Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you hence;

For it is you that puts us to our shifts:
I'll make you feed on berries and on roots,
And †feed on curds and whey, and suck the
goat,

And cabin in a cave, and bring you up
To be a warrior, and command a camp. 180
[Exit.

SCENE III. The same. A public place. Enter TITUS, bearing arrows with letters at the ends of them; with him, MARCUS, young LUCIUS, PUBLIUS, SEMPRONIUS, CAIUS, and other Gentlemen, with bows.

Tit. Come, Marcus; come, kinsmen; this is the way.

Sir boy, now let me see your archery; Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there straight.

Terras Astræa reliquit :

Be you remember'd, Marcus, she's gone, she's fled.

Sirs, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall

Go sound the ocean, and cast your nets;
Happily you may catch her in the sea;
Yet there's as little justice as at land :
No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do

it ;

10

'Tis you must dig with mattock and with spade,

And pierce the inmost centre of the earth:
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you, deliver him this petition;
Tell him, it is for justice and for aid,
And that it comes from old Androniens,
Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome.
Ah, Rome! Well, well; I made thee miserable
What time I threw the people's suffrages
On him that thus doth tyrannize o'er me.
Go, get you gone; and pray be careful all.
And leave you not a man-of-war unsearch'd:
This wicked emperor may have shipp'd her
hence;

20

So that perforce you must needs stay a time. Tit. He doth me wrong to feed me with delays.

I'll dive into the burning lake below,
And pull her out of Acheron by the heels.
Marcus, we are but shrubs, no cedars we,
No big-boned men framed of the Cyclops' size;
But metal, Marcus, steel to the very back,
Yet wrung with wrongs more than our backs
can bear:

And, sith there's no justice in earth nor hell, We will solicit heaven and move the gods 50 To send down Justice for to wreak our wrongs. Come, to this gear. You are a good archer, Marcus; [He gives them the arrows. 'Ad Jovem,' that's for you: here, ‘Ad Apollinem

'Ad Martem,' that's for myself:
Here, boy, to Pallas: here, to Mercury:
To Saturn, Caius, not to Saturnine;
You were as good to shoot against the wind.
To it, boy! Marcus, loose when I bid.
Of my word, I have written to effect;
There's not a god left unsolicited.
Marc. Kinsinen, shoot all your shafts inte
the court:

60

And who should find them but the empress' villain ?

She laugh'd, and told the Moor he should not choose

But give them to his master for a present.
Tit. Why, there it goes: God give his lord-

ship joy!

Sirrah, what tidings? have you any letters ? Shall I have justice? what says Jupiter?

79

Clo. O, the gibbet-maker! he says that he hath taken them down again, for the man must not be hanged till the next week.

Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee? Clo. Alas, sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with him in all my life.

Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier ? Clo. Ay, of my pigeons, sir; nothing else.

Tit. Why,didst thou not come from heaven? Clo. From heaven I alas, sir, I never came there: God forbid I should be so bold to press to heaven in my young days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men.

Mare. Why, sir, that is as fit as can be to serve for your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the emperor from you.

Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the emperor with a grace?

Clo. Nay, truly, sir, I could never say grace in all my life. 101 Tit. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado,

But give your pigeons to the emperor :
By me thou shalt have justice at his hands.
Hold, hold; meanwhile here's money for thy
charges.

Give me pen and ink. Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplication ?

Clo. Ay, sir.

Tit. Then here is a supplication for you. And when you come to him, at the first approach you must kneel, then kiss his foot, then deliver up your pigeons, and then look for your reward. I'll be at hand, sir; see you do it bravely.

Co. I warrant you, sir, let me alone.

Tit. Sirrah, hast thou a knife? come, let me see it.

Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration;

For thou hast made it like an humble suppliant.

And when thou hast given it the emperor, Knock at my door, and tell me what he says. Clo. God be with you, sir; Tit. Come, Marcus, let us go. Publius, follow me. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV. The same. Before the palace. Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON, Lords, and others; SATURNINUS with the arrows in his hand that TITUS shot. Sat. Why, lords, what wrongs are these!

was ever seen

An emperor in Rome thus overborne,
Troubled, confronted thus; and, for the ex-

tent

Of egal justice, used in such contempt? My lords, you know, as know the mightful gods,

However these disturbers of our peace

Buz in the people's ears, there nought hath pass'd,

But even with law, against the wilful sons
Of old Andronicus. And what an if

His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits, 10
Shall we be thus afflicted in his wreaks,
His fits, his frenzy, and his bitterness?
And now he writes to heaven for his redress:
See, here's to Jove, and this to Mercury;
This to Apollo; this to the god of war;
Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of Rome!
What's this but libelling against the senate,

And blazoning our injustice every where ?
A goodly humor, is it not, my lords?
As who would say, in Rome no justice were. 20
But if I live, his feigned ecstasies
Shall be no shelter to these outrages:
But he and his shall know that justice lives
In Saturninus' health, whom, if she sleep,
He'll so awake as she in fury shall

Cut off the proud'st conspirator that lives. Tam. My gracious lord, my lovely Satur nine,

Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts. Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age, The effects of sorrow for his valiant sons, Whose loss hath pierced him deep and scarr'd his heart;

30

And rather comfort his distressed plight
Than prosecute the meanest or the best
For these contempts. [Aside] Why, thus it

shall become

They hither march amain, under conduct
Of Luctas, son to old Andronicus;
Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do
As much as ever Coriolanus did.

70

Sat. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths? These tidings nip me, and I hang the head As flowers with frost or grass beat down with storms:

Av, now begin our sorrows to approach : 'Tis he the common people love so much, Myself hath often over-heard them say, When I have walked like a private man, That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully, And they have wish'd that Lucius were their emperor.

Tam. Why should you fear? is not your city strong?

Sat. Ay, but the citizens favor Lucius, And will revolt from me to succor him.

80

Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious, like thy name.

Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it?
The eagle suffers little birds to sing,
And is not careful what they mean thereby,,
Knowing that with the shadow of his wings
He can at pleasure stint their melody:
Even so mayst thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy spirit: for know, thou em-
peror,

I will enchant the old Andronicus
With words more sweet, and yet more dan-
gerous,

Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep, When as the one is wounded with the bait, The other rotted with delicious feed.

90

ness,

Imperious and impatient of your wrongs, And wherein Rome hath done you any scath, Let him make treble satisfaction.

First Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus,

Whose name was once our terror, now our
comfort;
10
Whose high exploits and honorable deeds
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us: we'll follow where thou lead'st,
Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day
Led by their master to the flowered fields,
And be avenged on cursed Tamora.

All the Goths. And as he saith, so say we all with him.

Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all.

But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth? Enter a Goth, leading AARON with his Child in his arms.

Sec. Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I stray'd

20

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery;
And, as I earnestly did fix mine eye
Upon the wasted building, suddenly
I heard a child cry underneath a wall.
I made unto the noise; when soon I heard
The crying babe controll'd with this discourse
'Peace, tawny slave, half me and half thy dam
Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,
Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look,
Villain, thou mightst have been an emperor:
But where the bull and cow are both milk-
white,
31

They never do beget a coal-black calf.
Peace, villain, peace !'-even thus he rates the
babe,-

"For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth; Who, when he knows thou art the empress'

babe,

Aar.

[A ladder brought, which Aaron is made to ascend.

Lucius, save the child,

And bear it from me to the empress.
If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things,
That highly may advantage thee to hear:
If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,
I'll speak no more but Vengeance rot you all!'
Lic. Say on: an if it please me which thou
speak'st,

Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd. 60

dr. An if it please thee! why, assure thee, Lucius,

Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak; For I must talk of murders, rapes and mas

Luc. Who should I swear by ? thou believest no god :

That granted, how canst thou believe an oath ? Aar. What if I do not? as, indeed, I do not;

Yet, for I know thou art religious

And hast a thing within thee called conscience,
With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies,
Which I have seen thee careful to observe,
Therefore I urge thy oath; for that I know
An idiot holds his bauble for a god

And keeps the oath which by that god he 80

swears,

Aar. Why, she was wash'd and cut and trimm'd, and 'twas

Trim sport for them that had the doing of it. Luc. O barbarous, beastly villains, like thyself!

Aar. Indeed, I was their tutor to instruct them :

That codding spirit had they from their mother,
As sure a card as ever won the set; 100
That bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of me
As true a dog as ever fought at head.
Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth.
I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole
Where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay:
I wrote the letter that thy father found
And hid the gold within the letter mention'd,
Confederate with the queen and her two soas
And what not done, that thou hast cause to rue,
Wherein I had no stroke of mischief in it? 110
I play'd the cheater for thy father's hand,
And, when I had it, drew myself apart
And almost broke my heart with extreme
laughter:

I pry'd me through the crevice of a wall
When, for his hand, he had his two sons'

heads;

Beheld his tears, and laugh'd so heartily, That both mine eyes were rainy like to his : And when I told the empress of this sport, She swooned almost at my pleasing tale, And for my tidings gave me twenty kisses. First Goth. What, canst thou say all this. and never blush ? 121 Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saving is Luc. Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds?

Aar. Ay, that I had not done a thousand

graves,

And set them upright at their dear friendsTM doors,

Even when their sorrows almost were forgot;
And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,
Have with my knife carved in Roman etters,
'Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead."
Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things
As willingly as one would kill a fly,
And nothing grieves me heartily indeed
But that I cannot do ten thousand more.
Luc. Bring down the devil; for he m★
not die

So sweet a death as hanging presently.

Aar. If there be devils, would I were a devil To live and burn in everlasting fire,

So I might have your company in hell,
But to torment you with my bitter tongue! 150
Luc. Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak

no more.

Enter a Goth.

Third Goth. My lord, there is a messenger from Rome

Desires to be admitted to your presence.
Luc. Let him come near.

Enter EMILIUS.

Welcome, Emilius: what's the news from Rome ?

Emil. Lord Lucius, and you princes of the Goths,

160

The Roman emperor greets you all by me;
And, for he understands you are in arms,
He craves a parley at your father's house,
Willing you to demand your hostages,
And they shall be immediately deliver'd.
First Goth. What says our general?
Luc. Emilius, let the emperor give his
pledges

Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
And we will come. March away. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. Rome. Before Titus's house.
Enter TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, and CHIRON,
disguised.

Tam. Thus, in this strange and sad nabiliment,

I will encounter with Andronicus,
And say I am Revenge, sent from below
To join with him and right his heinous wrongs.
Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps,
To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge;
Tell him Revenge is come to join with him,
And work confusion on his enemies.

Enter TITUS, above.

[They knock.

Tit. Who doth molest my contemplation? Is it your trick to make me ope the door, That so my sad decrees may fly away, And all my study be to no effect?

10

You are deceived: for what I mean to do
See here in bloody lines I have set down;
And what is written shall be executed.

Tam. Titus, I am come to talk with thee. Tit. No, not a word; how can I grace my talk,

Wanting a hand to give it action?

Thou hast the odds of me; therefore no more. Tam. If thou didst know me, thou wouldest talk with me. 20

Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough:

Witness this wretched stump, witness these crimson lines;

Witness these trenches made by grief and care;

Witness the tiring day and heavy night;
Witness all sorrow, that I know thee wel
For our proud empress, mighty Tamora:
Is not thy coming for my other hand?

Tam. Know, thou sad man, I am not Tamora;

Tam. I am; therefore come down, and welcome me.

Tit. Do me some service, ere I come to thee. Lo, by thy side where Rape and Murder stands;

Now give me some surance that thou art Revenge,

Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot-wheels;
And then I'll come and be thy waggoner,
And whirl along with thee about the globe.
Provide thee two proper palfreys, black as jet,
To hale thy vengeful waggon swift away, 51
And find out murderers in their guilty caves:
And when thy car is loaden with their heads,
I will dismount, and by the waggon-wheel
Trot, like a servile footman, all day long,
Even from Hyperion's rising in the east
Until his very downfall in the sea:
And day by day I'll do this heavy task,
So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.
Tam. These are my ministers, and come
with me.
60
Are these thy ministers? what are
they call'd?

Tit.

Tam. Rapine and Murder; therefore called

Tam. This closing with him fits his lunacy: Whate'er I forge to feed his brain-sick fits, 71 Do you uphold and maintain in your speeches, For now he firmly takes me for Revenge; And, being credulous in this mad thought, I'll make him send for Lucius his son; And, whilst I at a banquet hold him sure, I'll find some cunning practice out of hand, To scatter and disperse the giddy Goths, Or, at the least, make them his enemies. See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.

80