Sat. And therefore, lovely Tamora, queen of
Goths,-

That, like the stately Phoebe 'mongst her nymphs,
Dost overshine the gallant'st dames of Rome,
If thou be pleas'd with this my sudden choice,
Behold, I choose thee, Tamora, for my bride,
And will create thee emperess of Rome.
Speak, queen of Goths, dost thou applaud my
choice?

And here I swear by all the Roman gods,—
Sith priest and holy water are so near,
And tapers burn so bright, and every thing
In readiness for Hymeneus stands,-
I will not re-salute the streets of Rome,
Or climb my palace, till from forth this place
I lead espous'd my bride along with me.

Tam. And here, in sight of heaven, to Rome

I swear,

If Saturnine advance the queen of Goths,
She will a hand-maid be to his desires,
A loving nurse, a mother to his youth.
Sat. Ascend, fair queen, Pantheon:-Lords,
accompany

Your noble emperor, and his lovely bride,
Sent by the heavens for prince Saturnine,
Whose wisdom hath her fortune conquered:
There shall we consummate our spousal rites.
[Exeunt Saturninus, and his Followers; Ta-

mora, and her Sons; Aaron and Goths. Tit. I am not bid to wait upon this bride:Titus, when wert thou wont to walk alone, Dishonour'd thus, and challenged of wrongs?

Re-enter MARCUS, LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and
MARTIUS.

Mar. O Titus, see, O, see what thou hast done! In a bad quarrel slain a virtuous son.

Tit. No, foolish tribune, no; no son of mine,Nor thou, nor these, confederates in the deed That hath dishonour'd all our family: Unworthy brother, and unworthy sons!

Luc. But let us give him burial, as becomes; Give Mutius burial with our brethren.

Tit. Traitors, away! he rests not in this tomb. This monument five hundred years hath stood, Which I have sumptuously re-edified: Here none but soldiers, and Rome's servitors, Repose in fame; none basely slain in brawls:Bury him where you can, he comes not here. Mar. My lord, this is impiety in you: My nephew Mutius' deeds do plead for him; He must be buried with his brethren.

Quin. & Mart. And shall, or him we will accompany.

Tit. And shall? What villain was it spoke that word?

Quin. He that would vouch't in any place but

here.

Tit. What, would you bury him in my despite? Mar. No, noble Titus; but entreat of thee To pardon Mutius, and to bury him.

Tit. Marcus, even thou hast struck upon my crest,

And, with these boys, mine honour thou hast wounded:

My foes I do repute you every one;
So trouble me no more, but get you gone.
Mart. He is not with himself; let us with-
draw.

Quin. Not I, till Mutius' bones be buried.
[Marcus and the Sons of Titus kneel.
Mar. Brother, for in that name doth nature
plead.

Quin. Father, and in that name doth nature speak.

Tit. Speak thou no more, if all the rest will speed.

Mar. Renowned Titus, more than half my soul,

Luc. Dear father, soul and substance of us all,

Mar. Suffer thy brother Marcus to inter
His noble nephew here in virtue's nest,
That died in honour and Lavinia's cause.
Thou art a Roman, be not barbarous.
The Greeks, upon advice, did bury Ajax
That slew himself; and wise Laertes' son
Did graciously plead for his funerals.
Let not young Mutius then, that was thy joy,
Be barr'd his entrance here.

Tit. Rise, Marcus, rise :-
The dismall'st day is this, that e'er I saw,
To be dishonour'd by my sons in Rome!-
Well, bury him, and bury me the next.

[Mutius is put into the tomb. Luc. There lie thy bones, sweet Mutius, with thy friends,

Till we with trophies do adorn thy tomb!— All. No man shed tears for noble Mutius; He lives in fame, that died in virtue's cause. Mar. My lord,—to step out of these dreary

dumps,

How comes it, that the subtle queen of Goths Is of a sudden thus advanc'd in Rome?

Tit. I know not, Marcus; but, I know, it is; Whether by device, or no, the heavens can tell: Is she not then beholden to the man That brought her for this high good turn so far? Yes, and will nobly him remunerate.

But let the laws of Rome determine all :
Mean while I am possess'd of that is mine.

Sat. 'Tis good, sir: You are very short with

us;

But, if we live, we'll be as sharp with you.

may,
Answer I must, and shall do with my life.
Only this much I give your grace to know,—
By all the duties which I owe to Rome,
This noble gentleman, lord Titus here,
Is in opinion, and in honour, wrong'd;
That, in the rescue of Lavinia,

With his own hand did slay his youngest son,
In zeal to you, and highly mov'd to wrath
To be control'd in that he frankly gave:
Receive him then to favour, Saturnine;
That hath express'd himself, in all his deeds,
A father, and a friend, to thee, and Rome.
Tit. Prince Bassianus, leave to plead my deeds;
'Tis thou, and those, that have dishonour'd me:
Rome and the righteous heavens be my judge,
How I have lov'd and honour'd Saturnine!

Tam. My worthy lord, if ever Tamora
Were gracious in those princely eyes of thine,
Then hear me speak indifferently for all;
And at my suit, sweet, pardon what is past.

Sat. What, madam ! be dishonour'd openly, And basely put it up without revenge?

Tam. Not so, my lord; The gods of Rome forefend,

I should be author to dishonour you!
But, on mine honour, dare I undertake
For good lord Titus' innocence in all,
Whose fury, not dissembled, speaks his griefs:
Then, at my suit, look graciously on him;
Lose not so noble a friend on vain suppose,
Nor with sour looks afflict his gentle heart.-
My lord, be rul❜d by me, be won at last,
Dissemble all your griefs and discontents:
You are but newly planted in your
throne;

Lest then the people, and patricians too,
Upon a just survey, take Titus' part,
And so supplant us for ingratitude,
(Which Rome reputes to be a heinous
sin,)

Yield at entreats, and then let me alone:
I'll find a day to massacre them all,
And raze their faction, and their family,
The cruel father, and his traitorous sons,

>Aside.

Take up this good old man, and cheer the heart That dies in tempest of thy angry frown.

Sat. Rise, Titus, rise; my empress hath prevail'd.

Tit. I thank your majesty, and her, my lord: These words, these looks, infuse new life in me. Tam. Titus, I am incorporate in Rome, A Roman now adopted happily, And must advise the emperor for his good. This day all quarrels die, Andronicus ;— And let it be mine honour, good my lord, That I have reconcil'd your friends and you.For you, prince Bassianus, I have pass'd My word and promise to the emperor, That you I will be more mild and tractable.And fear not, lords,—and you, Lavinia ;— By my advice, all humbled on your knees, You shall ask pardon of his majesty.

Luc. We do; and vow to heaven, and to his highness,

That, what we did, was mildly as we might,
Tend'ring our sister's honour, and our own.

Mar. That, on mine honour, here I do protest.
Sat. Away, and talk not; trouble us no more.-
Tam. Nay, nay, sweet emperor, we must all
be friends:

The tribune and his nephews kneel for grace; I will not be denied. Sweet heart, look back. Sat. Marcus, for thy sake, and thy brother's

here,

And at my lovely Tamora's entreats,

I do remit these young men's heinous faults.
Stand up.

Lavinia, though you left me like a churl,
I found a friend; and sure as death I swore,
I would not part a bachelor from the priest.
Come, if the emperor's court can feast two brides,
You are my guest, Lavinia, and your friends:
This day shall be a love-day, Tamora.

Tit. To-morrow, an it please your majesty, To hunt the panther and the hart with me, With horn and hound, we'll give your grace bon-jour.

Sat. Be it so, Titus, and gramercy too.

[Exeunt.

Upon her wit doth earthly honour wait,
And virtue stoops and trembles at her frown.
Then, Aaron, arm thy heart, and fit thy thoughts,
To mount aloft with thy imperial mistress,
And mount her pitch; whom thou in triumph
long

Hast prisoner held, fetter'd in amorous chains;
And faster bound to Aaron's charming eyes,
Than is Prometheus tied to Caucasus.
Away with slavish weeds, and idle thoughts!
I will be bright, and shine in pearl and gold,
To wait upon this new-made emperess.
To wait, said I? to wanton with this queen,
This goddess, this Semiramis ;-this queen,
This syren, that will charm Rome's Saturnine,
And see his shipwreck, and his commonweal's.
Holla! what storm is this?

Enter CHIRON and DEMETRIUS, braving.
Dem. Chiron, thy years want wit, thy wit

wants edge,

And manners, to intrude where I am grac'd; And may, for aught thou know'st, affected be.

Chi. Demetrius, thou dost over-ween in all; And so in this to bear me down with braves. 'Tis not the difference of a year, or two, Makes me less gracious, thee more fortunate: I am as able, and as fit, as thou,

To serve, and to deserve my mistress' grace; And that my sword upon thee shall approve, And plead my passions for Lavinia's love.

Aar. Clubs, clubs! these lovers will not keep the peace.

Dem. Why, boy, although our mother, unadvis'd,

Gave you a dancing rapier by your side, Are you so desperate grown, to threat your friends?

Go to; have your lath glued within your sheath, Till you know better how to handle it.

Chi. Mean while, sir, with the little skill I have,

Full well shalt thou perceive how much I dare. Dem. Ay, boy, grow ye so brave? [They draw.

Aar. Why, how now, lords?

So near the emperor's palace dare you draw,
And maintain such a quarrel openly?
Full well I wot the ground of all this grudge;
I would not for a million of gold,

The cause were known to them it most concerns:
Nor would your noble mother, for much more,
Be so dishonour'd in the court of Rome.
For shame, put up.

Dem. Not I; till I have sheath'd
My rapier in his bosom, and, withal,
Thrust these reproachful speeches down his
throat,

That he hath breath'd in my dishonour here.

Chi. For that I am prepar'd and full resolv'd,Foul-spoken coward! that thunder'st with thy tongue,

And with thy weapon nothing dar'st perform.
Aar. Away, I say.-

Now, by the gods that warlike Goths adore,
This petty brabble will undo us all.—
Why, lords, and think you not how dangerous
It is to jut upon a prince's right?
What, is Lavinia then become so loose,
Or Bassianus so degenerate,

That for her love such quarrels may be broach'd,
Without controlment, justice, or revenge?
Young lords, beware!-an should the empress
know

This discord's ground, the music would not please.

Chi. I care not, I, knew she and all the world; I love Lavinia more than all the world. Dem. Youngling, learn thou to make some meaner choice:

Lavinia is thine elder brother's hope.

Aar. Why, are ye mad? or know ye not, in
Rome

How furious and impatient they be,
And cannot brook competitors in love?
I tell you, lords, you do but plot your deaths
By this device.

Chi. Aaron, a thousand deaths would I propose,

To achieve her whom I love.

Aar. To achieve her!-How?

Dem. Why mak'st thou it so strange? She is a woman, therefore may be woo'd; She is a woman, therefore may be won; She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov'd. What, man! more water glideth by the mill Than wots the miller of; and easy it is Of a cut loaf to steal a shive, we know: Though Bassianus be the emperor's brother, Better than he have yet worn Vulcan's badge. Aar. Ay, and as good as Saturninus may. [Aside.

Dem. Then why should he despair,

knows to court it

With words, fair looks, and liberality?
What, hast thou not full often struck a doe,
And borne her cleanly by the keeper's nose?
Aar. Why, then, it seems, some certain snatch

or so

Would serve your turns.

Chi. Ay, so the turn were serv'd. Dem. Aaron, thou hast hit it.

Aar. 'Would you had hit it too; Then should not we be tir'd with this ado. Why, hark ye, hark ye,-And are you such fools, To square for this? Would it offend you then That both should speed?

Chi. 'Faith, not me.

Dem. Nor me,

So I were one.

dar. For shame, be friends; and join for that you jar.

'Tis policy and stratagem must do

That you affect; and so must you resolve:
That what you cannot, as you would, achieve,
You must perforce accomplish as you may.
Take this of me, Lucrece was not more chaste
Than this Lavinia, Bassianus' love.

A speedier course than lingering languishment
Must we pursue, and I have found the path.
My lords, a solemn hunting is in hand;
There will the lovely Roman ladies troop:
The forest walks are wide and spacious;
And many unfrequented plots there are,
Fitted by kind for rape and villainy:
Single you thither then this dainty doe,
And strike her home by force, if not by words:
This way, or not at all, stand you in hope.
Come, come, our empress, with her sacred wit,
To villainy and vengeance consecrate,
Will we acquaint with all that we intend;
And she shall file our engines with advice,
That will not suffer you to square yourselves,
But to your wishes' height advance you both.
The emperor's court is like the house of fame,
The palace full of tongues, of eyes, of ears:
The woods are ruthless, dreadful, deaf, and dull;
There speak, and strike, brave boys, and take
your turns:

There serve your lust, shadow'd from heaven's eye,

And revel in Lavinia's treasury.

Chi. Thy counsel, lad, smells of no cowardice. Dem. Sit fas aut nefas, till I find the stream To cool this heat, a charm to calm these fits, Per Styga, per manes vehor. [Exeunt.

SCENE II-A forest near Rome. A lodge seen at a distance. Horns, and cry of hounds, heard. Enter TITUS ANDRONICUS, with Hunters, &c. MARCUS, LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS. Tit. The hunt is up, the morn is bright and grey,

The fields are fragrant, and the woods are green:

SCENE III.-A desert part of the forest.

Enter AARON, with a bag of gold. Aar. He, that had wit, would think that I had none,

To bury so much gold under a tree,
And never after to inherit it.

Let him, that thinks of me so abjectly,
Know, that this gold must coin a stratagem;
Which, cunningly effected, will beget
A very excellent piece of villainy:
And so repose, sweet gold, for their unrest,
That have their alms out of the empress' chest.
[Hides the gold.

Enter TAMORA.

Tam. Mylovely Aaron, wherefore look'st thou sad,

When every thing doth make a gleeful boast?
The birds chaunt melody on every bush;
The snake lies rolled in the cheerful sun;
The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind,
And make a chequer'd shadow on the ground:
Under their sweet shade, Aaron, let us sit,
And whilst the babbling echo mocks the hounds,
Replying shrilly to the well-tun'd horns,
As if a double hunt were heard at once,-
Let us sit down, and mark their yelling noise:

And-after conflict, such as was suppos'd
The wandering prince and Dido once enjoy'd,
When with a happy storm they were surpriz'd,
And curtain'd with a counsel-keeping cave,—
We may, each wreathed in the other's arms,
Our pastimes done, possess a golden slumber;
Whilst hounds, and horns, and sweet melodious
birds,

Be unto us as is a nurse's song

Of lullaby, to bring her babe asleep.

sires,

Saturn is dominator over mine:

What signifies my deadly-standing eye,
My silence, and my cloudy melancholy?
My fleece of woolly hair that now uncurls,
Even as an adder, when she doth unroll
To do some fatal execution?

No, madam, these are no venereal signs;
Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand,
Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.
Hark, Tamora,-the empress of my soul,
Which never hopes more heaven than rests in
thee,-

This is the day of doom for Bassianus ;
His Philomel must lose her tongue to-day
Thy sons make pillage of her chastity,
And wash their hands in Bassianus' blood.
Seest thou this letter? take it up, I pray thee,
And give the king this fatal-plotted scroll:-
Now question me no more, we are espied;
Here comes a parcel of our hopeful booty,
Which dreads not yet their lives' destruction.
Tam. Ah, my sweet Moor, sweeter to me than
life!

Aar. Nomore, great empress, Bassianus comes: Be cross with him; and I'll go fetch thy sons To back thy quarrels, whatsoe'er they be.

[Exit.

Enter BASSIANUS and LAVINIA.
Bas. Whom have we here? Rome's royal
empress,

Unfurnish'd of her well-beseeming troop?
Or is it Dian, habited like her,
Who hath abandoned her holy groves,
To see the general hunting in this forest?

Tam Saucy controller of our private steps!
Had I the power, that, some say, Dian had,
Thy temples should be planted presently
With horns, as was Acteon's; and the hounds
Should drive upon thy new-transformed limbs,
Unmannerly intruder as thou art!

Lav. Under your patience, gentle emperess, 'Tis thought you have a goodly gift in horning; And to be doubted, that your Moor and you Are singled forth to try experiments: Jove shield your husband from his hounds today!

'Tis pity, they should take him for a stag.

Bas. Believe me, queen, your swarth Cimmerian

Doth make your honour of his body's hue,

Bas. The king, my brother, shall have note of this.

Lav. Ay, for these slips have made him noted long:

Good king! to be so mightily abus'd!
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 highness look so pale and wan? Tam. Have I not reason, think you, to look

pale?

These two have 'tic'd me hither to this place,
A barren detested vale, you see, it is :
The trees, though summer, yet forlorn and lean,
O'ercome with moss, and baleful misletoe.
Here never shines the sun; here nothing breeds,
Unless the nightly owl, or fatal raven.
And, when they show'd me this abhorred pit,
They told me here, at dead time of the night,
A thousand fiends, a thousand hissing snakes,
Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins,
Would make such fearful and confused cries,
As any mortal body, hearing it,

Should straight fall mad, or else die suddenly.
No sooner had they told this hellish tale,
But straight they told me, they would bind me
here

Unto the body of a dismal yew;
And leave me to this miserable death.
And then they call'd me, foul adulteress,
Lascivious Goth, and all the bitterest terms
That ever ear did hear to such effect.
And, had you not by wondrous fortune come,
This vengeance on me had they executed.
Revenge it, as you love your mother's life,
Or he ye not from henceforth call'd my children!
Dem. This is a witness that I am thy son.
[Stabs Bassianus.
Chi. And this for me, struck home to show
my strength. [Stabbing him likewise.
Lav. Ay come, Semiramis,-nay, barbarous

Tamora!