Scene III.

TITUS ANDRONICUS. 1 Goth. And our's, with thine, befall what Sat. Go, fetch them bither to us presently, fortune will.

Tit. Why, there they are both baked in that
Luc. Good uncle take you in this barbarous

Pye,
Moor,

Whereof their mother daintily hath fed,
This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil; Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.
Let him receive no sustenance, fetter him, 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness my knife's sharp
Till he be brought unto the empress' face,

point.

(Killing TAMORA. For testimony of her foul proceedings :

Sat. Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed And see the ambush of our friends be strong :

deed.

(Killing TITUS I fear the emperor means no good to us.

Luc. Can the son's eye behold his father Aar. Some devil whisper curses in mine ear.

bleed? And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed. The venomous malice of my swelling heart! (Kills SATURNINUS. A great tumult. The

Luc, Away, inhuman dog! unhallow'd slave!- People in confusion disperse. Marcus, Sirs, help our ancle to convey him in,

Lucius, and their Partisans, ascend the [Exeunt Goths, with AARON. Flourish. steps before Titus' house. The trumpets show, the emperor is at hand. Mur. You sad-fac'd men, people and sons of

Rome,
Enter SATURNINUS and Tamora, with Tri- By uproar sever'd, like a flight of fowl

bunes, Senators, and others. Scatter'd by winds and high tempestuous gusts,
Sat. What, hath the firmament more suns o let me teach you how to knit again
than one?

This scatter'd corn into one mutual sheaf, Luc. What boots it thee, to call thyself a These broken limbs again into one body. sun ?

Sen. Lest Rome herself be bane unto her. Mar. Rome's emperor, and nephew, break +

self: the parle ;

And she, whom mighty kingdoms curt'sy to, These quarrels must be quietly debated.

Like a forlorn and desperate cast-away, The feast is ready which the careful Titus Do shameful execution on herself. Hath ordain’d to an honourable end,

But if my frosty signs and chaps of age, For peace, for love, for league, and good to Grave witnesses of true experience, Rome :

Cannot induce you to attend my words, Please you, therefore, draw nigh, and take your Speak, Rome's dear friend ; [TÓ LUCIUS.) as erst places.

our ancestor, Sat. Marcus, we will.

When with his solemn tongue he did discourse
(Hautboys sound. The Company sit down To love-sick Dido's sad attending ear,
at table,

The story of that baleful burning night,

When subtle Greeks surpris'å king Priam's Enter Titus, dressed like a cook, LAVINIA, Troy ;

veiled, young Lucius, and others. Titus Tell us, what'sinon hath bewitch'd our ears, places the dishes on the table.

Or who hath brought the fatal engine in, Tit. Welcome, my gracious lord: welcome, That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil dread queen:

wound.Welcome, ye warlike Goths : welcome, Lucius : My heart is not compact of flint nor steel; And welcome, all : although the cheer be poor,

Nor can I utter all our bitter grief, 'Twill fill your stomachs; please you eat of it.

But foods of tears will drown my oratory,
Sat. Why art thou thus attir'd, Andronicus? And break my very utterance : even i'the time

Tit. Because I would be sure to have all well, When it should move you to attend me most,
To entertain your highness and your einpress.

Lending your kind commiseration :
Tam. We are beholden to you, good An- Here is a captain, let him tell the tale ;
dronicus.

Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him Tit. An if your highness knew my heart,

speak. you were.

Luc. Then, noble anditory, be it known to you, My lord the emperor, resolve me this ;

That cursed Chiron and Demetrius Was it well done of rash Virginius,

Were they that murdered our emperor's brother; To slay his daughter with his own right hand, And they it were that ravished our sister : Because she was enforc'd, stain'd, and de. For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded ; flower'd ?

Our father's tears despis'd; and * basely cozen'd Sat. It was, Andronicus.

of that true hand, that fought Rome's quarrel Tit. Your reason, mighty lord !

out,
Sat. Because the girl should not survive her and sent her enemies unto the grave.
shame,

Lastly, myself unkindly banished,
And by her presence still renew his sorrows. The gates shut on me, and turn'd weeping out,

Tit. A reason mighty, strong, and effectual; To beg relief among Rome's enemies; A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant, Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears, For me, most wretched to perform the like : And op'd their arms to embrace me as a friend : Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee; And I am the turn'd-fortb, be it known to you,

[He kills LAVINIA. That have preserv'd her welfare in my blood; And, with thy shame, thy father's sorrow die ! And from her bosom took the enemy's point, Sat. What hast thou done, unnatural, and Sheathing the steel iu my advent'rous body. unkind ?

Alas; you know, I ain no vaunter, I; Tit. Killa her, for whom my tears have made My scars can witness, dumb although they are, I am as woful as Virginius was : (me blind. That my report is just, and full of truth. And have a thousand times more cause than he Put, soft : methinks I do digress too much, To do this outrage ; and it is now done. i

Citing my worthless praise : O pardon me; Sat. What, was she ravish'd ? tell, who did For when no friends are by, men praise themthe deed.

selves. Tit. Will't please you eat ? will’t please your Mar. Now is my turn to speak : Bebeld this bighness feed ?

child,
Tam. Why hast thou slain thine only daughter [Pointing to the child in the arms of an
thus 3

attendant.
Tit. Not I, 'twas Chiron and Demetrius : of this was Tamora delivered ;
They ravish'd her, and cut away her tongue, The issue of an irreligious Moor,
And they, 'twas they, that did her all this wrong. Chief architect aud plotter of these woes ;
• Benefits.
+ Begin the parley.

• Read he.

The villain is alive in Titus' house,

Many a time he danc'd thee on bis knee, Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true.

Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow ; Now judge, wbat cause bad Titus to revenge Many a matter hath he told to thee, These wrongs, unspeakable, past patience, Meet, and agreeing with thiue infancy; Or more than any living man could bear. In that respect then, like a loving child, Now you have heard the truth, what say you, Shed yet some small drops from thy tender Romans 1

spring, Have we done aught amiss Show us wherein, Because kind vature doth require it so: (woe : And, from the place where you behold us now, Friends should associate friends in grief and (The poor remainder of Andronici)

Bid him farewell; comunit him to the grave; We'll band in hand, all headlong cast us down, Do bim that kindness, and take leave of him. And on the ragged stones beat forth our brains, Boy. O grandsire, grandsire ! even with all my And make a mutual closure of our house.

heart Speak, Romans, speak; and, if you say we would I were dead, so you did live again! shall,

O lord, I cannot speak to him for weeping; Lo, hand in hand, Lucius and I will fall. My tears will choke me, if I ope my mouth, Æmil. Come, coine, thou reverend man of Rome,

Enter Attendants, with AARON. And bring our emperor gently in thy hand : i Rom. You sad Audronici, bave done with Lucius our emperor ; for, well I know

woes ; The cominon voice do cry, it shall be so. Give sentence on this execrable wretch, Rom. (Several speak.] Lucius, all hail; That hath been breeder of these dire events. Rome's royal emperor !

Luc. Set him breast-deep in earth, and fa

mish him ; LUCIUS, &c. descend.

There let bim stand, and rave and cry for food ; Mar. Go, go into old Titus' sorrowful house ; If any one relieves or pities him,

(To an Attendant. For the offence he dies. This is our doom : And bither hale that misbelieving Moor,

Some stay, to see him fasten'd in the earth. To be adjudg'd some direful slaughtering death, Aur. Oh! why should wrath be mute, and fury As punishment for his most wicked life.

duinb? Rom. (Several speak.) Lucius, all hail; I am no baby, I tbat, with base prayers, Rome's gracious governor !

I should repent the evils I bave done : Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans ; May I govern Ten thousand worse that ever yet I did 80,

Would I perforin, if I might bave my will ; To heal Rome's barms, and wipe away her woe! If one good deed in all my life I did, But, gentle people, give me aim awhile,- I do repent it from my very soul. For nature puts me to a heavy task ;

Luc. Some loving friends convey the emperor Stand all aloof :—but, uncle, draw you near,

hence, To shed obsequious tears upon this trunk : And give hiin burial in his father's grave : O take this warın kiss on thy pale cold lips, My father, and Lavinia, shall forth with

(Kisses Titus. Be closed in our household's mouument These sorrowful drops upon thy blood-staiu'd As for that beinous tiger, Tamora, face,

No funeral rite, nor iran in mournful weeds, The last true duties of thy nohle son !

No mouruful bell shall ring her burial; Mar. Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss, But throw her forth to beasts and birds of prey : Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips : Her life was beast-like, and devoid of pity; Oh! were the sum of these that I should pay And, being so, sball have like want of pity. Countless and infinite, yet would I pay thein ! See justice done to Aaron, that damn'd Moor, Luc. Come bither, boy; come, come, and By wbom our heavy baps had their beginning: learn of us

Then, afterwards, to order well the state ; To melt in showers: Thy grandsire lov'd thee That like events may ne'er it ruinate. well :

[Ereunt.

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THIS tragedy was written about the year 1602, and Shakspeare is supposed to have taken the greatest part of its

materials from the Troye Boke of Lydgate, an author who derived many of his particulars from a History of Troy, in Latin, by Guido of Columpna. Chaucer had previously celebrated the loves of Troilus and Cressida, in a translation from a Latin poem of one Lollius, an old Lombard author. The characters in this play (which was not originally divided into acts) are strikingly assimilated to the portraits which history has preserved of them--the aged loquacity of Nestor---the insinuating eloquence of Ulysses--- the boasting confidence of Ajax---the sullen self-importance of Achilles--the conscious dignity of Agamemnon, and the sneaking insignificance of the cuckold Menelaus, are excellently displayed in the development of the piece ; whilst the scurrile malignity of Thersites most humorously and ingeniously advances its interest throughout. The mode of Hector's death is, however, at variance with historieal record, and was probably accompanied with such baseness on the part of Achilles, to perfect the amiable attributes in which the poet chose to invest the character of his Trojan opponent. Troilus, the hero of the play, has little to recommend him beyond personal intrepidity, and the sincerity of a youthful attachment---some authors rank him among the elder of Priam's sons : others (and among them Virgil, who describes in the 1st book of the Æneid, line 174, the manner of his death by the hand of Achilles) call him the youngest. Avachronisms are of frequent occurrence in this play ; such as Hector's citing Aristotle, and Ulysses alluding to the “bull-bearing Milo," who did not live till many years after the Trojan war. It must, nevertheless, be remembered, that the greater part of Shakspeare's library consisted of ancient romances; and nothing could be less correct than their computation of datos. The language of the piece is greatly tinctured with the peculiarities of the age in which he lived ; and although Dr. Johuson considers it more correctly written than many of its companions, be exempts it from any extent of view or elevation of fancy. “The vicious characters (says that discriminating critic) sometimes disgust, but cannot corrupt; for both Cressida and Pandarus are detested and condemned. The comic characters seem to have been the favourites of the writer : they are of the superficial kind, and ex. hibit more of manners than naturo; bu: they are copiously filled, and powerfully impressed."

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ. PRIAM, King of Troy.

THERSITES, a deformed and scurrilous Gre. Hector, TROILUS PARUS; } His Sons.

cian. , HELENUS,

ALEXANDER, Servant to Cressida. ANEAS, ANTENOR, Trojan Commanders. Servant to sroilus.-Servant to Paris.-Ser. Calchás, a Trojan Priest, taking part with

vant to Diomedes. the Greeks. PANDARUS, Uncle to Cressida.

HELEN, Wife to Menelaus. MARGARELON, a bastard Son of Priam. ANDROMACHE, Wife to Hector. AGAMEMNON, the Grecian General.

CASSANDRA, Daughter to Priam ; a ProMENELAUS, his Brother.

phetess. ACHILLES, AJAX, ULYSSES,

Grecian Com

CRESSIDA, Daughter to Calchas.
NESTOR, DIOMEDES,

manders.
PATROCLES,

Trojan and Greek Soldiers, and Attendants. SCENE: Troy, and the Grecian Camp before it.

}

PROLOGUE. In Troy there lies the scene. From isles of their brave pavilions : Priam's six-gated city, Greece.

Dardan, and Tymbria, Ilias, Chetas, Trojan, The princes orgulous, their high blood chard, And Antenorides, with massy staples, Have to the port of Athens sent their ships, And corresponsive and fulfilling bolls, Fraught with the ministers and instruments Sperr * up the sons of Troy. of cruel war : Sixty and nine, that wore Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits, Their crowniets regal, from the Athenian bay On one and other side, Trojan and Greek, Put forth toward Phrygia : and their vow is Sets all on hazard :- And hither am I come made,

A prologue arm'd,-but not in confidence To ransack Troy; within whose strong immures of author's pen, or actor's voice ; but suited The ravish'd Helen, Menelaus' queen,

In like conditions as our argument, With wanton Paris sleeps : And that's the To tell you, fair beholders, that our play quarrel.

Leaps o'er the vaunt t and firstlings of those To Tenedos they come ;

broils, And the deep-drawing barks do there disgorge 'Ginning in the middle ; starting thence away Their warlike fraughtage ; t Now on Dardan To what may be digested in a play. plains

Like, or find tault; do as your pleasures are ; The fresh and yet unbruised Greeks do pitch Now good, or bad, 'uis but the chance of war. • Proud, disdainful

Freight.

• Shut. + Avaun shat went before.