In thy dumb action will I be as perfect As begging hermits in their holy prayers. And by ftill practice learn to know thy meaning. Make my aunt merry with fome pleafing tale. Tit. Peace, tender fapling; thou art made of tears, [Marcus frikes the dish with a knife. Mar. Alas, my Lord, I have but killed a fly. How would he hang his flender gilded wings, Poor harmless fly, That with his pretty buzzing melody, Came here to make us merry; The altera (19). And buz Limenting doings in the air.] Lamenting doings is a very idle expreffion, and conveys no idea. tion which I have made, though it is but the addition of a fingle letter, is a great encrease to the fenfe; and though indeed there is fomewhat of a tautology in the epithet and fubftantive annexed to it, yet that's no new thing with our Author. I remember one of the very fame kind in his Locrine; And gnash your teeh with dokorous laments. And thou haft killed him. Mar. Pardon me, Sir, it was a black ill-favoured fly, Like to the Emprefs' Moor; therefore I killed him, Tit. 0, 0, 0, .. Then pardon me for reprehending thee, For thou haft done a charitable deed. That comes in likeness of a cole-black Moor. A CT IV. SCENE, Titus's Houfe. Enter young LUCIUS, and LAVINIA running after him; and the Boy flies from her, with his book. under his arm. HEL Enter TITUS, and MARCUS. BOY. ELP, grandfire, help; my aunt Lavinia Follows me every where, I know not why. Good uncle Marcus, fee, how fwift fhe comes: Alas, fweet aunt, I know not what you mean. Mar. Stand by me, Lucius, do not fear thy aunt. Tit. She loves thee, boy, too well to do thee harm. Boy. Ay, when my father was in Rome, fhe did. Mar. What means my niece Lavinia by thefe figns? Tit. Fear thou not, Lucius, fomewhat doth fhe mean: See, Lucius, fee how much she makes of thee: Canft thou not guefs wherefore fhe plies thee thus? I will moft willingly attend your Ladyfhip. Tit. How now, Lavinia? Marcus, what means this? than one Confederate in the fact. Ay, more there was: Tit. For love of her that's gone, Perhaps, the cull'd it from among the reft. Tit. Soft fee how bufily fhe turns the leaves! Help her: what would she find? Lavinia, fhall I read? This is the tragic tale of Philomel, And treats of Tereus' treafon and his rape; Mar. See, brother, fee; note how the quotes the leaves. Tit. Lavinia, wert thou thus furprized, fweet girl, Ay, fuch a place there is, where we did hunt, Tit. Give figns, fweet girl, for here are none What Roman Lord it was durft do the deed; Or flunk not Saturnine, as Tarquin erst, That left the camp to fin in Lucrece' bed? Mar. Sit down, fweet niece; brother, fit down by Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury, Infpire me, that I may this treafon find. My Lord, look here; look here, Lavinia. [me. [He writes his name with his staff, and guides it with his feet and mouth This fandy plot is plain; guide, if thou can'ft, This after me, when I have writ my name, Curft be that heart that forced us to this fhift! Tit. Oh, do you read, my Lord, what he hath Stuprum Chiron, Demetrius ! [writ? Maa. What, what !-the luftful fons of TamoraPerformers of this hateful bloody deed! Tit. Magne Dominator Poli, (20) Tam lentus audis fcelera! tam lentus vides! Mar. Oh, calm thee, gentle Lord; although, I know, (20) Magni Dominator Poli, Tam lentus audis fcelera! tam lentus vides] Thus this quotation has paffed through all the printed copies, as well thofe put out by the players, as thofe by the more learned editors. The latter of thefe verfes is copied from the Hippolytus of Seneca; but the addrefs to Jupiter there, which precedes it, is in thefe terms- Magne regnator deum. Tam lentus audis frelera! &c. Where Shakespeare (or whoever elfe was the author of this play) met with the hemiftich fubftituted in the place of Seneca's, I can't pretend to fay. But were our poetical editors fo little acquainted with the numbers of a common iambic, as to let Magni Domi- | nator Poli, pafs them without fufpicion? have they ever obferved a dactyl in the fourth foot of an iambic verfe, either in the Greek tragedians, or in Seneca? if not, I muft believe our Author found this hemiftich thus: -Mag- ne Domi- | nator | Poli. Thus the fourth foot is a tribrachys, (and equal in time to an iambic) a licence perpetually taken by all the tragic poets, |