Shakspeare's Dramatic Works

Follows me every where, I know not why :-
Good uncle Marcus, fee how fwift the comes!

i Alas! fweet aunt, I know not what you mean.
Mar. Stand by me, Lucius; do not fear thine
aunt.

Help her: What would the find? Lavinia, fhall
I read ?

This is the tragic tale of Philon,

And treats of Tereus' treafon, and his rape;
And rape, I fear, was root of thine annoy.

Mar. See, brother, fee; note, how the quotes
the leaves.

Tit. Lavinia, wer`t thou thus furpriz`d, sweet girl, Ravish'd, and wrong`d, as Philomela was,

10 Forc'd in the ruthless, vaft, and gloomy woods? See, fee!

Tit. She loves thee, boy, too well to do thee harm.
Boy. Ay, when my father was in Rome, the did. 15
Mar. What means my niece Lavinia by these
[mean:-

figns?

Tit. Fear her not, Lucius:-Somewhat doth fhe
See, Lucius, fee, how much the makes of thee :
Somewhither would she have thee go with her.
Ah, boy, Cornelia never with more care
Read to her fons, than fhe hath read to thee,
Sweet poetry, and Tully's oratory.

Canft thou not guefs wherefore the plies thee thus
Boy. My lord, I know not, I, nor can I guess,
Unless fome fit of phrenzy do possess her:
For I have heard my grandfire say full oft,
Extremity of griefs would make men mad;
And I have read, that Hecuba of Troy

Ran mad through forrow; That made me to fear;
Although, my lord, I know, my noble aunt
Loves me as dear as e'er my mother did,
And would not, but in fury, fright my youth:
Which made me down to throw my books, and fly;
Caufelefs, perhaps : But pardon me, fweet aunt:
And, madam, if my uncle Marcus go,

I will most willingly attend your ladyship.
Mar. Lucius, I will.

[this?

Tit. How now, Lavinia ?-Marcus, what means Some book there is that the defires to fee:Which is it, girl, of these? Open them, boy.But thou art deeper read, and better skill'd; Come, and take choice of all my library, And fo beguile thy forrow, 'till the heavens Reveal the damn'd contriver of this deed. Why lifts the up her arms in fequence thus ? Mar. I think, the means, that there was more

than one

Confederate in the fact ;-Ay, more there was :-
Or else to heaven she heaves them for revenge.
Tit. Lucius, what book is that the toffeth fo?
Boy. Grandfire, 'tis Ovid's Metamorphofis;
My mother gave it me.

Mar. For love of her that's gone,
Perhaps the cull'd it from among the reft.

Tit. Soft! foft, how bufily the turns the leaves!]

Ay, fuch a place there is, where we did hunt,
(O, had we never, never, hunted there!)
Pattern'd by that the poet here describes,
By nature made for murders, and for rapes.

Mar. O, why fhould nature build fo foul a den,
Unless the gods delight in tragedies!

Tit. Give figns, fweet girl,-for here are none but friends,

20 What Roman lord it was durft do the deed: Or flunk not Saturnine, as Tarquin erst, That left the camp to fin in Lucrece' bed? Mar. Sit down, fweet niece ;-brother, fit down by me.

25 Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury,

Infpire me, that I may this treafon find!-
My lord, look here ;-look here, Lavinia:

[He writes his name with bis ftaff, and guides
it with bis feet and mouth.

30 This fandy plot is plain; guide, if thou can'ft, This after me, when I have writ my name Without the help of any hand at all.

Curs'd be that heart, that forc'd us to this fhift!Write thou, good niece; and here display at last, 35 What God will have discover'd for revenge: Heaven guide thy pen to print thy forrows plain, That we may know the traitors, and the truth! [She takes the faff in ber mouth, and guides it with ber ftumps, and writes. Tit. O, do you read, my lord, what the hath writ? Stuprum-Chiren-Demetrius.

Mar. What, what!-the luftful fons of Tamora
Performers of this hateful bloody deed?
Tit.Magne Dominator Poli,

45 Tam lentus audis fcelera ? tam lentus vides?
Mar. O, calm thee, gentle lord! although, I
know,

There is enough written upon this earth,

To ftir a mutiny in the mildeft thoughts,
50 And arm the minds of infants to exclaims.

My lord, kneel down with me; Lavinia, kneel;
And kneel, fweet boy, the Roman Hector's hope;
And fwear with me,-as with the woeful feere 2,
55 And father, of that chaste dishonour'd dame,
Lord Junius Brutus fware for Lucrece' rape,➡
That we will prosecute, by good advice,

To quote is to obferve, 2 Feere fignifies a companion, and here metaphorically a bufband.

Mortal

Mortal revenge upon these traiterous Goths,
And see their blood, or die with this reproach.
Tim. 'Tis fure enough, an you knew how.
But if you hurt these bear-whelps, then beware:
The dam will wake; and, if the wind you once,
She's with the lion deeply ftill in league,
And lulls him while the playeth on her back,
And, when he fleeps, will fhe do what she list.
You're a young huntsman, Marcus; let it alone;
And, come, I will go get a leaf of brafs,

To gratify your honourable youth, The hope of Rome; for fo he bade me fay; And fo I do, and with his gifts present Your lordships, that whenever you have need, 5 You may be armed and appointed well : And fo I leave you both, [Afide] like bloody villains. [Exit. Dem. What's here? A fcroll; and written round about?

10 Let's fee;

And with a gad of steel will write these words,
And lay it by: the angry northern wind
Will blow these fands, like Sybil's leaves, abroad,
And where's your leffon then?-Boy, what say you?
Boy. I fay, my lord, that if I were a man,
Their mother's bed-chamber should not be safe
For these bad bond-men to the yoke of Rome.
Mar. Ay, that's my boy! thy father hath full oft
For this ungrateful country done the like.
Boy. And, uncle, fo will I, an if I live.
Tit. Come, go with me into my armoury;
Lucius, I'll fit thee; and withal, my boy
Shall carry from me to the emperefs' fons
Presents, that I intend to fend them both:
Come, come; thou'lt do my meffage, wilt thou 25
not?
[fire.

Boy. Ay, with my dagger in their bofom, grandTit. No, no, boy, not so; I'll teach thee another course.

Lavinia, come :-Marcus, look to my house;
Lucius and I'll go brave it at the court;
Ay, marry, will we, fir; and we'll be waited on.
[Exeunt

Mar. O heavens, can you hear a good man groan, And not relent, or not compaffionate him?

Marcus, attend him in his ecftacy;

But were our witty emperefs well a-foot,
She would applaud Andronicus' conceit.
But let her reft in her unrest a-while.— J
And now, young lords, was 't not a happy star
Led us to Rome, ftrangers, and, more than fo,
Captives, to be advanced to this height?

It did me good, before the palace gate
30 To brave the tribune in his brother's hearing.
Dem. But me more good, to fee fo great a lord
Bafely infinuate, and fend us gifts.

That hath more fears of forrow in his heart,
Than foe-men's marks upon his batter'd shield:
But yet fo juft, that he will not revenge :-
Revenge the heavens for old Andronicus! [Exit. 40
SCENE
Changes to the Palace.

II.

Aar. Had he not reason, lord Demetrius? Did you not use his daughter very friendly? Dem. I would, we had a thousand Roman dames At fuch a bay, by turn to ferve our luft. Chi. A charitable with, and full of love. Aar. Here lacketh but your mother to say Amen. Chi. And that would the for twenty thoufand

more.

o'er.

Dem. Come, let us go; and pray to all the gods For our beloved mother in her pains. Aar. Pray to the devils; the gods have given us [Afide. Flour fo Dem. Why do the emperor's trumpets fourth thus? Chi. Belike, for joy the emperor hath a fon. Dem. Soft; who comes here?

Enter Nurfe, with a Black-a-moor Child.
Nurfe. Good-morrow, lords:

O tell me, did you fee Aaron the Moor?
Aar. Well, more or less, or ne'er a whit at all.
Here Aaron is; and what with Aaron now?
Nur. O gentle Aaron, we are all undone !
Now help, or woe betide thee evermore!

Aar. Why, what a caterwauling dost thou keep? What doft thou wrap and fumble in thine arms? Nur. O, that which I would hide from heaven's

eye,

60 Our emperefs'fhame, and statelyRome's difgrace;She is deliver'd, lords, she is deliver'd.

Aar. To whom?

Nur. I mean, he is brought to bed.

Aar. Well, God

Give her good reft! What hath he sent her?
Nur. A devil.

[iffue.
Aar. Why, then he is the devil's dam; a joyful 5
Nar. A joylefs, dismal, black, and sorrowful iffue:
Here is the babe, as loathfome as a toad
Amongst the fairest breeders of our clime.
The emperefs' fends it thee, thy ftamp, thy seal,
And bids thee chriften it with thy dagger's point.
Aar. Out, out, you whore! is black fo bafe a
hue?

Sweet blowfe, you are a beauteous blossom, sure.
Dem. Villain, what hast thou done?

Aar. That which thou

Can'ft not undo.

Chi. Thou haft undone our mother.

Aar. Villain, I have done thy mother.

Dem. And therein, hellish dog, thou haft undone.

Look, how the black flave fmiles upon the father;
As who fhould say, Old lad, I am thine own.
He is your brother, lords; fenfibly fed
Of that felf-blood that first gave life to you;
And, from that womb, where you imprison'd wero,
He is infranchifed and come to light:

Nay, he's your brother by the furer fide,
Although my feal is ftamped in his face.

Nur. Aaron, what shall Isay unto the emperefs?
Dem. Advife thee, Aaron, what is to be done,
And we will all fubfcribe to thy advice;
Save you the child, fo we may all be safe.

Aar. Then fit we down, and let us all confult.
My fon and I will have the wind of you:
15 Keep there: now talk at pleasure of your fafety.
[They fit on the ground.

Dem. How many women faw this child of his? Aar. Why, fo, brave lords; When we all join in league,

Woe to her chance, and damn'd her loathed choice !20I am a lamb: but if you brave the Moor,

Accurs'd the offspring of fo foul a fiend!

Chi. It fhall not live.

Aar. It shall not die.

The chafed boar, the mountain lionefs,
The ocean fwells not fo as Aaron ftorms.—
But, fay again, how many saw the child?
Nur. Cornelia the midwife, and myself,
And no one else, but the deliver'd emperess.
Aar. The emperefs, the midwife, and yourself:--
Two may keep counsel, when the third's away:
Go to the emperefs; tell her this I faid:-

[He kills her.

Stay, murd'rous villains! will you kill your brother? 30 Weke, weke!-fo cries a pig, prepar'd to the fpit.

Now, by the burning tapers of the sky,

That fhone fo brightly when this boy was got,
He dies upon my fcymitar's fharp point,

That touches this my first-born fon and heir!

I tell you, younglings, not Enceladus,

With all his threat'ning band of Typhon's brood,
Nor great Alcides, nor the god of war,
Shall feize this prey out of his father's hands.
What, what, ye fanguine, fhallow-hearted boys!
Ye white-lim'd walls! ye alehoufe painted figns!
Coal-black is better than another hue,

In that it scorns to bear another hue:
For all the water in the ocean

Dem. What mean'ft thou, Aaron? Wherefore

didft thou this?

Aar. O lord, fir, 'tis a deed of policy:
Shall the live to betray this guilt of ours?

35 A long-tongu'd babbling goffip! no, lords, no.
And now be it known to you my full intent.
Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman,
His wife but yefternight was brought to-bed;
His child is like to her, fair as you are:

40 Go pack 4 with him, and give the mother gold,
And tell them both the circumftance of all;
And how by this their child fhall be advanc'd,
And be received for the emperor's heir,
And fubftituted in the place of mine,

45 To calm this tempeft whirling in the court;
And let the emperor dandle him for his own.
Hark ye, my lords; ye fee, I have given her phyfick,
[Pointing to the nurse.
And you muft needs beftow her funeral;
50The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms:
This done, fee that you take no longer days,
But fend the midwife prefently to me.
The midwife, and the nurfe, well made away,
Then let the ladies tattle what they please.

Can never turn the swan's black legs to white,
Although the lave them hourly in the flood.-
Tell the emperefs from me, I am of age
To keep mine own; excufe it how she can.
Dem. Wilt thou betray thy noble miftrefs thus?
Aar. My miftrefs is my miftrefs; this, myfelf;
The vigour, and the picture of my youth:
This, before all the world, do I prefer;
This, maugre all the world, will I keep safe,
Or fome of you fhall fmoke for it in Rome.
Dem. By this our mother is for ever sham'd.
Chi. Rome will defpife her for this foul efcape. 55
Nur. The emperor, in his rage, will doom her
death.

Chi. I blush to think upon this ignomy.
Aar. Why there's the privilege your beauty bears:
Fye, treacherous hue! that will betray with blushing 60
The clofe enacts and counfels of the heart!
Here is a young lad fram'd of another leer 3:

Chi. Aaron, I fee, thou wilt not trust the air
With fecrets.

Dem. For this care of Tamora,
Herfelf, and hers, are highly bound to thee.

[Exeunt.

Aar. Now to the Goths, as fwift as swallow flies;
There to difpofe this treasure in my arms,
And secretly to greet the emperefs' friends.—

To do is here used obfcenely. A broach is a fpit. I'll fpit the tadpole. 3 Leer is complexion

or hue.

4 To peck is to contrive infidiously.

Come

Here, boy, to Pallas:-Here to Mercury :-
To Saturn, and to Cœlus; not to Saturnine,-
You were as good to shoot against the wind.-
To it, boy. Marcus, loofe when I bid:
150' my word, I have written to effect;
There's not a god left ur.folicited.

She's gone, she's fled.-Sirs, take you to your tools. 20
You, coufins, fhall go found the ocean,

And caft your nets; haply, you may find her in
the fea;

Yet there's as little juftice as at land :

No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it;
'Tis you must dig with mattock, and with spade,
And pierce the inmoft centre of the earth;
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you, deliver him this petition:
Tell him, it is for juftice, and for aid;

And that it comes from old Andronicus,

Shaken with forrows in ungrateful Rome.

Ah, Rome? Well, well; I made thee miferable,
What time I threw the people's fuffrages
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 unfearch'd;
This wicked emperor may have fhipp'd her hence,
And, kinsmen, then we may go pipe for justice.
Mar. O, Publius, is not this a heavy cafe,
To fee thy noble uncle thus distract?

Pub. Therefore, my lord, it highly us con

cerns,

By day and night to attend him carefully;
And feed his humour kindly as we may,
'Till time beget fome careful remedy.

[court:

Mar. Kinfmen, fhoot all your shafts into the
We will afflict the emperor in his pride.
Tit. Now, mafters, draw. [They foot.] O, well
faid, Lucius!

Good boy, in Virgo's lap, give it to Pallas.

Mar. My lord, I am a mile beyond the moon; Your letter is with Jupiter by this.

Tit. Ha! Publius, Publius, what haft thou done? 25 See, fee, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns. Mar. This was the fport, my lord; when Pub

lius shot,

The bull being gall'd, gave Aries fuch a knock That down fell both the ram's horns in the court; 30 And who fhould find them but the emperefs' villain? schoole

1351

She laugh'd, and told the Moor, he fhould not
But give them to his master for a prefent.
Tit. Why, there it goes: God give your lord-
ship joy!

Enter a Clown, with a basket and two pigeons.
News, news from heaven! Marcus, the poft is

come.

Sirrah, what tidings? have you any letters? 40 Shall I have juftice? what fays Jupiter?

Mar. Kinsmen, his forrows are paft remedy.
Join with the Goths; and with revengeful war
Take wreak on Rome for this ingratitude,
And vengeance on the traitor Saturnine.

[ters,

[word,

Tit. Publius, how now? how now, my maf

What, have you met with her?

Pub. No, my good lord; but Pluto fends you
If you will have revenge from hell, you shall:
Marry, for Juftice, fhe is fo employ'd,
He thinks with Jove in heaven, or fomewhere else,
So that perforce you needs must 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-bon'd men, fram'd of the Cyclops' fize;

Clown. Ho! the gibbet-maker? he says, that he hath taken them down again, for the man must not be hang'd 'till the next week.

Tit. Tut, what says Jupiter, I ask thee? Clorun. Alas, fir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with him in all my life.

Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier? Clown. Ay, of my pigeons, fir; nothing else. Tit. Why, didft thou not come from heaven? Clown. From heaven? alas, fir, I never came there: God forbid, I fhould be fo bold to prefs to heaven in my young days! Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs', to take up matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men.

Mar. Why, fir, that is as fit as can be, to ferve for your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the emperor from you.

Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the 60 emperor with a grace?

Clown. Nay, truly, fir, I could never fay grace Jin all my life.

Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd
And this fhall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live.

Luc. Tell on thy mind; I fay, thy child fhall live.
Aar. Swear that he fhall, and then I will begin.
Luc. Who fhould I swear by? thou believ'st no
god;

That granted, how canft thou believe an oath?
Aar. What if I do not? as, indeed, I do not:
Yet, for I know thou art religious,

And haft a thing within thee, called confcience;
With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies,
Which I have feen thee careful to obferve,-
Therefore I urge thy oath ;-For that, I know,
An ideot holds his bauble for a god,

And keeps the oath, which by that god he fwears;
To that I'll urge him :-Therefore thou shalt vow
By that fame god, what god foe'er it be,
That thou ador'ft and haft in reverence,-
To fave my boy, nourish, and bring him up;
Or elfe I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my god, I fwear to thee, I will. Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the emperefs.

Luc. O most infatiate, luxurious woman!

Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the faying is. Luc. Art thou not forry for these heinous deeds? Aar. Ay, that I had not done a thousand more. Even now I curfe the day, (and yet, I think, Few come within the compafs of my curfe) Wherein I did not fome notorious ill:

As kill a man, or else devife his death; Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it ; Accufe fome innocent, and forfwear myself; 10 Set deadly enmity between two friends; Make poor men's cattle break their necks; Set fire on barns and hay-ftacks in the night, And bid the owners quench them with their tears. Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves, 15 And fet them upright at their dear friends' doors, Even when the forrow almoft was forgot; And on their skins, as on the bark of trees, Have with my knife carved in Roman letters, Let not your forrow die, though I am dead. 20 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 2; for he must not die 25 So fweet a death, as hanging presently.

Aar. Tut, Lucius! this was but a deed of charity, To that which thou shalt hear of me anon. 'Twas her two fons, that murder'd Baffianus: They cut thy fifter's tongue, and ravith'd her, And cut her hands off; and trimm'd her as thou 30 faw'ft.

[ming?

Luc. O, deteftable villain! call'ft thou that trimAar. Why, fhe was wafh'd, and cut, and trimm'd; and 'twas

Trim fport for them that had the doing of it.

Luc. O, barbarous beaftly villains, like thyfelf!
Aar. Indeed, I was the tutor to inftru&t them:

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! Luc. Sirs, ftop his mouth, and let him speak

no more.

Enter Emilius.

Goth. My lord, there is a meffenger from Rome Defires to be admitted to your prefence.

Luc. Let him come near.

Welcome, Æmilius, what's the news from Rome? Emil. Lord Lucius, and you princes of the

Goths,

The Roman emperor greets you all by me:

That bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of me, 40 And, for he understands you are in arms,

As true a dog as ever fought at head.

Well, let my deeds be witnefs of my worth.
I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole,
Where the dead corps of Baffianus 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 fons:
And what not done, that thou haft cause to rue,
Wherein I had no ftroke of mischief in it?
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 fons' heads;
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd fo heartily,
That both mine eyes were rainy like to his;
And when I told the emperefs of this fport,
She fwooned almoft at my pleafing tale,
And, for my tidings, gave me twenty kiffes.

He craves a parley at your father's house;
Willing you to demand your hoftages,
And they fhall be immediately deliver'd.
Goth. What fays our general?

Luc. Æmilius, let the emperor give his pledges
Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
And we will come. March away. [Excunt.

SCENE II.

Titus's Palace in Rome.

Enter Tamora, Chiron, and Demetrius, disguis'd.
Tam. Thus, in this ftrange and fad habiliment
I will encounter with Andronicus;

55 And fay, I am Revenge, fent from below,
To join with him, and right his heinous wrongs.
Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps,
To ruminate ftrange plots of dire revenge;
Tell him, Revenge is come to join with him,

Goth. What! canft thou fay all this, and never 60 And work confufion on his enemies.
blush?

[They knock, and Titus opens bis ftudy deor.

2 Mr. Steevens

1 i. e. that love of bed-fports. Ced is a word fill used in Yorkshire for a pillow. here observes, that it appears, from these words, that the audience were entertained with part of the apparatus of an execution, and that Aaron was mounted on a ladder, as ready to be turned off. 312

Ti.

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Shakspeare's Dramatic Works: With Explanatory Notes, Volume 2