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

Bass. Who have we here? Rome's royal empress,
Unfurnish'd of our well-beseeming troop?
Or is it Dian, habited like her,

Who hath abandoned her holy groves,
To see the general hunting in this forest?
Tam. Saucy controller of our private steps,
Had I the power that some say Dian had,
Thy temples should 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 empress,
"T is thought you have a goodly gift in horning,
And to be doubted that your Moor and you
Are singled forth to try experiments:

Jove shield your husband from his hounds to-day;
"T is pity they should take him for a stag.

Bass. Believe me, queen, your swarth Cimmerian Doth make your honour of his body's hue,

Spotted, detested, and abominable.

Why are you sequestered from all your train?
Dismounted from your snow-white goodly steed,
And wander'd hither to an obscure plot,
Accompanied but with a barbarous Moor,
If foul desire had not conducted you?

Lav. And, being intercepted in your sport,
Great reason that my noble lord be rated
For sauciness; I pray you, let us hence,
And let her "joy her raven-colour'd love;
This valley fits the purpose passing well.

Bass. The king, my brother, shall have notice of this.

Lav. Ay, for these slips have made him noted long; Good king, to be so mightily abused!

Tam. Why have I patience to endure all this?

Enter CHIRON and DEMETRIUS.

Demet. How now, dear sovereign, and our gracious mother,

Why doth your highness look so 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 detested vale, you see, it is;

The trees, though summer, yet forlorn and lean,
O'ercome with moss and baleful mistletoe.
Here never shines the sun; here nothing breeds,
Unless the nightly owl or fatal raven :
And when they show'd 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 straight fall mad, or else die suddenly,
No sooner had they told this hellish tale,

But straight they told me they would bind me here,
Unto the body of a dismal yew,

And leave me to this miserable death.

And then they call'd me foul adulteress,
Lascivious Goth, 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 henceforth call'd my children.
Demet. This is a witness that I am thy son.

[Stabs him. Chi. And this for me struck home to show my [Stabs him likewise. Lav. Ay, come, Semiramis,-nay, barbarous Ta

strength.

mora!

For no name fits thy nature but thy own.

Tam. Give me thy poníard; you shall know, my

boys,

Your mother's hand shall right your mother's wrong.

Demet. Stay, madam; here is more belongs to her; First thresh the corn, then after burn the straw : This minion stood upon her chastity,

Upon her nuptial vow, her loyalty,

And, with that painted hope, braves your mightiness:
And shall she carry this unto her grave?

Chi. And if she do, I would I were an eunuch.
Drag hence her husband to some secret hole,
And make his dead trunk pillow to our lust.
Tam. But when ye have the honey you desire,
Let not this wasp outlive us both to sting.

Chi. I warrant you, madam, we will make that sure.
Come, mistress, now perforce we will enjoy
That nice preserved honesty of yours.

Lav. Oh, Tamora! thou bear'st a woman's faceTam. I will not hear her speak; away with her! Lav. Sweet lords, entreat her hear me but a word. Demet. Listen, fair madam; let it be your glory To see her tears, but be your heart to them

As unrelenting flint to drops of rain.

Lav. When did the tiger's young ones teach the dam?

O, do not learn her wrath; she taught it thee.
The milk thou suck'st from her did turn to marble;
Even at thy teat thou hadst thy tyranny.

Yet every mother breeds not sons alike;

Do thou entreat her show a woman pity. [To CHIRON. Chi. What! wouldst thou have me prove myself a bastard?

Lav. "T is true; the raven doth not hatch a lark: Yet have I heard,-oh could I find it now!—

The lion, mov'd with pity, did endure
To have his princely paws par'd all away.
Some say that ravens foster forlorn children,

The whilst their own birds famish in their nests:
Oh, be to me, though thy hard heart say no,
Nothing so kind, but something pitiful!

Tam. I know not what it means; away with her. Lav. Oh let me teach thee! For my father's sake, That gave thee life when well he might have slain thee, Be not obdurate, open thy deaf ears.

Tam. Hadst thou in person ne'er offended me,
Even for his sake am I pitiless.

Remember, boys, I pour'd forth tears in vain,
To save your brother 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 lov'd of me.

Lav. Oh Tamora, be call'd a gentle queen,
And with thine own hands kill me in this place :
For 't is not life that I have begg'd so long;
Poor I was slain when Bassianus died.

Tam. What begg'st thou then? fond woman, let me go.
Lav. "T is present death I beg; and one thing more,
That womanhood denies my tongue to tell:
Oh, keep me from their worse than killing lust,
And tumble me into some loathsome pit,
Where never man's eye may behold my body;-
Do this, and be a charitable murderer.

Tam. So should I rob my sweet sons of their fee. No, let them satisfy their lust on thee.

Demet. Away, for thou hast stay'd us here too long. Lav. No grace! no womanhood! Ah, beastly crea

ture,

The blot and enemy to our general name!

Confusion fall

Chi. Nay, then I'll stop your mouth; bring thou

her husband:

[Dragging off LAVINIA. This is the hole where Aaron bid us hide him.

Tam. Farewell, my sons; see that you make her

sure:

VOL. X.

Υ

Ne'er let my heart know merry cheer indeed,
Till all the Andronici be made away:
Now will I hence to seek my lovely Moor,
And let my spleenful sons this trull deflour.

SCENE IV.-The Forest.

[Exit.

Enter AARON, with QUINTUS and MARTIUS. Aaron. Come on, my lords, the better foot before: Straight will I bring you to the loathsome pit, Where I espied the panther fast asleep.

Quint. My sight is very dull, whate'er it bodes.

Mart. And mine, I promise you; were 't not for

shame,

Well could I leave our sport to sleep awhile.

[MART. falls into the pit. Quint. What, art thou fallen? What subtle hole is

this,

Whose mouth is cover'd with rude growing briers,
Upon whose leaves are drops of new-shed blood,
As fresh as morning's dew distill'd on flowers?
A very fatal place it seems to me :

Speak, brother, hast thou hurt thee with the fall?
Mart. O brother, with the dismall'st object hurt,
That ever eye with sight made heart lament.

Aaron. [Aside.] 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,
Mart. Why dost not comfort me and help me out
From this unhallow'd and blood-stained hole?

Quint. I am surprised with an uncouth fear;
A chilling sweat o'erruns my trembling joints;
My heart suspects more than mine eye can see.
Mart. To prove thou hast a true-divining heart,
Aaron and thou look down into this den,
And see a fearful sight of blood and death.