Dem. Aaron, a thousand deaths would I propose, To atchieve her whom I do love.

Aar. To atchieve her—how?

Dem. Why mak'st thou it so strange?
She is a woman, therefore may be woo'd;
She is a woman, therefore may be won;
She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov’d.
What, man! more water glideth by the mill
Than wots the miller of; and easy it is
Of a cut loaf to steal a shive, we know :
Tho' Baffianus be the Emperor's brother,
Better than he have yet worn Vulcan's badge.
Aar. Ay, and as good as Saturninus may.
Dem. Then why should he despair, that knows to

With words, fair looks, and liberality?

What, haft thou not full often ftruck a doe,

And borne her cleanly by the keeper's nofe?

[Afide.

[court it

Aar. Why then, it seems, fome certain fnatch or so Would ferve your turns.

Chi. Ay, fo the turn were ferved.

Dem. Aaron, thou haft bit it.

Aar. 'Would you had hit it too,

Then fhould not we be tir'd with this ado:

Why, hark ye, hark ye-and are you fuch fools,

To fquare for this? would it offend you then
That both thould speed!

Chi. Faith, not me.

Dem. Nor me, fo I were one.

Aar. For fhame, be friends; and join for that you jar. 'Tis policy and stratagem must do

That you affect; and fo must you refolve,

That what you cannot, as you would, atchieve,
You must perforce accomplish as you may
Take this of me, Lucrece was not more chafte
Than this Lavinia, Baffianus' love;

A fpeedier course than ling'ring languishment
Muft we purfue, and I have found the path.
My Lords, a folemn hunting is in hand,
There will the lovely Roman ladies troop :
The foreft-walks are wide and spacious,
And many unfrequented plots there are,
Fitted by kind for rape and villany:

Single you thither then this dainty doe,

And ftrike her home by force, if not by words:
This way, or not at all, stand you in hope.
Come, come, our Emprefs with her facred wit
To villany and vengeance confecrate,
We will acquaint with all that we intend ;
And the fhall file our engines with advice,
That will not fuffer you to fquare yourselves,
But to your wishes' height advance you both.
The Emperor's court is like the house of fame,
The palace full of tongues, of eyes, of ears:
The woods are ruthless, dreadful, deaf, and dull:
There speak, and strike, brave boys, and take your turns ;
There ferve your lufts, shadow'd from heaven's eye,
And revel in Lavinia's treasury.

Chi. Thy counfel, lad, fmells of no cowardice.
Dem. Sit fas aut nefas, till I find the stream
To cool this heat, a charm to calm these fits,
Per Styga, per manes vehor.-

SCENE III. Changes to a forest.

[Exeunt.

Enter Titus Andronicus and his three fons, with hounds and horns, and Marcus.

Tit. The hunt is up, the morn is bright and gray;
The fields are fragrant, and the woods are green:
Uncouple here, and let us make a bay ;

And wake the Emperor and his lovely bride,
And roufe the Prince, and wake a hunter's peal,
That all the court may echo with the noise.
Sons, let it be your charge, as it is ours,
To tend the Emperor's perfon carefully.
I have been troubled in my fleep this night,
But dawning day new comfort hath infpir'd.

Here a cry of bounds, and wind horns in a peal: then enter Saturninus, Tamora, Baffianus, Lavinia, Chiron, Demetrius, and their Attendants.

Tit. Many good morrows to your Majefty;

Madam, to you as many and as good.

I promised your Grace a hunter's peal.

Sat.

Sat. And you have rung it luftily, my Lords,
Somewhat too early for new-married ladies.
Bal. Lavinia, how fay you?

Lav. I fay No:

I have been broad awake two hours and more.
Sat. Come on then, horse and chariots let us have,
And to our sport. Madam, now ye shall fee

Our Roman hunting.

Mar. I have dogs, my Lord,

Will roufe the proudeft panther in the chase,
And climb the higheft promontory-top.

Tit. And I have horfe will follow, where the game
Makes way, and run like fwallows o'er the plain.

Dem. Chiron, we hunt not, we, with horse nor hound But hope to pluck a dainty doe to ground.

[Exeunt

SCENE IV. Changes to a defart part of the foreft. Enter Aaron alone.

Aar. He that had wit, would think that I had none, To bury fo much gold under a tree;

And never after to inherit † it.

Let him that thinks of me fo abjectly,

Know, that this gold might coin a ftratagem;

Which cunningly effected, will beget

A very excellent piece of villany;

And fo repofe, fweet gold, for their unrest,

That have their alms out of the Emprefs' cheft.

Enter Tamora.

Tam. My lovely Aaron, wherefore look'ft thou fad, When every thing doth make a gleeful boast?

• The birds chaunt melody on every

bush,

The fnake lies rolled in the chearful fun,

The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind,
And make a chequer'd fhadow on the ground.
Under their fweet fhade, Aaron, let us fit;
And whilft the babling Echo mocks the hounds,
Replying fhrilly to the well-tun'd horns,
As if a double hunt were heard at once,

tinlerit, for paf fimply.

Let

Let us fit down, and mark their yelling noife:
And after conflict, fuch as was fuppos'd
The wand'ring prince and Dido once enjoy'd,
When with a happy ftorm they were furpris'd,
And curtain'd with a countel-keeping cave;
We may, each wreathed in the other's arms,
(Our paftimes done), poffefs a golden flumber;
Whilft hounds and horns, and fweet melodious birds,
Be unto us as is a nurse's fong

Of lullaby, to bring her babe asleep.

Aar. Madam, though Venus govern your defires,
Saturn is dominator over mine.

"What fignifies my deadly-standing eye,
"My filence, and my cloudy melancholy,
"My fleece of woolly hair, that now uncurls,
"Even as an adder, when the doth unrowl
"To do fome fatal execution?

No, Madam, these are no venereal figns;
Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand;
Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.
Hark, Tamora, (the emprefs of my foul,

Which never hopes more heaven than refts in thee),
This is the day of doom for Baffianus;
His Philomel muft lose her tongue to-day;
Thy fons make pillage of her chastity,
And wash their hands in Baffianus' blood.
Seeft thou this letter, take it up, I
pray thee,
And give the King this fatal-plotted ferowl.
Now queftion me no more, we are espied.
Here comes a parcel of our hopeful booty,
Which dread not yet their lives' destruction.

Tam. Ah, my fweet Moor, fweeter to me than life! Aar. No more, great Emprefs; Raffianus comes; Be cross with him, and I'll go fetch thy fons To back thy quarrels, whatfoe'er they be.

SCENE V. Enter Bafianus and Lavinia.

[Exit.

Baf. Whom have we here? Rome's Royal Emperefs? Unfurnish'd of her well-befeeming troops?

Or is it Dian, habited like her,

Who hath abandoned her holy groves,
To fee the general hunting in this foreft?
VOL. VI.

e

Tam

Tam. Saucy controuler of our private steps,
Had I the power that fome fay Dian had,
Thy temples fhould be planted presently
With horns, as was Acteon's, and the hounds
Should drive upon thy new-transformed limbs,
Unmannerly intruder as thou art!

Lav. Under your patience, gentle Emperefs,
'Tisthought you have a goodly gift in horning;
And to be doubted, that your Moor and you
Are fingled forth to try experiments.

Jove fhield your husband from his hounds to-day! 'Tis pity they fhould take him for a stag.

Baf. Believe me, Queen, your fwarth Cimmerian
Doth make your honour of his body's hue,
Spotted, detefted, and abominable.

Why are you fequeftred from all your train ?
Difmounted from your fnow-white goodly fteed,
And wand'red hither to an obfcure plot,
Accompanied with a barbarous Moor,
If foul defire had not conducted you ?
Lav. And being interrupted in your sport,
Great reason that my Noble Lord be rated
For faucinefs. -I pray you, let us hence;
And let her 'joy her raven-colour'd love;
This valley fits the purpose paffing well.

Baf. The King my brother fhall have note of this. Lav. Ay, for thefe flips have made him noted long. Good King, to be fo mightily abufed!

Tam. Why have I patience to endure all this?

Enter Chiron and Demetrius.

Dem. How now, dear Sovereign, and our gracious mother,

Why does your Highnefs look fo pale and wan! Tam. Have I not reafon, think you, to look pale? These two have 'tic'd me hither to this place, "A barren and detested vale, you see, it is. "The trees, tho' fummer, yet forlorn and lean, "O'ercome with mofs, and baleful miffelto. "Here never fhines the fun; here nothing breeds, "Unless the nightly owl, or fatal raven.

And when they shew'd me this abhorred pit,

"They