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Titus Andronicus

Act IV, Scene 1

Rome. Titus's garden.
 
[Enter YOUNG LUCIUS, and LAVINIA running after him, and the boy flies from her, with books under his arm. Then enter TITUS and MARCUS]
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
        T    T    T      ,          ,      ,  2
      Help grandsire | help, my | aunt La|vinia,
       ,            ,      ,         ,          ,
      Follows | me eve|rywhere | I know | not* why.
            ,       ,      ,           ,           ,
      Good^unc|le Marc|us see | how* swift | she comes,
        ,            ,        ,     ,               ,
      Alas | sweet^aunt,| I know | not what | you mean.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
             ,       ,        ,         ,            ,
      Stand^by | me Luc|ius, do | not fear | thine^aunt.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
            ,           ,          ,        ,          ,
      She loves | thee boy | too well | to do | thee harm.
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
       ,              ,      ,         ,         ,
      Aye when | my fath|er was | in Rome | she did.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
             ,          ,        ,  2   ,           ,
      What means | my niece | Lavin|ia by | these^signs?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
        T   T   T         ,         ,          ,
      Fear not Luc|ius, some|what doth | she mean:
       T    Tx    T          ,          ,          ,
      See Lucius see,| how much | she makes | of thee:
             ,        ,           ,          ,         ,
      Some^wheth|er would | she have | thee go | with her.
           ,        ,   2  ,              ,    ,
      Ah* boy,| Cornel|ia nev|er with / more care
        ,             ,          ,           ,         ,
      Read to | her sons,| than she | hath read | to thee,
        ,        ,         ,        ,   ,
      Sweet po|etry,| and Tul|ly's Or|ator:
              ,          ,            ,          ,            ,
      Canst^thou | not guess | wherefore | she plies | thee thus?
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
           ,        ,        ,        ,        ,
      My lord | I know | not I,| nor can | I guess,
          ,          ,         ,      ,        ,         ->
      Unless | some fit | or fren|zy do | possess || her:
       ,     2       ,          ,           ,          ,
      For | I have heard | my grand|sire* say | full^oft,
          ,   2          ,     ,       T   T   T
      Extrem|ity of / griefs would | make men mad.
          ,          ,          ,    ,        ,
      And I | have read | that Hec|uba | of Troy,
           ,              ,                ,   ,        ,
      Ran^mad | through* sor|row, that / made me | to fear,
           ,          ,        ,        ,       ,
      Although | my lord,| I know | my nob|le aunt,
        ,             ,        ,         ,      ,
      Loves me | as dear | as ere | my moth|er did,
            ,          ,        ,       ,          ,
      And would | not but | in fu|ry fright | my youth,
              ,         ,         ,          ,          ,
      Which^made | me down | to throw | my books,| and fly
        ,              ,          ,            ,     ,
      Causeless | perhaps,| but pard|on me / sweet aunt,
           ,       ,       ,      ,       ,
      And mad|am, if | my unc|le Mar|cus go,
                 ,   ,       ,       ,          ,      ,  ->
      I will / most wil|lingly | attend | your la||dyship.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
        ,          ,
      Lucius | I will.  \\
 
[LAVINIA turns over with her stumps the books which LUCIUS has let fall]
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
            ,       ,   2   ,               ,     ,
      How* now | Lavin|ia, Mar|cus what / means this?
        T    T    T          ,       2    ,         ,
      Some book there | is that | she desires | to see,
             ,        ,         ,      ,           ,
      Which^is | it girl | of these?| Open | them boy,
            ,          ,       ,         ,         ,
      But thou | art deep|er read | and bet|ter skilled,
        ,          T     T    .  T        ,   ,
      Come and | take choice of all | my lib|rary,
           ,       ,          ,         ,           x
      And so | beguile | thy sor|row, till | the heavens
          ,           ,         ,             ,    ,
      Reveal | the damned | contriv|er of / this deed.
       __     __
      What | book?  \\
            ,          ,         ,        ,          ,
      Why lifts | she up | her arms | in seq|uence thus?
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
          ,           ,            ,           ,          ,
      I think | she means | that there | was more | than one
          ,    2    ,         ,           ,           ,
      Confed|erate in | the fact,| aye* more | there was:
           ,          x            ,           ,        ,
      Or else | to heaven | she heaves | them for | revenge.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
       ,              ,         ,          ,       ,
      Lucius | what book | is that | she toss|eth so?
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
        ,              ,        ,    ,      ,
      Grandsire*| 'tis O|vid's Met|amor|phoses,
           ,       ,        ,
      My moth|er gave | it me.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
            ,        ,             ,
      For love | of her | that's gone,  (tri with prev)
           ,           ,          ,       ,          ,
      Perhaps | she culled | it from | among | the rest.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
        ,         ,  2          ,            ,
      Soft, so*| busily | she turns | the leaves,
      <-  ,           ,                ,       ,   2   ,         ,
        Help her,|| what would | she find?| Lavin|ia shall | I read?
        ,            ,        ,        ,     ,
      This is | the tra|gic tale | of Phi|lomel?
             ,         ,   2     ,       ,          ,
      And treats | of Ter|eus' treas|on and | his rape,
            ,        ,          ,         ,        ,
      And rape | I fear | was root | of thine | annoy.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
       T      Tx   T      ,               ,            ,
      See brother see,| note how*| she quotes | the leaves.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
         ,   2    ,           ,          ,              ,
      Lavin|ia, wert | thou thus | surprised | sweet* girl,
       ,                ,          ,     ,     ,
      Ravished | and wronged | as Phi|lome|la was?
         ,              ,          ,          ,       ,
      Forced in | the ruth|less, vast,| and gloom|y woods?
       ,    ,    ,    ,      ,          ,         ,       ,
      See, see, aye such a place there is where* we did hunt,  ????
       ,           ,       ,      ,        ,
      (O had | we nev|er, nev|er hunt|ed there)
       ,               ,         ,      ,         ,
      Patterned | by that | the po|et here | describes,
          ,        ,         ,        ,          ,
      By nat|ure made | for murd|ers and | for rapes.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
         ,            ,        ,           ,       ,
      O why | should nat|ure build | so* foul | a den,
          ,          ,        ,         ,      ,
      Unless | the gods | delight | in trag|edies?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
             ,              ,          ,          ,           ,
      Give^signs | sweet* girl,| for here | are none | but friends
            ,       ,        ,      T    T  .    T
      What Rom|an lord | it was | durst do the deed?
           ,           ,      ,        ,         ,
      Or slunk | not* Sat|urnine,| as Tar|quin erst,
             ,          ,        ,            ,     ,
      That left | the camp | to sin | in Lu/crece' bed.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
            ,             ,       ,             ,        ,
      Sit^down | sweet* niece,| brother,| sit^down | by me,
        ,       ,         ,        ,     ,
      Apol|lo, Pal|las, Jove,| or Mer|cury,
          ,               ,  ,           ,        ,
      Inspire | me that / I may | this treas|on find.
           ,      T    T     T      ,      ,  2
      My lord | look here, look | here La|vinia.
 
[He writes his name with his staff, and guides it with feet and mouth]
            ,       ,         ,       ,               ,
      This san|dy plot | is plain,| guide if | thou canst
            ,      ,   ,          T   T   T
      This aft|er me,| I have | writ my name,
           ,          ,        ,     ,        ,
      Without | the help | of an|y hand | at all.
         ,               ,             ,      ,             ,
      Cursed be | that heart | that forced | us to | this shift:
        ,                   ,           ,         ,         ,
      Write thou* | good* niece,| and here | display | at last,
            ,      ,             ,        ,        ,
      What God | will have | discov|ered for | revenge,
        Tx     T    .    T         ,          ,         ,
      Heaven guide thy* pen | to print | thy sor|rows plain,  ??
            ,         ,          ,        ,          ,
      That we | may know | the trait|ors and | the truth.
 
[She takes the staff in her mouth, and guides it with her stumps and writes]
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
          ,        ,         ,          ,           ,
      Oh do | ye read | my lord | what she | hath writ?
        ,        ,          ,     ,   oo
      Stuprum,| Chiron,| Deme|trius.|
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
        T     T    .    T        ,        ,    ,
      What, what, the lust|ful sons | of Tam|ora,
          ,        ,          ,        ,       ,
      Perform|ers of | this hein|ous blood|y deed?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
       ,       ,    ,       ,          ,
      Magni | Domi|nator | poli,   ????
      <-     ,        ,      ,     ,        ,       ,      2->
        Tam^len||tus au|dis sce|lera,| tam^len|tus vi||des?
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
            ,          ,        ,         ,         ,
      Oh* calm | thee gent|le lord:| although | I know
             ,      ,       ,         ,           ,
      There^is | enough | written | upon | this earth,
           ,       ,    ,     2      ,          ,
      To stir | a mut|iny | in the mild|est thoughts,
           ,          ,         ,        ,        ,
      And arm | the minds | of in|fants to | exclaims.
           ,      ,     ,                 ,   2   ,
      My lord | kneel down / with me:| Lavin|ia kneel,
       .    T     T    T         ,      ,          ,
      And kneel sweet boy,| the Rom|an Hec|tor's hope,
            ,           ,        ,         ,        ,
      And swear | with me,| as with | the woe|ful fere
            ,      ,           ,         ,         ,
      And fath|er of | that chaste | dishon|ored dame,
            ,   2   ,        ,              ,      ,
      Lord^Jun|ius Bru|tus sware | for Lu/crece' rape,
            ,         ,      ,         ,        ,
      That we | will pro|secute |(by good | advice)
       ,           ,       ,            ,    2      ,
      Mortal | revenge | upon | these trait|orous Goths,
           ,            ,         ,           ,         ,
      And see | their blood,| or die | with this | reproach.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
             ,       ,          ,     __    ___
      'Tis sure | enough,| and you | knew | how.
           ,         ,      T     T     T         2    ,
      But if | you hunt | these bear-whelps,| then beware
           ,           ,         ,         ,          ,
      The dam | will wake,| and if | she wind | you once,
              ,         ,      ,       ,           ,
      She's with | the li|on deep|ly still | in league.
            ,            ,           ,       ,         ,
      And lulls | him whilst | she play|eth on | her back,
            ,          ,           ,         ,          ,
      And when | he sleeps | will she | do what | she list.
             2      ,     ,         ,       ,      2   ,
      You are a / young hunts|man Marc|us, let | it alone:
            ,    ,         T  T  .   T         ,
      And come,| I will | go get a leaf | of brass,
            ,       ,         ,            ,             ,
      And with | a gad | of steel | will write | these words,
           ,        ,        ,       ,         ,
      And lay | it by:| the ang|ry north|ern wind
             ,            ,           ,          ,        ,
      Will blow | these^sands | like Sib|yl's leaves | abroad,
             ,            ,        ,     ,          ,
      And where's | your les|son then.| Boy what | say you?
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
         ,         ,          ,       ,       ,
      I say | my lord,| that if | I were | a man,
              ,        ,     ,               ,         ,
      Their moth|er's bed-|chamber | should not | be safe,
            ,      ,    ,                 ,         ,
      For these | bad bond/men to | the yoke | of Rome.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
             ,         ,          ,       ,          ,
      Aye that's | my boy,| thy fath|er hath | full^oft,
           ,        ,         ,        ,          ,
      For his | ungrate|ful count|ry done | the like.
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
           ,      ,        ,        ,       ,
      And unc|le so | will I,| and if | I live.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
            ,         ,    ,           ,    ,
      Come^go | with me | into | mine arm|ory,
       ,             ,           ,        ,        ,
      Lucius | I'll fit | thee, and | withal,| my boy
             ,       ,     ,           ,          ,
      Shalt car|ry from | me to | the emp|ress' sons,
        ,             ,       ,         ,           ,
      Presents | that I | intend | to send | them both,
        T     T       T      ,         ,           2      ,
      Come, come, thou'lt | do thy | message,| wilt thou not?
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
       ,      2      ,        ,          ,         ,
      Aye with my | dagger | in their | bosoms | grandsire*.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
       ,            ,          ,         2  ,         ,
      No boy*| not^so,| I'll teach | thee anoth|er course,
         ,   2   ,     ,         ,            ,
      Lavin|ia come,| Marcus | look to | my house,
       ,             ,          ,         ,         ,
      Lucius | and I'll | go* brave | it at | the court,
            ,       ,      2      ,         2     ,      ,
      Aye* mar|ry will | we sir, and | we'll be wait|ed on.
 
[Exeunt TITUS, LAVINIA, and Young LUCIUS]
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
           ,        ,          ,    .   T   T    T
      O* heav|ens! can | you hear | a good man groan
           ,        ,        ,        ,         ,
      And not | relent,| or not | compass|sion him?
       ,           ,         ,        ,     ,
      Marcus | attend | him in | his ecs|tasy,
            ,       T    T    .  T       ,         ,
      That hath | more scars of sor|row in | his heart,
            ,          ,       ,         ,           ,
      Than foe|men's marks | upon | his bat|tered shield,
           ,          ,          ,         ,        ,
      But yet | so* just,| that he | will not | revenge,
          ,            x           ,        ,    ,
      Revenge | the heavens | for old | Andron|icus.
 
[Exit]

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