A speedier course than ling ring languishment
Muft ye purfue, and I have found the path.
My Lords, a folemn hunting is in hand,
There will the lovely Roman ladies troop:
The forest walks are wide and spacious,
And many unfrequented plots there are,
Fitted by kind for rape and villainy :
Single you thither then this dainty doe,
And strike her home by force, if not by words:
This way, or not at all, ftand you in hope.
Come, come, our Empress with her facred wit
To villainy and vengeance confecrate,
We will acquaint with all that we intend,
And the fhall file our engines with advice,
That will not fuffer you to fquare your felves,
But to your wishes height advance you both.
The Emperor's Court is like the house of Fame,
The palace full of tongues, of eyes, of ears:
The woods are ruthlefs, dreadful, deaf and dull :
There fpeak, and ftrike, brave boys, and take your turns,
There ferve your lufts, fhadow'd from heav'ns eye,

And revel in Lavinia's treasury.

Chi. Thy counfel, lad, fmells of no cowardife.
Dem. Sit fas aut nefas, 'till I find the stream
To cool this heat, a charm to calm these fits,
Per Styga, per Manes vebor.

SCENE III. A Foreft.

[Exeunt.

Eater Titus Andronicus and his three Sons, with bounds and borns, and Marcus.

Tit. The hunt is up, the morn is bright and gay,
The fields are fragrant, and the woods are green:
Uncouple here, and let us make a bay,
And wake the Emperor and his lovely bride,
And rouze the Prince, and ring a hunter's peal
That all the Court may echo with the noise,
Sons, let it be your charge, as it is ours,
To tend the Emperor's perfon carefully:
I have been troubled in my fleep this night,
But dawning day new comfort hath infpir'd.

Wind borns. Here a cry of bounds, and wind borns in a peal: then enter Saturninus, Tamora, Baffianus, Lavinia, Chiron, Demetrius, and their Attendants.

Tit. Many good-morrows to your Majesty;
Madam, to you as many and as good.
I promised your Grace a hunter's peal.

Sat. And you have rung it luftily, my Lords,
Somewhat too early for new-married ladies.
Baf. Lavinia, how fay you?

Lav, Why, I fay, no:

I have been broad awake two hours and more.
Sat. Come on then, horse and chariots let us have,
And to our fport: Madam, now shall ye fee

Our Roman hunting.

Mar. I have dogs, my Lord,

Will rouze the proudeft panther in the chase,
And climb the higheft promontory-top.

Tit. And I have horfe will follow, where the game
Makes way, and run like swallows o'er the plain.
Dem. Chiron, we hunt not, we, with horfe nor hound,
But hope to pluck a dainty doe to ground.

[Exeunts

SCENE IV. Enter Aaron alone.
Aar. He that had wit, would think that I had none,

To bury fo much gold under a tree,

And never after to inherit it.

Let him that thinks of me fo abjectly,
Know that this gold must coin a stratagem,
Which cunningly effected, will beget
A very excellent piece of villainy;

And fo repofe, fweet gold, for their unreft,
That have their alms out of the Emprefs' cheft.
Enter Tamora.

Tam. My lovely Aaron, wherefore look'ft thou fad,
When every thing doth make a gleeful boast?
The birds chaunt melody on every bush,
The fnake lyes rolled in the cheerful fun,
The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind,
And make a chequer'd fhadow on the ground:
Under their sweet shade, Aaron, let us fit,
And whilst the babling Echo mocks the hounds,

C 2

Replying

Replying thrilly to the well-tun'd horns,
As if a double hunt were heard at once,
Let us fit down and mark their yelling noise :
And after conflict fuch as was fuppos'd
The wand'ring Prince and Dido once enjoy'd,
When with a happy ftorm they were furpriz❜d,
And curtain'd with a counsel-keeping cave,
We may each wreathed in the other's arms,
(Our paftimes done) poffefs a golden flumber,
Whilft hounds and horns, and sweet melodious birds,
Be unto us as is a nurfe's fong

Of lullaby, to bring her babe afleep.

Aar. Madam, though Venus govern your defires, Saturn is dominator over mine:

What fignifies my deadly ftanding eye,

My filence, and my cloudy melancholy,

My fleece of woolly hair, that now uncurls,
Even as an adder when the doth unrowl
To do fome fatal execution?

No, Madam, thefe are no venereal figns;
Vengeance in my heart, death in my hand,
Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.
Hark, Tamora, (the Emprefs of my foul,
Which never hopes more heaven than refts in thee)
This is the day of doom for Baffianus;
His Philomel muft lofe her tongue to-day,
Thy fons make pillage of her chastity,
And wash their hands in Baffianus' blood.
Seeft thou this letter? take it up, I pray thee,
And give the King this fatal-plotted fcrow!
Now question me no more, we are espied;
Here comes a parcel of our hopeful booty,
Which dread not yet their lives deftruction.

Tam. Ah, my fweet Moor, fweeter to me than life!
Aar. No more, great Emprefs; Baffianus comes
es ;
Be crofs with him, and I'll go fetch thy fons
To back thy quarrels, whatfoe'er they be.

[Exit.

SCENE V. Enter Baffianus and Lavinia. Baf. Whom have we here? Rome's royal Emperess? Unfurnish'd of her well-befeeming troops?

Or

Or is it Dian habited like her,
Who hath abandoned her holy groves,
To fee the general hunting in this foreft?
Tam. Sawcy controller of our private steps!
Had I the power that some fay Dian had,
Thy temples should be planted presently
With horns, as was Alteon's, and the hounds
Should drive upon thy new-transformed limbs,
Unmannerly intruder as thou art.

Lav. Under your patience, gentle Emperefs,
'Tis thought you have a goodly gift in horning;
And to be doubted, that Moor and you
your
Are fingled forth to try experiments:

Jove fhield your husband from his hounds to-day!
'Tis pity they should take him for a ftag.

Baf. Believe me, Queen, your fwarth Cimmerian
Doth make your honour of his body's hue,
Spotted, detefted and abominable.

Why are you fequeftred from all your train?
Difmounted from your fnow-white goodly feed,
And wand'red hither to an obfcure plot,
Accompanied with a barbarous Moor,

If foul defire had not conducted you. ?
Lav. And being interrupted in your sport,
Great reason that my noble Lord be rated
For faucinefs.I pray you, let us hence,
And let her joy her raven-colour'd love;
This valley fits the purpofe paffing well.

Baf. The King my brother fhall have note of this.
Lav. Ay, for these flips have made him noted long.
Good King, to be fo mightily abused!

Tam. Why have I patience to endure all this?
Enter Chiron and Demetrius.

Dem. How now, dear fovereign and our gracious mother,
Why does your Highness look fo pale and wan?
Tam. Have I not reason, think you, to look pale?
These two have tic'd me hither to this place,
A barren detefted vale you fee it is.

The trees, tho' fummer, yet forlorn and lean,
O'er-come with mofs, and baleful miffelto.

Here never fhines the fun, here nothing breeds,
Unless the nightly owl, or fatal raven.
And when they fhew'd me this abhorred pit,
They told me, here at dead time of the night,
A thousand fiends, a thousand hiffing fnakes,
Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins,
Would make fuch fearful and confused cries,
As any mortal body hearing it,

Should ftraight fall mad, or elfe die fuddenly.
No fooner had they told this hellish tale,

1

But ftraight they told me they would bind me here,
Unto the body of a difmal yew,

And leave me to this miferable death.
And then they call me foul adulterefs,
Lafcivious Goth, and all the bittereft terms
That ever ear did hear to fuch 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 from henceforth call'd my children.

Dem. This is a witness that I am thỳ fon. [Stabs Baffianus. Chi. And this for me, ftruck home to fhew my ftrength. [Stabs bim. Lav. Ay, come, Semiramis,-nay, barbarous Tamora, For no name fits thy nature but thy own

Tam. Give me thy poniard; you fhall know, my boys, Your mother's hand fhall right your mother's wrong. Dem. Stay, Madam, here is more belongs to her; First, thrash the corn, then after burn the ftraw: This minion flood upon her chastity,

Upon her nuptial vow, her loyalty,

And with that painted cope the braves your mightiness;
And fhall fhe carry this unto her grave?

Chi. An if the do, I would I were an eunuch.
Drag hence her husband to some secret hole,
And make his dead trunk pillow to our luft.
Tam. But when you have the hony you defire,
Let not this wafp out-live, us both to fting.
Chi. I warrant, Madam, we will make that fure;
Come, mistress, now perforce we will enjoy
That nice-preferved honefty of yours.

Lav.