And fuffer not difhonour to approach
Th' imperial Seat, to vitue confecrate,
To justice, continence, and nobility;
But let defert in pure election shine,
And, Romans, fight for freedom in your choice.
Enter Marcus Andronicus aloft, with the Crown.
Mar. Princes, that ftrive by factions, and by friends, Ambitiously for Rule and Empery!
Know, that the people of Rome, for whom we stand
A fpecial party, have by common voice,
In election for the Roman Empery,
Chofen Andronicus, fur-named Pius,
For many good and great deferts to Rome.
A nobler man, a braver warrior,
Lives not this day within our city-walls.
He by the Senate is accited home,
From weary wars against the barb'rous Goths;
That with his fons, a terror to our foes,
Hath yoak'd a nation ftrong, train'd up in arms.
Ten years are spent, fince firft he undertook
This Caufe of Rome, and chastised with arms
Our enemies' pride. Five times he hath return'd
Bleeding to Rome, bearing his valiant fons
In coffins from the field.
And now at laft, laden with Honour's Spoils,
Returns the good Andronicus to Rome,
Renowned Titus, flourishing in arms.
Let us intreat, by honour of his Name,
Whom, worthily, you would have now fucceed,
And in the Capitol and Senate's Right,
Whom you pretend to honour and adore,
That you withdraw you, and abate your ftrength;
Difmifs your followers, and, as fuitors fhould,
Plead your deferts in peace and humbleness.
Sat. How fair the Tribune fpeaks, to calm my
thoughts!
Baf. Marcus Andronicus, fo I do affy
In thy uprightness and integrity,
And fo I love and honour thee and thine;
Thy noble brother Titus, and his fons,
And her, to whom our thoughts are humbled all,
Gracious Lavinia, Rome's rich Ornament,
That I will here difmifs my loving friends,
And to my fortunes, and the people's favour,.
Commit my Caufe in ballance to be weighed.
[Exeunt Soldiers,
Sat. Friends, that have been thus forward in my
Right,
I thank you all, and here difmifs you all,
And to the love and favour of my country
Commit myself, my perfon and the Caufe;
Rome, be as juft and gracious unto me,
As I am confident and kind to thee.
Open the gates, and let me in.
Baf. Tribunes!-And Me, a poor Competitor. [They go up into the Senate-boa
Enter a Captain.
Cap. Romans, make way.
Patron of virtue, Rome's beft champion,
Successful in the battles that he fights,
With honour and with fortune is return'd,
From whence he circumfcribed with his fword,
And brought to yoke the enemies of Rome.
Sound Drums and Trumpets, and then enter Mutius and Marcus; after them, two mer bearing a fin cover'd with black; then Quintus and Lucius. After them, Titus Andronicus; and then Tamora, the Queen of Goths, Alarbus, Chiron, and Demetrius, with Aaron the Moor, prifoners; foldiers, and other attendants. They fet down the coffin, and Titus fpeaks.
Tit. Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds!
Lo, as the Bark, that hath discharg'd her freight,
Returns with precious lading to the bay,
From whence at firft fhe weigh'd her anchorage;
Cometh Andrenicus with laurel boughs,
To re-falute his Country with his tears;
Tears of true joy for his return to Rome.
-Thou great Defender of this Capitol,
Stand gracious to the Rites that we intend !
Romans, of five and twenty valiant fons,
Half of the number that King Priam had,
Behold the poor Remains, alive and dead!
Thefe, that furvive, let Rome reward with love;
Thefe, that I bring unto their latest home,
With burial among their Ancestors.
Here Goths have given me leave to fheath my fword:
Titus, unkind, and carelefs of thine own,
Why fuffer'ft thou thy Sons, unburied yet,
To hover on the dreadful fhore of Styx?
Make way to lay them by their brethren.
-There greet in filence, as the dead are wont,
2 Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning Weeds!] I fufpect that the Poet wrote,
in my mourning Weeds. i. e. Titus would fay; Thou, Rome, art victorious, tho' I am a mourner for those Sons which I have loft in obtaining that
WARBURTON. Thy is as well as my. We may fuppofe the Romans, in a grateful ceremony, meeting the dead fons of Andronicus with mourning habits.
3 Jupiter, to whom the capitol was facred.
And fleep in peace, flain in your country's wars.
--O facred receptacle of my joys,
Sweet cell of Virtue and nobility,
How many fons of mine haft thou in ftore,
That thou wilt never render to me more?
Luc. Give us the proudeft prisoner of the Goths,
That we may hew his limbs, and on a pile,
Ad manes Fratrum facrifice his flesh,
Before this earthly prifon of their bones;
That fo the fhadows be not unappeas'd,
Nor we difturb'd with prodigies on earth.
Tit. I give him you, the nobleft that furvives;
The eldest fon of this diftreffed Queen.
Tam. Stay, Roman brethren, gracious Conqueror, Victorious Titus, rue the tears I fhed,
A mother's tears in paffion for her fon;
And, if thy fons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my fons to be as dear to me.
Sufficeth not, that we are brought to Rome,
To beautify thy Triumphs and Return,
Captive to thee and to thy Roman yoak?
But muft my fons be flaughter'd in the streets,
For valiant doings in their country's caufe?
O! if to fight for King and Common weal
Were Piety in thine, it is in these;
Andronicus, ftain not thy tomb with blood.
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the Gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful;
Sweet Mercy is Nobility's true badge,
Thrice-noble Titus, fpare my firft-born fon.
Tit. Patient yourself, Madam, and pardon me,
These are their brethren, whom you Goths behold
Alive and dead, and for their brethren flain
Religiously they ask a Sacrifice;
To this your fon is markt, and die he must,
T'appease their groaning fhadows that are gone.
Luc, Away with him, and make a fire straight,
And with our fwords, upon a pile of wood,
Let's hew his limbs, 'till they be clean confum'd. [Exeunt Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius, with Alarbus.
Tam. O cruel, irreligious piety!
Chi. Was ever Scythia half fo barbarous ?
Dem. Oppofe not Scythia to ambitious Rome.
Alarbus goes to reft, and we furvive
To tremble under Titus' threatning looks.
Then, Madam, stand refolv'd; but hope withal,
The felf-fame Gods, that arm'd the Queen of Troy
With opportunity of sharp revenge
Upon the Thracian tyrant in her Tent,
May favour Tamora, the Queen of Goths,
When Goths were Goth, and Tamora was Queen,
To quit her bloody wrongs upon her foes.
Enter Mutius, Marcus, Quintus and Lucius.
Luc. See, Lord and father, how we have perform'd
Our Roman rites: Alarbus' limbs are lopt;
And intrails feed the facrificing fire;
Whofe fmoke, like incenfe, doth perfume the sky.
Remaineth nought but to inter our brethren,
And with loud 'larums welcome them to, Rome.
Tit. Let it be fo, and let Andronicus
Make this his lateft farewel to their fouls.
[Then found trumpets, and lay the coffins in the tomb
4 The Self-fame Gods, that arm'd the queen of Troy With opportunity of sharp revenge
Upon the Thracian Tyrant in his Tent, &c.] I read, against the Authority of all the Copies, -in her Tent; i. e. in the Tent where the and the other Trojan Captive Women were
kept: for thither Hecuba by a Wile had decay'd Polymneftor, in order to perpetrate her Revenge, This we may learn from EUR rPIDES's Hecuba; the only Author, that I can at prefent remember, from whom our Writer must have glean'd this Circumftance. THEOBALD.
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