QUINTUS

Reach me thy hand, that I may help thee out,

Or, wanting strength to do thee so much good,

I may be plucked into the swallowing womb

Of this deep pit, poor Bassianus’ grave.

I have no strength to pluck thee to the brink,

MARTIUS

Nor I no strength to climb without thy help.

QUINTUS

Thy hand once more, I will not loose again

Till thou art here aloft or I below.

Thou canst not come to me; I come to thee.

He falls into the pit.

Enter Saturninus the Emperor ⌈with attendants⌉,

and Aaron the Moor

SATURNINUS

Along with me! I’ll see what hole is here,

And what he is that now is leapt into it.

He speaks into the pit

Say, who art thou that lately didst descend

Into this gaping hollow of the earth?

MARTIUS

The unhappy sons of old Andronicus,

Brought hither in a most unlucky hour

To find thy brother Bassianus dead.

SATURNINUS

My brother dead! I know thou dost but jest.

He and his lady both are at the lodge

Upon the north side of this pleasant chase.

‘Tis not an hour since I left them there.

MARTIUS

We know not where you left them all alive,

But, out alas, here have we found him dead!

Enter Tamora, Titus Andronicus, and Lucius

TAMORA

Where is my lord the King?

SATURNINUS

Here, Tamora, though gripped with killing grief.

TAMORA

Where is thy brother Bassianus?

SATURNINUS

Now to the bottom dost thou search my wound.

Poor Bassianus here lies murdered.

TAMORA

Then all too late I bring this fatal writ,

The complot of this timeless tragedy,

And wonder greatly that man’s face can fold

In pleasing smiles such murderous tyranny.

She giveth Saturnine a letter

SATURNINUS (reads)

‘An if we miss to meet him handsomely,

Sweet huntsman—Bassianus ’tis we mean—

Do thou so much as dig the grave for him.

Thou know‘st our meaning. Look for thy reward

Among the nettles at the elder tree

Which overshades the mouth of that same pit

Where we decreed to bury Bassianus.

Do this, and purchase us thy lasting friends.’

O Tamora, was ever heard the like!

This is the pit, and this the elder tree.

Look, sirs, if you can find the huntsman out

That should have murdered Bassianus here.

AARON

My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold.

SATURNINUS (to Titus)

Two of thy whelps, fell curs of bloody kind,

Have here bereft my brother of his life.

Sirs, drag them from the pit unto the prison.

There let them bide until we have devised

Some never-heard-of torturing pain for them.

TAMORA

What, are they in this pit? O wondrous thing!

How easily murder is discovered!

Attendants drag Quintus, Martius, and Bassianus’

body from the pit

TITUS (kneeling)

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 proved in them—

SATURNINUS

If it be proved? You see it is apparent.

Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

TAMORA

Andronicus himself did take it up.

TITUS

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.

SATURNINUS

Thou shalt not bail them. See thou follow me.

Some bring the murdered body, some the murderers.

Let them not speak a word—the guilt is plain;

For by my soul, were there worse end than death

That end upon them should be executed. ⌈Exit⌉

TAMORA

Andronicus, I will entreat the King.

Fear not thy sons, they shall do well enough.

TITUS ⌈rising⌉

Come, Lucius, come, stay not to talk with them.

Exeunt

2.4 Enter the Empress’ sons, Chiron and Demetrius, with Lavinia, her hands cut off and her tongue cut out, and ravished

DEMETRIUS

So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak,

Who ‘twas that cut thy tongue and ravished thee.

CHIRON

Write down thy mind, bewray thy meaning so,

An if thy stumps will let thee play the scribe.

DEMETRIUS

See how with signs and tokens she can scrawl.

CHIRON (to Lavinia)

Go home, call for sweet water, wash thy hands.

DEMETRIUS

She hath no tongue to call nor hands to wash,

And so let’s leave her to her silent walks.

CHIRON

An ‘twere my cause I should go hang myself.

DEMETRIUS

If thou hadst hands to help thee knit the cord.

Exeunt Chiron and Demetrius

⌈Wind horns.⌉ Enter Marcus from hunting to Lavinia

MARCUS

Who is 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 me.

If I do wake, some planet strike me down

That I may slumber an eternal sleep.

Speak, gentle niece, what stern ungentle hands

Hath lopped and hewed 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,

Like to a bubbling fountain stirred with wind,