ACT IV SCENE IV

Titus Andronicus

ACT IV SCENE IV	The same. Before the palace.
[ Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON, Lords, and others; SATURNINUS with the arrows in his hand that TITUS shot ]
SATURNINUS	Why, lords, what wrongs are these! was ever seen
	An emperor in Rome thus overborne,
	Troubled, confronted thus; and, for the extent
	Of egal justice, used in such contempt?
	My lords, you know, as know the mightful gods,	5
	However these disturbers of our peace
	Buz in the people’s ears, there nought hath pass’d,
	But even with law, against the willful sons
	Of old Andronicus. And what an if
	His sorrows have so overwhelm’d his wits,	10
	Shall we be thus afflicted in his wreaks,
	His fits, his frenzy, and his bitterness?
	And now he writes to heaven for his redress:
	See, here’s to Jove, and this to Mercury;
	This to Apollo; this to the god of war;	15
	Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of Rome!
	What’s this but libelling against the senate,
	And blazoning our injustice every where?
	A goodly humour, is it not, my lords?
	As who would say, in Rome no justice were.	20
	But if I live, his feigned ecstasies
	Shall be no shelter to these outrages:
	But he and his shall know that justice lives
	In Saturninus’ health, whom, if she sleep,
	He’ll so awake as she in fury shall	25
	Cut off the proud’st conspirator that lives.
TAMORA	My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,
	Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,
	Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus’ age,
	The effects of sorrow for his valiant sons,	30
	Whose loss hath pierced him deep and scarr’d his heart;
	And rather comfort his distressed plight
	Than prosecute the meanest or the best
	For these contempts.
[Aside]
	Why, thus it shall become	35
	High-witted Tamora to gloze with all:
	But, Titus, I have touched thee to the quick,
	Thy life-blood out: if Aaron now be wise,
	Then is all safe, the anchor’s in the port.
[Enter Clown]
	How now, good fellow! wouldst thou speak with us?	40
Clown	Yea, forsooth, an your mistership be emperial.
TAMORA	Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor.
Clown	‘Tis he. God and Saint Stephen give you good den:
	I have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.
[SATURNINUS reads the letter]
SATURNINUS	Go, take him away, and hang him presently.	45
Clown	How much money must I have?
TAMORA	Come, sirrah, you must be hanged.
Clown	Hanged! by’r lady, then I have brought up a neck to
	a fair end.
[Exit, guarded]
SATURNINUS	Despiteful and intolerable wrongs!	50
	Shall I endure this monstrous villany?
	I know from whence this same device proceeds:
	May this be borne?–as if his traitorous sons,
	That died by law for murder of our brother,
	Have by my means been butcher’d wrongfully!	55
	Go, drag the villain hither by the hair;
	Nor age nor honour shall shape privilege:
	For this proud mock I’ll be thy slaughterman;
	Sly frantic wretch, that holp’st to make me great,
	In hope thyself should govern Rome and me.	60
[Enter AEMILIUS]
	What news with thee, AEmilius?
AEMILIUS	Arm, arm, my lord;–Rome never had more cause.
	The Goths have gather’d head; and with a power
	high-resolved men, bent to the spoil,
	They hither march amain, under conduct	65
	Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus;
	Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do
	As much as ever Coriolanus did.
SATURNINUS	Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?
	These tidings nip me, and I hang the head	70
	As flowers with frost or grass beat down with storms:
	Ay, now begin our sorrows to approach:
	‘Tis he the common people love so much;
	Myself hath often over-heard them say,
	When I have walked like a private man,	75
	That Lucius’ banishment was wrongfully,
	And they have wish’d that Lucius were their emperor.
TAMORA	Why should you fear? is not your city strong?
SATURNINUS	Ay, but the citizens favor Lucius,
	And will revolt from me to succor him.	80
TAMORA	King, be thy thoughts imperious, like thy name.
	Is the sun dimm’d, that gnats do fly in it?
	The eagle suffers little birds to sing,
	And is not careful what they mean thereby,
	Knowing that with the shadow of his wings	85
	He can at pleasure stint their melody:
	Even so mayst thou the giddy men of Rome.
	Then cheer thy spirit : for know, thou emperor,
	I will enchant the old Andronicus
	With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,	90
	Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep,
	When as the one is wounded with the bait,
	The other rotted with delicious feed.
SATURNINUS	But he will not entreat his son for us.
TAMORA	If Tamora entreat him, then he will:	95
	For I can smooth and fill his aged ear
	With golden promises; that, were his heart
	Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf,
	Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
[To AEmilius]
	Go thou before, be our ambassador:	100
	Say that the emperor requests a parley
	Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting
	Even at his father’s house, the old Andronicus.
SATURNINUS	AEmilius, do this message honourably:
	And if he stand on hostage for his safety,	105
	Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.
AEMILIUS	Your bidding shall I do effectually.
[Exit]
TAMORA	Now will I to that old Andronicus;
	And temper him with all the art I have,
	To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths.	110
	And now, sweet emperor, be blithe again,
	And bury all thy fear in my devices.
SATURNINUS	Then go successantly, and plead to him.
[Exeunt]

Titus Andronicus, Act 5, Scene 1