1491Speechlesse complaynet, I will learne thy thought:

1492In thy dumb action, will I be as perfect

1493As begging Hermits in their holy prayers.

1494Thou shalt not sighe nor hold thy stumps to heauen,

1495Nor winke, nor nod, nor kneele, nor make a signe,

1496But I (of these) will wrest an Alphabet,

1497And by still practice, learne to know thy meaning.

1498Boy. Good grandsire leaue these bitter deepe laments,

1499Make my Aunt merry, with some pleasing tale.

1500Mar. Alas, the tender boy in passion mou'd,

1501Doth weepe to see his grandsires heauinesse.

1502An. Peace tender Sapling, thou art made of teares,

1503And teares will quickly melt thy life away.

1505What doest thou strike at Marcus with knife.

1506Mar. At that that I haue kil'd my Lord, a Flys

1507An. Out on the murderour: thou kil'st my hart,

1508Mine eyes cloi'd with view of Tirranie:

1509A deed of death done on the Innocent

1510Becoms not Titus broher: get thee gone,

1511I see thou art not for my company.

1512Mar. Alas (my Lord) I haue but kild a flie.

1513An. But? How: if that Flie had a father and mother?

1514How would he hang his slender gilded wings

1515And buz lamenting doings in the ayer,

1516Poore harmelesse Fly,

1517That with his pretty buzing melody,

1518Came heere to make vs merry,

1519And thou hast kil'd him.

1520Mar. Pardon me sir,

1521It was a blacke illfauour'd Fly,

1522Like to the Empresse Moore, therefore I kild him.

1523An. O, o, o,

1524Then pardon me for reprehending thee,

1525For thou hast done a Charitable deed:

1526Giue me thy knife, I will insult on him,

1527Flattering myselfes, as if it were the Moore,

1528Come hither purposely to poyson me.

1529There's for thyselfe, and thats for Tamira: Ah sirra,

1530Yet I thinke we are not brought so low,

1531But that betweene vs, we can kill a Fly,

1532That comes in likenesse of a Cole-blacke Moore.

1533Mar. Alas poore man, griefe ha's so wrought on him,

1534He takes false shadowes, for true substances.

1535An. Come, take away: Lauinia, goe with me,

1536Ile to thy closset, and goe read with thee

1537Sad stories, chanced in the times of old.

1538Come boy, and goe with me, thy sight is young,

1539And thou shalt read, when mine begin to dazell. Exeunt

1544Boy. Helpe Grandsier helpe, my Aunt Lauinia,

1545Followes me euerywhere I know not why.

1546Good Vncle Marcus see how swift she comes,

1547Alas sweet Aunt, I know not what you meane.

1548Mar. Stand by me Lucius, doe not feare thy Aunt.

1549Titus. She loues thee boy too well to doe thee harme

1550Boy. I when my father was in Rome she did.

1551Mar. What meanes my Neece Lauinia by these signes?

1552Ti. Feare not Lucius, somewhat doth she meane:

1553See Lucius see, how much she makes of thee:

1554Some whether would she haue thee goe with her.

1555Ah boy, Cornelia neuer with more care

1556Read to her sonnes, then she hath read to thee,

1557Sweet Poetry, and Tullies Oratour:

1558Canst thou not gesse wherefore she plies thee thus?

1559Boy. My Lord I know not I, nor can I gesse,

1560Vnlesse some fit or frenzie do possesse her:

1561For I haue heard my Grandsier say full oft,

1562Extremitie of griefes would make men mad.

1563And I haue read that Hecubae of Troy,

1564Ran mad through sorrow, that made me to feare,

1565Although my Lord, I know my noble Aunt,

1566Loues me as deare as ere my mother did,

1567And would not but in fury fright my youth,

1568Which made me downe to throw my bookes, and flie

1569Causles perhaps, but pardon me sweet Aunt,

1570And Madam, if my Vncle Marcus goe,

1571I will most willingly attend your Ladyship.

1572Mar. Lucius I will.

1573Ti. How now Lauinia, Marcus what meanes this?

1574Some booke there is that she desires to see,

1575Which is it girle of these? Open them boy,

1576But thou art deeper read and better skild,

1577Come and take choyse of all my Library,

1578And so beguile thy sorrow, till the heauens

1579Reueale the damn'd contriuer of this deed.

1580What booke?

1581Why lifts she vp her armes in sequence thus?

1582Mar. I thinke she meanes that ther was more then one

1583Confederate in the fact, I more there was:

1584Or else to heauen she heaues them to reuenge.

1585Ti. Lucius what booke is that she tosseth so?

1586Boy. Grandsier 'tis Ouids Metamorphosis,

1587My mother gaue it me.

1588Mar. For loue of her that's gone,

1589Perhahs she culd it from among the rest.

1590Ti. Soft, so busily she turnes the leaues,

1591Helpe her, what would she finde? Lauinia shall I read?

1592This is the tragicke tale of Philomel?

1593And treates of Tereus treason and his rape,

1594And rape I feare was roote of thine annoy.

1595Mar. See brother see, note how she quotes the leaues

1596Ti. Lauinia, wert thou thus surpriz'd sweet girle,

1597Rauisht and wrong'd as Philomela was?

1598Forc'd in the ruthlesse, vast, and gloomy woods?

1599See, see, I such a place there is where we did hunt,

1600(O had we neuer, neuer hunted there)

1601Patern'd by that the Poet heere describes,

1602By nature made for murthers and for rapes.

1603Mar. O why should nature build so foule a den,

1604Vnlesse the Gods delight in tragedies?

1605 Ti. Giue signes sweet girle, for heere are none but friends

1606What Romaine Lord it was durst do the deed?

1607Or slunke not Saturnine, as Tarquin ersts,

1608That left the Campe to sinne in Lucrece bed.

1609Mar. Sit downe sweet Neece, brother sit downe by me,

1610Appollo, Pallas, Ioue, or Mercury,

1611Inspire me that I may this treason finde.

1612My Lord looke heere, looke heere Lauinia.

1615This sandie plot is plaine, guide if thou canst