And to my fortunes, and the people's favour,
Commit my Caufe in ballance to be weigh'd.
[Exeunt Soldiers. Sat. Friends, that have been thus forward in my Right, I thank you all, and here dismiss you all; And to the love and favour of my country Commit my felf, my perfon and the Cause: Rome, be as juft and gracious unto me, As I am confident and kind to thee.
Open the gates, and let me in.
Baf. Tribunes, and Me, a poor Competitor.
[They go up into the Senate-house.
Enter a Captain.
Cap. Romans, make way: the good Andronicus,
Patron of virtue, Rome's beft champion,
Successful in the battels that he fights,
With honour and with fortune is return'd,
From whence he circumfcribed with his fword,
And brought to yoke the enemies of Rome.
Sound Drums and Trumpets, and then enter Mutius and Marcus after them, two men bearing a coffin cover'd with black; then Quintus and Lucius. After them, Titus Andronicus; and then Tamora, the Queen of Goths, Alarbus, Chiron, and Demetrius, with Aaron the Moor, prifoners; foldiers, and other attendants. They fet down the coffin, and Titus fpeaks.
Tit. Hail, Rome, victorious in my mourning weeds! (1) Lo, as the Bark, that hath difcharg'd her freight, Returns with precious lading to the bay,
From whence at firft fhe weigh'd her anchorage;
(1) Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning Weeds !] Mr. War burton and I concurr'd to suspect that the Poet wrote;
i. e. Titus would fay; "Thou, Rome, art victorious, tho' I am "a Mourner for thofe Sons which I have loft in obtaining "that victory."
Cometh Andronicus with laurel boughs,
To re-falute his Country with his tears;
Tears of true joy for his Return to Rome.
Thou great Defender of this Capitol,
Stand gracious to the Rites that we intend !
Romans, of five and twenty valiant fons,
Half of the number that King Priam had,
Behold the poor Remains, alive and dead!
Thefe, that furvive, let Rome reward with love;
Thefe, that I bring unto their latest home,
With burial among their Ancestors.
Here Goths have given me leave to sheath my
Titus, unkind, and careless of thine own,
Why fuffer'ft thou thy Sons, unburied yet,
To hover on the dreadful fhore of Styx ?
Make way to lay them by their brethren.
[They open the Tomb. There greet in filence, as the dead are wont, And fleep in peace, flain in your country's wars: O facred receptacle of my joys,
Sweet cell of virtue and nobility,
How many fons of mine haft thou in ftore,
That thou wilt never render to me more ?
Luc. Give us the proudeft prifoner of the Goths,
That we may hew his limbs, and on a pile,
Ad manes Fratrum facrifice his flesh,
Before this earthly prifon of their bones:
That fo the fhadows be not unappeas'd,
Nor we disturb'd with prodigies on earth.
Tit. I give him you, the nobleft that survives :
The eldest fon of this diftreffed Queen.
Tam. Stay, Roman brethren, gracious Conqueror,
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,
A mother's tears in paffion for her fon:
And, if thy fons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my fons to be as dear to me.
Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome, (2)
(2) Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome, To beautify thy Triumphs, and return
To beautify thy Triumphs and Return,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoak?
But muft my fons be flaughter'd in the streets,
For valiant doings in their country's caufe?
O! if to fight for King and Common-weal
Were Piety in thine, it is in these :
Andronicus, ftain not thy tomb with blood.
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the Gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful;
Sweet Mercy is Nobility's true badge.
Thrice-noble Titus, fpare my firft-born fon.
Tit. Patient your felf, Madam, and pardon me.
These are their brethren, whom you Goths behold
Alive and dead, and for their brethren slain
Religioufly they ask a Sacrifice;
To this your fon is markt, and die he must,
T'appease their groaning fhadows that are gone.
Luc. Away with him, and make a fire ftraight.
And with our fwords, upon a pile of wood,
Let's hew his limbs, 'till they be clean confum'd.
[Exeunt Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius with Alarbus.
Tam. O cruel, irreligious, piety!
Chi. Was ever Scythia half fo barbarous ?
Dem. Oppofe me, Scythia, to ambitious Rome.
Alarbus, go to reft! and we furvive
To tremble under Titus' threatning looks.
Then, Madam, ftand refolv'd; but hope withal,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman Toak?] It is evident, as this Paffage has hitherto been pointed, none of the Editors underftood the true Meaning. If Tamora and her Family return captive to Rome, they must have been before Prifoners of War to the Romans: and that is more than what is hinted, or fuppos'd, any where in the Play. But the Truth is, return is not a Verb but a Subftantive; and relates to Titus and not to Tamora: The Regulation I have given the Text, I dare warrant, reftores the Author's Intention.
To beautify thy Triumphs and Return.
The felf-fame Gods, that arm'd the Queen of Troy (3)
With opportunity of fharp revenge
Upon the Thracian tyrant in her Tent,
May favour Tamora, the Queen of Goths,
(When Goths were Goths, and Tamora was Queen)
To quit her bloody wrongs upon her foes.
Enter Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius.
Luc. See, lord and father, how we have perform'd
Our Roman rites: Alarbus' limbs are lopt;
And intrails feed the facrificing fire;
Whose smoke, like incenfe, doth perfume the sky.
Remaineth nought but to inter our brethren,
And with loud "larums welcome them to Rome.
Tit. Let it be fo, and let Andronicus
Make this his latest farewel to their fouls.
[Then found trumpets, and lay the coffins in the tomb.
In peace and honour reft you here, my fons,
Rome's readieft champions, repose you here,
Secure from worldly chances and mishaps:
Here lurks no treafon, here no envy fwells;
Here grow no damned grudges, here no ftorms,
No noife: but filence and eternal fleep :}
peace and honour reft you here, my fons !
Lav. In peace and honour live lord Titus long,
My noble lord and father, live in fame!
Lo! at this tomb my tributary tears
(3) The Self-fame Gods, that arm'd the Queen of Troy With opportunity of sharp revenge
Upon the Thracian Tyrant in his Tent, &c.] I read, against the Authority of all the Copies,in her Tent; i. e. in the Tent where he and the other Trojan Captive Women were kept: for thither Hecuba by a Wile had decoy'd Polymnestør, in order to perpetrate her Revenge. This we may learn from EURIPIDES'S Hecuba; the only Author, that I can at prefent remember, from whom our Writer must have glean'd this Circumftance.
I render, for my brethrens' obfequies :
And at thy feet I kneel, with tears of joy
Shed on the earth, for thy Return to Rome.
O, bless me here with thy victorious hand,
Whofe fortune Rome's best citizens applaud.
Tit. Kind Rome, that haft thus lovingly referv'd
The Cordial of mine age, to glad mine heart!
Lavinia, live; out-live thy father's days, (4)
In Fame's eternal Date for virtue's praife!
Mar. Long live lord Titus, my beloved brother,
Gracious triumpher in the eyes of Rome!
Tit. Thanks, gentle Tribune, noble brother Marcus.
Mar. And welcome, Nephews, from fuccefsful wars,
You that furvive, and you that Deep in fame:
Fair lords, your fortunes are alike in all,
That in your country's fervice drew your fwords.
But fafer triumph is this funeral pomp,
That hath afpir'd to Solon's happiness;
And triumphs over chance, in Honour's bed.
Titus Andronicus, the people of Rome,
Whose friend in juftice thou haft ever been,
Send thee by me their Tribune, and their trust,
This Palliament of white and spotless hue;
And name thee in election for the Empire,
With these our late-deceased Emperor's fons:
Be Candidatus then, and put it on ;
And help to fet a head on headless Rome.
Tit. A better head her glorious body fits,
Than his, that shakes for age and feebleness :
What! fhould I don this robe, and trouble you?
Be chose with Proclamations to day,
To morrow yield up Rule, refign my life,
And fet abroach new business for you all?
(4) Lavinia, live; out-live thy Father's days:
And Fame's eternal date for Virtue's praife!] Were the Text to be admitted genuine, nothing could be fo abfurd as for Titus to wish, his Daughter might out-live the eternal Date of Fame. I have, by the Change of a single Monofyllable, reftor'd the Paffage to a fenfible and kind Wish.
|