And we will all subscribe to thy advice;
Save thou the child, so we may all be safe.
Aar. Then sit we down, and let us all consult.
My son and I will have the wind of you:
Keep there: Now talk at pleasure of your safety.
[They sit on the ground.
Dem. How many women saw this child of his?
Aar. Why so, brave lords; When we all join
in league,

I am a lamb: but if you brave the Moor,
The chafed boar, the mountain lioness,
The ocean swells not so as Aaron storms.-
But say again, how many saw the child?

Nur. Cornelia the midwife, and myself,
And no one else but the deliver'd empress.

Aar. The empress, the midwife, and yourself: Two may keep counsel, when the third's away: Go to the empress; tell her, this I said :[Stabbing her. Weke, weke !-so cries a pig, prepar'd to the spit. Dem. What mean'st thou, Aaron? Wherefore didst thou this?

Aar. O, lord, sir, 'tis a deed of policy: Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours? A long-tongued babbling gossip? no, lords, no. And now be it known to you my full intent. Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman, His wife but yesternight was brought to bed; His child is like to her, fair as you are: Go pack with him, and give the mother gold, And tell them both the circumstance of all; And how by this their child shall be advanc'd, And be received for the emperor's heir, And substituted in the place of mine, To calm this tempest whirling in the court; And let the emperor dandle him for his own. Hark ye, lords; ye see that I have given her physic, [Pointing to the Nurse. And you must needs bestow her funeral; The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms: This done, see that you take no longer days, But send the midwife presently to me. The midwife, and the nurse, well made away, Then let the ladies tattle what they please.

Chi. Aaron, I see, thou wilt not trust the air With secrets.

Dem. For this care of Tamora, Herself, and hers, are highly bound to thee. [Exeunt DEM. and CHI., bearing off the Nurse. Aar. Now to the Goths, as swift as swallow flies;

There to dispose this treasure in mine arms,
And secretly to greet the empress' friends.-
Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you
For it is you that puts us to our shifts; [hence;
I'll make you feed on berries, and on roots,
And feed on curds and whey, and suck the goat,
And cabin in a cave; and bring you up
To be a warrior, and command a camp.

[Exit.

SCENE III-A public Place. Enter TITUS, bearing Arrows, with Letters at the ends of them; with him MARCUS, young LuCIUS, and other Gentlemen, with Bows. Tit. Come, Marcus, come;-Kinsmen, this is the way :

Sir boy, now let me see your archery; [straight: Look ye draw home enough; and 'tis there Terras Astræa reliquit :

[fled. Be you remember'd, Marcus, she's gone, she's Sir, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall Go sound the ocean, and cast your nets; Happily you may find her in the sea;

* Contrive, bargain with.

Since.

+ Strained.

? Revenge.

Yet there's as little justice as at land :-
No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it;
'Tis you must dig with mattock, and with spade,
And pierce the inmost centre of the earth:
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you, deliver him this petition:
Tell him, it is for justice, and for aid :
And that it comes from old Andronicus,
Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome.-
Ah, Rome!-Well, well; I made thee miserable,
What time I threw the people's suffrages
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 unsearch'd;
This wicked emperor may have shipp'd her hence,
And, kinsmen, then we may go pipe for justice.
Marc. O, Publius, is not this a heavy case,
To see thy noble uncle thus distract?
Pub. Therefore, my lord, it highly us concerns,
By day and night to attend him carefully;
And feed his humour kindly as we may,
Till time beget some careful remedy.

Marc. Kinsmen, his sorrows are past remedy.
Join with the Goths; and with revengeful war
Take wreak on Rome for this ingratitude,
And vengeance on the traitor Saturnine.
Tit. Publius, how now? how now, my mas-
ters? What,
Have you met with her?

[word, Pub. No, my good lord; but Pluto sends you If you will have revenge from hell, you shall: Marry, for justice, she is so employ'd, [else, He thinks, with Jove in heaven, or somewhere So that perforce you must needs 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' size : But metal, Marcus, steel to the very back; Yet wrung with wrongs, more than our backs can bear:

Marcus.

And, sith there is no justice in earth nor hell,
We will solicit heaven; and move the gods,
To send down justice for to wreak our wrongs:
Come, to this gear. You are a good archer,
[He gives them the Arrows.
Ad Jovem, that's for you :-Here, ad Apolli-
Ad Martem, that's for myself ;— [nem:
Here, boy, to Pallas :-Here, to Mercury:
To Saturn, Caius, not to Saturnine,-
You were as good to shoot against the wind.-
To it, boy. Marcus, loose when I bid:
O' my word, I have written to effect;
There's not a god left unsolicited. [court:
Marc. Kinsmen, shoot all your shafts into the
We will afflict the emperor in his pride.

Tit. Now, masters, draw. [They shoot.] 0, well said, Lucius !

Marc. My lord, I aim a mile beyond the moon; Your letter is with Jupiter by this. [ship joy. Tit. Why, there it goes: Jove give your lordEnter a Clown, with a Basket and Two Pigeons. News, news from heaven! Marcus, the post is

come.

Sirrah, what tidings? have you any letters?
Shall I have justice? what says Jupiter?

Clo. Ho the gibbet-maker? he says, that he hath taken them down again, for the man must not be hanged till the next week.

Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee? Clo. Alas, sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with him in all my life.

Tit. Why villain, art not thou the carrier?
Clo. Ay, of my pigeons, sir; nothing else.

Tit. Why, didst thou not come from heaven? Clo. From heaven? alas, sir, I never came here. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men. Marc. Why, sir, that is as fit as can be, to serve for your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the emperor from you.

Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the emperor with a grace? [all my life. Clo. Nay, truly, sir, I could never say grace in Tit. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado, But give your pigeons to the emperor : By me thou shalt have justice at his hands. Hold, hold;-meanwhile, here's money for thy Give me a pen and ink.[charges. Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplicaClo. Ay, sir. [tion? Tit. Then here is a supplication for you. And when you come to him, at the first approach, you must kneel; then kiss his foot; then deliver up your pigeons; and then look for your reward. I'll be at hand, sir; see you do it bravely.

Clo. I warrant you, sir; let me alone.
Tit. Sirrah, hast thou a knife? Come, let me
Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration. [see it.
For thou hast made it like an humble sup-
pliant:-

And when thou hast given it to the emperor,
Knock at my door, and tell me what he says.
Cio. God be with you, sir; I will. [me.
Tit. Come, Marcus, let's go :-Publius, follow
[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Before the Palace.
Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, CHIKON, DEME-
TRIUS, Lords, and Others: SATURNINUS with
the Arrows in his hand, that TITUS shot.
Sat. Why, lords, what wrongs are these?
Was ever seen

An emperor of Rome thus overborne,
Troubled, confronted thus; and, for the extent
Of egal justice, us'd in such contempt?
My lords, you know, as do the mightful gods,
However these disturbers of our peace [pass'd,
Buzz in the people's ears, there nought hath
But even with law, against the wilful sons
Of old Andronicus. And what an if
His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits,
Shall we be thus afflicted in his wreaks,
His fits, his frenzy, and his bitterness?
And now he writes to heaven for his redress:
See, here's to Jove, and this to Mercury;
This to Apollo; this to the god of war:
Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of Rome!
What's this, but libelling against the senate,
And blazoning our injustice everywhere?
A goodly humour, is it not, my lords?
As who would say, in Rome no justice were.
But, if I live, his feigned ecstasies
Shall be no shelter to these outrages:
But he and his shall know, that justice lives
In Saturninus' health; whom, if she sleep,
He'll so awake, as she in fury shall
Cut off the proud'st conspirator that lives.
Tam. My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,
Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,
Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age,
The effects of sorrow for his valiant sons,
Whose loss hath pierc'd him deep, and scarr'd
his heart;

And rather comfort his distressed plight,
Than prosecute the meanest, or the best,
For these contempts. Why, thus it shall become

• Equal. +Flatter. + Imperial. ? Stop.

High-witted Tamora to gloze + with all: Aside.
But, Titus, I have touch'd thee to the quick,
Thy life-blood out: if Aaron now be wise,
Then all is safe, the anchor's in the port.-
Enter Clown.

How now, good fellow? would'st thou speak
with us?
[imperial.
Clo. Yes, forsooth, an your mistership be
Tam. Empress I am, but yonder sits the em-

peror.

Clo. 'Tis he.-I have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.

[SAT. reads the Letter. Sat. Go, take him away, and hang him preClo. How much money must I have? [sently. Tam. Come, sirrah, you must be hang'd. Clo. Hang'd! Then I have brought up a neck to a fair end. [Exit, guarded. Sat. Despiteful and intolerable wrongs! Shall I endure this monstrous villany? I know from whence this same device proceeds; May this be borne?—as if his traitorous sons, That died by law for murder of our brother, Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully.

Go, drag the villain hither by the hair;
Nor age, nor honour, shall shape privilege :-
For this proud mock, I'll be thy slaughter-man;
Sly frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me
great,

In hope thyself should govern Rome and me.
Enter EMILIUS.

What news with thee, Æmilius?

Emil. Arm, arm, my lords; Rome never had more cause!

The Goths have gather'd head; and with a
Of high-resolved men, bent to the spoil, [power
They hither march amain, under condúct
Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus;
Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do
As much as ever Coriolanus did.

Sat. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?
These tidings nip me: and I hang the head
As flowers with frost, or grass beat down with

storms.

Ay, now begin our sorrows to approach:
'Tis he the common people love so much;
Myself hath often overheard them say,
(When I have walked like a private man,)
That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully,
And they have wish'd that Lucius were their
emperor.
{strong?
Tam. Why should you fear? is not your city
Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius;
And will revolt from me, to succour him.
Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious,‡ like
thy name.

Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it?
The eagle suffers little birds to sing,
And is not careful what they mean thereby;
Knowing that with the shadow of his wings,
He can at pleasure stint their melody:
Even so may'st thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy spirit: for know, thou emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus,
With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous
Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep;
When as the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious feed.

Sat. But he will not eutreat his son for us.
Tam. If Tamora entreat him, then he will:
For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear
With golden promises; that were his heart
Almost impregnable, his old cars deaf,

Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Go thou before, be our embassador: [To ÆMIL.
Say, that the emperor requests a parley
Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting,
Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus.
Sat. Æmilius, do this message honourably:
And if he stand on hostage for his safety, [best.
Bid him demand what pledge will please him
Emil. Your bidding shall I do effectually.
[Exit EMIL.
Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus;
And temper him, with all the art I have,
To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths.
And now, sweet emperor, be blithe again,
And bury all thy fear in my devices.

Sat. Then go successfully, and plead to him.

Act Fifth.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.-Plains near Rome. Enter LUCIUS, and Goths, with Drum and Colours.

Luc. APPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends,

I have received letters from great Rome, [ror,
Which signify, what hate they bear their empe-
And how desirous of our sight they are.
Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious, and impatient of your wrongs;
And, wherein Rome hath done you any scath,*
Let him make treble satisfaction.

1 Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus,

[fort; Whose name was once our terror, now our comWhose high exploits, and honourable deeds, Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt, Be bold in us: we'll follow where thou lead'st,

Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day,
Led by their master to the flower'd fields,-
And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora.

[him. Goths. And, as he saith, so say we all with Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all. But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth? Enter a Goth, leading AARON, with his Child in

his arms.

This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress'
eye; t
[convey
Say, wall-ey'd slave, whither would'st thou
This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
Why dost not speak? What! deaf? No; nɔt
a word?

A halter, soldiers; hang him on this tree,
And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood.
Luc. Too like the sire for ever being good.-
First, hang the child, that he may see it sprawl;
A sight to vex the father's soul withal.
Get me a ladder.

[A Ladder brought, which AAR. is obliged to ascend.

Aar. Lucius, save the child; And bear it from me to the empress. If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things, That highly may advantage thee to hear: If thou wilt not, befall what may befall, I'll speak no more; but vengeance slay you all! Luc. Say on; and, if it please ine which thou speak'st,

Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd. Aar. An if it please thee? why, assure thee,

Lucius,

Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak;
For I must talk of murders, rapes, and massacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischief, treason; villanies
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:
And this shall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou swear to me my child shall live.
Luc. Tell on thy mind; I say, thy child
shall live.

[begin. Aar. Swear that he shall, and then I will Luc. Who should I swear by? thou believ'st no god;

That granted, how canst thou believe an oath ?
Aar. What if I do not? as, indeed, I do not:
Yet, for I know thou art religious,
And hast a thing within thee, called conscience;
With twenty idle tricks and ceremonies,
Which I have seen thee careful to observe,-
Therefore I urge thy oath;-For that, I know,
An idiot holds his bauble for a god,
And keeps the oath, which by that god he
[vow

swears;

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery;
And as I earnestly did fix mine eye
Upon the wasted building, suddenly

I heard a child cry underneath a wall:

I made unto the noise; when soon I heard
The crying babe controll'd with this discourse :
"Peace, tawny slave; half me, and half thy dam!
Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,
Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look,
Villain, thou might'st have been an emperor :
Peace, villain, peace!"-even thus he rates the
babe,-

"For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth; [babe,
Who, when he knows thou art the empress'
Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake."
With this my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon
him,
[hither,
Surpris'd him suddenly; and brought him
To use as you think needful of the man. [devil,
Luc. O worthy Goth! this is the incarnate
That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand:

• Harm.

+ Alluding to the proverb, "A black man is a pearl in a fair woman's eye."

That thou ador'st and hast in reverence,-
To save my boy, to nourish and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my god, I swear to thee, I will.
Aar. First, know thou, I'm his father by the

I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole,
Where the dead corpse of Bassianus 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 sons;
And what not done, that thou hast cause to rue,
Wherein I had no stroke of mischief in it?
I play'd the cheater for thy father's hand;
And when I had it, drew myself apart, [ter.
And almost broke my heart with extreme laugh-
I pry'd me through the crevice of a wall,
When, for his hand, he had his two sons' heads;
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd so heartily,
That both mine eyes were rainy like to his;
And when I told the empress of this sport,
She swounded almost at my pleasing tale,
And, for my tidings, gave me twenty kisses.
Goth. What! canst thou say all this, and never
blush?

Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is.
Luc. Art thou not sorry for these heinous
deeds?

Aar. Ay, that I had not done a thousand more. Even now I curse the day, (and yet, I think, Few come within the compass of my curse,) Wherein I did not some notorious ill : As kill a man, or else devise his death; Accuse some innocent, and forswear myself: Set deadly enmity between two friends; Make poor men's cattle break their necks; Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night, And bid the owners quench them with their tears; Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves, And set them upright at their dear friends' doors, Even when their sorrows almost were forgot; And on their skins, as on the bark of trees, Have with my knife carved in Roman letters, "Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead." 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; for he must not So sweet a death as hanging presently.

[die

Aar. If there be devils, 'would I were a devil, But to torment you with my bitter tongue! Luc. Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak

no more.

Enter a Goth.

Tit. Who doth molest my contemplation?
Is it your trick, to make me ope the door;
That so my sad decrees may fly away,
And all my study be to no effect?
You are deceiv'd: for what I mean to do,
See here, in bloody lines I have set down;
And what is written shall be executed.

Tam. Titus, I am come to talk with thee.
Tit. No; not a word: How can I grace my
Wanting a hand to give it action?
[talk,
Thou hast the odds of me, therefore no more.
Tam. If thou didst know me, thou would'st

talk with me.

Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough: Witness this wretched stump, these crimson lines; Witness these trenches, made by grief and care; Witness the tiring day, and heavy night; Witness all sorrow, that I know thee well For our proud empress, mighty Tamora: Is not thy coming for my other hand?

Tam. Know thou, sad man, I am not Tamora; She is thy enemy, and I thy friend:

I am Revenge; sent from the infernal kingdom,
To ease the gnawing vulture of thy mind,
By working wreakful vengeance on thy foes.
Come down, and welcome me to this world's
light;

Confer with me of murder and of death:
There's not a hollow cave, or lurking-place,
No vast obscurity, or misty vale,

Where bloody murder, or detested rape,
Can couch for fear, but I will find them out;
And in their ears tell them my dreadful name,
Revenge, which makes the foul offender quake.
Tit. Art thou Revenge? and art thou sent to
me,

To be a torment to mine enemies?

[me.

Provide thee proper palfreys, black as jet,
To hale thy vengeful waggon swift away,
And find out murderers in their guilty caves:
And, when thy car is loaden with their heads,
I will dismount, and by the waggon wheel
Trot, like a servile footman, all day long;
Even from Hyperion's rising in the east,
Until his very downfall in the sea.
And day by day I'll do this heavy task,
So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.
Tam. These are my ministers, and come with
[call'd?

me.

Tit. Are they thy ministers? what are they Tam. Rapine and Murder; therefore cali'd so, 'Cause they take vengeance of such kind of men. Tit. Good heaven, how like the empress' sons they are !

And you, the empress! But we worldly men Have miserable, mad, mistaking eyes.

sweet Revenge, now do I come to thee: And, if one arm's embracement will content thee, I will embrace thee in it by-and-by.

[Exit TIT. from above. Tam. This closing with him fits his lunacy: Whate'er I forge, to feed his brain-sick fits,

Do you uphold and maintain in your speeches.
For now he firmly takes me for Revenge;
And, being credulous in this mad thought,
I'll make him send for Lucius, his son;
And, whilst I at a banquet hold him sure,
I'll find some cunning practice out of hand
To scatter and disperse the giddy Goths,
Or, at the least, make them his enemies.
See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.
Enter TITUS.

Tit. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee:
Welcome, dread fury, to my woful house ;-
Rapine, and Murder, you are welcome too :-
How like the empress and her sons you are!
Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor:-
Could not all hell afford you such a devil?-—-
For, well I wot, the empress never wags,
But in her company there is a Moor;
And, would you represent our queen aright,
It were convenient you had such a devil:
But welcome, as you are. What shall we do?
Tam. What would'st thou have us do, Andro-
nicus?

Dem. Show me a murderer, I'll deal with him. Chi. Show me a villain that hath done a rape, And I am sent to be reveng'd on him. [wrong, Tam. Show me a thousand that have done thee And I will be revenged on them all. [Rome; Tit. Look round about the wicked streets of And when thou find'st a man that's like thyself, Good Murder, stab him; he's a murderer.Go thou with him; and when it is thy hap To find another that is like to thee, Good Rapine, stab him; he is a ravisher.Go thou with them; and in the emperor's court There is a queen, attended by a Moor; [tion, Well may'st thou know her by thy own proporFor up and down she doth resemble thee; I pray thee, do on them some violent death, They have been violent to me and mine.

Tam. Well hast thou lesson'd us; this shall we do.

But would it please thee, good Andronicus,
To send for Lucius, thy thrice valiant son,
Who leads towards Rome a band of warlike
Goths,

And bid him come and banquet at thy house :
When he is here, even at thy solemn feast,
I will bring in the empress and her sons,
The emperor himself, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy shall they stoop and kneel,
And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.
What says Andronicus to this device?"

Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis sad Titus calls.
Enter MARCUS.

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius;
Thou shalt inquire 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 soldiers where they are:
Tell him, the emperor and the empress toc
Feast at my house: and he shall feast with them.
This do thou for my love; and so let him,
As he regards his aged father's life.

Marc. This will I do, and soon return again.

[Exit.

Tam. Now will I hence about thy business, And take my ministers along with me. [me; Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with Or else I'll call my brother back again, And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

Tam. [To her Sons.] What say you, boys? will you abide with him, Whiles I go tell my lord the emperor

How I have govern'd our determin'd jest?
Yield to his humour, smooth and speak him fair,
And tarry with him till I come again. [mad;
Tit. I know them all, though they suppose me
And will o'er-reach them in their own devices.
[Aside.

Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here. Tam. Farewell, Andronicus: Revenge now goes

To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit TAM. Tit. I know thou dost; and, sweet Revenge, farewell.

Chi. Tell us, old man, how shall we be employ'd? [do.Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to Publius, come.hither, Caius, and Valentine!

Enter PUBLIUS, and Others.

Pub. What's your will?
Tit.
Pub.

Know you these two? Th' empress' sons, [ceiv'd;

I take them, Chiron and Demetrius.
Tit. Fye, Publius, fye! thou art too much de-
The one is Murder, Rape is the other's name :
And therefore bind them, gentle Publius;
Caius, and Valentine, lay hands on them:
Oft have you heard me wish for such an hour,
And now I find it; therefore bind them sure;
And stop their mouths if they begin to cry.
[Exit TIT.-PUB., &c., lay hold on CHI. ana

bound;

Tit. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are
[me;
Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to
But let them hear what fearful words I utter.-
O villains, Chiron and Demetrius! [with mud;
Here stands the spring whom you have stain'd
This goodly summer with your winter mix'd.
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 jest:
Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that,
more dear

Than hands or tongue, her spotless chastity,
Inhuman traitors, you constrain'd and forc'd.
What would you say if I should let you speak?
Villains, for shame you could not beg for grace.
Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats;
Whilst that Lavinia 'tween her stumps doth hold
The bason that receives your guilty blood.
You know your mother means to feast with me,
And calls herself Revenge, and thinks me mad,-
Hark, villains; I will grind your bones to dust,
And with your blood and it I'll make a paste;
And of the paste a coffin* I will rear,

And make two pasties of your shameful heads;
And bid that strumpet, your unhallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, swallow her own increase.
This is the feast that I have bid her to,
And this the banquet she shall surfeit on;
For worse than Philomel you us'd my daughter,
And worse than Progne I will be reveng'd:
And now prepare your throats.-Lavinia, come,
[He cuts their throat

* Crust of a raised pie.