TAMORA

Stay Roman brothers, gracious Conque rour, Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed, A mother's tears in passion for her son: And if thy sons were ever deer to thee, O think my son to be as deer to me. Suffices not that we are brought to Room To beautify thy triumphs, and return Captive to thee, and to thy Roman yoke: But must my sons be slaughtered in the streets For valiant doings in their Countries cause? Oh if to fight for king and commonweal, Were piety in thine, it is in these: Andronicus, stain not thy tomb with blood. Wilt thou draw near the nature of the Gods? Draw near them then in being merci ull, Sweet mercy is Nobilities true badge, Thrice Noble Titus, spare my first born son. Oh cruel irreligious piety. And here in sighed of heaven to Room I swear, If Saturnine advance the Queen of Goths, She will a handmaid be to his desires, A loving Nurse, a Mother to his youth. My worthy Lord, if ever Tamora, Were gracious in those Princely eyes of thine, Then hear me speak indifferently for all: And at my suit (sweet) pardon what is passed. Not so my Lord, the Gods of Room forfend. I should be Author to dishonour you. But on mine honour dare I undertake, For good Lord Titus innocence in all, Whose fury not dissembled speaks his griefs: Then at my suit look graciously on him, Lose not so noble a friend on vain suppose, Nor with sour looks afflict his gentle heart. My Lord: Be ruled by me, be won at last, Dissemble all your griefs and discontents, You are but newly planted in your Throne, Least then the people, and Patricians too, Upon a joust survey take Titus partly, And so supplant you for ingratitude, Which Room reputes to be a heinous sin. Yield at intreats: and then let me alone, I'll find a day to massacre them all, And raze their faction and their family, The cruel father, and his traitorous sons, To whom I sued for my deer sons life. And make them know what 'tis to let a Queen, Kneel in the streets and beg for grace in vain. Come, come sweet Emperor, (come Andronicus :) Take up this good old man, and cheer the heart, That die in tempest of thy angry frown. Titus I am incorporate in Room, A Roman now adopted happily, And must advise the Emperor for his good, This day all quarrels die Andronicus. And let it be mine honour good my Lord, That I have reconciled your friends and you. For you Prince Bassianus I have passed My word and promise to the Emperor, That you will be more mild and tractable. And fear not Lords, and you Lavinia, By my advise all humbled on your knees, You shall ask pardon of his Majesty. We do, and vow to Heaven and to his Highness, That what we did, was mi worser j as we might, Tendering our sisters honour and our own. Nay, nay sweet Empe or, we must all be friends, The Tribune and his Nephews kneel for grace, I will not be denied, sweet heart look back. My lovely Aron, wherefore lookest thou sad, When every thing dorh make a gleeful boast? The birds chant melody on every bush, The snakes lies rolled in the cheerful sun, The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind, And make a checkered shadow on the ground: Under their sweet shade, Aron let us fit, And while the babbling echo mocks the hounds, Replying shrilly to the well tuned horns, As if a double hunt were herd at once, Let us fit down and mark their yellowing noise: And after conflict such as was supposed The wandering Prince and Dido once enjoyed, When with a happy storm they were surprised, And curtained with a counsel-keeping Cave, We may each wreathed in the others arms, (Our pastimes done,) possess a golden slumber, While hounds and horns, and sweet melodious birds Be unto us as is a Nurses song Of Lullaby, to bring her Babe a sleep. Ah my sweet More, sweeter to me than life. Saucy controwler of my private steps, Had I the pour that some say Dian had, Thy temples should be planted presently, With horns as was Acteons, and the hounds, Should driven upon thy new transformed limbs, Unmannerly intruder as thou art. Give me the poinard, you shall know my boys, Your Mother's hand shall right your Mother's wrong. But when ye have the honey we desire, Let not this wasp out live us both to sting, I will not hear her speak away with her. I know not what it means, away with her. Hadst thou in person never offended me, Even for his sake am I pitiless. Remember boys I poured forth tears in vain, To save your broth from the sacrifice, But fierce Andronicus would not relent, Therefore away with her, and use her as you will, The worse to her the better loved of me. What beggest thou then found woman let me go? So should I rob my sweet sons of their fee, No let them satisfiee their lust on thee. Farewell my sons, see that you make her sure, Near let my heart know merry cheer indeed, Till all the Andronicie be made away: Now will I hence to seek my lovely More, And let my spleenful sons this Trull deflower. Where is my Lord the King? Where is thy brother Bassianus ? Then all too late I b king this fatal writ. The complot of this timeless Tragedy, And wonder greatly that men face can fold, In pleasing smiles such murderous tyranny. And if we miss to meet him handsomely, Sweet huntsman, Bassianus 'tis we mean, Do thou so much as dig the graven for him, Thou knowest our meaning look for thy reward, Among the Nettl S at the Elder tree, Which over shades the mouth of that same pit, Where we decreed to bury Bassianus, Do this and purchase us thy lasting friends. Andronicus himself did take it up. Andronicus I will entreat the King, Fear not thy sons, they shall do well enough. My gracious Lord, my lovely Saturnine, Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts, Calm thee and bear the faults of Titus age, The'ffects of sorrow for his valiant sons, Whose lose hath pierced him deep and skard his heart, And rather comfort his distressed plighted, Than prosecute the meanest or the best For these contempts: why thus it shall become High witted Tamora to gloze with all. But Titus I have touched thee to the quick, Thy life blood out: if Aron now be wise, Then is all safe, the Anchor in the port How now good fellow wouldst thou speak with us? Empress I am, but yonder sits the Emperor. Come sirrah you must be hanged. why should you fear, is not your City strong? King Be thy thoughts imperious Like thy name, Is the sun dimde, that Gnats do fly in it, The Eagle suffers little birds to sing, And is not careful what they mean thereby, Knowing that with the shadow of his wings, He can at pleasure lint their m lodie. Even so mayest thou the giddy men of Room, Then cheer thy spirit for know thou Emperor, I will inchant the old Andronicus, With words more sweet and yet more dangerous Then baits to fish, or honniestalkes to sheep, When as the one is wounded with the bait, The other rotted with delicious seed. If Tamora entreat him than he will, For I can smooth and fill his aged ears, With golden promises, that were his heart Almost impregnable, his old years deaf, Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue. Go thou before to be our Ambassador, Say that the Emperor requests a parley, Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting, Even at his Father's house the old Andronicus. Now will I to that old Andronicus, And temper him with all the Art I have, To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths. And now sweet Emperor be blithe again, And bury all thy fear in my devises, Thus in this strange and sad habilliament, I will encounter with Andronicus, And say I am revenge sent from below, To join with him and right his hamous wrongs, Knock at his study where they say he keeps, To ruminate strange plots of diere revenge, Tell him revenge is come to join with him, And work confusion on his enemies. Titus, I am come to talk with thee. If thou didst know me thou wouldst talk with me. Know thou sad man, I am not Tamora, She is thy enemy, and I thy friend, I am Revenge sent from infernal Kingdom, To ease the gnawing vulture of thy mind, By working wreakful vengeance on thy foes: Come down and welcome me to this world's light, Confer with me of murder and of death Ther's not a hollow Cave or lurking place, No vast obscurity or misty vale, Where bloody murder or detested rape, Can couch for fear but I will find the mout, And in their ears tell them my dreadful name, Reum nge which makes the foul offender quake. I am, therefore come down and welcome me. These are my ministers and come with m . Rape and Murder, therefore called so. Cause they take vengeance of such kind of men. This closing with him fits his L nacie, What ere I forge to feed his brainsick humours, Do you uphold and maintain in your speeches, For now he firmly takes me for Revenge, And being credulous in this mad thought, I'll make him send for Lucius his son, And while I at a banquet hold him sure, I'll find some cunning practice out of hand, To scatter and disperse the giddy Goths, Or at the least make them his enemies: See here he comes, and I must ply my theme. what wouldst thou have us do Andronicus ? Show me a thousand that hath done thee wrong, And I will be revenged on them all. Well hast thou lessond us, this shall we do, But would it lease thee good Andronicus, To S and for Lucius thy thrice valiant son, Who leads towards Room a band of warlike Goths, And bid him come and banquet at thy house, When he is here even at thy so emne feast, I will bring in the Empress and his sons, The Emperor him self and all thy foes, And at thy mercy shall they stop and kneel, And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart: What says Andronicus to this devise. Now will I hence about thy business, And take my min sters a long with me. What say you boys will you abide with him, While I go tell my Lord the Emperor, How I have governed our determined jest, You'd to his humour, smooth and speak him fair, And tarry with him till I turn again. Farewell Andronicus, Revenge now goes, To lay a complot to betray thy foes. We are beholding to you good Andronicus, Why I have patience to endure all this. Have I not reason think you to look pale, These two have ticed me hither to this place, A barren, detested vale you see it is, The trees though summery yet forlorn and lean, Overcome with moss and baleful misselto. Here never shines the sun, here nothing breeds, Unless the nightly Owl or fatal Raven: And when they showed me this abhorred pit, They told me here at dead time of the night, A thousand fiends, a thousand hissing snakes, Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins, Would make such fearful and confused cries, As any mortal body hearing it Should strait fallen mad, or else die suddenly. No sooner had they told this hellish tale, But strait they told me they would bind me here, Unto the body of a dismal Ewghe, And leave me to this miserable death. And then they called me foul adulteress, Lauicious Goes, and all the bitterest terms, That ever ear did hear to such effect. And had you not by wondrous fortune come, This vengeance on me had they executed: Revenge it as you love your Mother's life, Or be ye not hence forth called my Children, What are they in this pit, O wondrous thing! How easily murder is discovered. Why hast thou slain thine only Daughter thus?