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Titus Andronicus

Act II, Scene 1

Rome. Before the Palace.
 
AARON
            ,        ,    ,     ,        ,
      Now climb|eth Tam|ora | Olym|pus' top,
        ,            ,           ,          ,       ,
      Safe out | of for|tune's shot,| and sits | aloft,
          ,         ,          ,          ,          ,
      Secure | of thund|er's crack | or light|ning flash,
           ,     .  T    T   T         ,     2     ,
      Advanced | above pale en|vy's threat|ening reach:
           ,         ,       ,        ,           ,
      As when | the gold|en sun | salutes | the morn,
           ,        ,        ,        ,          ,
      And hav|ing gilt | the o|cean with | his beams,
       ,             ,    ,     2      ,    2      ,
      Gallops | the zo|diac | in his glis|tering coach,
           ,     ,           ,        ,        ,
      And ov|erlooks | the high|est-peer|ing hills:
          ,    ,
      So Tam|ora:   \\
        ,         ,           ,       ,       ,
      Upon | her wit | doth^earth|ly hon|or wait,
           ,         ,           ,        ,         ,
      And vir|tue stoops | and tremb|les at | her frown.
            ,      ,          ,          ,            ,
      Then Aar|on arm | thy heart,| and fit | thy thoughts,
           ,        ,      ,     2    ,  2     ,
      To mount | aloft | with thy im|perial | mistress,
            ,           ,            ,        ,         ,
      And mount | her pitch,| whom thou | in tri|umph long
             ,   2     ,     ,             ,  2       ,
      Hast^pris|oner held,| fettered | in am|orous chains,
            ,       ,         ,         ,         ,
      And fast|er bound | to Aar|on's charm|ing eyes,
            ,       ,    2    ,        ,     ,
      Than^is | Prometh|eus tied | to Cau|casus.
        ,           ,        ,      .   T   T      T
      Away | with slav|ish weeds | and servile thoughts,
      ,              ,           ,          ,           ,
      I will | be bright | and shine | in pearl | and gold,
           ,      ,      T   T    T     ,
      To wait | upon | this new-made | empress.
           ,         ,        ,       ,           ,
      To wait | said I.| To want|on with | this queen,
            ,          ,     ,    ,             ,
      This god|dess, this | Semi|ramis,| this queen,
            ,                     ,      ,    ,      ,
      This sir|en, that will // charm Rome's Sat|urnine,
           ,          ,    ,               ,        ,
      And see | his ship|wreck, and | his com|monweal's.
          ,          ,          ,
      Hello,| what storm | is this?  \\
 
[Enter DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, braving]
 
DEMETRIUS
       ,    2        T     T   T         ,            ,
      Chiron thy | years want wit,| thy wit | wants^edge
           ,        ,       ,           ,         ,
      And man|ners to | intrude | where^I | am graced;
           ,          ,             ,        ,       ,
      And may | for aught | thou knowst | affec|ted be.
 
CHIRON
         ,    2     ,          ,      ,        ,
      Demet|rius, thou | dost^ov|er-ween | in all,
           ,        ,         ,         ,            ,
      And so | in this,| to bear | me down | with braves.
            ,         ,    2      ,       ,        ,
      'Tis not | the dif|ference of | a year | or two
        ,          ,   ,                ,          ,   2
      Makes me | less gra/cious, or | thee more*| fortunate:
         ,       ,      ,        ,         ,
      I am | as ab|le, and | as fit,| as thou,
           ,               ,  ,          ,          ,
      To serve,| and to / deserve | my mist|ress' grace,
            ,         ,       ,            ,         ,
      And that | my sword | upon | thee* shall | approve,
            ,         ,         ,       ,   2     ,
      And plead | my pas|sions for | Lavin|ia's love.
 
AARON
        T      T      T      ,    2        T    T   .    T
      Clubs, clubs, these | lovers will | not keep the peace.
 
DEMETRIUS
            ,         ,           ,       ,     ,
      Why* boy,| although | our moth|er (un|advised)
        ,           ,        ,   2   ,          ,
      Gave you | a dan|cing-rap|ier by | your side,
           ,        ,    2      ,           ,             ,
      Are you | so des|perate grown | to threat | your friends?
           ,                 ,    ,         ,            ,
      Go* to:| have your / lath glued | within | your sheath,
        T   T    T     ,        ,        ,    2
      Till you know | better | how to | handle it.
 
CHIRON
        T   T    T        2     ,        ,         ,
      Meanwhile sir,| with the lit|tle skill | I have,
              ,            ,         ,            ,        ,
      Full* well | shalt^thou | perceive | how* much | I dare.
 
DEMETRIUS
       ,           ,    2       ,
      Aye boy*,| grow ye so | brave?
 
[They draw]
 
AARON
                                            T   T    T
                                     Why*| how now lords?
           ,         ,    2     ,        ,          ,
      So near | the emp|eror's pal|ace dare | you draw,
       .    T   T    T        ,       ,    ,
      And maintain such | a quar|rel op|enly?
              ,       ,           ,         ,            ,
      Full* well | I wot,| the ground | of all | this grudge.
          ,      ,           ,     ,        ,
      I would | not for | a mil|lion | of gold,
            ,            ,          ,         ,         ,
      The cause | were known | to them | it most | concerns.
       ,                ,       ,             ,    ,
      Nor would | your nob|le moth|er for / much more
          ,       ,        ,         ,          ,
      Be so | dishon|ored in | the court | of Rome:
            ,          ,
      For shame | put^up.
 
DEMETRIUS
                              ,        ,            ,
                          Not^I,| till^I | have sheathed
          ,   2   ,        ,       ,        ,
      My rap|ier in | his bos|om, and | withal
         T     T    .   T          ,        ,           ,
      Thrust these reproach|ful speech|es down | his throat,
            ,            ,          ,       ,       ,
      That he | hath breathed | in my | dishon|or here.
 
CHIRON
            ,       ,        ,           ,         ,
      For that | I am | prepared,| and full | resolved,
        T    Tx    T                ,   ,         2       ,
      Foul-spoken cow|ard, that / thunderst | with thy tongue,
            ,          ,       ,        ,          ,
      And with | thy weap|on noth|ing darst | perform.
 
AARON
        ,       ,
      Away | I say.   \\
       ,             ,          ,    T    T   .  T
      Now by | the gods | that war|like Goths adore,
            ,       ,        ,       ,       ,
      This pet|ty brab|ble will | undo | us all:
             ,           ,          ,          ,     ,
      Why* lords,| and think | you not | how dang|erous
          ,       ,      ,        ,         ,
      It is | to set | upon | a prin|ce's right?
        ,          ,   2   ,     .  T   T   T
      What is | Lavin|ia then | become so loose,
          ,    ,      ,      ,     ,
      Or Bas|sian|us so | degen|erate,
            ,          ,           ,        ,           ,
      That for | her love | such^quar|rels may | be broached,
           ,         ,          ,        ,       ,
      Without | control|ment, just|ice, or | revenge?
        T     T    .  T           ,          ,         ,
      Young lords beware,| and should | the emp|ress know,
            ,    T     T     .   T              ,     ,
      This^dis|cord ground, the mus|ic would / not please.
 
CHIRON
          ,        ,          ,         ,          ,
      I care | not I,| knew* she | and all | the world,
          ,       ,   2   ,          ,          ,
      I love | Lavin|ia more | than all | the world.
 
DEMETRIUS
        ,           T     T   .   T           ,        ,
      Youngling,| learn thou to make | some^mean|er choice,
         ,   2  ,          ,       ,          ,
      Lavin|ia is | thine^eld|er broth|er's hope.
 
AARON
       ,            ,         ,        ,         ,
      Why are | ye mad?| Or know | ye not | in Rome
           ,    2   ,       ,    ,          ,
      How fur|ious and | impa|tient | they be,
           ,        ,         ,     ,         ,
      And can|not brook | compet|itors | in love?
          ,          ,          ,         ,            ,
      I tell | you lords,| you do | but plot | your deaths,
           ,        ,
      By this | device.  \\
 
CHIRON
       ,          ,          ,           ,        ,
      Aaron,| a thous|and deaths | would I | propose,
        2    ,           ,        ,
      To achieve | her whom | I love.
 
AARON
                                        2    ,           ,
                                      To achieve | her, how?
 
DEMETRIUS
       T     T     T     T  T    T      oo
      Why, makst thou | it so strange?|
           ,      ,        ,         ,         ,
      She^is | a wom|an, there|fore may | be wooed,
       ,          ,        ,         ,        ,
      She is | a wom|an, there|fore may | be won,
           ,      ,   2   ,          ,         ,
      She^is | Lavin|ia there|fore must | be loved.
        T   T     T     ,        ,         2      ,
      What man, more | water | glideth | by the mill
             ,         ,       ,        ,   2    ,
      Than wots | the mil|ler of,| and ea|sy it is
              ,    ,         ,         ,          ,
      Of a / cut loaf | to steal | a shive | we know:
               ,    ,      ,        ,    2      ,      ->
      Though* Bas|sian|us be | the emp|eror's broth||er,
       ,     2      ,          ,     ,          ___
      Bet|ter than he | have worn | Vulcan's | badge.
 
AARON
       ,              ,        ,     ,      ,
      Aye, and | as good | as Sat|urnin|us may.
 
DEMETRIUS
            ,            ,       ,            ,             x
      Then why | should he | despair | that knows | to court it
             ,       T    T     .   T    ,    ,
      With words,| fair looks, and lib|eral|ity:
        ,                ,          ,        ,        ,
      What, hast | not^thou | full^of|ten struck | a doe,
            ,           ,       ,         ,         ,
      And borne | her clean|ly by | the keep|er's nose?
 
AARON
            ,         ,            ,         ,         ,
      Why then | it seems,| some cert|ain snatch | or so
              ,            ,
      Would serve | your turns.
 
CHIRON
                                      ,         ,            ,
                                Aye* so | the turn | were served.
 
DEMETRIUS
       ,          2        x
      Aaron | thou hast hit it.
 
AARON
                                       ,         ,        ,
                                Would^you | had hit | it too,
              ,          ,        ,            ,      ,
      Then should | not we | be tired | with this | ado:
             ,          ,                    ,    ,    ,
      Why* hark | ye, hark | ye, and are // you such fools,
            ,           ,      ,            ,          ,
      To square | for this?| Would it | offend | you then?
 
CHIRON
        T    T   T
      Faith not me.
 
DEMETRIUS
                         ,      ,         ,
                    Nor me,| so I | were one.
 
AARON
            ,           ,            ,          ,         ,
      For shame | be friends,| and join | for that | you jar:
            ,    ,         ,     ,          ,
      'Tis pol|icy,| and strat|agem | must do
            ,        ,         ,         ,        ,
      That you | affect,| and so | must^you | resolve,
             ,         ,       ,         ,         ,
      That what | you can|not as | you would | achieve,
            ,         ,        ,         ,        ,
      You must | perforce | accomp|lish as | you may:
        ,      2      ,       ,          T    T     T
      Take this^of | me, Lu|crece was | not more chaste
             ,       ,   2   ,    ,        ,
      Than this | Lavin|ia, Bas|sian|us' love,
          ,    2     ,            ,    2     ,        ,
      A speed|ier course | than ling|ering lang|uishment
            ,       ,        ,          ,           ,
      Must^we | pursue,| and I | have found | the path:
           ,        ,        ,       ,        ,
      My lords,| a sol|emn hunt|ing is | in hand.
        ,                ,      ,      ,        ,
      There will | the love|ly Rom|an lad|ies troop:
           ,        ,           ,         ,     ,
      The for|est walks | are wide | and spa|cious,
           ,     ,   ,           ,            ,
      And man|y un|frequen|ted plots | there^are,
       ,            ,          ,         ,     ,
      Fitted | by kind | for rape | and vil|lany:
       ,             ,        ,           ,      ,
      Single | you thith|er then | this dain|ty doe,
             ,           ,         ,         ,         ,
      And strike | her home | by force,| if not | by words:
            ,        ,        ,      ,              ,
      This^way | or not | at all,| stand you | in hope.
        T     T    T     ,            2     ,       ,
      Come, come, our | empress | with her sac|red wit
          ,     ,        ,          ,      ,
      To vil|lany | and venge|ance con|secrate,
        ,            ,           ,          ,       ,
      Will we | acquaint | with all | that we | intend,
           ,            ,         ,         ,        ,
      And she | shall file | our en|gines with | advice,
             ,         ,       ,          ,            ,
      That will | not suf|fer you | to square | yourselves,
       ,              ,         ,         ,           ,
      But to | your wish|es' height | advance | you both.
           ,    2      ,          ,          ,          ,
      The emp|eror's court | is like | the house | of Fame,
           ,        ,          ,           ,         ,
      The pal|ace full | of tongues,| of eyes,| of ears:
            ,           ,          ,          ,          ,
      The woods | are ruth|less, dread|ful, deaf,| and dull:
        T     T     .     T       T     T    .    T           ,
      There speak, and strike | brave boys, and take | your turns.
               ,            ,       ,              ,         ,
      There* serve | your lusts,| shadowed | from heav|en's eye,
           ,      ,      ,    2    ,     ,
      And rev|el in | Lavin|ia's trea|sury.
 
CHIRON
            ,       ,      ,          ,  ,
      Thy couns|el lad | smells of | no cow/ardice.
 
DEMETRIUS
       ,             ,        ,        ,           ,
      Sit fas | aut nef|as, till | I find | the streams,
           ,           ,        ,          ,            ,
      To cool | this heat,| a charm | to calm | these^fits,
       ,   ,            ,         ,    oo
      Per Sty/ga per | manes | vehor.|
 
[Exeunt]

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