SCENE III.-The same. A Pavilion with Tables, &c. Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with AARON Luc. Uncle Marcus, since 'tis my father's mind, 1 Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune will. Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor, This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil; Let him receive no sustenance, fetter him, Aar. Some devil whisper curses in mine ear, Luc. Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd slave !— Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in ; [Exeunt Goths, with AARON. Flourish. The trumpets show, the emperor is at hand. Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with Tribunes, Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns than one? Mar. Rome's emperor, and nephew, break the parle ; These quarrels must be quietly debated. The feast is ready, which the careful Titus Hath ordain'd to an honourable end, For peace, for love, for league, and good to Rome: Please you, therefore, draw nigh, and take your places. Sat. Marcus, we will. [Hautboys sound. The Company sit down at Table. Enter TITUS, dressed like a Cook, LAVINIA, veiled, young LUCIUS, and Others. TITUS places the dishes on the Table. Tit. Welcome, my gracious lord; welcome, dread queen; Welcome, ye warlike Goths; welcome, Lucius; Was it well done of rash Virginius, To slay his daughter with his own right hand, Sat. It was, Andronicus. Tit. Your reason, mighty lord? Sat. Because the girl should not survive her shame, And by her presence still renew his sorrows. [He kills LAVINIA. And, with thy shame, thy father's sorrow die! Sat. What hast 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 cause than he To do this outrage;-and it is now done. Sat. What, was she ravish'd? tell who did the deed. Tit. Will't please you eat? will't please your highness feed? Tam. Why hast thou slain thine only daughter thus? Tit. Not I; 'twas Chiron and Demetrius: They ravish'd her, and cut away her tongue, And they, 'twas they, that did her all this wrong. Tit. Why, there they are both, baked in that pye; 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness my knife's sharp point. [Killing TAMORA. Sat. Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed. [Killing TITUS. Luc. Can the son's eye behold his father bleed? There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed. [Kills SATURNINUS. A great Tumult. The People in confusion disperse. MARCUS, Lucius, and their Partizans, ascend the steps before TITUS' House. Mar. You sad-fac'd men, people and sons of Rome, By uproar sever'd, like a flight of fowl Scatter'd by winds and high tempestuous gusts, O, let me teach you how to knit again These broken limbs again into one body. Sen. Lest Rome herself be bane unto herself; And she, whom mighty kingdoms curtsy to, Do shameful execution on herself. But if my frosty signs and chaps of age, Cannot induce you to attend my words,— Speak, Rome's dear friend; [To LUCIUS.] as erst our ancestor, When with his solemn tongue he did discourse, To love-sick Dido's sad attending ear, The story of that baleful burning night, When subtle Greeks surpriz'd king Priam's Troy; But floods of tears will drown my oratory, And break my very utterance, even i̇' the time Here is a captain, let him tell the tale; Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him speak. Were they that murdered our emperor's brother; Lastly, myself unkindly banished, The gates shut on me, and turn'd weeping out, My scars can witness, dumb although they are, The issue of an irreligious Moor, Chief architect and plotter of these woes; Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true. Now you have heard the truth, what say you, Romans? Have we done aught amiss? Shew us wherein, The poor remainder of Andronici Will, hand in hand, all headlong cast us down, |