Tit. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee:
Welcome, dread fury, to my woeful house;
Rapine and Murder, you are welcome too :
How like the Emprefs and her fons you are!
Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor;
Could not all hell afford you fuch a devil?
For, well I wot, the Empress never wags,
But in her company there is a Moor;
And would you reprefent our Queen aright,
It were convenient you had fuch a devil:
But welcome, as you are: what fhall we do?
Tam. What wouldft thou have us do, Andronicus?
Dem. Shew me a murderer, I'll deal with him.
Chi. Shew me a villain, that has done a rape,
And I am fent to be reveng'd on him.
Tam. Shew me a thousand, that have done thee wrong; And I will be revenged on them all
Tit. Look round about the wicked ftreets of Rome,
And when thou find'ft a man that's like thyself,
Good Murder, ftab him; he's a muderer.
Go thou with him, and when it is thy hap
To find another that is like to. thee,
Good Rapine, ftab him; he is a ravisher.
Go thou with them, and in the Emperor's Court
There is a Queen attended by a Moor;
Well may't thou know her by thy own proportion,
For up and down the doth refemble thee;
I pray thee, do on them fome violent death;
They have been violent to me and mine.
Tam. Well haft thou leffon'd.us, this fhall we do. But, would it pleafe thee, good Andronicus,
To fend for Lucius thy thrice-valiant fon,
Who leads tow'rds Rome a band of warlike Goths,
And bid him come and banquet at thy house.
When he is here, ev'n at thy folemn feast,
I will bring in the Emprefs and her fons,
The Emperor himself, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy fhall they ftoop and kneel,
And on them fhall thou eafe thy angry heart :
What fays Andronicus to this device?
Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis fad Titus calls :
Enter Marcus.
Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius;
Thou fhalt enquire him out among the Goths:
Bid him repair to me and bring with him
Some of the chiefest Princes of the Goths;
Bid him encamp his foldiers where they are;
Tell him, the Emperor and the Empress too
Feaft at my houfe, and he fhall feaft with them;
This do thou for my love, and so let him,
As he regards his aged father's life.
Mar. This will I do, and foon return again. [Exit.
Tam. Now will I hence about my business,
And take my minifters along with me.
Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me; Or elfe I'll call my brother back again,
And cleave to no revenge but Lucius,
Tam. What fay you, boys, will you abide with him, Whiles I go tell my Lord, the Emperor, How I have govern'd our determin'd jeft? Yield to his humour, fmooth, and speak him fair, And tarry with him 'till I come again.
Tit. I know them all, tho' they fuppofe me mad; And will o'er-reach them in their own devices: A pair of curfed hell-hounds and their dam.
[Afide. Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here. Tam. Farewel Andronicus; Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit Tamora. Tit. I know thou doft; and, sweet Revenge, farewel. Chi. Tell us, old man, how fhall we be employ'd? Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to do. Publius, come hither, Caius and Valentine!
Enter Publius and Servants.
Pub. What is your will?
Pub. The Emprefs' fons,
I take them, Chiron, and Demetrius.
Tit. Fy, Publius, fy! thou art too much deceiv'd, The one is Murder, Rape is th' other's name; And therefore bind them, gentle Publius; Caius and Valentine, lay hands on them; Oft have you heard me with for fuch an hour, And now I find it, therefore bind them fure. [Exit Titus, Chi. Villains, forbear; we are the Emprefs' fons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded. Stop close their mouths; let them not fpeak a word. Is he fure bound? look, that ye bind them fast.
Enter Titus Andronicus with a Knife, and Lavinia with a Bafon.
Tit. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound;
Sir, ftop their mouths, let them not speak to me,
But let them hear what fearful words I utter.
Oh, villains, Chiron and Demetrius!
Here ftands the fpring whom you have ftain'd with mud,
This goodly fummer with your winter mixt:
You kill'd her husband, and for that vile fault
Two of her brothers were condemn'd to death;
My hand cut off, and made a merry jeft;
Both her fweet hands, her tongue, and that more dear
Than hands or tongue, her spotlefs chaftity,
Inhuman traitors, you conftrain'd and 'forc'd.
What would ye fay, if I fhould let you speak?
Villains !—for shame, you could not beg for
Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
grace.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats,
Whilft that Lavinia 'twixt her ftumps doth hold
The bafon, that receives your guilty blood
You know, your mother means to feaft with me,
And calls herself Revenge, and thinks me mad-
Hark, villains, I will grind your bones to duft,
And with your blood and it I'll make a pafte;
And of the paste a coffin will I rear,
And make two pafties of your fhameful heads;
And bid that ftrumpet, your unhallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, fwallow her own increase.
This is the feast that I have bid her to,
And this the banquet fhe shall surfeit on;
For worse than Philomel you us'd my daughter,
And worse than Procne I will be reveng'd.
And now prepare your throats: Lavinia, come,
Receive the blood; and, when that they are dead,
Let me go grind their bones to powder small,
And with this hateful liquor temper it;
And in that pafte let their vile heads be bak'd.
Come, 'come, be every one officious
To make this banquet, which I wish might prove
More ftern and bloody than the Centaurs' feat.
[He cuts their throats. So, now bring them in, for I'll play the cook, And fee them ready 'gainst the mother comes. [Exeunt.
Enter Lucius, Marcus, and Goths with Aaron Prifoner. Luc. Uncle Marcus, fince it is my father's mind That I repair to Rome, I am content.
Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune will.
Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor,
This ravenous tiger, this accurfed devil;
Let him receive no fuftenance, fetter him,
'Till he be brought unto the Emp'ror's face,
For teftimony of thefe foul proceedings;
And fee, the ambush of our friends be ftrong;
I fear, the Emperor means no good to us.
Aar. Some devil whisper curfes in my ear,
And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth
The venomous malice of my fwelling heart!
Luc. Away, inhuman dog, unhallow'd flave.
[Exeunt Goths with Aaron. Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in. [Flourish. The trumpets fhew, the Emperor is at hand.
Sound trumpets. Enter Emperor and Emprefs, with
Sat. What, hath the firmament more funs than one?
Lac. What boots it thee to call thyfelf a Sun?
Mar. Rome's Emperor, and Nephew, break the parley;
Thefe quarrels must be quietly debated:
The feaft is ready, which the careful Titus
Hath ordain'd to an honourable end,
For peace, for love, for league, and good to Rome:
Pleafe you therefore draw nigh and take your places.
Sat. Marcus, we will.
[Hautboys.
A Table brought in. Enter Titus like a Cook, placing the meat on the Table, and Lavinia with a veil over her face.
Tit. Welcome, my gracious Lord; welcome, dread
Queen,
Welcome, ye warlike Goths, welcome, Lucius,
And welcome, all; although the cheer be poor,
'Twill fill your ftomachs, pleafe 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. And if your Highness 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 she 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, and 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 woeful as Virginius was,
And have a thousand times more caufe than he
To do this outrage. And it is now done.
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