Tam. What wouldst thou have us do, Andronicus?

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.

Tam. Show me a thousand that have done thee wrong, And I will be revengèd on them all.

Tit. Look round about the wicked streets of Rome;
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's a ravisher.-
Go thou with them; and in the emperor's court
There is a queen, attended by a Moor;

Well mayst thou know her by thy own proportion,
For 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 too
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.

Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me; Or else I'll call my brother back again,

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

Tam. What say you, boys? will you bide with him,(97) 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 turn again.

[Aside to them.

Tit. I know them all, though they suppose me mad;

And will o'er-reach them in their own devices,

A pair of cursed hell-hounds and their dam.

Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure; leave us here. Tam. Farewell, Andronicus: Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes.

[Aside.

Tit. I know thou dost; and, sweet Revenge, farewell. [Exit Tamora. Chi. Tell us, old man, how shall we be employ'd? Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to do.Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine!

Pub. What is

Enter PUBLIUS and others.

your

will?

Tit. Know you these two?

Pub. The empress' sons,

I take them, Chiron and (98) Demetrius.

Tit. Fie, Publius, fie! thou art too much deceiv'd,—
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.

[Publius, &c. lay hold on Chiron and Demetrius. Chi. Villains, forbear! we are the empress' sons.

Pub. And therefore do we what we are commanded.-
Stop close their mouths, let them not speak a word.
Is he sure bound? look that you bind them fast.

Re-enter TITUS, with LAVINIA; he bearing a knife, and she a
basin.

Tit. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound.Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to me;

But let them hear what fearful words I utter.

O villains, Chiron and Demetrius!

Here stands the spring whom you have stain'd with mud;

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 basin 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 throats.(99) 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 may prove
More stern and bloody than the Centaurs' feast.
So, now bring them in, for I'll play the cook,(100)
And see them ready 'gainst their mother comes.

[Exeunt, bearing the dead bodies.

SCENE III. Gardens of TITUS's house. A pavilion, with tables, &c.

Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with AARON prisoner.

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

First Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune will.

Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor,

This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil;

Let him receive no sustenance, fetter him,
Till he be brought unto the empress' face,
For testimony of her foul proceedings:
And see the ambush of our friends be strong;
I fear the emperor means no good to us.

Aar. Some devil whisper curses in mine ear,
And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth
The venomous malice of my swelling heart!

Luc. Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd slave!— Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.

[Exeunt Goths, with Aaron. Flourish within. The trumpets show the emperor is at hand.

Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with EMILIUS, Tribunes,
Senators, and others.

Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns than one?
Luc. What boots it thee to call thyself a sun?

Marc. Rome's emperor, and nephew, break the parle ; These quarrels must be quietly debated.

The feast 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 sound. The Company sit down at table.

Enter TITUS dressed like a Cook, LAVINIA veiled, young LUCIUS, and others. TITUS places the dishes on the table.

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 stomachs; please you eat of it.

Sat. Why art thou thus attir'd, Andronicus? Tit. Because I would be sure to have all well, To entertain your highness and your empress.

Tam. We are beholding to you, good Andronicus. Tit. An if your highness knew my heart, you were.— My lord the emperor, resolve me this:

Was it well done of rash Virginius

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

Tit. Your reason, mighty lord?

Sat. Because the girl should not survive her shame,
And by her presence still renew his sorrows.

Tit. A reason mighty, strong, and effectual;
A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant,
For me, most wretched, to perform the like:-
Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee;
And, with thy shame, thy father's sorrow die!

[Kills Lavinia.

Sat. What hast 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 she ravish'd? tell who did the deed.

Tit. Will't please you eat? will 't please your highness

feed?