Few come within the compafs of my curfe)
Wherein I did not fome notorious Ill,
As kill a man, or elfe devife his death;
Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it;
Accufe fome innocent, and forfwear myself;
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,
And fet them upright at their dear friends' doors,
Ev'n when their forrow was almoft 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."
Tut, I have done a hundred 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 die
So fweet a death, as hanging presently.

Aar. If there be devils, 'would I were a devil, To live and burn in everlafting 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 Æmilius.

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

Luc. Let him come near..

Welcome, Emilius, what's the news from Rome?
Amil. Lord Lucius, and you Princes of the Goths,
The Roman Emperor greets you all by me;
And, for he understands you are in arms,
He craves a parley at your father's houfe,

Wil

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.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

III.

Changes to Titus's Palace in Rome.

Enter Tamora, Chiron, and Demetrius, difguis'd.

TH

Tam. THUS, in thefe ftrange and fad habiliments,
I will encounter with Andronicus,
And fay, I am Revenge fent from below,

To join with him, and right his heinous wrongs.
Knock at the Study, where, they say, he keeps,
To ruminate ftrange plots of dire revenge;
Tell him, Revenge is come to join with him,
And work confufion on his enemies.

[They knock, and Titus appears above.
Tit. Who doth moleft my contemplation?
Is it your trick to make me ope the door,
That fo my fad decrees may fly away,
And all my ftudy 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, fhall be executed.

Tam. Titus, I am come to talk with thee. Tit. No, not a word: how can I grace my Talk, Wanting a hand to give it that accord?

Thou haft the odds of me, therefore no more.

Tam. If thou didst know me, thou wouldst talk with me.

Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough; Witness this wretched ftump, thefe crimson lines, Witness these trenches, made by grief and care,

Witnefs the tiring day and heavy night;
Witness all forrow, that I know thee well
For our proud Emprefs, mighty Tamora.
Is not thy coming for my other hand?

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

I am Revenge, fent from th' 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, nor lurking place,
No vaft obfcurity, or mifty vale,
Where bloody Murder or detefted 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 offenders quake.

Tit. Art thou Revenge? and art thou fent to me, To be a torment to mine enemies?

Tam. I am, therefore come down, and welcome me. Tit. Do me fome fervice, ere I come to thee. Lo, by thy fide where Rape, and Murder, ftands; Now give fome 'furance that thou art Revenge, Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot-wheels; And then I'll come and be thy waggoner, And whirl along with thee about the globe; Provide two proper Palfries black as jet, To hale thy vengeful waggon fwift away, And find out murders in their guilty caves; And when thy car is loaded with their heads, I will difmount, and by thy waggon-wheel Trot like a fervile foot-man all day long; Even from Hyperion's rifing in the east, Until his very downfal in the fea. And day by day I'll do this heavy task, So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.

Tam. Thefe are my minifters, and come with me.

Tit. Are they thy minifters ? what are they call'd?

Tam.

Tam. Rapine and Murder; therefore called fo, 'Cause they take vengeance on fuch kind of men. Tit. Good Lord, how like the Emprefs' fons they

are,

And you the Emprefs! but we worldly men
Have miferable and mistaking eyes.

O fweet 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 Titus from above.
Tam. This clofing with him fits his lunacy.
Whate'er I forge to feed his brain-fick fits,
Do you uphold, and maintain in your speech,
For now he firmly takes me for Revenge;
And, being credulous in this mad thought,
I'll make him fend for Lucius, his fon:
And whilst I at a banquet hold him fure,
I'll find fome cunning practice out of hand,
To scatter and difperfe the giddy Goths,
Or, at the leaft, make them his enemies.
See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.

Tit. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee: Welcome, dread fury, to my woful houfe; Rapine and Murder, you are welcome too : How like the Emprefs and her fons you are! Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor; Could not all heli afford you fuch a devil? For, well I wot, the Emprefs never wags, But in her company there is a Moor ; And would you reprefent our Queen aright, It were convenient you had fuch a devil. But welcome, as you are, what fhall we do?

Tam. What wouldst thou have us do, Andronicus?

VOL. VI.

A a

Dem.

Dem. Shew me a murderer, I'll deal with him. Chi. Shew a villain, that has done a rape, And I am fent to be reveng'd on him.

Tam. Shew me a thoufand, that have done thee wrong;

And I will be revenged on them all.

Tit. Look round about the wicked ftreets of Rome,
And when thou find'ft a man that's like thyfelf,
Good Murder, ftab 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, ftab him; he is a ravisher.
Go thou with them, and in the Emperor's Court
There is a Queen attended by a Moor;
Well may'st thou know her by thy own proportion,
For up and down fhe doth refemble thee;

I pray thee, do on them fome violent death;
They have been violent to me and mine.

Tam. Well haft thou leffon'd us, this fhall we do.
But would it please thee, good Andronicus,
To fend for Lucius, thy thrice-valiant fon,
Who leads tow'rds Rome a band of warlike Goths,
And bid him come and banquet at thy house.
When he is here, ev'n at thy folemn feaft,
I will bring in the Emprefs and her fons,
The Emperor himfelf, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy fhall they ftoop and kneel,
And on them fhalt thou eafe thy angry heart.
What fays Andronicus to this device?

Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis fad Titus calls:

Enter Marcus.

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius,
Thou shalt enquire him out among the Goths,
Bid him repair to me: and bring with him
Some of the chiefeft Princes of the Goths;
Bid him encamp his Soldiers where they are;

Tell