The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 6 of 9]

And you must needs bestow her funeral;
The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms: 165
This done, see that you take no longer days,[4563]
But send the midwife presently to me.
The midwife and the nurse well made away,
Then let the ladies tattle what they please.[4564]

Chi. Aaron, I see thou wilt not trust the air [4565] 170
With secrets.[4565]

Dem. For this care of Tamora,
Herself and hers are highly bound to thee.

Aar. Now to the Goths, as swift as swallow flies;
There to dispose this treasure in mine arms,
And secretly to greet the empress' friends. 175
Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you hence;
For it is you that puts us to our shifts:[4567]
I'll make you feed on berries and on roots,[4568]
And feed on curds and whey, and suck the goat,[4569]
And cabin in a cave, and bring you up 180
To be a warrior and command a camp. [Exit.

Tit. Come, Marcus, come; kinsmen, this is the way.[4571]
Sir boy, let me see your archery;[4572]
Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there straight.
Terras Astræa reliquit:[4573]
Be you remember'd, Marcus, she's gone, she's fled.[4573][4574] 5
Sirs, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall[4573][4575]
Go sound the ocean, and cast your nets;[4573]
Happily you may catch her in the sea;[4573][4576]
Yet there's as little justice as at land:
No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it; 10
'Tis you must dig with mattock and with spade,
And pierce the inmost centre of the earth:
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you, deliver him this petition;[4577]
Tell him, it is for justice and for aid, 15
And that it comes from old Andronicus,
Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome.
Ah, Rome! Well, well; I made thee miserable
What time I threw the people's suffrages
On him that thus doth tyrannize o'er me. 20
Go, get you gone; and pray be careful all,
And leave you not a man-of-war unsearch'd:
This wicked emperor may have shipp'd her hence;
And, kinsmen, then we may go pipe for justice.

Marc. O Publius, is not this a heavy case, 25
To see thy noble uncle thus distract?

Pub. Therefore, my lord, it highly us concerns [4578][4579]
By day and night to attend him carefully,
And feed his humour kindly as we may,
Till time beget some careful remedy. 30

Marc. Kinsmen, his sorrows are past remedy.[4580]
Join with the Goths, and with revengeful war
Take wreak on Rome for this ingratitude
And vengeance on the traitor Saturnine.

Tit. Publius, how now! how now, my masters![4581] 35
What, have you met with her?[4581]

Pub. No, my good lord; but Pluto sends you word,[4578]
If you will have Revenge from hell, you shall:
Marry, for Justice, she is so employ'd,[4582]
He thinks, with Jove in heaven, or somewhere else, 40
So that perforce you must needs stay a time.

Tit. He doth me wrong to feed me with delays.
I'll dive into the burning lake below,
And pull her out of Acheron by the heels.[4583]
Marcus, we are but shrubs, no cedars we, 45
No big-boned men framed of the Cyclops' size;
But metal, Marcus, steel to the very back,
Yet wrung with wrongs more than our backs can bear:[4584]
And sith there's no justice in earth nor hell,[4585]
We will solicit heaven, and move the gods 50
To send down Justice for to wreak our wrongs.
Come, to this gear. You are a good archer, Marcus;[4586]

'Ad Jovem,' that's for you: here, 'Ad Apollinem:'[4587]
'Ad Martem,' that's for myself:[4588]
Here, boy, to Pallas: here, to Mercury: 55
To Saturn, Caius, not to Saturnine;[4589]
You were as good to shoot against the wind.
To it, boy! Marcus, loose when I bid.[4590]
Of my word, I have written to effect;[4591]
There's not a god left unsolicited. 60

Marc. Kinsmen, shoot all your shafts into the court:[4592]
We will afflict the emperor in his pride.

Tit. Now, masters, draw. [They shoot.] O, well said, Lucius![4593]
Good boy, in Virgo's lap; give it Pallas.[4594]

Marc. My lord, I aim a mile beyond the moon;[4595] 65
Your letter is with Jupiter by this.

Tit. Ha, ha![4596]
Publius, Publius, what hast thou done?[4596]
See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns.[4597]

Marc. This was the sport, my lord: when Publius shot, 70
The Bull, being gall'd, gave Aries such a knock
That down fell both the Ram's horns in the court;
And who should find them but the empress' villain?[4598]
She laugh'd, and told the Moor he should not choose
But give them to his master for a present. 75

Tit. Why, there it goes: God give his lordship joy![4599]

News, news from heaven! Marcus, the post is come.[4601]
Sirrah, what tidings? have you any letters?
Shall I have justice? what says Jupiter?

Clo. O, the gibbet-maker! he says that he hath taken [4602] 80
them down again, for the man must not be hanged till the
next week.

Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee?[4603]

Clo. Alas, sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with [4604][4605]
him in all my life.[4604] 85

Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier?

Clo. Ay, of my pigeons, sir; nothing else.[4606]

Tit. Why, didst thou not come from heaven?

Clo. From heaven! alas, sir, I never came there: God [4607]
forbid I should be so bold to press to heaven in my young [4608] 90
days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal
plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and
one of the emperial's men.

Marc. Why, sir, that is as fit as can be to serve for
your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the 95
emperor from you.

Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the emperor
with a grace?

Clo. Nay, truly, sir, I could never say grace in all my life.

Tit. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado, 100
But give your pigeons to the emperor:
By me thou shalt have justice at his hands.
Hold, hold; meanwhile here's money for thy charges.[4609]
Give me pen and ink.[4610]
Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplication? 105

Clo. Ay, sir.

Tit. Then here is a supplication for you. And when you
come to him, at the first approach you must kneel; then kiss
his foot; then deliver up your pigeons; and then look for
your reward. I'll be at hand, sir; see you do it bravely. 110

Clo. I warrant you, sir, let me alone.

Tit. Sirrah, hast thou a knife? come, let me see it.
Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration;
For thou hast made it like an humble suppliant:
And when thou hast given it to the emperor,[4611] 115
Knock at my door, and tell me what he says.

Clo. God be with you, sir; I will. [Exit.[4612]

Tit. Come, Marcus, let us go. Publius, follow me. [Exeunt.[4613]

Sat. Why, lords, what wrongs are these! was ever seen [4615]
An emperor in Rome thus overborne,[4616]
Troubled, confronted thus, and for the extent
Of egal justice used in such contempt?[4617]
My lords, you know, as know the mightful gods,[4618] 5
However these disturbers of our peace [4619]
Buzz in the people's ears, there nought hath pass'd
But even with law against the wilful sons [4620]
Of old Andronicus. And what an if [4621]
His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits, 10
Shall we be thus afflicted in his wreaks,[4622]
His fits, his frenzy and his bitterness?
And now he writes to heaven for his redress:
See, here's to Jove, and this to Mercury;
This to Apollo; this to the god of war: 15
Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of Rome!
What's this but libelling against the senate,[4623]
And blazoning our unjustice every where?[4623][4624]
A goodly humour, is it not, my lords?
As who would say, in Rome no justice were. 20
But if I live, his feigned ecstasies [4625]
Shall be no shelter to these outrages:
But he and his shall know that justice lives
In Saturninus' health; whom, if he sleep,[4626][4627]
He'll so awake, as he in fury shall[4627] 25
Cut off the proud'st conspirator that lives.[4628]

Tam. My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,[4629]
Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,[4630]
Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age,[4631]
The effects of sorrow for his valiant sons, 30
Whose loss hath pierced him deep and scarr'd his heart;
And rather comfort his distressed plight [4632]
Than prosecute the meanest or the best
For these contempts. [Aside] Why, thus it shall become [4633]
High-witted Tamora to gloze with all:[4634] 35
But, Titus, I have touch'd thee to the quick,[4635]
Thy life-blood out: if Aaron now be wise,[4635][4636]
Then is all safe, the anchor in the port.[4637]

How now, good fellow! wouldst thou speak with us?

Clo. Yea, forsooth, an your mistership be emperial.[4638] 40

Tam. Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor.

Clo. 'Tis he. God and Saint Stephen give you god-den:[4639][4640]
I have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons[4639]
here. [Saturninus reads the letter.[4639][4641]

Sat. Go, take him away, and hang him presently.[4642] 45

Clo. How much money must I have?[4643]

Tam. Come, sirrah, you must be hanged.[4644]

Clo. Hanged! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck [4645]
to a fair end. [Exit, guarded.[4646]

Sat. Despiteful and intolerable wrongs! 50
Shall I endure this monstrous villany?
I know from whence this same device proceeds:[4647]
May this be borne? As if his traitorous sons,[4648]
That died by law for murder of our brother,
Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully![4649] 55
Go, drag the villain hither by the hair;
Nor age nor honour shall shape privilege:[4650]
For this proud mock I'll be thy slaughter-man;
Sly frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great,
In hope thyself should govern Rome and me. 60

What news with thee, Æmilius?[4652]

Æmil. Arm, my lords; Rome never had more cause.[4653]
The Goths have gather'd head, and with a power [4654]
Of high-resolved men, bent to the spoil,
They hither march amain, under conduct [4655] 65
Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus;
Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do [4656]
As much as ever Coriolanus did.

Sat. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?[4657][4658]
These tidings nip me, and I hang the head 70
As flowers with frost or grass beat down with storms:
Ay, now begin our sorrows to approach:[4659]
'Tis he the common people love so much;
Myself hath often heard them say,[4660]
When I have walked like a private man, 75
That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully,
And they have wish'd that Lucius were their emperor.[4661]

Tam. Why should you fear? is not your city strong?[4662]

Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius,[4657]
And will revolt from me to succour him. 80

Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious, like thy name.
Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it?[4663]
The eagle suffers little birds to sing,
And is not careful what they mean thereby,
Knowing that with the shadow of his wings [4664] 85
He can at pleasure stint their melody:
Even so mayst thou the giddy men of Rome.[4665]
Then cheer thy spirit: for know, thou emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus
With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous, 90
Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep;
Whenas the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious feed.[4666]

Sat. But he will not entreat his son for us.[4657][4667]

Tam. If Tamora entreat him, then he will:[4668] 95
For I can smooth, and fill his aged ears [4669]
With golden promises; that, were his heart
Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf,[4670]
Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
[To Æmilius] Go thou before, be our ambassador:[4671] 100
Say that the emperor requests a parley
Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting
Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus.[4672]

Sat. Æmilius, do this message honourably:[4657][4667]
And if he stand on hostage for his safety,[4673] 105
Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.

Æmil. Your bidding shall I do effectually. [Exit.

Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus,
And temper him with all the art I have,[4674]
To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths. 110
And now, sweet emperor, be blithe again,
And bury all thy fear in my devices.[4675]

Sat. Then go successantly, and plead to him. [Exeunt.[4676]

Scene III. The same. A public place.

Scene IV. The same. Before the palace.