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From whence he circumfcribed with his fword,
And brought to yoke the enemies of Rome.
Sound drums and trumpets, and then enter Mutius and Mar
cus: after them, two men bearing a coffin cover'd with
black; then Quintus and Lucius. After them, Titus
Andronicus; and then Tamora, the Queen of Goths,
Alarbus, Chiron, and Demetrius, with Aaron the
Moor, prifoners; Soldiers, and other Attendants. They
Jet down the coffin, and Titus fpeaks.

Tit.. Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds! (2)
Lo, as the bark, that hath difcharg'd her freight,
Returns with precious lading to the bay,
From whence at firft fhe weigh'd her anchorage;
Cometh Andronicus with laurel boughs,.
To re-falute his country with his tears;
Tears of true joy for his return to Rome.
Thou great defender of this capitol,
Stand gracious to the rites that we intend!
Romans, of five and twenty valiant fons,,
Half of the number that King Priam had,,
Behold the poor remains, alive and dead!
Thefe, that furvive, let Rome reward with love ;:
Thefe, that I bring unto their latest home,
With burial among their ancestors.
Here Goths have given me leave to sheath
Titus, unkind, and careless of thine own,
Why fuffer'ft thou thy fons, unburied yet,
To hover on the dreadful fhore of Styx?
Make way to lay them by. their brethren.

my

fword

[They open the tomb..

(2) Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds!] Mr. Ware Burton and I concurred to fufpect that the Poet wrote;

in my mourning weeds.

i. e. Titus would fay; "Thou, Rome, art victorious, though I am Us a mourner for those fons which I have loft in obtaining that

victory." But I have not ventured to disturb the text; because, on a fécond reflection, mourning weeds may relate to Rome for this reafon; the scene opens with Saturninus and Baffianus canvafling to be elected to the Empire: and confequently the ftate might be in grief for their laft Emperor juft deceased.

There

There greet in filence, as the dead are wont,
And fleep in peace, flain in your country's wars:
O facred receptacle of my joys,

Sweet cell of virtue and nobility,

How many fons of mine haft thou in ftore,
That thou wilt never render to me more?

Luc. Give us the proudest prifoner of the Goths,
That we may hew his limbs, and on a pile,
Ad manes Fratrum facrifice his flesh,

Before this earthly prison of their bones:
That fo the fhadows be not unappeas'd,
Nor we difturb'd with prodigies on earth.
Tit. I give him you, the nobleft that furvives.
The eldest son of this diftreffed Queen.

Tam. Stay, Roman brethren, gracious conqueror
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,
A mother's tears in paffion for her fon :
And if thy fons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my fons to be as dear to me.
Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome, (3)
To beautify thy triumphs and return,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke?
But muft my fons be flaughter'd in the streets,
For valiant doings in their country's cause ?
O! if to fight for King and common-weal
Were piety in thine, it is in these :
Andronicus, ftain not thy tomb with blood.
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods
Draw near them then in being merciful;
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge.

(3) Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome,
To beautify thy Triumphs, and return

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Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke?] It is evident, as this Paffage has hitherto been pointed, none of the editors underfood the true Meaning. If Tamora and her Family return captive to Rome, they must have been before prifoners of war to the Romans: and that is more than what is hinted, or fuppos'd, any where in the play. But the truth is, return is not a Verb but a Subftantive; and relates to Titus and not to Tamora: The regulation I have given the text, I dare warrant, reftores the Author's intention.

To beautify thy triumphs and return.

Thrice noble Titus, fpare my first-born fon.

Tit. Patient yourfelf, madam, and pardon me.
Thefe are their brethren, whom you Goths behold
Alive and dead, and for their brethren flain
Religiously they afk a facrifice ;

To this your fon is markt, and die he muft,
T'appeafe their groaning fhadows that are gone.
Luc. Away with him, and make a fire ftraight.
And with our fwords, upon a pi'e of wood,
Let's hew his limbs, 'till they be clean confum'd.
[Exe. Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius with Alarbus.
Tam. O cruel, irreligious, piety!

Chi. Was ever Scythia half fo barbarous ?

Dem. Oppofe me, Scythia, to ambitious Rome. Alarbus, go to reft! and we furvive

To tremble under Titus' threatning looks.

Then, madam, ftand refolv'd; but hope withal,
The felf-fame gods, that arm'd the Queen of Troy (4)
With opportunity of sharp revenge

Upon the Thracian tyrant in her tent,

May favour Tamora, the Queen of Goths,

(When Goths were Goths, and Tamora was Queen)

To quit her bloody wrongs upon her foes.

Enter Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius. Luc. See, Lord and father, how we have perform'd Our Roman rites: Alarbus' limbs are lopt;

And intrails feed the facrificing fire;

Whofe fmoke, like incenfe, doth perfume the fky.
Remaineth nought but to inter our brethren,
And with loud larums welcome them to Rome,
Tit. Let it be fo, and let Andronicus

(4) The felf-fame gods, that arm'd the Queen of Troy
With opportunity of sharp revenge

read, against the att

Upon the Thracian tyrant in his tent, &c ] thority of all the copies,- -in her tent; i. e. in the tent where the and the other Trojan captive women were kept: for thither Hecuba by a wile had decoyed Polymneftor, in order to perpetrate her revenge. This we may learn from EURIPIDES'S Hecuba; the only Author, that I can at prefent remember, from whom our writer must have gleaned this circumstance.

Make

Make this his lateft farewel to their fouls.

İn

[Then found trumpets, and lay the coffins in the tomb. peace and honour reft you here, my fons, Rome's readieft champions, repofe you here, Secure from worldly chances and mishaps: Here lurks no treafon, here no envy fwells; Here grow no damned grudges, here no ftorms, No noife: but filence and eternal fleep:

In peace and honour reft you here, my fons!
Enter Lavinia.

Lav. In peace and honour live Lord Titus long,
My noble Lord and father, live in fame!
Lo! at this tomb my tributary tears
I render, for my brethrens obfequies:
And at thy feet I kneel, with tears of joy
Shed on the earth, for thy return to Rome.
O, bless me here with thy victorious hand,
Whofe fortune Rome's beft citizens applaud.

Tit. Kind Rome, that haft thus lovingly referv'd
The cordial of mine age, to glad mine heart!
Lavinia, live; out-live thy father's days, (5)
In fame's eternal date for virtue's praife!

Mar. Long live Lord Titus, my beloved brother,
Gracious triumpher in the eyes of Rome!

Tit. Thanks, gentle tribune, noble brother Marcus. Mar. And welcome, nephews, from fuccefsful wars, You that furvive, and you that fleep in fame: Fair Lords, your fortunes are alike in all, (6)

That

(5) Lavinia, live; out-live thy father's days: And Fame's eternal date for Virtue's praife!] Were the text to be admitted genuine, nothing could be fo abfurd as for Titus to wish, his daughter might ont-live the eternal date of Fame. This, as my friend Mr. Warburton merrily obferves, is like the loyal patriot in the laft reign, who wifh'd, King George might reign for ever, and the Prince and Princefs after him! I have, by the change of a fingle monofyllable reftored the Paffage to a fenfible and kind with.

(6) Fair Lords, your fortunes are alike in all.] This is addreffed by the tribune to all his brother's fons, as well dead as alive. But how could it be then faid, that their fortunes were all alike? The expreffion feems liable to an open abfurdity. Perhaps, we may reconcile

ourfelves

That in your country's fervice drew your fwords.
But fafer triumph is this funeral pomp,
That hath afpir'd to Solon's happiness:
And triumphs over chance, in honour's bed.
Titus Andronicus, the people of Rome,
Whose friend in juftice thou haft ever been,
Send thee by me their tribune, and their trust,
This palliament of white and spotless hue;
And name thee in election for the empire,
With these our late-deceased Emperor's fons:
Be Candidatus then, and put it on;

And help to fet a head on headless Rome.
Tit: A better head her glorious body fits,
Than his, that shakes for age and feebleness:
What! fhould I don this robe, and trouble you
Be chofe with proclamations to-day,
To-morrow yield up rule, refign my life,
And fet abroach new business for you all?
Rome, I have been thy foldier forty years,
And led my country's ftrength fuccefsfully;
And buried one and twenty valiant fons,
Knighted in field, flain manfully in arms,
In right and service of their noble country.
Give me a staff of honour for mine age,
But not a fcepter to controul the world.
Upright he held it, Lords, that held it laft.

Mar. Titus, thou shalt obtain and ask the empery.
Sat. Proud and ambitious tribune, canft thou tell
Tit. Patience, Prince Saturninus.-

Sat. Romans, do me right.

Patricians, draw your fwords, and fheath them not "Till Saturninus be Rome's Emperor.

Andronicus, would thou wert fhipt to hell,
Rather than rob me of the people's hearts.

Luc. Proud Saturnine, interrupter of the good

ourfelves to it, thus: "Some of you are returned fafe, and with glory; you, that have not lived to return, share the glory of your "brethren's fortune, in having died for your country: And though you cannot partake in the joy of their triumph; yet ftill you en joy a fafer triumph, exempt from chance and cafualty."

That

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