as little justice as at land :-
No: Publius and Sempronius, you must do it ;
'Tis you must dig with mattock, and with spade,

• Bargain with.

Clo. Ho! the gibbet-maker? he says that he hath taken them down again, for the man must not be hanged till the next week.

Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee? Clo. Alas, Sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with him in all my life.

Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier ? Clo. Ay, of my pigeons, Sir; nothing else. Tit. Why, didst thou not come from heaven? Clo. From heaven? alas, Sir, I never came there: God forbid I should be so bold to press to heaven in my young days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men.

Mar. Why, Sir, that is as fit as serve for your oration; and let him pigeons to the emperor from you. Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an the emperor with a grace?

can be, to deliver the oration to

Clo. Nay, truly, Sir, I could never say grace in all my life.

Tit. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado, But give your pigeons to the emperor: By me thou shalt have justice at his hands. Hold, hold-mean while, here's money for thy charges.

Give me a pen and ink.

Clo. Yes, forsooth, an your mistership be imperial.

Tam. Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor.

Clo. 'Tis he.-God and saint Stephen give you good den:-I have brought you a letter, and a couple of pigeons here.

ant :

And when thou hast given it to the emperor, Knock at my door, and tell me what he says. Clo. God be with you, Sir; I will. Tit. Come, Marcus, let's go :-Publius, follow me. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The same.-Before the Palace. Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, CHIRON. DEME TRIUS, LORDS, and others: SATURNINUS with the arrows in his hand, that TITUS shot. Sat. Why, lords, what wrongs are these? Was

ever seen

An emperor of Rome thus overborne,
Troubled, confronted thus: and, for the extent
Of egal + justice, us'd in such contempt?
My lords, you know, as do the mightful gods,
However these disturbers of our peace
Buz in the people's ears, there nought hath
pass'd,

But even with law, against the wilful sons
Of old Andronicus. And what an if
His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits,
Shall we be thus afflicted in his wreaks,
His fits, his frenzy, and his biterness?

And now he writes to heaven for his redress :
See, here's to Jove, and this to Mercury;
This to Apollo; this to the god of war:
Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of Rome!
What's this, but libelling against the senate,
And blazoning our injustice every where?
A goodly humour, is it not, my lords?
As who would say, in Rome no justice were.
But, if I live, his feigned ecstacies
Shall be no shelter to these outrages:
But he and his shall know that justice lives
In Saturninus' health; whom, if she sleep,
He'll so awake, as she in fury shall
Cut off the proud'st conspirator that lives.

Tam. My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine, lord of my life, commander of my thoughts, Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age,

The Clown means to say plebeian tribune, i. e. tribune of the people. ↑ Equal.

[SATURNINUS reads the Letter. Sat. Go, take him away, and hang hin presently.

Clo. How much money must I have? Tam. Come, Sirrah, you must be hang'd. Clo. Hang'd! by'r lady, then I have brought a neck to a fair end. [Exit guarded Sat. Despiteful and intolerable wrongs! Shall I endure this monstrous villany? know from whence this same device proceeds: May this be borne ?-as if his traitorous sons, That died by law for murder of our brother, Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully.Go, drag the villain hither by the hair; Nor age, nor honour, shall shape privilege :For this proud mock, I'll be thy slaughterman; Sly frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great, In hope thyself should govern Rome and me. Enter EMILIUS.

What news with thee, Æmilius ?

Emil. Arm, arm, my lord; Rome never had more cause! The Goths have gather'd head; and with a power Of high-resolved men, bent to the spoil, They hither march amain, under the conduct Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus; Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do

As much as ever Coriolanus did.

Sat. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths? These tidings nip me; and I hang the head As flowers with frost, or grass beat down with

storms.

Ay, now begin our sorrows to approach: 'Tis he the common people love so much; Myself hath often over-heard them say, (When I have walked like a private man,) That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully, And they have wish'd that Lucius were their emperor.

Tam. Why should you fear? is not your city strong?

Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius; And will revolt from me, to succour him. Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious, † like

thy name.

Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it?
The eagle suffers little birds to sing,
And is not careful what they mean thereby;
Knowing that with the shadow of his wings,
He can at pleasure stint their melody:
Even so may'st thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy spirit: for know thou, emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus
With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,
Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks 3 to sheep;
When as the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious feed.

Sat. But he will not entreat his son for us.
Tam. If Tamora entreat him, then he will:

For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear
With golden promises; that were his heart
Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf,
Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Go thou before, be our ambassador;

[TO EMILIUS.
Say, that the emperor requests a parley
Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting
Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus'.
Sat. Æmilius, do this message honourably:
And if he stand on hostage for his safety,
Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.
Emil. Your bidding shall I do effectually.
[Exit EMILIUS.
Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus;
And temper him, with all the art I have,
To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths.
And now, sweet emperor, be blithe again,
And bury all thy fear in my devices.

Sat. Then go successfully, and plead to him.

ACT V.

[Exeunt.

Luc. O worthy Goth! this is the incarnate devil

That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand: This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye; *

And here's the base fruit of his burning lust.— Say, wall-ey'd slave, whither would'st thou con

vey

This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
Why dost not speak? What! dear? No; not a
word?

A halter, soldiers; hang him on this tree,
And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood
Luc. Too like the sire for ever being good.-
First hang the child, that he may see it sprawl
A sight to vex the father's soul withal.
Get me a ladder.

[A ladder brought, which AARON is obliged to ascend.

Aar. Lucius, save the child;

And bear it from me to the emperess.
If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things,
That highly may advantage thee to hear:
If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,
I'll speak no more-But vengeance rot you all
Luc. Say on; and, if it please me which thou
speak'st,

Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.
Aar. An if it please thee? why, assure thee

Lucius,

'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak ; For I must talk of murders, rapes, and massacres,

Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischief, treason; villanies
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd;
And this shall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live.
Luc. Tell on thy mind: I say, thy child shall

live.

Aar. Swear that he shall, and then I will begin.

Luc. Who should I swear by? thou believ'st That granted, how canst thou believe an oath? no god:

Aar. What if I do not? as indeed, I do not: Yet, for I know thou art religious, And hast a thing within thee, called conscience, With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies, Which I have seen thee careful to observe,Therefore I urge thy oath ;-For that, I know, An idiot holds his bauble for a god,

And keeps the oath, which by that god he swears; To that I'll urge him :-Therefore, thou shalt

VOW

By that same god, what god soe'er it be,

stray'd,

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery;
And as I earnestly did fix mine eye
Upon the wasted building, suddenly

I heard a child cry underneath a wall:

I made unto the noise; when soon I heard
The crying babe controll'd with this discourse:
Peace, tawny slave; half me, and half thy
dam!

Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,
Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look,
Villain, thou might'st have been an emperor:
But where the bull and cow are both milk-
white,

They never do beget a coal-black calf.
Peace, villain, peace !-even thus he rates the

babe,

For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth;
Who, when he knows thou art the empress'

babe,

Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake. With this my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him, Surpris'd him suddenly, and brought him hither,

To use as you think needful of the man.

• Harm.

That bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of me,
As true a dog as ever fought at head.-
Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth.
I train'd thy brethren to that quileful hole,
Where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay:
I wrote the letter that thy father found,
And hid the gold within the letter mention'd,
Confederate with the queen, and her two sons;
And what not done, that thou hast cause to rue,
Wherein I had no stroke of mischief in it?
I play'd the cheater for thy father's hand;
And, when I had it, drew myself apart,
And almost broke my heart with extreme laugh-

ter.

I pry'd me through the crevice of a wall,
When, for his hand, he had his two sons' heads;
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd so heartily,
That both mine eyes were rainy like to his ;
And when I told the empress of this sport,
She swounded almost at my pleasing tale,
And, for my tidings, gave me twenty kisses.
Goth. What! canst thou say all this, and never
blush?

Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is. Luc. Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds?

Aar, Ay, that I had not done a thousand more. Even now I curse the day, (and yet I think Few come within the compass of my curse,) Wherein I did not some notorious ill: As kill a man, or else devise his death; Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it; Accuse some innocent, and forswear myself; Set deadly enmity between two friends; Make poor men's cattle break their necks; Set fire on barus and hay-stacks in the night, And bid the owners quench them with their tears. Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves, And set them upright at their dear friends' doors, Even when their sorrows almost were forgot; And on their skins, as on the bark of trees, Have with my knife carved in Roman letters, Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead. Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things, As willingly as one would kill a fly; And nothing grieves me heartily indeed, But that I cannot do ten thousand more. Luc. Bring down the devil; for he must not die

So sweet a death as banging presently.

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.

Tam. 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 : Witness this wretched stump, these crimson lines; 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 TaShe is thy enemy, and I thy friend: [mora;

I am Revenge, sent from the infernal kingdom,
To ease the gnawing 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 vale,

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
To be a torment to mine enemies?
[me,
Tam. I am therefore come down, and wel-

come me.

no more.

Enter a GOTH.

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. Emilius, 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.

E'en from Hyperion's rising in the east,
Until his very downfal in the sea.

And day by day I'll do this heavy task,
So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.
Tam. These are my ministers, and come with

I will encounter with Andronicus;

• Perhaps this is a stage direction, crept into the text.

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?

Dem. Show me a murderer, I'll deal with him. Chi. Show me a villain, that hath done a rape. And I am sent to be reveng'd on him.

Tam. Show me a thousand that hath done And I will be revenged on them all. [thee wrong, Tit. Look round about the wicked streets of Rome,

And when thou find'st a man that's like thyself,
Good Murder, stab him he's a murderer.-
Go thou with him; and when it is thy hap,
To find another that is like to thee,
Good Rapine, stab him! he is a ravisher.-
Go thou with them! and, in the emperor's court,
There is a queen, attended by a Moor;
Well may'st thou know her by thy own pro-
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.
Tam. 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.
Enter MARCUS.

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius !
Thou shalt inquire him out among the Goths:
Bid him repair to me, and bring with him
Some of the chiefest princes of the Goths:
Bid him encamp his soldiers where they are:
Tell him, the emperor and the empress too
Feast at my house: and he shall feast with them.
This do thou for my love; and so let him,
As he regards his aged father's life.

Mur. This will I do, and soon return again.

[Exit.

Tum. Now will I hence about thy business, And take my ministers along with me. Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with Or else I'll call my brother back again, [me; And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

Tam. What shy you, boys? will you abide Whiles I go tell my lord the emperor, [with him, 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.

Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here. Tam. Farewell, Andronicus: Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit TAMORA.

manded.

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;
My hand cut off, and made a merry jest ;
Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that,
more dear

Than hands or tongue, her spotless chastity,
Inhuman traitors, you constrain'd and forc'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 worse than Progne I will be reveng'd:
And now prepare your throats,-Lavinia, come,
[He cuts their Throats.
Receive the blood, and, when that they are dead,
Let me go grind their bones to powder small,
And with this hateful liquor temper it;
And in this paste let their vile heads be bak'd.
Come, come, be every one oflicious
To make this banquet; which I wish may prove
More stern and bloody than the Centaur's feast.
So, now bring them in, for I will play the cook,
Aud see them ready 'gainst their mother comes.
[Exeunt, bearing the dead bodies.
SCENE III.-The same.-A Pavilion, with
Tables, &c.

Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Gотнs, with
AARON, prisoner.
Luc. Uncle Marcus, since 'tis my father's mind
That I repair to Rome, I am content.

• Crust of a raised pye.