Stand gracious to the rites that we intend ! Here Goths have given me leave to sheath my sword: [They open the Tomb. Sweet cell of virtue and nobility, How many fons of mine haft thou in ftore, Luc. Give us the proudeft prisoner of the Goths, Tam. Stay, Roman brethren, gracious conqueror, Victorious Titus, rue the tears I fhed, A mother's tears in paffion for her fon: (3) Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome, 2 To beautify thy triumphs, and return Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke ?] It is evident, To beautify thy triumphs and return, Andronicus, ftain not thy tomb with blood. Thrice noble Titus, fpare my first-born fon. Tit. Patient yourself, Madam, and pardon me. These are their brethren, whom you Goths behold Alive and dead, and for their brethren flain Religiously they ask a facrifice; To this your fon is mark'd, and die he muft, T' appease their groaning fhadows that are gone. Luc. Away with him, and make a fire straight, And with our fwords upon a pile of wood Let's hew his limbs, 'till they be clean confumed. [Exeunt Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius, with Alarbus. Tam. O cruel, irreligious piety! Chi. Was ever Scythia half fo barbarous? To tremble under Titus' threatning looks. as this paffage has hitherto been pointed, none of the editors understood the true meaning. If Tamora and her family return captive to Rome, they must have been before prifoners of war to the Romans and that is more than what is hinted or fuppofed any where in the play. But the truth is, return is not a verb but a fubftantive; and relates to Titus and not to Tamora. The regulation I have given the text, I dare warrant, reftores the Author's intention: To beautify thy triumphs and return. [Troy (4) The felf fame gods that armed the Queen of Enter MUTIUS, MARCUS, QUINTUS and LUCIUS Whofe fmoke, like incenfe, doth perfume the sky. Make this his lateft farewel to their fouls. Then found trumpets, and lay the Coffins in In peace and honour rest you here, my fons, In peace and honour rest you here, my fons! (4) The Self-fame gods that armed the Queen of Troy With opportunity of sharp revenge Upon the Thracian tyrant in his tent, &c.] I read, against the authority of all the copies,in her tent; i. e. in the tent where the and the other Trojan captive women were kept : for thither Hecuba by a wile had decoyed Polymnestor, in or→ der to perpetrate her revenge. This we may learn from Eu ripides's Hecuba; the only Author that I can at prefent remember, from whom our writer must have gleaned this cir cumstance. Enter LAVINIA. Lav. In peace and honour live Lord Titus long, My noble Lord and father, live in fame! Lo! at this tomb my tributary tears I render, for my brethrens obfequies : And at thy feet I kneel, with tears of joy Shed on the earth, for thy return to Rome. O, blefs me here with thy victorious hand, Whofe fortune Rome's beft citizens applaud. Tit. Kind Rome, that haft thus lovingly referved The cordial of mine age, to glad mine heart, Lavinia, live; out-live thy father's days, (5) In fame's eternal date for virtue's praife! Mar. Long live Lord Titus, my beloved brother, Gracious triumpher in the eyes of Rome ! Tit. Thanks, gentle tribune, noble brother Marcus. Mar. And welcome, nephews, from fuccefsful wars, You that furvive, and you that fleep in fame: Fair Lords, your fortunes are alike in all, (6) (s) Lavinia, live; outlive thy father's days: And Fame's eternal date for Virtue's praife!] Were the text to be admitted genuine, nothing could be fo abfurd as for Titus to wifh his daughter might outlive the eternal date of Fame. This, as my friend Mr Warburton merrily ob ferves, is like the loyal patriot in the last reign, who wished King George might reign for ever, and the Prince and Princefs after him! I have, by the change of a fingle monofyllable, restored the paffage to a fenfible and kind with. (6) Fair Lords, your fortunes are alike in all.] This is addreffed by the tribune to all his brother's fons, as well dead as alive. But how could it be then faid, that their fortunes were all alike? The expreffion feems liable to an open abfurdity. Perhaps we may reconcile ourfelves to it, thus: "Some of you are returned fafe, and with glory; you, "that have not lived to return, fhare the glory of your. brethren's fortune, in having died for your country: "and though you cannot partake in the joy of their tri"umph, yet ftill you enjoy a fafer triumph, exempt from * chance and cafualty." fwords. That in your country's fervice drew your And help to fet a head on headless Rome. Mar. Titus, thou fhalt obtain and afk the empery.. Sat. Romans, do me right.. Patricians, draw your fwords, and fheath them not 'Till Saturninus be Rome's Emperor. Andronicus, would thou wert fhip'd to hell,. Luc. Proud Saturnine, interrupter of the good That noble-minded Titus means to thee, |