MAR. Renowned Titus, more than half my foul,

Luc. Dear father, foul and fubftance of us all,

MAR. Suffer thy brother Marcus to interr
His noble nephew here in virtue's neft,
That died in honour and Lavinia's cause.
Thou art a Roman, be not barbarous.
The Greeks, upon advice, did bury Ajax
That flew himself; and wife Laertes' fon
Did graciously plead for his funerals.'
Let not young Mutius then, that was thy joy,
Be barr'd his entrance here.

TIT.
Rife, Marcus, rife :-
The dismall'ft day is this, that e'er I saw,
To be dishonour'd by my fons in Rome!-
Well, bury him, and bury me the next.

[MUTIUS is put into the Tomb. Luc. There lie thy bones, fweet Mutius, with thy friends,

Till we with trophies do adorn thy tomb!—
ALL. No man fhed tears for noble Mutius ;?
He lives in fame that died in virtue's caufe.

The Greeks, upon advice, did bury Ajax

That flew himself; and wife Laertes' fon

Did graciously plead for his funerals.] This paffage alone would fufficiently convince me, that the play before us was the work of one who was converfant with the Greek tragedies in their original language. We have here a plain allufion to the Ajax of Sophocles, of which no tranflation was extant in the time of Shakspeare. In that piece, Agamemnon confents at laft to allow Ajax the rites of fepulture, and Ulyffes is the pleader, whofe arguments prevail in favour of his remains. STEEVENS. 2 No man shed tears &c.] This is evidently a translation of the diftich of Ennius:

"Nemo me lacrumeis decoret: nec funera fletų
"Facfit, quur? volito yivu' per ora virum."

STEEVENS.

MAR. My lord,-to ftep out of thefe dreary

dumps,

How comes it, that the fubtle queen of Goths
Is of a fudden thus advanc'd in Rome?

TIT. I know not, Marcus; but, I know, it is;
Whether by device, or no, the heavens can tell :
Is the not then beholden to the man

That brought her for this high good turn fo far? Yes, and will nobly him remunerate.*

Flourish. Re-enter, at one fide, SATURNINUS, attended; TAMORA, CHIRON, DEMETRIUS, and AARON At the Other, BASSIANUS, LAVINIA, and Others.

SAT. SO Baffianus, you have play'd your prize ;4 God give you joy, fir, of your gallant bride. BAS. And you of yours, my lord: I fay no more, Nor with no less; and fo I take my leave.

power,

SAT. Traitor, if Rome have law, or we have Thou and thy faction fhall repent this rape. BAS. Rape, call you it, my lord, to feize my own, My true-betrothed love, and now my wife? But let the laws of Rome determine all; Mean while I am poffefs'd of that is mine.

SAT. 'Tis good, fir: You are very short with us; But, if we live, we'll be as sharp with you.

3 Yes, &c.] This line is not in the quarto. I fufpect, when it was added by the editor of the folio, he inadvertently omitted to prefix the name of the speaker, and that it belongs to Marcus. In the fecond line of this speech the modern editors read-If by device, &c. MALONE.

•play'd your prize;] A technical term in the ancient fencing-fchool. See Vol. V. p. 32, n. 8. STEEVENS.

BAS. My lord, what I have done, as best I may,
Answer I muft, and fhall do with my life.
Only thus much I give your grace to know,
By all the duties that I owe to Rome,
This noble gentleman, lord Titus here,
Is in opinion, and in honour, wrong'd;
That, in the rescue of Lavinia,

With his own hand did flay his youngest fon,
In zeal to you, and highly mov'd to wrath
To be control'd in that he frankly gave:
Receive him then to favour, Saturnine ;
That hath exprefs'd himself, in all his deeds,
A father, and a friend, to thee, and Rome.

TIT. Prince Baffianus, leave to plead my deeds 'Tis thou, and those, that have dishonour'd me: Rome and the righteous heavens be my judge, How I have lov'd and honour'd Saturnine!

TAM. My worthy lord, if ever Tamora
Were gracious in thofe princely eyes of thine,
Then hear me speak indifferently for all ;
And at my fuit, fweet, pardon what is past.

SAT. What! madam! be dishonour'd openly,

And bafely put it up without revenge?

TAM. Not fo, my lord; The gods of Rome forefend,

I fhould be author to dishonour you!
But, on mine honour, dare I undertake
For good lord Titus' innocence in all,
Whofe fury, not diffembled, fpeaks his griefs:
Then, at my fuit, look gracioufly on him;
Lose not fo noble a friend on vain fuppofe,
Nor with four looks afflict his gentle heart.---

My lord, be rul'd by me, be won at last,
Diffemble all your griefs and difcontents:
You are but newly planted in your throne;
Left then the people, and patricians too,
Upon a juft furvey, take Titus' part,
And fo fupplant us 5 for ingratitude,
(Which Rome reputes to be a heinous fin,)
Yield at entreats, and then let me alone:
I'll find a day to maffacre them all,
And raze their faction, and their family,
The cruel father, and his traitorous fons,
To whom I fued for my dear fon's life;
And make them know, what 'tis to let a
queen

Kneel in the streets, and beg for grace in

vain.

Afide.

Come, come, fweet emperor,-come, Andronicus,
Take up
this good old man, and cheer the heart
That dies in tempeft of thy angry frown.

SAT. Rife, Titus, rife; my emprefs hath prevail'd.

TIT. I thank your majefty, and her, my lord: These words, thefe looks, infufe new life in me. TAM. Titus, I am incorporate in Rome, A Roman now adopted happily, And muft advise the emperor for his good. This day all quarrels die, Andronicus;And let it be mine honour, good my lord, That I have reconcil'd your friends and you.. For you, prince Baflianus, I have pafs'd My word and promife to the emperor, That you will be more mild and tractable.And fear not, lords, and you, Lavinia ;

-

5 -Supplant us-] Edition 1600:-fupplant you. TODD.

By my advice, all humbled on your knees,
You fhall afk pardon of his majefty.

Luc. We do; and vow to heaven, and to his high

nefs,

That, what we did, was mildly, as we might,
Tend'ring our fifter's honour, and our own.

MAR. That on mine honour here I do proteft.
SAT. Away, and talk not; trouble us no more.-
TAм. Nay, nay, sweet emperor, we must all be
friends:

The tribune and his nephews kneel for grace;
I will not be denied. Sweet heart, look back.

SAT. Marcus, for thy fake, and thy brother's here,

And at my lovely Tamora's entreats,

I do remit these young men's heinous faults.
Stand up.

Lavinia, though you left me like a churl,

I found a friend; and fure as death I swore,
I would not part a bachelor from the priest.
Come, if the emperor's court can feaft two brides,
You are my gueft, Lavinia, and your friends:
This day fhall be a love-day, Tamora.

TIT. To-morrow, an it please your majefty,
To hunt the panther and the hart with me,
With horn and hound, we'll give your grace bon-

jour.

SAT. Be it fo, Titus, and gramercy too.

[Exeunt.