A Table brought in. Enter Titus like a Cook, placing the meat on the Table,and Lavinia with a veil over ber face.

Tit. Welcome,my gracious Lord, welcome, dread Queen, Welcome, ye warlike Goths, thou Lucius, welcome, And welcome all; although the cheer be poor, 'Twill fill your ftomachs, please you eat of it.

Sat. Why art thou thus attir'd, Andronicus?
Tit. Because I would be fure to have all well,
To entertain your Highness, and your Empress.
Tam. We are beholden to you, good Andronicus.
Tit. An if your Highnefs knew my heart, you were.
My Lord the Emperor, refolve me this;
Was it well done of rafh Virginius,

To flay his daughter with his own right-hand,
Because the was enforc'd, ftain'd, and deflour'd?
Sat. It was, Andronicus.

Tit. Your reafon, mighty Lord?

Sat. Because the girl fhould not furvive her shame, And by her prefence ftill renew his forrows.

Tit. A reafon mighty, ftrong, effectual,

A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant,
For me, moft wretched, to perform the like:
Die, die, Lavinia, and thy fhame with thee,

And with thy fhame thy father's forrow die! [He kills her.
Sat. What haft thou done, unnatural and unkind?
Tit. Kill'd her for whom my tears have made me blind.
I am as woful as Virginius was,

And have a thousand times more caufe than he

To do this outrage. And it is now done.

Sat. What, was fhe ravifh'd? tell, who did the deed?
Tit. Will't please you eat, will't please your Highness feed?
Tam. Why haft thou flain thine only daughter thus ?
Tit. Not I, 'twas Chiron and Demetrius.

They ravish'd her, and cut away her tongue,
And they, 'twas they, that did her all this wrong.
Sat. Go fetch them hither to us prefently.

Tit. Why, there they are both, baked in that pye, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed,

Eating the flesh that the herfelf hath bred.

'Tis true, 'tis true, witnefs my knife's fharp point.

[He ftabs the Empress. Sat. Die, frantick wretch, for this accurfed deed!

[He ftabs Titus.

Luc. Can the fon's eye behold his father bleed? There's meed for meed, death for a deadly dead.

[Lucius fabs the Emperor. Mar. You fad-fac'd men, people and fons of Rome, By uprore fever'd, like a flight of fowl Scatter'd by winds and high tempeftuous gufts," Oh let me teach you how to knit again This fcatter'd corn into one mutual sheaf, Thefe broken limbs again into one body. Gotb. Let Rome her felf be bane unto her felf, And the whom mighty kingdoms curtfie to, Like a forlorn and defperate caft-away,

Do fhameful execution on her felf.

Mar. But if my frofty figns and chaps of age,

Grave witneffes of true experience,

Cannot induce you to attend my words,

Speak, Rome's dear friend; as erft our anceftor, [To Lucius, When with his folemn tongue he did difcourfe

To love-fick Dido's fad attending ear,

The ftory of that baleful burning night,

When fubtle Greeks furpriz'd King Priam's Troy:
Tell us what Sinon hath bewitch'd our ears,
Or who hath brought the fatal engine in,
That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.
My heart is not compact of flint nor fteel;
Nor can I utter all our bitter grief,

But floods of tears will drown my oratory,
And break my very utt'rance; even in the time
When it fhould move you to attend me moft,
Lending your kind commiferation.

Here is a captain, let him tell the tale,

Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him speak.
Luc. Then, noble auditory, be it known to you,
That curfed Chiron and Demetrius

Were they that murdered our Emperor's brother;
And they they were that ravish'd our after :

VOL. VIII.

For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded,
Our father's tears defpis'd, and bafely cozen'd
Of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel out,
And fent her enemies into the grave.
Laftly, myself unkindly banished,

(The gates fhut on me) and turn'd weeping out,
To beg relief among Rome's enemies,

Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears,
And op'd their arms t' embrace me as a friend :
And I am turn'd forth, be it known to you,
That have preferv'd her welfare in my blood,'
And from her bofom took the enemy's point,
Sheathing the fteel in my advent'rous body.
Alas, you know I am no vaunter, I;
My fcars can witnefs, dumb although they are,
That my report is juft, and full of truth,
But foft, methinks I do digrefs too much,
Citing my worthlefs praife: oh pardon me,

For when no friends are by, men praise themselves.
Mar. Now is my tongue to fpeak: behold this child,
Of this was Tamora delivered,

The iffue of an irreligious Moor,

Chief architect and plotter of thefe woes;
The villain is alive in Titus' house,
Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true.
Now judge what caufe had Titus to revenge
Thefe wrongs, unfpeakable, paft patience,
Or more than any living man could hear.

Now you have heard the truth, what fay you, Romans
Have we done aught amifs? fhew us wherein,
And from the place where you behold us now,
The poor remainder of Andronicus,

We'll hand in hand all head long caft us down,
And on the ragged ftones beat out our brains,
And make a mutual closure of our houfe:
Speak, Romans, fpeak, and if you fay we fhall,
Lo, hand in hand, Lucius and I will fall.

Em. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,
And bring our Emperor gently in thy hand,

Lucius our Emperor: for well I know,
The common voice doth cry it shall be fo.
Mar. Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal Emperor !
Go, go into old Titus' forrowful house,
And hither hale that misbelieving Moor,
To be adjudg'd fome direful flaughtering death,
As punishment for his most wicked life.
Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious Governor!
Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans: may I govern fo.
To heal Rome's harm, and drive away her woe!
But, gentle people, give me aim a while,
For nature puts me to a heavy task:

Stand all aloof; but, uncle, draw you near,
To fhed obfequious tears upon this trunk :
Oh take this warm kifs on thy pale cold lips,
Thefe forrowful drops upon thy blood-ftain'd face;
The laft true duties of thy noble fon.

Mar. Ay, tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss,
Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips :

O were the fum of these that I should pay

Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them.

Luc. Come hither, boy, come, come, and learn of us To melt in fhowers; thy grandfire lov'd thee well;

Many a time he danc'd thee on his knee;

Sung thee afleep, his loving breaft thy pillow
Many a matter hath he told to thee,
Meet and agreeing with thy infancy;
In that refpect then, like a loving child,

Shed yet fome fmall drops from thy tender spring,
Because kind nature doth require it fo;

Friends fhould affociate Friends, in grief and woe:
Bid him farewel, commit him to the grave,
Do him that kindness, and take leave of him.
Boy. O grandfire, grandfire! ev'n with all my art,
Would I were dead, fo you did live again-
O Lord, I cannot fpeak to him for weeping-
My tears will choak me, if I ope my mouth.
SCENE VII. Enter Romans with Aaron.
Rom. You fad Andronici, have done with woes,
Give fentence on this execrable wretch,

G 2

That

That hath been breeder of these dire events.

Luc. Set him breast-deep in earth, and famish him, There let him fand, and rave and cry for food; If any one relieves or pities him,

For the offence he dies: this is our doom.

Some ftay to fee him faftned in the earth.

Aar. O why fhould wrath be mute, and fury dumb? I am no baby, I, that with base prayers I fhould repent the evil I have done: Ten thousand worse than ever yet I did, Would I perform, if I might have my will: If one good deed in all my life I did,

I do repent it from my very fou!.

Luc. Some loving friends convey the Emp'ror hence,
And give him burial in his father's grave.
My father and Lavinia fhall forthwith
Be clcted in our houfhold's monument:
As for that hainous Tigrefs Tamora,

No funeral rites, nor man in mournful weeds,
No mournful bell fhall ring her burial;
But throw her forth to beafts and birds of prey:
Her life was beaft-like, and devoid of pity,
And being fo, fhe fhall have like want of it.
See juftice done on Aaron that damn'd Moor,
From whom our heavy haps had their beginning;
Then afterwards, we'll order well the ftate,
That like events may ne'er it ruinate.

[Exeunt omnes.

THE