Mar. You fad-fac'd men, people and fons of Rome, By uproar fever'd, like a flight of fowl

Scatter'd by winds and high tempeftuous gufts,
Oh, let me teach you how to knit again
This fcatter'd corn into one mutual fheaf,
These broken limbs again into one body.
Goth. Let Rome herself be Bane unto herself;
And the whom mighty Kingdoms curtly to,
Like a forlorn and desperate caft away,
Do fhameful execution on herself.

Mar. But if my frofty figns and chaps of age,
Grave witnesses of true experience,
Cannot induce you to attend my words,
Speak, Rome's dear friend; as erft our Ancestor,

[To Lucius,

When with his folemn tongue he did discourse
To love-fick Dido's fad attending ear,
The ftory of that baleful burning Night,
When fubtle Greeks furpriz'd King Priam's Troy
Tell us, what Sinon hath bewitch'd our ears,
Or who hath brought the fatal engine in,
That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.
My heart is not compact of flint, nor steel;
Nor can I utter all our bitter grief,

But floods of tears will drown my oratory,
And break my very utt'rance; even in the time
When it should move you to attend me most,
Lending your kind commiferation.

Here is a Captain, let him tell the Tale.

8.

Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him speak. Luc. Then, noble Auditory, be it known to you, That curfed Chiron and Demetrius

Were they, that murdered our Emperor's brother;
And they it were, that ravished our fifter:

For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded,
Our father's tears defpis'd, and bafely cozen'd
Of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel out,
And fent her enemies into the grave.

N3

Laftly

Laftly, myself unkindly banished,

The gates fhut on me, and turn'd weeping out,
To beg relief among Rome's enemies;

Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears,
And op'd their arms t'embrace me as a friend :.
And I am turn'd forth, be it known to you,
That have preferv'd her welfare in my blood,
And from her bofom took the enemy's point,
Sheathing the fleel in my advent'rous body.
Alas you know, I am no vaunter, I;
My fcars can witness, dumb although they are,
That my report is juft, and full of truth.
But, foft, methinks, I do digrefs too much.
Citing my worthless praise: oh, pardon me,
For when no friends are by, men praise themselves.
Mar. Now is my tongue to fpeak: behold this
child,

Of this was Tamora delivered;

The iffue of an irreligious Moor,

Chief architect and plotter of these woes;
The villain is alive in Titus' house,

Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true.
Now judge, what caufe had Titus to revenge
These wrongs, unspeakable, past patience,
Or more than any living man could bear.
Now you have heard the truth, what fay you, Romans?
Have we done aught amifs? fhew us wherein,
And from the place where you behold us now,
The poor remainder of Andronicus.

We'll hand in hand all head-long caft us down,
And on the ragged ftones beat out our brains,
And make a mutual Clofure of our Houfe:
Speak, Romans, speak; and, if you fay, we fhall,.
Lo, hand in hand, Lucius and I will fall.

Emil. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,
And bring our Emperor gently in thy hand,
Lucius our Emperor: for, well I know,
The common voice do cry, it shall be so.

Mar.

Mar. Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal Emperor !
Go, go, into old Titus' forrowful house,
And hither hale that misbelieving Moor,
To be adjudg'd fome direful flaughtering death;
As punishment for his moft wicked life.
Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious governor!

Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans: may I govern fo,
To heal Rome's harm, and drive away her woe!
But, gentle people, give me aim a while,
For nature puts me to a heavy task:

Stand all aloof; but, Uncle, draw you near,
To fhed obfequious tears upon this Trunk :
Oh, take this warm kifs on thy pale cold lips,
These forrowful drops upon thy blood-ftain'd face;
The last true duties of thy noble Son.

Mar. Ay, tear for tear, and loving kifs for kifs, Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips : O, were the fum of these that I should pay Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them! Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn

of us

To melt in showers; thy grandfire lov'd thee well;
Many a time he danc'd thee on his knee;
Sung thee afleep, his loving breast thy pillow:
Many a matter hath he told to thee,

Meet and agreeing with thy infancy;
In that respect then, like a loving child,

Shed yet some small drops from thy tender fpring,
Because kind nature doth require it fo;

Friends fhould affociate friends, in grief and woe: Bid him farewel, commit him to the grave;

Do him that kindness, and take leave of him. Boy. O grandfire, grandfire! even with all my heart,

'Would I were dead, fo you did live againO lord, I cannot speak to him for weepingMy tears will choke me, If I ope my mouth.

N 4

SCENE

Rom.

Y

Enter Romans with Aaron.

OU fad Andronici, have done with woes : Give fentence on this execrable wretch, That hath been breeder of these dire events.

Luc. Set him breaft-deep in earth, and famifh him:
There let him ftand, and rave and cry for food:
If any one relieves or pities him,

For the offence he dies: this is our doom.
Some ftay to fee him faftned in the earth.

Aar. O, why should wrath be mute, and fury dumb!

I am no baby, I, that with base prayers
I fhould repent the evil I have done :
Ten thousand worse, than ever yet I did,
Would I perform, if I might have my will:
If one good deed in all my life I did,

I do repent it from my very foul.

Luc. Some loving friends convey the Emp'ror hence, And give him burial in his father's grave.

My father and Lavinia fhall forthwith

Be clofed in our Houfhold's Monument:
As for that heinous tygrefs Tamora,

No funeral rites, nor man in mournful weeds,
No mournful bell fhall ring her burial;
But throw her forth to beafts and birds of prey:
Her life was beast-like, and devoid of pity;
And being fo, fhall have like want of pity.
See juftice done on Aaron that damn'd Moor,
From whom our heavy haps had their beginning;
Then, afterwards, we'll order well the State;
That like events may ne'er it ruinate. [Exeunt omnes.

THE