They told me, here, at dead time of the night, "A thousand fiends, a thousand hiffing snakes, "Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins, "Would make such fearful and confused cries, "As any mortal body, hearing it,

"Should straight fall mad, or elfe die fuddenly. "No fooner had they told this hellish tale,

"But ftraight they told me, they would bind me here, "Unto the body of a difmal yew,

"And leave me to this miserable death:
And then they call'd me foul adulterefs,
Lafcivious Goth, and all the bittereit terms
That ever ear did hear to fuch effect.
And had you not by wondrous fortune come,
This vengeance on me had they executed.
Revenge it, as you love your mother's life;
Or be ye not from henceforth call'd my children.
Dem. This is a witness that I am thy fon.

[Stabs Baffianus. Chi. And this for me, ftruck home to fhew my ftrength. [Stabling him likewife. Lav. Ay, come, Semiramis;—nay, barbarous Tamora; For no name fits thy nature but thy own.

Tam. Give me thy poniard; you fhall know, my boys, Your mother's hand fhall right your mother's wrong. Dem. Stay, Madam, here is more belongs to her. First thresh the corn, then after burn the itraw. This minion stood upon her chastity,

Upon her nuptial vow, her loyalty,

And with that painted cope the braves your Mightiness;
And shall she carry this unto her grave?

Chi. An' if she do, I would I were an eunuch.
Drag hence her husband to fome fecret hole,
And make his dead trunk pillow to our luft.
Tam. But when you have the honey you defire,
Let not this wafp outlive, us both to fting.

Chi. I warrant, Madam, we will make that fure.
Come, Mistress, now perforce we will enjoy
That nice preserved honesty of your's.

Lav. O Tamora, thou bear'it a woman's face-
Tam. I will not hear her speak; away with her.
Lav. Sweet Lords, intreat her hear me but a word-

Dem.

Dem. Liften, fair Madam; let it be your glory To fee her tears; but be your heart to them,

As unrelenting flints to drops of rain.

Lav. When did the tyger's young ones teach the dam ? O, do not teach her wrath, she taught it thee.

The milk thou fuck'dft from her did turn to marble;
Even at thy teat thou hadst thy tyranny.

Yet every mother breeds not fons alike;

Do thou intreat her, shew a woman pity. [To Chiron. Chi. What! would't thou have me prove myself a baftard?

Lav. 'Tis true, the raven doth not hatch the lark: Yet have I heard, (oh, could I find it now!),

The lion, mov'd with pity, did endure

To have his princely paws par'd all away.

Some fay, that ravens foster forlorn children,

The whilft their own birds famifh in their nests:
Oh, be to me, tho' thy hard heart fay No,
Nothing fo kind, but something pitiful.

Tam. I know not what it means. Away with her.
Lav. Oh, let me teach thee: for my father's fake,
(That gave thee life, when well he might have fláin thee),
Be not obdurate, open thy deaf ears.

Tam. Hadft thou in perfon ne'er offended me,
Even for his fake am I now pitilefs.

Remember, boys, I pour'd forth tears in vain,
To fave your brother from the facrifice;
But fierce Andronicus would not relent.
Therefore away with her and use her as you will;
The worse to her, the better lov'd of me.

Lav. O Tamora, be call'd a gentle Queen,
And with thine own hands kill me in this place;
For 'tis not life that I have begg'd fo long;

Poor I was flain when Baffianus dy'd.

Tam. What begg'ft thou then? fond woman, let me go. Lav. 'Tis prefent death I beg; and one thing more, That womanhood denies my tongue to tell.

O keep me from their worfe-than-killing luft,
And tumble me into fome lothfome pit;
Where never man's eye may behold my body.
Do this, and be a charitable murderer.

Tam.

Tam. So fhould I rob my sweet fons of their fee. No; let them fatisfy their luft on thee.

Dem. Away! for thou haft staid us here too long. Lav. No grace? no womanhood? ah beatly creature! The blot and enemy of our general name!

Confufion fall

Chi. Nay, then I'll ftop your mouth-Bring thou her husband.

[Dragging off Lavinia. This is the hole where Aaron bid us hide him. [Exeunt. Tam. Farewel, my fons; see that you make her fure. Ne'er let my heart know merry cheer indeed,

Till all the Andronici be made away.

Now will I hence to feek my lovely Moor,
And let my fpleenful fons this trull deflow'r.

SCENE VI.

Enter Aaron, with Quintus and Marcus.

[Exit.

Aar. Come on, my Lords, the better foot before;
Straight will I bring you to the lothfome pit,
Where I efpied the panther fast asleep.

Quin. My fight is very dull, whate'er it bodes.

Mar. And mine, I promise you; were't not for fhame, Well could I leave our sport to fleep a while.

[Marcus falls into the pit.
Quin. What, art thou fallen? what fubtle hole is this,
Whose mouth is cover'd with rude-growing briars,
Upon whofe leaves are drops of new-shed blood,
As fresh as morning-dew diftill'd on flowers?
A very fatal place it seems to me.

Speak, brother, haft thou hurt thee with the fall?
Mar. O brother, with the difmalleft object
That ever eye, with fight, made heart lament.

Aar. 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. [Exit Aaron.

SCENE VII.

Mar. Why doft not comfort me, and help me out From this unhallow'd and blood-stained hole? Quin. I am furprized with an uncouth fear;

A chilling fweat o'er-runs my trembling joints;
My heart fufpects more than mine eye can fee.
Mar. To prove thou haft a true-divining heart,
Aaron and thou, look down into the den,

And fee a fearful fight of blood and death.

Quin. Aaron is gone; and my compaffionate heart Will not permit my eyes once to behold

The thing whereat it trembles by furmise.

O tell me how it is; for ne'er till now

Was I a child, to fear I know not what.

Mar. Lord Baffianus lies embrewed here, All on a heap, like to a flaughter'd lamb, In this detefted, dark, blood-drinking pit. Quin. If it be dark, how doft thou know 'tis he? Mar. Upon his bloody finger he doth wear A precious ring, that lightens all the hole; • Which, like a taper in fome monument, • Doth fhine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks, And fhews the ragged intrails of this pit. So pale did fhine the moon on Pyramus, When he by night lay bath'd 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' mifty mouth.

Quin. Reach me thy hand, that I may help thee out, Or, wanting ftrength to do thee fo much good, I may be pluck'd into the fwallowing womb

Of this deep pit, poor Baffianus' grave.

I have no ftrength to pluck thee to the brink.

Mar. And I no ftrength 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.

[Falls in SCENE VIII. Enter the Emperor, and Aaron.

Sat. Along, with me-I'll fee what hole is here,
And what he is that now is leap'd into't.
Say, who art thou that lately didit defcend
Into this gaping hollow of the earth?
Mar. Th' unhappy fon of old Andronicus,
Brought hither in a most unlucky hour,

To

To find thy brother Baffianus dead.

Sat. My brother dead? I know thou dost but jeft. He and his lady both are at the lodge,

Upon the north fide of this pleasant chase:

'Tis not an hour fince I left him there.

Mar. We know not where you left him all alive, But out, alas! here have we found him dead.

Enter Tamora with Attendants, Andronicus, and Lucius. Tam. Where is my Lord the King?

Sat. Here, Tamora, though griev'd with killing grief. Tam. Where is thy brother Baffianus ?

Sat. Now to the bottom doft thou search my wound; Poor Baffianus here lies murthered..

Tam. 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 pleafing fmiles fuch murderous tyranny.

[She giveth Saturninus a letter.

Saturninus reads the letter.

And if we mifs to meet him handsomely,
Sweet buntfman, Baffianus 'tis we mean;
Do thou fo much as dig the grave for him,
Thou know'ft our meaning: look for thy reward
Among the nettles at the elder-tree,

Which overfbades the mouth of that fame pit,
Where we decreed to bury Baffianus.

Do this, and purchase us thy lafting friends.

Sat. Oh, 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 fhould have murther'd Baffianus here.

Aar. My gracious Lord, here is the bag of gold.
Sat. Two of thy whelps, fell curs of bloody kind,
Have here bereft my brother of his life.
[To Titus.

Sirs, drag them from the pit unto the prifon;

There let them bide, until we have devis'd

Some never heard-of torturing pain for them.

Tam. What, are they in this pit? oh wondrous thing!

How eafily murder is difcovered?