And wonder greatly, that man's face can fold SAT. [Reads.] An if we miss to meet him handsomely, Sweet huntsman, Bassianus 'tis, we mean,— Which overshades the mouth of that same pit, AAR. My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold. [Showing it. SAT. Two of thy whelps, [To TIT.] fell curs of bloody kind, Have here bereft my brother of his life :- How easily murder is discovered! TIT. High emperor, upon my feeble knee I beg this boon, with tears not lightly shed, That this fell fault of my accursed sons, Accursed, if the fault be prov'd in them,- SAT. If it be prov'd! you see, it is apparent. Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you? TAM. Andronicus himself did take it up. TIT. I did, my lord: yet let me be their bail: For by my father's reverend tomb, I vow, They shall be ready at your highness' will, To answer their suspicion with their lives. SAT. Thou shalt not bail them; see, thou follow me. Some bring the murder'd body, some the murderers: Let them not speak a word, the guilt is plain; TAM. Andronicus, I will entreat the king; Fear not thy sons, they shall do well enough. TIT. Come, Lucius, come; stay not to talk with [Exeunt severally. them. SCENE V. The Same. Enter DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, with LAVINIA, ravished; her Hands cut off, and her Tongue cut out. DEM. So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak, Who 'twas that cut thy tongue, and ravish'd thee. CHI. Write down thy mind, bewray thy meaning so; And, if thy stumps will let thee, play the scribe. DEM. See, how with signs and tokens she can scrowl9. CHI. Go home, call for sweet water, wash thy hands. DEM. She hath no tongue to call, nor hands to wash; And so let's leave her to her silent walks. 9 she can scowL.] Edition 1600 reads: 66 she can scrowle." This, I apprehend, is the true reading. TODD. CHI. An 'twere my case, I should go hang myself. DEM. If thou hadst hands to help thee knit the cord. [Exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON. Enter MARCUS. MAR. Who's this,-my niece, that flies away so fast? Cousin, a word; Where is your husband ?"If I do dream, 'would all my wealth would wake me1! "If I do wake, some planet strike me down, "That I may slumber in eternal sleep!— "Speak, gentle niece, what stern ungentle hands "Have lopp'd, and hew'd, and made thy body bare "Of her two branches? those sweet ornaments, "Whose circling shadows kings have sought to sleep in ; "And might not gain so great a happiness, "As half thy love? Why dost not speak to me?— Alas, a crimson river of warm blood, 66 "Like to a bubbling fountain stirr'd with wind, σε And, lest thou should'st detect him, cut thy tongue2. Ah, now thou turn'st away thy face for shame! If I do dream, 'would all my wealth would wake me!] If this be a dream, I would give all my possessions to be delivered from it by waking. JOHNSON. 2 - lest thou should'st detect HIM, &c.] Old copies-detect them. The same mistake has happened in many other old plays. The correction was made by Mr. Rowe. Tereus having ravished Philomela, his wife's sister, cut out her tongue, to prevent a discovery. MALONE. 3 As from a conduit with three issuing spouts And make the silken strings delight to kiss them; 5 He would have dropp'd his knife, and fell asleep, 3 THREE issuing spouts,] Old copies—their issuing, &c. Corrected by Sir Thomas Hanmer. STEEVENS. 4-hast thou met WITHAL,] [So formerly printed.] The word withal, is wanting in edition 1600. TODD. The edition of 1600 reads as in the text. The word cousin, was omitted in the quarto 1611, which appears to have been followed by the folio, the editor of which, finding the line defective, inserted withal, by conjecture. MALONE. 5-Thracian poet's-] Orpheus. STEEVENS. ACT III. SCENE I. Rome. A Street. Enter Senators, Tribunes, and Officers of Justice, with MARTIUS and QUINTUS, bound, passing on to the Place of Execution; Tirus going before, pleading. "TIT. Hear me, grave fathers! noble Tribunes, stay! "For pity of mine age, whose youth was spent "In dangerous wars, whilst you securely slept; "For all my blood in Rome's great quarrel shed; "For all the frosty nights that I have watch'd; "And for these bitter tears, which now you see Filling the aged wrinkles in my cheeks; "Be pitiful to my condemned sons, Whose souls are not corrupted as 'tis thought! "For two and twenty sons I never wept, "Because they died in honour's lofty bed. "For these, good tribunes, in the dust I write [Throwing himself on the ground. My heart's deep languor, and my soul's sad tears. "Let my tears stanch the earth's dry appetite; "My sons' sweet blood will make it shame and blush. [Exeunt Senators, Tribunes, &c. with the Prisoners. 66 6 For these, GOOD tribunes,] In the original copy, a word being omitted at the press, and the line consequently defective, the editor of the second folio, to supply the metre, reads: It is much more likely that some epithet of respect was given to the tribunes, to conciliate their favour, than that the word these should be so oddly repeated. So, afterwards: 66 O, reverend tribunes For this emendation I am answerable. MALONE. |