Be cross with him, and I'll go fetch thy fons
To back thy quarrels, whatsoe'er they be.

Enter Baffianus and Lavinia.

[Exit.

Baf. Whom have we here? Rome's royal Emperefs?
Unfurnish'd of her well-befeeming troops?
Or is it Dian, habited like her,

Who hath abandoned her holy groves,
To fee the general hunting in this foreft?
Tam. Saucy controuler of our private steps:
Had I the power, that, fome fay, Dian had,
Thy temples fhould be planted presently
With horns, as was Acteon'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 your Moor and you
Are fingled forth to try experiments :

Jove fhield your husband from his hounds to day!
'Tis pity, they fhould 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 steed,
And wandred hither to an obfure plot,
Accompanied with a barbarous Moor,
If foul defire had not conducted you

Lav. And, being intercepted in your fport,
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 thefe flips have made him noted long. Good King, to be fo mightily abused.

Tum. Why have I patience to endure all this?

Enter

Enter Chiron and Demetrius.

Dem. How now, dear Sovereign and our gracious mother,

Why does your Highness look fo pale and wan?
Tam. Have I not reafon, think you, to look pale?
These two have tic'd me hither to this place,
A barren and detefted vale, you fee, it is.
The trees, tho' fummer, yet forlorn and lean,
O'ercome with mofs, and baleful miffelto.
Here never shines the fun; here nothing breeds,
Unless the nighty owl, or fatal raven.
And when they fhew'd me this abhorred pit,
They told me, here at dead time of the night,
A thoufand fiends, a thousand hiffing fnakes,
Ten thousand fwelling toads, as many urchins,
Would make fuch fearful and confused cries,
As any mortal body hearing it,

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

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

And leave me to this miserable death,

And then they call'd 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 witnefs that I am thy fon. [Stabs Baf.
Chi. And this for me, ftruck home to fhew my ftrength.
[Stabbing him likewife.

Lav. I, come, Semiramis ;--nay, barbarous Tamora ; (12)

(12) I come, Semiramis, nay barbarous Tamora,]

By an inaccurancy of the pointing, the editors have all along made nonfenfe of this paffage. But the poet's meaning is this; Lavinia, feeing her husband stabb'd by the Queen's two fons, expects and invites the Queen to ferve her in the fame kind, and put an end to her miferies.

For

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 straw: This minion ftood upon her chastity,

Upon her nuptial vow, her loyalty,

And with that painted cope fhe braves your mightiAnd fhall fhe carry this unto her grave?

[nefs; (13) Chi. And if the do, I would I were an eunuch. Drag hence her husband to fome fecret hole, And make his dead trunk pillow to our luft. Tam. But when you have the honey you defire, Let not this wafp out-live, us both to fting. Chi. I warrant, madam, we will make that fure; Come, miftrefs, now perforce we will enjoy That nice-preferved honefty of yours.

Lav. O Tamora, thou bear'ft a woman's faceTam. I will not hear her fpeak; away with her. Lav. Sweet Lords, intreat her hear me but a wordDem. Liften, fair madam; let it be your glory To fee her tears; but be your heart to them, As unrelenting flints to drops of rain.

Lav. When did the tyger's young ones teach the dam ? O, do not teach her wrath; fhe taught it thee,

The milk, thou fuck'dft from her, did turn to marble; Even at thy teat thou hadst thy tyranny.

Yet every mother breeds not fons alike;

(13) And with that painted hope fhe braves your mightiness.] Lavinia, fay they, ftands on her chastity, her nuptial vow, and matrimonial faith; and upon the merit of fuch qualifications braves the Queen. But in what fenfe can thefe things be call'd a fainted bape? What image, or idea does this expreffion give? the ingenious Mr. Warburton furnish'd me with the emendation I have inferted in the text, And with that painted cope, i. e. this gay covering: a figure very pretty and common among the poets. So we fay, cloath'd with virtue: as of other qualities we fay, they are used as a cloak. Then, painted is a very proper epithet to cope, it being a fplendid ecclefiaftical veftment of various colours. Befides, painted may be here ironically intended; to infinuate, this virtue was only pretended in Lavinia.

Do

Do thou intreat her, fhew a woman pity.

[baftard?

Chi. What! would't thou have me prove myself a Lav. 'Tis true, the raven doth not hatch a lark; Yet have I heard, (O, could I find it now) The lion, mov'd with pity, did endure To have his princely paws par'd all away. Some fay, that ravens fofter forlorn children, The whilst their own birds famish in their nefts : Oh be to me, tho' thy hard heart fay, no, Nothing fo kind, but fomething pitiful.

Tam. I know not what it means: away with her, Lav. Oh, let me teach thee for my father's fake, (That gave thee life, when well he might have flain thee) Be not obdurate, open thy deaf ears.

Tam. Hadft thou in perfon ne'er offended me,
Even for his fake am I now pitiless :

Remember, boys, I pour'd forth tears in vain,
To fave your brother from the facrifice;
But fierce Andronicus would not relent;
Therefore away with her, and ufe her as you will;
The worfe to her, the better lov'd of me.

Lav. O Tamora, be call'd a gentle Queen,
And with thine own hands kill me in this place;
For 'tis not life, that I have beg'd fo long:
Poor I was flain, when Bafianus dy’d.

Tam. What beg'ft thou then? fond woman let me
go.
Lav. 'Tis prefent death I beg; and one thing more,
That womanhood denies my tongue to tell:
O, keep me from their worfe than killing luft,
And tumble me into fome loathsome pit;
Where never man's eye may behold my body :
Do this, and be a charitable murderer.

Tam. So fhould I rob my sweet fons of their fee.

No; let them fatisfy their luft on thee.

Dem. Away. For thou haft ftaid us here too long. Lav. No grace? no woman-hood? a beaftly creature? The blot and enemy of our general name!

Confufion fall

Chi. Nay, then I'll ftop your mouth-bring thou [Dragging off Lavinia.

her husband:

This is the hole, where Aaron bid us hide him. [Exeunt. Tam. Farewel, my fons; fee, that you make her fure. Ne'er let my heart know merry chear indeed,

'Till all the th' Andronici be made away. Now will I hence to feek my lovely Moor, And let my spleenful fons this Trull deflour.

Enter Aaron, with Quintus and Marcus.

[Exit.

Aar. Come on, my Lords, the better foot before; Strait will I bring you to the loathsom pit,

Where I efpied the panther faft afleep.

Quin. My fight is very dull, whate'er it bodes. Mar. And mine, I promise you; wer't not for shame, Well could I leave our fport to fleep a while.

[Marcus falls into the pit.
Quin. What, art thou fall'n ? what subtle hole is this,
Whofe mouth is cover'd with rude-growing briars,
Upon whofe leaves are drops of new-fhed blood,
As fresh as morning dew diftill'd on flowers?
A very fara place it feems to me :

Speak, brother, haft thou hurt thee with the fall?
Mar. O brother, with the dismallest object
That ever eye, with fight, made heart lament.

Aar. Now will I fetch the King to find them here;
That he thereby may have a likely guess,
How these were they, that made away his brother.
[Exit Aaron.
Mar. Why dot not comfort me, and help me out
From this unhallow'd and blood-ftained hole?

Quin. I am furprised with an uncouth fear;
A chilling fweat o'er-runs my trembling joints;
My heart fufpe&ts, more than mine eye can fee.
Mar. To prove thou haft a true divining heart,
Aaron and thou, look down into the den,
And fee a fearful fight of blood and death.

Quin. Aaron is gone; and my compaffionate heart
Will not permit my eyes once to behold
The thing, whereat it trembles by furmife:
O, tell me how it is; for ne'er till now
Was I a child, to fear I know not what.

Mar.