Let me redeem my brothers both from death.

MAR. And, for our father's fake, and mother's

care,

Now let me show a brother's love to thee.

TIT. Agree between you; I will spare my hand, Luc. Then I'll go fetch an axe.

MAR.

But I will use the axe." [Exeunt Lucius and MARCUS,

TIT. Come hither, Aaron; I'll deceive them

both;

Lend me thy hand, and I will give thee mine.

AAR. If that be call'd deceit, I will be honest, And never, whilft I live, deceive men fo :But I'll deceive you in another fort,

And that you'll fay, ere half an hour can pafs. [Afide. [He cuts off TITUS's Hand,

Enter LUCIUS and MARCUS.

TIT. Now, ftay your ftrife; what fhall be, is de-
fpatch'd.-

Good Aaron, give his majesty my hand :
Tell him, it was a hand that warded him
From thousand dangers; bid him bury it;
More hath it merited, that let it have.
As for my fons, fay, I account of them
As jewels purchas'd at an eafy price;
And yet dear too, because I bought mine own.
AAR. I go, Andronicus: and for thy hand,
Look by and by to have thy fons with thee :-
Their heads, I mean.-O, how this villainy [Afide.

But I will use the axe.] Metre requires us to read:

But I will use it. STEEVENS.

Doth fat me with the very thoughts of it!
Let fools do good, and fair men call for grace,
Aaron will have his foul black like his face. [Exit.

TIT. O, here I lift this one hand up to heaven,
And bow this feeble ruin to the earth:
If any power pities wretched tears,

To that I call:-What, wilt thou kneel with me? [To LAVINIA. Do then, dear heart; for heaven Thall hear our

prayers;

Or with our fighs we'll breathe the welkin dim, And ftain the fun with fog, as fometime clouds, When they do hug him in their melting bofoms. MAR. O! brother, fpeak with poffibilities,3 And do not break into thefe deep extremes.

TIT. Is not my forrow deep, having no bottom? Then be my paffions bottomlefs with them.

MAR. But yet let reason govern thy lament.

TIT. If there were reason for these miseries, Then into limits could I bind my woes:

When heaven doth weep, doth not the earth o'erflow?

If the winds rage, doth not the fea wax mad,
Threat'ning the welkin with his big-swoln face?
And wilt thou have a reafon for this coil?

I am the fea; hark, how her fighs do blow ! 4
She is the weeping welkin, I the earth:
Then must my fea be moved with her fighs;
Then must my earth with her continual tears

with poffibilities,] Edition 1600 reads :-with poffibilitie. TODD.

4

do blow!] Old copies do Aow. Corrected in the fecond folio. MALONE.

Become a deluge, overflow'd and drown'd:
For why my bowels cannot hide her woes,
?
But like a drunkard muft I vomit them.

Then give me leave; for losers will have leave
To ease their ftomachs with their bitter tongues,

Enter a Meffenger, with Two Heads and a
Hand.

Mess. Worthy Andronicus, ill art thou repaid For that good hand thou fent'st the emperor. Here are the heads of thy two noble fons; And here's thy hand, in fcorn to thee fent back; Thy griefs their sports, thy refolution mock'd: That woe is me to think upon thy woes, More than remembrance of my father's death.

[Exit.

MAR. Now let hot Etna cool in Sicily, And be my heart an ever-burning hell! These miferies are more than may be borne! To weep with them that weep doth eafe fome deal, But forrow flouted at is double death.

Luc. Ah, that this fight should make so deep a wound,

And yet detefted life not shrink thereat!

That ever death fhould let life bear his name, Where life hath no more intereft but to breathe! [LAVINIA kiffes him.

MAR. Alas, poor heart, that kifs is comfortless, As frozen water to a ftarved fnake.

TIT. When will this fearful flumber have an end? MAR. Now, farewell, flattery: Die, Andronicus; Thou doft not flumber: fee, thy two fons' heads;

Thy warlike hand; thy mangled daughter here;
Thy other banish'd fon, with this dear fight
Struck pale and bloodlefs; and thy brother, I,
Even like a ftony image, cold and numb.
Ah! now no more will I control thy griefs :6
Rent off thy filver hair, thy other hand
Gnawing with thy teeth; and be this dismal fight
The clofing up of our most wretched eyes!
Now is a time to ftorm; why art thou ftill?
TIT. Ha, ha, ha!

MAR. Why doft thou laugh? it fits not with this hour.

TIT. Why, I have not another tear to fhed:
Befides, this forrow is an enemy,

And would ufurp upon my watry eyes,
And make them blind with tributary tears;
Then which way fhall I find revenge's cave?
For these two heads do feem to speak to me;
And threat me, I fhall never come to blifs,
Till all these mischiefs be return'd again,

Even in their throats that have committed them.
Come, let me fee what task I have to do.-
You heavy people, circle me about;
That I may turn me to each one of you,
And fwear unto my foul to right your wrongs.
The vow is made.-Come, brother, take a head;
And in this hand the other will I bear:
Lavinia, thou fhalt be employed in these things;7

thy griefs:] The old copies-my griefs. The correction was made by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

Thy griefs &c.] Edition 1600-my griefs. TODD.

7 Lavinia, thou shalt be employed in these things ;] Thus the folio, 1623. The quarto, 1611, thus:

And Lavinia thou shalt be employed in thefe arms. Perhaps we ought to read:

Bear thou my hand, fweet wench, between thy

teeth.

As for thee, boy, go, get thee from my fight;
Thou art an exile, and thou must not stay :
Hie to the Goths, and raise an army there :
And, if you love me, as I think you do,
Let's kifs and part, for we have much to do.

[Exeunt Tirus, MARCUS, and LAVINIA.
Luc. Farewell, Andronicus, my noble father;
The woeful'ft man that ever liv'd in Rome!
Farewell, proud Rome! till Lucius come again,
He leaves his pledges dearer than his life.
Farewell, Lavinia, my noble fifter;

O, 'would thou wert as thou 'tofore haft been!
But now nor Lucius, nor Lavinia lives,
But in oblivion, and hateful griefs.
If Lucius live, he will requite your wrongs;
And make proud Saturninus and his empress
Beg at the gates, like Tarquin and his queen.
Now will I to the Goths, and raise a power,
To be reveng'd on Rome and Saturnine.

Lavinia,

Thou too fhalt be employed in thefe things;

[Exit.

STEEVENS.

The folio alfo reads-And Lavinia; the rest as above. The compofitor probably caught the word-And from the preceding line. MALONE.

And Lavinia &c.] So in edit. 1600. TODD.

He leaves &c.] Old copies-He loves. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

The edition 1600 reads with other old copies. TODD.

9 Saturninus-] Edition 1600-Saturnine. TODD.