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To scatter and difperfe the giddy Goths,
Or, at the leaft, 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 houfe ;-
Rapine, and Murder, you are welcome too :-
How like the empress and her fons 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 emprefs never wags,
But in her company there is a Moor;
And, would you reprefent our queen aright,
It were convenient you had such a devil :

But welcome, as you are. What fhall we do?

Tam. What would'ft thou have us do, Andronicus ?
Dem. Show me a murderer, I'll deal with him.
Chi. Show me a villain, that hath done a rape,

And I am fent to be reveng'd on him.

Tam. Show me a thoufand, that have done thee wrong, And I will be revenged on them all.

Tit. Look round about the wicked streets of Rome;
And when thou find'ft a man that's like thyfelf,
Good Murder, ftab 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, ftab 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 proportion,
For up and down the doth resemble thee;

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

Tam.

Tam. Well haft thou leffon'd us; this shall we do. But would it please thee, good Andronicus,

To fend 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 folemn feast,
I will bring in the empress and her sons,
The emperor himself, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy fhall they ftoop and kneel,
And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.
What fays Andronicus to this device?

Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis fad 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 foldiers where they are:
Tell him, the emperor and the empress too
Feafts at my houfe; and he fhall featt with them.
This do thou for my love; and so let him,

As he regards his aged father's life.

Mar. This will I do, and foon return again.
Tam. Now will I hence about thy business,

And take my ministers along with me.

[Exit.

Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me;

Or elfe I'll call my brother back again,

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

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

How I have govern'd our determin'd jest ?

Yield to his humour, fmooth and speak him fair, [Afide,

And tarry with him, till I come again.

Tit. I know them all, though they suppose me mad;

And

And will o'er-reach them in their own devices,
A pair of curfed hell-hounds, and their dam.

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

[Afide

[Exit TAMORA.

Tit. I know, thou doft; and, fweet Revenge, farewell. Chi. Tell us, old man, how fhall we be employ'd? Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to do.— Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine!

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Tit. Fye, Publius, fye! 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 with for such an hour, And now I find it: therefore bind them fure; And stop their mouths, if they begin to cry.

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

Chi. Villains, forbear; we are the emprefs' fons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded.Stop close their mouths, let them not speak a word: Is he fure bound? look, that you bind them fast.

Re-enter TITUS ANDRONICUS, with LAVINIA; fhe bearing a bafon; and be a knife.

Tit. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound ;Sirs, ftop their mouths, let them not speak to me; But let them hear what fearful words I utter.O villains, Chiron and Demetrius !

Here

Here stands the spring whom you have ftain'd with mud;
This goodly fummer 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 fay, if I should let you speak?
Villains, for fhame you could not beg for grace.
Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats;
Whilft that Lavinia 'tween her stumps doth hold
The bason, that receives your guilty blood.
You know, your mother means to feaft with me,
And calls herself, Revenge, and thinks me mad,—
Hark, villains; I will grind your bones to duft,
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 ftrumpet, your unħallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, fwallow her own increase.
This is the feaft 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 their blood; and, when that they are dead,
Let me go grind their bones to powder finall,
And with this hateful liquor temper it;

And in that palte let their vile heads be bak'd.
Come, come, be every one officious

To make this banquet; which I wish may prove
G

More

More ftern and bloody than the Centaurs' feast.
So, now bring them in, for I will play the cook,
And fee them ready 'gainst their mother comes.

[Exeunt, bearing the dead bodies.

SCENE III.

The fame. A Pavilion, with tables, &c.

Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with AARON,

prisoner.

Luc. Uncle Marcus, fince 'tis my father's mind, That I repair to Rome, I am content.

1 Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune will. Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor, This ravenous tiger, this accurfed devil;

Let him receive no fuftenance, fetter him,
Till he be brought unto the emprefs' face,
For teftimony of her foul proceedings:
And fee the ambush of our friends be strong:
I fear, the emperor means no good to us.

Aar. Some devil whisper curfes 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 flave!— Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.

[Exeunt Goths, with AARON. Flourish.

The trumpets fhow, the emperor is at hand.

Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with Tribunes, Senators, and Others.

Sat. What, hath the firmament more funs than one?

Luc.

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