Chi. Tell us, old man, how shall we be employ'd? Tit. Tut, I have work enough for you to do.— Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine!

Enter PUBLIUS and others.

Pub. What's your will?

Tit. Know you these two?
Pub. The empress' sons,

I take them, Chiron and Demetrius.

Tit. Fie, Publius, fie! thou art too much deceived;

The one is Murder, Rape is the other's name :
And therefore bind them, gentle Publius;

Caius, and Valentine, lay hands on them.
Oft have you heard me wish for such an hour,
And now I find it: therefore bind them sure;
And stop their mouths, if they begin to cry.

[Exit Titus.-Publius, &c. lay hold on

Chiron and Demetrius.

Chi. Villains, forbear: we are the empress' sons. Pub. And therefore do we what we are com

manded.

Stop close their mouths; let them not speak a

word:

Is he sure bound? look, that you bind them fast.

Re-enter TITUS ANDRONICUS, with LAVINIA; she bearing a bason, and he a knife.

Tit. Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound.

Sirs, stop their mouths; let them not speak to me, But let them hear what fearful words I utter.

O villains, Chiron and Demetrius !

Here stands the spring whom you have stain'd with

mud;

This goodly summer with your winter mix'd.

You kill'd her husband; and, for that vile fault,
Two of her brothers were condemn'd to death:
My hand cut off, and made a merry jest:

Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that, more dear

Than hands or tongue, her spotless chastity,
Inhuman traitors, you constrain'd and forced.
What would you say, if I should let you speak?
Villains, for shame you could not beg for grace.
Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.
This one hand yet is left to cut your throats;
Whilst that Lavinia 'tween her stumps doth hold
The bason, that receives your guilty blood.

You know, your mother means to feast with me,
And calls herself Revenge, and thinks me mad.
Hark, villains; I will grind your bones to dust,
And with your blood and it I'll make a paste;
And of the paste a coffin 1 I will rear,

And make two pasties of your shameful heads;
And bid that strumpet, your unhallow'd dam,
Like to the earth, swallow her own increase.
This is the feast that I have bid her to,

1 The crust of a raised pie.

And this the banquet she shall surfeit on;
For worse than Philomel you used my daughter,
And worse than Progne I will be revenged:
And now prepare your throats.-Lavinia, come,
[he cuts their throats.

Receive the blood; and, when that they are dead,
Let me go grind their bones to powder small,
And with this hateful liquor temper it;

And in that paste let their vile heads be baked.
Come, come, be every one officious

To make this banquet; which I wish may prove
More stern and bloody than the Centaurs' feast.
So, now bring them in, for I will play the cook,
And see them ready 'gainst their mother comes.

[Exeunt, bearing the dead bodies.

SCENE III.

The same. A pavilion, with tables, &c.

Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with Aaron

prisoner.

Lucius. Uncle Marcus, since 'tis my father's mind

That I repair to Rome, I am content.

1 Goth. And ours with thine,1 befall what fortune

will.

Lucius. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor,

1i. e. our content runs parallel with thine.

This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil:
Let him receive no sustenance; fetter him,
Till he be brought unto the empress' face,
For testimony of her foul proceedings:
And see the ambush of our friends be strong.
I fear, the emperor means no good to us.

Aaron. Some devil whisper curses in mine ear,
And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth
The venomous malice of my swelling heart!

Lucius. Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd slave! Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.

[Exeunt Goths, with Aaron. Florish. The trumpets show the emperor is at hand.

Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with Tribunes, Senators, and others.

Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns than one ?

Lucius. What boots it thee to call thyself a sun? Mar. Rome's emperor, and nephew, break the parle ; 1

These quarrels must be quietly debated.

The feast is ready, which the careful Titus

Hath, ordain'd to an honorable end,

For peace, for love, for league, and good to Rome: Please you, therefore, draw nigh, and take your

places.

Commence the parle

Sat. Marcus, we will.

[hautboys sound. The company sit down at table.

Enter TITUS, dressed like a cook; LAVINIA, veiled, YOUNG LUCIUS, and others. Titus places the dishes on the table.

Tit. Welcome, my gracious lord; welcome, dread queen;

Welcome, ye warlike Goths; welcome, Lucius;
And welcome, all: although the cheer be poor,
'Twill fill your stomachs: please you eat of it.

Sat. Why art thou thus attired, Andronicus?
Tit. Because I would be sure to have all well,
To entertain your highness and your empress.
Tam. We are beholden to you, good Andronicus.
Tit. An if your highness knew my heart, you were.
My lord the emperor, resolve me this :

Was it well done of rash Virginius,

To slay his daughter with his own right hand,
Because she was enforced, stain'd, and deflour'd?
Sat. It was, Andronicus.

Tit. Your reason, mighty lord!

Sat. Because the girl should not survive her
shame,

And by her presence still renew his sorrows.
Tit. A reason mighty, strong, and effectual;
A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant,
For me, most wretched, to perform the like.
Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee;
[he kills Lavinia.