Page images
PDF
EPUB

The story of that baleful burning Night,
When fubtile Greeks surpriz❜d King Priam's Troy:
Tell us, what Sinon hath bewitch'd our ears,
Or who hath brought the fatal engine in,
That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.
My heart is not compact of flint, nor steel ;
Nor can I utter all our bitter grief,

But floods of tears will drown my oratory,
And break my very utt'rance; even in the time
When it should move you to attend me most,
Lending your kind commiferation.

Here is a Captain, let him tell the Tale,

Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him fpeak.
Luc. Then, noble Auditory, be it known to you,
That curfed Chiron and Demetrius

Were they, that murdered our Emperor's brother;
And they it were, that ravished our fister:

For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded,
Our father's tears defpis'd, and bafely cozen'd
Of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel out,
And fent her enemies into the grave.
Laftly, my felf unkindly banished,

The gates fhut on me, and turn'd weeping out,
To beg relief among Rome's enemies;

Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears,
And op'd their arms t'embrace me as a friend:
And I am turn'd forth, be it known to you,
That have preferv'd her welfare in my blood,
And from her bofom took the enemy's point,
Sheathing the steel in my advent'rous body.
Alas!-you know, I am no vaunter, I;
My scars can witnefs, dumb although they are,
That my report is just, and full of truth.
But, foft, methinks, I do digrefs too much,
Citing my worthlefs praise: oh, pardon me,

For when no friends are by, men praise themselves. Mar. Now is my tongue to fpeak: behold this child, Of this was Tamora delivered;

The iffue of an irreligious Moor,

Chief architect and plotter of these woes;

The

The villain is alive in Titus' houfe, (27)
Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true.
Now judge, what caufe had Titus to revenge
These wrongs, unspeakable, past patience,
Or more than any living man could bear.

Now you have heard the truth, what fay you, Romans?
Have we done aught amifs? fhew us wherein,
And from the place where you behold us now,
The poor remainder of Andronicus,

We'll hand in hand all head-long caft us down,
And on the ragged ftones beat out our brains,
And make a mutual Clofure of our House:
Speak, Romans, fpeak; and, if you fay, we fhail,
Lo, hand in hand, Lucius and I will fall.

Em. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,
And bring our Emperor gently in thy hand,
Lucius our Emperor: for, well I know,
The common voice do cry, it fhall be fo.

Mar. Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal Emperor !
Go, go, into old Titus' forrowful house,
And hither hale that misbelieving Moor,
To be adjudg'd fome direful flaughtering death;
As punishment for his moft wicked life.

Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious governour!
Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans: may I govern fo,

(27) The Villain is alive in Titus' house,

And as he is, to witness this is true.] The Villain alive, and as be is, furely, can never be right. The Manufcript must have been obfcure and blindly writ, so that the first Editors could not make out the Word which I have ventur'd to reftore. The Epithet, I have replac'd, admirably forts with the Moor's Character: and Lucius ufes it again, fpeaking of him at the Conclufion of the Play.

See juftice done on Aaron that damn'd Moor.

Befides, damn'd as he is is a Mode of Expreffion familiar with our

Author.

So in Othello:

O thou foul Thief! where haft thou flow'd my Daughter?

Damn'd as thou art, thou haft enchanted her.

And the fame Fashion of expreffing himself he likewise uses in bestowing Praife.

[blocks in formation]

To heal Rome's harm, and drive away her woe!
But, gentle people, give me aim a while,
For nature puts me to a heavy task:

Stand all aloof; but, Uncle, draw you near,
To shed obfequious tears upon this Trunk :
Oh, take this warm kifs on thy pale cold lips,
These forrowful drops upon thy blood-ftain'd face;
The last true duties of thy noble Son.

Mar. Ay, tear for tear, and loving kiss for kifs,
Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips:

O, were the fum of these that I should

pay

Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them.

Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us
To melt in showers; thy grandfire lov'd thee well;
Many a time he danc'd thee on his knee;

Sung thee afleep, his loving breaft thy pillow:
Many a matter hath he told to thee,

Meet and agreeing with thy infancy;

In that refpect then, like a loving child,

Shed yet some small drops from thy tender fpring,
Because kind nature doth require it fo;

Friends fhould affociate friends, in grief and woe:
Bid him farewel, commit him to the grave;
Do him that kindness, and take leave of him.

Boy. O grandfire, grandfire! ev'n with all my heart,
Would I were dead, fo you did live again-
O lord, I cannot fpeak to him for weeping-
My tears will choak me, if I ope my mouth.

Enter Romans with Aaron.

Rom. You fad Andronici, have done with woes: Give sentence on this execrable wretch,

That hath been breeder of these dire events.

Luc. Set him breast-deep in earth, and famish him: There let him ftand, and rave and cry for food:

If any one relieves or pities him,

For the offence he dies: this is our doom.

Some stay to see him faftned in the earth.

Aar. O, why should wrath be mute, and fury dumb!I am no baby, I, that with base prayers

I fhould repent the evil I have done:

Ten thousand worse, than ever yet I did,
Would I perform, if I might have my will:
If one good deed in all my life I did,

I do repent it from my very foul.

Luc. Some loving friends convey the Emp'ror hence,
And give him burial in his father's grave.
My father and Lavinia fhall forthwith

Be closed in our Houfhold's Monument:
As for that heinous tygrefs Tamora,

prey:

No funeral rites, nor man in mournful weeds,
No mournful bell fhall ring her burial;
But throw her forth to beafts and birds of
Her life was beaft-like, and devoid of pity,
And, being fo, fhall have like want of pity.
See justice done on Aaron that damn'd Moor,
From whom our heavy haps had their beginning;
Then afterwards, we'll order well the State;
That like events may ne'er it ruinate.

[Exeunt omnes.

THE

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »