Madam, to you as many and as good. Sat. And you have rung it luftily, my Lords, Lav. 1 fay no: I have been broad awake two hours and more. Sat. Come on then, horfe and chariots let us have, And to our sport: Madam, now ye shall fee Our Roman hunting. Mar. I have dogs, my Lord, Will rouze the proudeft Panther in the chase, Tit. And I have horfe will follow, where the game Makes way, and run like swallows o'er the plain. Dem. Chiron, we hunt not, we, with horfe nor hound; But hope to pluck a dainty Doe to ground. [Exeunt. SCENE changes to a defart part of the Foreft. Enter AARON alone. Aar. He that had wit, would think that I had none, To bury fo much gold under a tree, And never after to inherit it. Let him, that thinks of me fo abjectly, And fo repofe, fweet gold, for their unrest Enter TAMORA. Tam. My lovely Aaron, wherefore look'ft thou fad, When every thing doth make a gleeful boaft? The birds chaunt melody on every bush, Of lullaby, to bring her babe afleep. Aar. Madam, though Venus govern your defires, Saturn is dominator over mine: What fignifies my deadly-ftanding eye, No, Madam, thefe are no venereal figns; Now queftion me no more, we are espied; Tam. Ah, my fweet Moor, fweeter to me than life! Baf. Whom have we here? Rome's royal Emprefs, Who hath abandoned her holy groves, Lav. Under your patience, gentle Emprefs, Jove fhield your husband from his hounds to-day! 'Tis pity they fhould take him for a stag. Baf. Believe me, Queen, your fwarth Cimmerian Doth make your honour of his body's hue, Spotted, detefted, and abominable. Why are you fequeftered from all your train? Lav. And being intercepted in your sport,. For faucinefs.-I pray you, let us hence, Baf. The King my brother shall have note of this. Lav. Ay, for thefe flips have made him noted long. Good King, to be fo mightily abused! Tam. Why have I patience to endure all this? Enter CHIRON and DEMETRIUS. Dem. How now, dear Sovereign and our gracious mother, Why does your Highnefs look fo pale and wan? Should ftrait fall mad, or elfe die fuddenly. But ftraight they told me, they would bind me here, And leave me to this miferable death: And then they called me foul adultress, And had you not by wondrous fortune come, Revenge it, as you love your mother's life; ftrength. [Stabs Baf. Chi. And this for me, ftruck home to fhew my [Stabbing him likewife. Lav. I come, Semiramis ;-nay, barbarous Tamora; (12) For no name fits thy nature but thy own. Tam. Give me thy poniard; you fhall know, my boys, Your mother's hand fhall right your mother's wrong. Dem. Stay, Madam, here is more belongs to her; First, thrash the corn, then after burn the straw; This minion ftood upon her chastity, Upon her nuptial vow, her loyalty, And with that painted cope the braves your migh tinefs; (13) And shall she carry this unto her grave? (12) I come, Semiramis, nay barbarous Tamora.] By an inaccuracy of the pointing, the editors have all along made nonfenfe of this paffage. But the Poet's meaning is this; Lavinia, feeing her husband ftabbed by the Queen's two fons, expects and invites the Queen to ferve her in the fame kind, and put an end to her miferies. (13) And with that painted hope she traves your mightiness.] Lavinia, fay they, stands on her chastity, her nuptial vow, and matrimonial faith; and upon the merit of fuch qualifications braves the Queen. But in what fenfe can thefe things be called a painted hope? What image or idea does this expreffion give? The ingenious Mr Warburton furnished me with the emendation I have inferted in the text, --And with that painted cope,i. e. this gay covering: a figure very pretty and common among the poets. So we fay, cloathed with virtue: as of other qualities we fay, they are used as a cloak. Then, painted is a very proper epithet to cope, it being a fplendid ecclefiaftical vestment of various colours. Befides, painted may be here ironically intended; to infinuate, this virtue was only pretended in Lavinia. |