My lord the emperor, resolve me this; To slay his daughter with his own right hand, 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 un kind? Tit. Kill'd her, for whom my tears have made me blind. I am as woful 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. Sat. Go, fetch them hither to us presently. Tit. Why, there they are both, baked in that pie; Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred. 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness my knife's sharp point. [Killing Tamora. Sat. Die, frantick wretch, for this accursed deed. [Killing Titus. Luc. Can the sou'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 partisans ascend the steps before Titus's 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, Sen. Lest Rome herself be bane unto herself; And she, whom mighty kingdoms court'sy to, Like a forlorn and desperate cast-away, 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, The story of that baleful burning night, When subtle Greeks surpriz'd king Priam's Troy; But floods of tears will drown my oratory, 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, Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears, H Sheathing the steel in my advent'rous body. My scars can witness, dumb although they are, For when no friends are by, men praise themselves. Mar. Now is my turn to speak; Behold this child, [Pointing to the child in the arms of an Attendant. Of this was Tamora delivered; The issue of an irreligious Moor, Chief architect and plotter of these woes; The villain is alive in Titus' house, Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true. mans? Have we done aught amiss? Show us wherein, poor remainder of Andronici Will, hand in hand, all headlong cast us down, Emil. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome, And bring our emperor gently in thy hand, Lucius our emperor; for, well I know, The common voice do cry, it shall be so. Rom. [Several speak.] Lucius, all hail; Rome's royal emperor! Lucius, &c. descend. Mar. Go, go into old Titus' sorrowful house; [To an Attendant. And hither hale that misbelieving Moor, Rom. [Several speak.] Lucius, all hail; Rome's Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans; May I govern so, Mar. Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss, Ọ, were the sum of these that I should pay Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us To melt in showers: Thy grandsire lov'd thee well: = |