Tam. [To her sons.] What say 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, smooth, and speak him fair, 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. [Afide.

Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here.

Tam. Farewell, Andronicus ; Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit Tamora. Tit. I know, thou dost; and, sweet Revenge, fare

well. Chi. Tell us, old man, how shall we be employ'd ?

Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to do, Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine !

Enter Publius and Servants.

Pub. What is your will ?
Tit. Know ye these two ?

Pub. The emperess' fons,
I take them, Chiron and Demetrius.

Tit. Fy, Publius, fy! 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 wish for ľuch an hour,
And now I find it, therefore bind them fure.

(Exit Titus. Chi. Villains, forbear; we are the emperets’ fons.

Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded. Stop close their mouths ; let them not speak a word. Is he sure bound ? look, that ye bind them fast.

: Enter Titus Andronicus with a knife, and Lavinia with a

bafon. Tit. Come, come, Lavinia ; look, thy foes arę

bound. -Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to me, But let them hear what fearful words I utter. Oh, villains, Chiron and Demetrius! Here stands the spring whom you have stain’d 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 chaftity,
Inhuman traitors, you constrain'd and forc'd.
What would ye say, if I hould 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 'twixt her stumps doth hold
The bason 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 will I rear,
And make two pasties of your

shameful heads S;
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 of th pase a coffin--] A coffin is the term of art for the favity of a railed Руе. .

JOHNSON.

And

And now prepare your throats. Lavinia, come,
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 that paste let their vile heads be bak'd.
Come, come, be every one officious
To make this banquet, which, I wish, might prove
More stern and bloody than the Centaur's feast.

[He cuts their throats. So now bring them in, for I'll play the cook, And see them ready 'gainst the mother comes.

[Exeunt. Ś C E N É III. Enter Lucius, Marcus, and Goths, with Aaron prisoner.

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

Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune will.

Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor;
This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil;
Let him receive no sustenance, fetter him,
Till he be brought unto the emp'ror's face,
For testimony of these foul proceedings;
And see the ambush of our friends be strong;
I fear the emperor means no good to us.

Aar. Some devil whisper curses in my ear,
And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth
The venomous malice of my lwelling heart !
Luc. Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd Nave.

[Exeunt Geths with Aaron.
Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in. [Flourish.
The trumpets Thew, the emperor is at hand.
Sound trumpets.

Enter Emperor and Emperefs, with

Tribunes and others. Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns than one? 3

Luc.

li3

Luc. What boots it thee to call thyself a sun ?
Mar. Rome's emperor, and nephew, 2 break the

parley;
These quarrels must be quietly debated:
The feast is ready, which the careful Titus
Hath ordaind to an honourable end,
For peace, for love, for league, and good to Rome:
Pleale you therefore draw nigh and take your places.
Sat. Marcus, we will.

[Hautboys. A table brought in. Enter Titus, like a cook, placing

the meat on the table, and Lavinia with a veil over ber face. Tit. Welconie, my gracious lord; welcome dread

queen, Welcome, ye warlike Goths ; welcome, Lucius ; And welcome, all ; althcugh the cheer be poor, 'Twill fill your stomachs, please you eat of it.

Sat. Why art thou thus attir’d, Andronicus ?

Tit. Because I would be sure to have all well, To entertain your highness, and your emperess.

Tam. We are beholden to you, good Andronicus.
Tit. And if your highness knew my heart, you

were.
My lord the emperor, resolve me this ;
Was it well done of rash Virginius,
To Nay his daughter with his own right hand,
Because she was enforc'd, stain'd, and deflowrid?

Sat. It was, Andronicus.
Tit. Your reason, mighty lord ?

Sat. Because the girl should not survive her shame, And by her presence still renew his forrows.

Tit. A reason mighty, strong, and effectual,

break the parley;] That is, begin the parley, We yet fay, he breaks his mind.

JOHNSON.

A

A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant,
For me, most wretched, to perform the like.
Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee,
And with thy shame thy father's sorrow die !

(He kills her: Sat. What hast thou done, unnatural and unkind ? Tit. Kill’d her, for whom my tears have made me

blind. I am as woeful as Virginius was, And have a thousand times more cause than he To do this outrage. And it is now done. Sat. What, was she ravish'd ? tell, who did the

deed. Tit. Will’t please you eat ? will’t please your high

ness feed ? Tam. Why haft thou Nain thine only daughter thus?

Tit. Not İ, 'twas Chiron and Demetrius.
They ravish'd her, and cut away her tongue,
And they, 'cwas they, that did her all this wrong.

Sat. Go, fetch them hither to us presently.

Tit. Why, there they are both, baked in that pye, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed; Eating the flesh, that she herself hath bred. 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness, my knife's sharp point.

(He stays the Emperess. Sat. Die, frantick wretch, for this accursed deed.

[He stabs Titus. Luc. Can the son's eye behold his father bleed ? There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed.

[Lucius ftabs the Emperor. Mar. You sad-fac'd men, people and sons of Rome, By uproar sever'd, like a flight of fowl Scatter'd by winds, and high tempestuous gusts, Oh, let me teach you how to knit again This scatter'd corn into one mutual theaf, These broken limbs again into one body. Goth. Let Rome herself be bane unto herself;

And

I i4