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 houfe.
When he is here, even at thy folemn feaft,
I will bring in the Empress and her fons,
The Emperor himself, and all thy foes;
And at thy mercy fhall they stoop and kneel,
And on them fhalt thou ease thy angry heart:
What fays Andronicus to this device?

Tit. Marcus, my brother!

Enter Marcus.

'tis fad Titus calls:

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 chiefest Princes of the Goths;
Bid him encamp his Soldiers where they are ;
Tell him, the Emperor and the Empress too
Feast at my house, and he fhall feast with them ;
This do thou for my love, and fo let him,
As he regards his aged father's life.

Mar. This will I do, and foon return again.
Tam. Now will I hence about my business,

And take my minifters along with me.

[Exit.

Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me ;

Or elfe I'll call my brother back again,

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

Tam. What fay you, boys, will you abide with him,

Whiles I go tell my lord, the Emperor,

How I have govern'd our determin'd jeft?

Yield to his humour, fmooth and fpeak him fair,

And tarry with him 'till I come again.

Tit. I know them all, tho' they fuppofe me mad ;
And will o'er-reach them in their own devices:
A pair of curfed hell-hounds and their dam.

[Afide.

Dem. Madam, depart at pleafure, leave us here.

Tam.

Tam. Farewel, Andronicus; Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit Tamora. Tit. I know, thou doft; and, fweet Revenge, farewel. Chi. Tell us, old man, how fhall we be employ'd? Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to do. Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine!

Enter Publius and Servants.

Pub. What is your will?
Tit. Know ye these two?
Pub. The Emprefs' fons,

I take them, Chiron, and Demetrius.

Tit. Fie, Publius, fie! thou art too much deceiv'd, The one is Murder, Rape is th' other's name; And therefore bind them, gentle Publius; Caius and Valentine, lay hands on them; Oft have you heard me wish for fuch an hour, And now I find it, therefore bind them fure.

[Exit Titus. Chi. Villains, forbear; we are the Emprefs' fons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded. Stop close their mouths; let them not speak a word. Is he fure bound ? look, that ye bind them fast.

Enter Titus Andronicus with a Knife, and Lavinia with a Bafon.

Tit. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound; Sirs, ftop their mouths, let them not speak to me, But let them hear what fearful words I utter.

Oh, villains, Chiron and Demetrius!

Here ftands the fpring whom you have ftain'd with mud,
This goodly fummer with your winter mixt:

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 jeft;

Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and That more dear
Than hands or tongue, her fpotlefs Chastity,
Inhuman traitors, you conftrain'd and forc'd.
What would ye fay, if I fhould let you speak?
Villains! for fhame, you could not beg for grace.

Hark,

Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats,
Whilft that Lavinia 'twixt her stumps doth hold
The bafon, that receives your guilty blood.
You know, your mother means to feaft with me,
And calls her felf Revenge, and thinks me mad-
Hark, villains, I will grind your bones to duft,
And with your blood and it I'll make a paste ;
And of the paste a coffin will I rear,

And make two pasties of your shameful heads;
And bid that ftrumpet, your unhallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, fwallow her own increase.
This is the feaft 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 Procne I will be reveng'd.
And now prepare your throats: Lavinia, come,
Receive the blood; and, when that they are dead,
Let me go grind their bones to powder small,
And with this hateful liquor temper it;
And in that paste let their vile heads be bak'd.
Come, come, be every one officious

To make this banquet, which I wish might prove
More ftern and bloody than the Centaurs' feast.

[He cuts their throats. So, now bring them in, for I'll play the cook, And see them ready 'gainst the mother comes. [Exeunt.

Enter Lucius, Marcus, and Goths with Aaron

Prifoner.

Luc. Uncle Marcus, fince it is my father's mind That I repair to Rome, I am content.

Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune will. Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor, This ravenous tiger, this accurfed devil; Let him receive no fuftenance, fetter him, 'Till he be brought unto the Emp'ror's face, For teftimony of thefe foul proceedings; And fee, the ambush of our friends be strong; I fear, the Emperor means no good to us.

Aar.

Aar. Some devil whisper curfes in my ear,
And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth
The venomous malice of my fwelling heart!
Luc. Away, inhuman dog, unhallow'd flave.
[Exeunt Goths with Aaron.

Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.
The trumpets fhew, the Emperor is at hand.

[Flourish.

Sound trumpets. Enter Emperor and Empress, with
Tribunes and others.

Sat. What, hath the firmament more funs than one?
Luc. What boots it thee to call thy felf a Sun?
Mar. Rome's Emperor, and Nephew, break the
parley;

Thefe quarrels must be quietly debated:

The feaft 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.
A Table brought in. Enter Titus like a Cook, placing
the meat on the Table, and Lavinia with a veil over
ber face.

Tit. Welcome, my gracious lord; welcome, dread Queen,

Welcome, ye warlike Goths, welcome, Lucius, And welcome, all; although the cheer be poor, 'Twill fill your ftomachs, please you eat of it.

Sat. Why art thou thus attir'd, Andronicus ? Tit. Because I would be fure to have all well, To entertain your Highness, and your Empress. Tam. We are beholden to you, good Andronicus. Tit. And if your Highnefs knew my heart, you were. My lord the Emperor, refolve me this;

Was it well done of rafh Virginius,

To flay his daughter with his own right-hand,
Because she was enforc'd, ftain'd, and deflour'd?
Sat. It was, Andronicus.

Tit. Your reafon, mighty lord?

Sat. Because the girl fhould not furvive her fhame, And by her prefence ftill renew his forrows.

Tit. A reafon mighty, ftrong, and effectual,
A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant,
For me, moft wretched, to perform the like:
Die, die, Lavinia, and thy fhame with thee,
And with thy fhame thy father's forrow die!

[He kills her. Sat. What haft thou done, unnatural and unkind? 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 the ravifh'd? tell, who did the deed?

Tit. Will't please you eat, will't please your Highness
feed?

Tam. Why haft thou flain 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 pye, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed; Eating the flesh, that fhe her felf hath bred. 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness, my knife's sharp point. [He ftabs the Empress. Sat. Die, frantick wretch, for this accurfed deed. [He ftabs Titus. Luc. Can the fon's eye behold his father bleed? There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed.

[Lucius ftabs the Emperor. Mar. You fad-fac'd men, people and fons of Rome, By uprore fever'd, like a flight of fowl Scatter'd by winds and high tempeftuous gufts, Oh, let me teach you how to knit again This fcatter'd corn into one mutual fheaf, Thefe broken limbs again into one body.

Goth.