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And at thy mercy shall they stoop and kneel,
And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.
What says Andronicus to this device?

Tit. Marcus, my brother!-'tis sad Titus calls.
Enter MARCUS.

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius ;
Thou shalt inquire him out among the Goths:
Bid him repair to me, and bring with him
Some of the chiefest princes of the Goths;
Bid him encamp his soldiers where they are:
Tell him, the emperor and the emperess too
Feast at my house; and he shall feast with them.
This do thou for my love; and so let him,
As he regards his aged father's life.

Mar. This will I do, and soon return again.

Tam. Now will I hence about thy business, And take my ministers along with me.

290

[Exit,

Tit. Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with

me;

Or else I'll call my brother back again,

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

300

Tam. [to her Sons.] What say you, boys? will you abide with him,

Whiles I go tell my lord the emperor,

How I have govern'd our determin'd jest?

Yield to his humour, smooth and speak him fair, And tarry with him 'till I come again.

Tit.

Tit. I know them all though they suppose me mad; And will o'er-reach them in their own devices, A pair of cursed hell-hounds, and their dam.

310 [Aside.

Dem. Madam, depart at pleasure, leave us here. Tam. Farewel, Andronicus; Revenge now goes To lay a complot to betray thy foes. [Exit. TAM. Tit. I know, thou dost; and, sweet Revenge,

farewel.

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 Servants.

Pub. What is your will?

Tit. Know you these two?

Pub. The emperess' sons,

I take them, Chiron, and Demetrius.

320

Tit. Fye, Publius, fye! thou art too much de

ceiv'd;

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

manded.

339

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 a Knife, and LAVINIA with a Bason.

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: 340 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 forc'd.
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 'twixt 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 ;

350

And

And of the paste a coffin will I 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,

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360

And this the banquet she shall surfeit on;
For worse than Philomel you us'd my daughter,
And worse than Progne I will be reveng'd:
And now prepare your throats.-Lavinia, come,
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 bak'd.
Come, come, be every one officious

To make this banquet; which I wish might prove More stern and bloody than the Centaur's feast. 370 [He cuts their Throats.

So, now bring them in, for I will play the cook,
And see them ready 'gainst their mother comes.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with AARON Prisoner.

Luc. Uncle Marcus, since it is my father's mind,

That I repair to Rome, I am content.

Goth. And ours with thine, befall what fortune

will.

Iij

Luc.

Luc. Good uncle, take you in this barbarous

Moor,

This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil;

Let him receive no sustenance, fetter him,
Till he be brought unto the emperor's face,
For testimony of these foul proceedings:
And see the ambush of our friends be strong;
I fear, the emperor means no good to us.

880

Aar. Some devil whisper curses in mine ear,
And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth
The venomous malice of my swelling heart!
Luc. Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd slave!—
[Exeunt Goths, with AARON.

Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.→
The trumpets shew, the emperor is at hand.

[Flourish.

Sound Trumpets.

Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with Tribunes and others.

Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns than

one?

Luc. What boots it thee to call thyself a sun? 390 Mar. Rome's emperor, and nephew, break the

parle ;

These quarrels must be quietly debated.

The feast is ready, which the careful Titus

Hath ordained to an honourable end,

For peace, for love, for league, and good to

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