I am the firft-born son of him, that last
Wore the imperial diadem of Rome:
Then let my father's honours live in me,
Nor wrong mine age with this indignity.

Baf. Romans, friends, foll'wers, favourers of my right, If ever Baffianus, Cæfar's fon,

Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome,
Keep then this paffage to the capitol;
And fuffer not difhonour to approach
Th' imperial feat, to virtue confecrate,
To juftice, continence, and nobility:
But let defert in pure election fhine;
And, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice.

Enter Marcus Andronicus aloft, with the crown.

Mar. Princes, that ftrive by factions, and by friends, Ambitiously for rule and empery!

Know, that the people of Rome, for whom we ftand
A fpecial party, have by common voice,
In election for the Roman empery,
Chofen Andronicus, fur-named Pius,
For many good and great deserts to Rome.
A nobler man, a braver warrior,

Lives not this day within our city-walls.
He by the Senate is accited home,

From weary wars against the barbarous Goths;
That with his fons (a terror to our foes)

Hath yoak'd a nation strong, train'd up in arms.
Ten years are spent, fince firft he undertook
This caufe of Rome, and chastised with arms

the addition of his own masterly touches, is inconteftible: and thence, I prefume, grew his title to it. The diction in general,

where he has not taken the pains to raise it, is even beneath that of the Three Parts of Henry VI. The ftory, we are to fuppofe, merely fictitious. Andronicus is a fur-name of pure Greek derivation : Tamora is neither mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus, nor any body elfe that I can find. Nor had Rome, in the time of her Emperors, any wars with the Goths, that I know of: not till after the tranfla tion of the empire, I mean, to Byzantium. And yet the scene of our play is laid at Rome, and Saturninus is elected to the empire at the Capitol

Our

Our enemies pride. Five times he hath return'd
Bleeding to Rome, bearing his valiant fons

In coffins from the field.'

And now at laft, laden with honour's spoils,
Returns the good Andronicus to Rome,
Renowned Titus, flourishing in arms.
Let us intreat, by honour of his name,
Whom (worthily) you would have now fucceed,
And in the capitol and Senate's right,

Whom you pretend to honour and adore,

That you withdraw you, and abate your ftrength;
Difmifs your followers, and, as fuitors fhould,

Plead your deferts in peace and humbleness.

Sat. How fair the tribune fpeaks, to calm my thoughts! Baf. Marcus Andronicus, fo I do affie

In thy uprightness and integrity,

And fo I love and honour thee and thine;

Thy noble brother Titus, and his fons,

And her, to whom our thoughts are humbled all,
Gracious Lavinia, Rome's rich ornament;
That I will here difmifs my loving friends;
And to my fortunes, and the people's favour,
Commit my cause in ballance to be weigh'd.

[Exeunt Soldiers.
Sat. Friends, that have been thus forward in my right,
I thank you all, and here difmifs you all;
And to the love and favour of my country
Commit myself, my perfon and the cause:
Rome, be as juft and gracious unto me,
As I am confident and kind to thee.
Open thy gates, and let me in.

Baf. Tribunes, and me, a poor competitor.

[They go up into the Senate-house.

Enter a Captain.

Cap. Romans, make way: the good Andronicus,
Patron of virtue, Rome's beft champion,
Successful in the battles that he fights,

With honour and with fortune is return'd,

From

From whence he circumfcribed with his fword,
And brought to yoke the enemies of Rome.

Sound drums and trumpets, and then enter Mutius and Marcus: after them, two men bearing a coffin covered with black; then Quintus and Lucius. After them, Titus Andronicus; and then Tamora, the Queen of Goths, Alarbus, Chiron, and Demetrius, with Aaron the Moor, prifoners; Soldiers, and other Attendants. They fet down the coffin, and Titus speaks.

Tit. Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds! (2) Lo, as the bark, that hath discharg'd her freight, Returns with precious lading to the bay, From whence at firft the weigh'd her anchorage; Cometh Andronicus with laurel boughs, To re-falute his country with his tears: Tears of true joy for his return to Rome. Thou great defender of this capitol, Stand gracious to the rites that we intend ! Romans, of five and twenty valiant fons, Half of the number that King Priam had, Behold the poor remains, alive and dead! Thefe, that furvive, let Rome reward with love; Thefe, that I bring unto their latest home,

With burial among their ancestors.

Here Goths have given me leave to sheath my fword:.
Titus, unkind, and careless of thine own,
Why fuffer'ft thou thy fons, unburied yet,,
To hover on the dreadful fhore of Styx?
Make way to lay them by their brethren.

[They open the tomb.

(2) Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds!] Mr. Warbur ton and I concurred to suspect that the Poet wrote;

in my mourning weeds.

i. e. Titus would fay; "Thou, Rome, art victorious, though I am ❝ a mourner for thofe fons which I have loft in obtaining that vic❝tory." But I have not ventured to disturb the text; becaufe, on a fecond reflection, mourning reeds may relate to Rome for this reafon; the scene opens with Saturninus and Baffianus canvaffing to be elected to the Empire: and confequently the state might be in grief for their aft Emperor juft deceased.

There

There greet in filence, as the dead are wont,

And fleep in peace, flain in your country's wars:
O facred receptacle of my joys,

Sweet cell of virtue and nobility,

How many fons of mine haft thou in store,
That thou wilt never render to me more?

Luc. Give us the proudeft prisoner of the Goths,
That we may hew his limbs, and on a pile,
Ad manes Fratrum facrifice his flesh,
Before this earthly prifon of their bones :
That fo the fhadows be not unappeas'd,
Nor we difturb'd with prodigies on earth.
Tit. I give him you, the nobleft that furvives:
The eldest son of this diftreffed Queen.

Tam. Stay, Roman brethren, gracious conqueror,
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,

A mother's tears in paffion for her fon :
And if thy fons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my fons to be as dear to me.
Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome, (3)
To beautify thy triumphs and return,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke?
But muft my fons be flaughter'd in the streets,
For valiant doings in their country's cause ?
O! if to fight for King and common-weal
Were piety in thine, it is in these :
Andronicus, ftain not thy tomb with blood.
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful;
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge.

(3) Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome,
To beautify thy triumphs, and return

Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoke?] It is evident, as this paffage has hitherto been pointed, none of the editors understood the true meaning. If Tamora and her family return captive to Rome, they must have been before prisoners of war to the Romans: and that is more than what is hinted, or fuppos'd, any where in the play. But the truth is, return is not a Verb but a Subftantive; and relates to Titus and not to Tamora: The regulation I have given the text, I dare warrant, reftores the Author's intention.

To beautify thy triumphs and return.

Thrice noble Titus, fpare my firft-born fon.

Tit. Patient yourself, madam, and pardon me.
These are their brethren, whom you Goths behold
Alive and dead, and for their brethren flain
Religiously they afk a facrifice;

To this your fon is markt, and die he muft,
T' appease their groaning fhadows that are gone.
Luc. Away with him, and make a fire straight.
And with our fwords, upon a pile of wood,
Let's hew his limbs, 'till they be clean confum'd.
[Exe. Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius with Alarbus.
Tam. O cruel, irreligious, piety!

Chi. Was ever Scythian half fo barbarous ?

Dem. Oppofe me, Scythia, to ambitious Rome. Alarbus, go to reft! and we furvive

To tremble under Titus' threatning looks.

Then, madam, ftand refolv'd; but hope withal,
The felf-fame gods, that arm'd the Queen of Troy (4)
With opportunity of sharp revenge

Upon the Thracian tyrant in her tent,

May favour Tamora, the Queen of Goths,

(When Goths were Goths, and Tamora was Queen)

To quit her bloody wrongs upon her foes.

Enter Mutius, Marcus, Quintus, and Lucius.

Luc. See, Lord and father, how we have perform'd
Our Roman rites: Alarbus' limbs are lopt;
And intrails feed the facrificing fire:

Whose smoke, like incenfe, doth perfume the sky.
Remaineth nought but to inter our brethren,
And with loud larums welcome them to Rome.
Tit. Let it be fo, and let Andronicus

(4) The felf-fame gods that arm'd the Queen of Troy With opportunity of foarp revenge

Upon the Thracian tyrant in his tent, &c.] I read, against the authority of all the copies,in her tent; i. e. in the tent where the and the other Trojan captive women were kept: for thither Hecuba by a wile had decoyed Polymneftor, in order to perpetrate her revenge. This we may learn from EURIPIDES'S Hecuba; the only Author, that I can at present remember, from whom our writer must have gleaned this circumstance.

Make