Lucius our emperor; for well I know

The common voice do cry it shall be so.

All Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal emperor!
Marc. Go, go into old Titus' sorrowful house,

[To Attendants.

And hither hale that misbelieving Moor,
To be adjudged some direful slaughtering death,
As punishment for his most wicked life.

[Exeunt Attendants.

LUCIUS, MARCUS, and the others descend.

All. Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious governor!
Luc. Thanks, gentle Romans: may I govern so,
To heal Rome's harms and wipe away her woe!
But, gentle people, give me aim awhile,

For nature puts me to a heavy task;

Stand all aloof; but, uncle, draw you near,

To shed obsequious tears upon this trunk.

O, take this warm kiss on thy pale cold lips, [Kissing Titus.

These sorrowful drops upon thy blood-stain'd face,

The last true duties of thy noble son!

Marc. Tear for tear and loving kiss for kiss

140

145

150

135

Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips:

O, were the sum of these that I should pay

Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them!

Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us

160

To melt in showers: thy grandsire loved thee well:

Many a time he danced thee on his knee,

Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow;
Many a matter hath he told to thee,
Meet and agreeing with thine infancy;

In that respect then, like a loving child,

Shed yet some small drops from thy tender spring,
Because kind nature doth require it so:

Friends should associate friends in grief and woe:

Bid him farewell; commit him to the grave;

Do him that kindness, and take leave of him.

Boy. O grandsire, grandsire! even with all my heart
Would I were dead, so you did live again!
O Lord, I cannot speak to him for weeping;
My tears will choke me, if I

ope my mouth.

Re-enter Attendants with AARON.

A Roman. You sad Andronici, have done with woes : Give sentence on this execrable wretch

165

170

175

That hath been breeder of these dire events.

Luc. Set him breast-deep in earth, and famish him;

There let him stand and rave and cry for food:

130

For the offence he dies. This is our doom:

If any one relieves or pities him,

Some stay to see him fasten'd in the earth.

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

I am no baby, I, that with base prayers

165. thine] thy Rowe.

171. him...him] Ff. them...them Qq.

and take leave of him] all that

he can have Collier MS.
172. Boy.] Ff. Puer. Qq.

heart] hart. Qr hart, Q2. 175. Re-enter Attendants ..] Dyce.

Enter Romans with Aaron. Rowe.
Enter Attendant... Capell.
176. SCENE VII. Pope.

A Roman.] Romaine. Qq.
Romans. F, F3 F4 Romanes. F2.
2. R. Capell. 1 Rom. Malone. Æm.
Edd., Globe Ed. (Dyce conj.).

184. dumb?] dumb, Qr

185

I should repent the evils 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 soul.

190

Luc. Some loving friends convey the emperor hence,

And give him burial in his father's grave:

My father and Lavinia shall forthwith

Be closed in our household's monument.

As for that heinous tiger, Tamora,

195

No funeral rite, nor man in mourning weeds,

No mournful bell shall ring her burial;

But throw her forth to beasts and birds of prey:
Her life was beastly and devoid of pity,
And, being so, shall have like want of pity.
See justice done on Aaron, that damn'd Moor,
By whom our heavy haps had their beginning:
Then, afterwards, to order well the state,
That like events may ne'er it ruinate.

[Exeunt.

of prey] Ff. to pray Q. to

199. beastly] Qq. beast-like Ff.
200. shall she shall Hanmer.
on Aaron] to Aaron Steevens

201.

Byl Qq. From Ff.

(1793).

200

NOTES.

NOTE I.

II. I. The Quartos have no distinction of act or scene here or elsewhere. After Exeunt comes immediately a stage direction Sound Trumpets, manet Moore. The first Folio, after Aus Secunda, has

Flourish. Enter Aaron alone. The Editor of the second Folio seeing the impropriety of introducing Aaron alone with a flourish of trumpets, omitted the word Flourish. Capell was doubtless right in supposing that it had been displaced from the end of the last

scene.

act.

Johnson is of opinion that this scene ought to continue the first

NOTE II.

II. 1. 134. Mr Collier, reading 'these,' says, 'The Quartos give the text correctly.' The Quarto of 1611 has 'their.'

NOTE III.

III. 1. 170. In the copy of Theobald's edition before us, which belonged to Warburton, the latter has written 'Mr Warburton' opposite Theobald's note in defence of his emendation, thereby claiming for himself the merit of the conjecture. But in his own edition he retains the old reading 'castle,' while in a note he assigns the emendation to Theobald, and ridicules him for adopting it. Theobald first proposed it in a letter to Concanen (Nichols' Illustrations, II. 220).