Ne'er let my heart know merry cheer indeed,
Till all the Andronici be made away

Now will I hence to seek my lovely Moor,

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And let my spleenful sons this trull defiower. [Exit.

Re-enter Aaron, with Quintus and Martius.

Aar. Come on, my lords, the better foot before:
Straight will I bring you to the loathsome pit
Where I espied the panther fast asleep.

Quin. My sight is very dull, whate'er it bodes.
Mart. And mine, I promise you; were it not for shame,
Well could I leave our sport to sleep awhile.

[Falls into the pit.

Quin. What, art thou fall'n? What subtle hole is this,
Whose mouth is cover'd with rude-growing briers,
Upon whose leaves are drops of new-shed blood 200
As fresh as morning dew distill'd on flowers?
A very fatal place it seems to me.

Speak, brother, hast thou hurt thee with the fall?
Mart. O brother, with the dismal'st object hurt

That ever eye with sight made heart lament!

Aar. [Aside] Now will I fetch the king to find them here,

That he thereby may have a likely guess

How these were they that made away his brother.

Mart. Why dost not comfort me, and help me out
From this unhallow'd and blood-stained hole?

Quin. I am surprised with an uncouth fear;

A chilling sweat o'er-runs my trembling joints; My heart suspects more than mine eye can see. Mart. To prove thou hast a true-divining heart,

[Exit.

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Aaron and thou look down into this den,
And see a fearful sight of blood and death.
Quin. Aaron is gone; and my compassionate heart
Will not permit mine eyes once to behold
The thing whereat it trembles by surmise:
O, tell me how it is; for ne'er till now
Was I a child to fear I know not what.
Mart. Lord Bassianus lies embrewed here,

All on a heap, like to a slaughter'd lamb,
In this detested, dark, blood-drinking pit.
Quin. If it be dark, how dost thou know 'tis he?
Mart. Upon his bloody finger he doth wear

A precious ring, that lightens all the hole,
Which, like a taper in some monument,
Doth shine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks,
And shows the ragged entrails of the pit:
So pale did shine the moon on Pyramus
When he by night lay bathed in maiden blood.
O brother, help me with thy fainting hand-
If fear hath made thee faint, as me it hath-
Out of this fell devouring receptacle,

As hateful as Cocytus' misty mouth.

Quin. Reach me thy hand, that I may help thee out;
Or, wanting strength to do thee so much good,
I may be pluck'd into the swallowing womb
Of this deep pit, poor Bassianus' grave.

I have no strength to pluck thee to the brink.
Mart. Nor I no strength to climb without thy help.
Quin. Thy hand once more; I will not loose again,

Till thou art here aloft, or I below:

Thou canst not come to me: I come to thee.

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240

[Falls in.

Enter Saturninus with Aaron.

Sat. Along with me: I'll see what hole is here,
And what he is that now is leap'd into it.
Say, who art thou that lately didst descend
Into this gaping hollow of the earth?
Mart. The unhappy son of old Andronicus;
Brought hither in a most unlucky hour,
To find thy brother Bassianus dead.

Sat. My brother dead! I know thou dost but jest:
He and his lady both are at the lodge

Upon the north side of this pleasant chase;
'Tis not an hour since I left them there.
Mart. We know not where you left them all alive;
But, out, alas! here have we found him dead.

Re-enter Tamora, with Attendants; Titus Andronicus,
and Lucius.

Tam. Where is my lord the king?

Sat. Here, Tamora; though grieved with killing grief.
Tam. Where is thy brother Bassianus ?

Sat. Now to the bottom dost thou search my wound:

Poor Bassianus here lies murdered.

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261

Tam. [Giving a letter] Then all too late I bring this fatal writ, The complot of this timeless tragedy;

And wonder greatly that man's face can fold

In pleasing smiles such murderous tyranny.

Sat. [Reads] An if we miss to meet him handsomely— Sweet huntsman, Bassianus 'tis we mean

Do thou so much as dig the grave for him :

Thou know'st our meaning. Look for thy reward

Among the nettles at the elder-tree,

Which overshades the mouth of that same pit

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Where we decreed to bury Bassianus.
Do this and purchase us thy lasting friends.'
O Tamora! was ever heard the like?
This is the pit, and this the elder-tree.
Look, sirs, if you can find the huntsman out
That should have murder'd Bassianus here.
Aar. My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold.

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Sat. [To Titus] Two of thy whelps, fell curs of bloody

Sirs, drag them from the pit unto the prison:
There let them bide until we have devised
Some never-heard-of torturing pain for them.
Tam. What, are they in this pit? O wondrous thing!
How easily murder is discovered!

Tit. High emperor, upon my feeble knee

I beg this boon, with tears not lightly shed, That this fell fault of my accursed sons, Accursed, if the fault be proved in themSat. If it be proved! you see it is apparent.

Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

Tam. Andronicus himself did take it up.
Tit. I did, my lord: yet let me be their bail;

For, by my fathers' reverend tomb, I vow
They shall be ready at your highness' will,
To answer their suspicion with their lives.

290

Sat. Thou shalt not bail them: see thou follow me.
Some bring the murder'd body, some the murderers:
Let them not speak a word; the guilt is plain; 301
For, by my soul, were there worse end than death,
That end upon them should be executed.
Tam. Andronicus, I will entreat the king:

Fear not thy sons; they shall do well enough. Tit. Come, Lucius, come; stay not to talk with them.

Scene IV.

Another part of the forest.

[Exeunt.

Enter Demetrius and Chiron, with Lavinia, ravished;
her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out.

Dem. So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak,

Who 'twas that cut thy tongue and ravish'd thee. Chi. Write down thy mind, bewray thy meaning so, An if thy stumps will let thee play the scribe. Dem. See, how with signs and tokens she can scrowl. Chi. Go home, call for sweet water, wash thy hands. Dem. She hath no tongue to call, nor hands to wash; And so let's leave her to her silent walks.

ΙΟ

Chi. An 'twere my case, I should go hang myself. Dem. If thou hadst hands to help thee knit the cord. [Exeunt Demetrius and Chiron.

Horns winded within.

Enter Marcus from hunting.

Mar. Who is this? my niece, that flies away so fast!
Cousin, a word; where is your husband?

If I do dream, would all my wealth would wake me!
If I do wake, some planet strike me down,
That I may slumber in eternal sleep!

Speak, gentle niece, what stern ungentle hands
Have lopp'd and hew'd and made thy body bare
Of her two branches, those sweet ornaments,
Whose circling shadows kings have sought to sleep in,
And might not gain so great a happiness

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