Cut off the proud'ft confpirator that lives.

Tam. My gracious Lord, my lovely Saturnine,
Lord of my life, commander of my thought,
Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age,
Th' effects of forrow for his valiant fons,

Whose lofs hath pierc'd him deep, and scarr'd his heart;
And rather comfort his diftreffed plight,
Than profecute the meaneft, or the best,

For these contempts- Why, thus it fhall become
High-witted Tamora to glofe with all :

But, Titus, I have touch'd thee to the quick,
Thy life-blood out: if Aaron now be wife,
Then is all fafe, the anchor's in the

Enter Clown.

port.

[Afide.

How, now, good fellow, wouldst thou speak with us?
Clo. Yea, forfooth, an your Mistership be Emperial.
Tam. Empress I am, but yonder fits the Emperor.
Clo. 'Tis he: God and St. Stephen give you good-even:
I have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.
[He reads the letter.
Sat. Go, take him away, and hang him presently.
Clown. How much money must I have?
Tam. Come, firrah, thou must be hang'd.

Clown. Hang'd! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end.

Sat. Defpightful and intolerable wrongs! Shall I endure this monftrous villany?

[Exit

I know, from whence this fame device proceeds;
May this be borne ? as if his traiterous fons,
That dy'd by law for murder of our brother,
Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully?
Go, drag the villain hither by the hair,
Nor age nor honour fhall fhape privilege.
For this proud mock I'll be thy flaughter-man ;
Sly frantick wretch, that holp'ft to make me great,
In hope thyself should govern Rome and me.

Enter Emilius. (15)

Sat. What news with thee, Æmilius?

Æm. Arm, arm, my Lords; Rome never had more caufe;
The Goths have gather'd head, and with a power
Of high-refolved men, bent to the spoil,

They hither march amain, under the conduct
Of Lucius, fon to old Andronicus:

Who threats in course of his revenge to do
As much as ever Coriolanus did.

Sat. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?
These tidings nip me, and I hang the head
As flowers with froft, or grafs beat down with ftorms.
Ay, now begin our forrows to approach ;-
"Tis he, the common people love fo much :
Myfelf 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 our city strong? Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius,

And will revolt from me, to fuccour him.

Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious like thy name. Is the fun dim'd, that gnats do fly in it? The eagle fuffers little birds to fing,

And is not careful what they mean thereby,

(15) Enter Nuntius Emilius.] Thus the old Books have defcribed this Character: and, I believe, I can account for the Formality, from the Ignorance of the Editors. In the Author's Manufcript, I prefume, 'twas writ, Enter Nuntius'; and they observing, that he is immediately called Æmilius, thought proper to give him his whole Title, and fo clapped in Enter Nuntius Æmilius. Mr. Pope has very critically followed them; and ought, methinks, to have given his new-adopted Citizen Nuntius a place in the Dramatis Perfonæ. If this Gentleman has difcovered any Roman Family, that had the Prenemen of Nuntius; it is a Secret, I dare fay, more than Carifius, Diomedes Grammaticus, or the Fafti Capitolini, were ever acquainted wi hal. Shakespeare meant no more than, Enter Æmilius as a Mellinger.

Knowing

Knowing, that with the fhadow of his wings
He can at pleasure stint their melody;

Even fo may'ft thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy fpirit, for know, thou Emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus

With words more fweet, and yet more dangerous,
Than baits to fish, or honey-ftalks to fheep:
When as the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious food.

Sat. But he will not intreat his fon for us.
Tam. If Tamora intreat him, then he will;
For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear
With golden promifes; that were his heart
Almoft impregnable, his old ears deaf,
Yet fhould both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Go thoa before as our embaffador;

[To Emilius. Say, that the Emperor requests a parley Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting.

Sat. Emilius, do this meffage honourably;
And if he ftand on hoftage for his fafety,
Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.
Emil. Your bidding fhall I do effectually. [Exit.
Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus,

And temper him, with all the art I have,
To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths,
And now, fweet Emperor, be bith again,

And bury all thy fear in my devices.

Sat. Then go fuccefsfully, and plead to him. [Exe.

SCENE, A Camp, at a small distance from Rome.

Enter Lucius with Goths, with drum and foldiers.

A

L'UCIUS.

PPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends,
I have received letters from great Rome,
Which fignify, what hate they bear their Emp'ror,
And how defirous of our fight they are.

Therefore, great Lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious and impatient of your wrongs;
And wherein Rome hath done you any scathe,
Let him make treble fatisfaction.

Goth. Brave flip, fprung from the great Andronicus,
(Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort)
Whofe high exploits and honourable deeds
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us; we'll follow, where thou lead’st :
Like ftinging bees in hotteft fummer's day,
Led by their mafter to the flower'd fields,
And be aveng'd on curied Tamora.

all.

Omn. And, as he faith, fo fay we all with him.
Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank
But who comes here, led by a lufty Goth?

you

Enter a Goth leading Aaron, with his child in his arms.

Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I ftray'd

To gaze upon a ruinous monaftery:
And as I earneftly did fix mine eye
Upon the wafted building, fuddenly.
I heard a child cry underneath a wall;
I made unto the noise, when foon I heard

The crying babe controll'd with this discourse :

"Peace,

"Peace, tawny flave, half me and half thy dam.
"Did not thy hue bewray whofe brat thou art,
"Had Nature lent thee but thy mother's look,
"Villain, thou might'ft have been an Emperor :
"But where the bull and cow are both milk-white,
They never do beget a cole-black calf;

"Peace, villain, peace? (ev'n thus he rates the babe) For I must bear thee to a trufty Goth;

"Who, when he knows thou art the Emprefs' babe, "Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's fake." With this, my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him, Surpriz'd him fuddenly, and brought him hither, To ufe as you think needful of the man.

Luc. O worthy Goth, this is th' incarnate devil,
That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand;
This is the pearl that pleas'd your Emprefs' eye,
And here's the bafe fruit of his burning luft.
Say, wall-ey'd flave, whither would't thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
Why doft not fpeak? what! deaf? no! not a word?
A halter, foldiers; hang him on this tree,
And by his fide his fruit of baftardy.

Aar. Touch,not the boy, he is of royal blood.
Luc. Too like the fire for ever being good.
First, hang the child, that he may fee it fprawl,
A fight to vex the father's foul withal.
Get me a ladder. (16)

Aar. Lucius, fave the child,

And bear it from me to the Emperefs;

If thou do this, I'll fhew thee wond'rous things,
That highly may advantage thee to hear;

(16) Aar. Get me a Ladder. Lucius, fave the Child.] All the printed Editions have given this whole Verfe to Aaron. But why fhould the Moor here ask for a Ladder, who earneftly wanted to have his Child fav'd? Unless the Poet is fuppofed to mean for Aaron, that, if they would get him a Ladder, he would refolutely hang himself out of the way, fo they would fpare the Child. But I much rather fufpect there is an old Error in prefixing the Names of the Perfons; and that Lucius ought to call for the Ladder, and then Aaron very properly intreats of Lucius to fave the Child.