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Titus Andronicus (Quarto 1, 1594)

Author: William Shakespeare
Not Peer Reviewed
1865
Enter Titus, olde Marcus, young Lucius, and other gen-
tlemen with bowes, and Titus beares the arrowes with letters
on the ends of them.
Titus. Come Marcus, come, kinsemen this is the way,
Sir boy let me see your Archerie,
1870Looke yee draw home inough and tis there straight,
Terras Astrea reliquit, be you remembred Marcus,
Shees gone, shees fled, sirs take you to your tooles,
You Cosens shall goe sound the Ocean,
And cast your nets, happilie you may catch her in the sea,
1875Yet ther's as little iustice as at land:
No Publius and Sempronius, you must doe it,
Tis you must dig with mattocke and with spade,
And pierce the inmost Center of the earth,
Then when you come to Plutoes Region,
1880I pray you deliuer him this petition,
Tell him it is for iustice and for aide,
And that it comes from olde Andronicus
Shaken with sorrowes in vngratefull Rome.
Ah Rome, well, well, I made thee miserable,
1885VVhat time I threw the peoples suffrages
On him that thus doth tyrrannize ore mee.
Goe get you gone, and pray be carefull all,
And leaue you not a man of warre vnsearcht,
This wicked Emperour may haue shipt her hence,
1890And kinsemen then we may goe pipe for iustice.
Marcus. O Publius, is not this a heauie case
To see thy Noble Vnkle thus distract?
Publius. Therefore my Lords it highly vs concernes,
By daie and night t'attend him carefullie:
1895And feede his humour kindly as we may,
Till time beget some carefull remedie.
Marcus. Kinsmen his sorrowes are past remedie
Ioine with the Gothes, and with reuengefull warre,
Take wreake on Rome for this ingratitude,
1900And vengeance on the traitour Saturnine.
Titus. Publius how now, how now my Masters,
VVhat haue you met with her?
Publius. No my good Lord, but Pluto sends you word,
If you will haue reuenge from hell you shall,
1905Marrie for Iustice shee is so imploid,
He thinks with Ioue in heauen, or some where else,
So that perforce you must needs staie a time.
Titus. He doth me wrong to feede me with delaies,
Ile diue into the burning lake belowe,
1910And pull her out of Acaron by the heeles.
Marcus we are but shrubs, no Cedars wee,
No big-boand-men framde of the Cyclops size,
But mettall Marcus, steele to the verie backe,
Yet wrung with wrongs more than our backs can beare:
1915And sith ther's no iustice in earth nor hell,
VVe will sollicite heauen and moue the Gods,
To send downe Iustice for to wreake our wrongs:
Come to this geare, you are a good Archer Marcus,
He giues them the Arrowes.
1920Ad Iouem, thats for you, here ad Apollonem,
Ad Martem, thats for my selfe,
Here boy to Pallas, here to Mercurie,
To Saturnine, to Caius, not to Saturnine,
You were as good to shoote against the winde.
1925Too it boy, Marcus loose when I bid,
Of my word I haue written to effect,
Ther's not a God left vnsollicited.
Marcus. Kinsemen, shoot all your shafts into the Court,
VVee will afflict the Emperour in his pride.
1930Titus. Now Masters draw, Oh well said Lucius,
Good boy in Virgoes lappe, giue it Pallas.
Marcus. My Lord, I aime a mile beyond the Moone,
Your letter is with Iubiter by this.
Titus. Ha, ha, Publius, Publius, what hast thou done?
1935See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus hornes.
Marcus. This was the sport my Lord, when Publius shot
The Bull being galde, gaue Aries such a knocke,
That downe fell both the Rams hornes in the Court,
And who should finde them but the Empresse villaine:
1940Shee laught, and tolde the Moore hee should not choose,
But giue them to his Master for a present.
Titus. VVhy there it goes, God giue his Lordship ioy.
Enter the Clowne with a basket and two pidgeons in it.
Clowne. Newes, newes from heauen,
1945Marcus the Poast is come.
Titus. Sirra what tidings, haue you any letters,
Shall I haue iustice, what saies Iubiter?
Clowne. Ho the Gibbetmaker? Hee saies that he hath
taken them downe againe, for the man must not be hangd
1950till the next weeke.
Titus. But what saies Iubiter I aske thee?
Clowne. Alas sir, I know not Iubiter,
I neuer dranke with him in all my life.
Titus. VVhy villaine art not thou the Carrier.
1955Clowne. I of my pidgeons sir, nothing els.
Titus. VVhy didst thou not come from heauen?
Clowne. From heauen, alas sir, I neuer came there,
God forbid I should be so bolde, to presse to heauen in my
young daies:
VVhy I am going with my pidgeons to the tribunall
1960Plebs, to take vp a matter of brawle betwixt my Vncle,
and one of the Emperals men.
Marcus. VVhy sir, that is as fit as can bee to serue for
your Oration, and let him deliuer the pidgeons to the
Emperour from you.
1965Titus. Tell mee, can you deliuer an Oration to the Em-
perour with a grace.
Clowne. Nay truelie sir, I could neuer say grace in all
my life.
Titus. Sirra come hither, make no more adoo,
1970But giue your pidgeons to the Emperour,
By mee thou shalt haue iustice at his hands,
Hold, hold, meanewhile here's money for thy charges,
Giue me pen and inke.
Sirra, can you with a grace deliuer vp a Supplication?
1975Clowne. I sir.
Titus. Then here is a Supplication for you, and when you
come to him, at the first approch you must kneele, then
kisse his foote, then deliuer vp your pidgeons, and then
looke for your reward. Ile bee at hand sir, see you doe it
1980brauelie.
Clowne. I warrant you sir, let me alone.
Titus. Sirra hast thou a knife? Come let me see it.
Here Marcus, fold it in the Oration,
For thou hast made it like an humble Suppliant.
1985And when thou hast giuen it to the Emperour,
Knocke at my doore, and tell me what he saies.
Clowne. God be with you sir, I will.
Exit.
Titus. Come Marcus let vs goe, Publius follow mee.
Exeunt.