And make a mutual closure of our house. ÆMIL. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome, ALL. Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal emperor ! [To Attendants. And hither hale that misbelieving Moor, [Exeunt Attendants. LUCIUS, MARCUS, and the others descend ALL. Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious governor! Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans: may I govern so, To heal Rome's harms and wipe away her woe! But, gentle people, give me aim awhile, 134 closure] ending. 141 ALL. Lucius] The early editions give this speech to Marcus. 145 (stage direction) Lucius . . . descend] Thus the Cambridge editors, following Capell. Lucius and the rest leave the balcony for the Cf. supra, V, iii, 66 and I, i, 1 (stage direction) level of the stage. 149 give me aim] give me scope or guidance, show me consideration. "To give aim" is properly a term in archery, and means to suggest to the shooter the precise direction which his arrow should take. Cf. K. John, II, i, 196, “to cry aim," and note. 140 For nature puts me to a heavy task; [Kissing Titus. These sorrowful drops upon thy blood-stain'd face, The last true duties of thy noble son! MARC. Tear for tear and loving kiss for kiss Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us To melt in showers: thy grandsire loved thee well: Many a time he danced thee on his knee, Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow; Meet and agreeing with thine infancy; 164 matter] Thus all editions save the First Quarto, which reads storie. 165-169 Meet and agreeing in grief and woe] Thus all editions save the First Quarto, which has quite a different reading for these five lines, and transfers the last portion of this speech (lines 167-171) from Lucius to Marcus. The five lines, which have been wholly transformed in the Second Quarto and later editions, ran in the First Quarto thus: And bid thee beare his prettie tales in minde. And talke of them when he was dead and gone. Marcus. How manie thousand times hath these poore lips, Oh now sweete boy, give them their latest kisse, The First Quarto then continues Marcus's speech with Bid him farewell, etc., as in the later texts, which give the whole speech to Lucius. 150 161 In that respect then, like a loving child, Friends should associate friends in grief and woe: Boy. O grandsire, grandsire! even with all my heart Would I were dead, so you did live again! O Lord, I cannot speak to him for weeping; Re-enter Attendants with AARON A ROMAN. You sad 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 stand 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 fasten'd in the earth. AAR. O, why should wrath be mute, and fury dumb? I am no baby, I, that with base prayers I should repent the evils I have done: 166 In that respect] On that account. 176 A ROMAN. You sad Andronici] Pope here makes a new scenic divi 170 180 190 sion (Scene vii). Luc. Some loving friends convey the emperor hence, Be closed in our household's monument. prey: No funeral rite, nor man in mourning weeds, 195 heinous] [Exeunt. Thus all editions save the First Quarto, which reads rauinous. Collier, who had no access to a copy of the First Quarto, by a curious coincidence suggested ravenous. 200 And, being so . . . pity] Thus all editions save the First Quarto, which reads And being dead let birds on her take pittie. state] Then will we apply ourselves to set the state in 204 ruinate] ruin. The word is somewhat frequent in Shakespeare's early work. Cf. Lucrece, 944, “To ruinate proud buildings"; and Sonnet, X, 7: "Seeking that beauteous roof to ruinate;" and 3 Hen. VI, V, i, 83: "I will not ruinate my father's house." 200 |