I will embrace thee in it by and by. Exit ⌈aloft⌉

TAMORA

This closing with him fits his lunacy.

Whate’er I forge to feed his brainsick humours

Do you uphold and maintain in your speeches,

For now he firmly takes me for Revenge,

And being credulous in this mad thought

I’ll make him send for Lucius his son,

And whilst I at a banquet hold him sure

I’ll find some cunning practice out of hand

To scatter and disperse the giddy Goths,

Or at the least make them his enemies.

See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.

Enter Titus, below

TITUS

Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee.

Welcome, dread Fury, to my woeful house.

Rapine and Murder, you are welcome, too.

How like the Empress and her sons you are!

Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor.

Could not all hell afford you such a devil?—

For well I wot the Empress never wags

But in her company there is a Moor,

And would you represent our Queen aright

It were convenient you had such a devil.

But welcome as you are. What shall we do?

TAMORA

What wouldst thou have us do, Andronicus?

DEMETRIUS

Show me a murderer, I’ll deal with him.

CHIRON

Show me a villain that hath done a rape,

And I am sent to be revenged on him.

TAMORA

Show me a thousand that hath done thee wrong,

And I will be revenged on them all.

TITUS (to Demetrius)

Look round about the wicked streets of Rome,

And when thou find’st a man that’s like thyself,

Good Murder, stab him; he’s a murderer.

(To Chiron) Go thou with him, and when it is thy hap

To find another that is like to thee,

Good Rapine, stab him; he is a ravisher.

(To Tamora) Go thou with them, and in the Emperor’s

court

There is a queen attended by a Moor.

Well shalt thou know her by thine own proportion,

For up and down she doth resemble thee.

I pray thee, do on them some violent death;

They have been violent to me and mine.

TAMORA

Well hast thou lessoned us. This shall we do;

But would it please thee, good Andronicus,

To send for Lucius, thy thrice-valiant son,

Who leads towards Rome a band of warlike Goths,

And bid him come and banquet at thy house—

When he is here, even at thy solemn feast,

I will bring in the Empress and her sons,

The Emperor himself, and all thy foes,

And at thy mercy shall they stoop and kneel,

And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.

What says Andronicus to this device?

TITUS

Marcus, my brother! ’Tis sad Titus calls.

Enter Marcus

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius.

Thou shalt enquire him out among the Goths.

Bid him repair to me, and bring with him

Some of the chiefest princes of the Goths.

Bid him encamp his soldiers where they are.

Tell him the Emperor and the Empress too

Feast at my house, and he shall feast with them.

This do thou for my love, and so let him,

As he regards his aged father’s life.

MARCUS

This will I do, and soon return again. Exit

TAMORA

Now will I hence about thy business,

And take my ministers along with me.

TITUS

Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me,

Or else I’ll call my brother back again,

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

TAMORA (aside to her sons)

What say you, boys, will you abide with him

Whiles I go tell my lord the Emperor

How I have governed our determined jest?

Yield to his humour, smooth and speak him fair,

And tarry with him till I turn again.

TITUS (aside)

I knew them all, though they supposed me mad,

And will o’erreach them in their own devices—

A pair of cursed hell-hounds and their dam.

DEMETRIUS

Madam, depart at pleasure. Leave us here.

TAMORA

Farewell, Andronicus. Revenge now goes

To lay a complot to betray thy foes.

TITUS

I know thou dost, and sweet Revenge, farewell.

Exit Tamora

CHIRON

Tell us, old man, how shall we be employed?

TITUS

Tut, I have work enough for you to do.

Publius, come hither; Caius and Valentine.

Enter Publius, Caius, and Valentine

PUBLIUS

What is your will?

TITUS

Know you these two?

PUBLIUS

The Empress’ sons I take them—Chiron, Demetrius.

TITUS

Fie, Publius, fie! Thou art too much deceived.

The one is Murder, and Rape is the other’s name.

And therefore bind them, gentle Publius;

Caius and Valentine, lay hands on them.

Oft have you heard me wish for such an hour,

And now I find it. Therefore bind them sure,

And stop their mouths if they begin to cry. Exit

CHIRON

Villains, forbear! We are the Empress’ sons.

PUBLIUS

And therefore do we what we are commanded.

Publius, Caius, and Valentine bind and gag Chiron

and Demetrius

Stop close their mouths. Let them not speak a word.

Is he sure bound? Look that you bind them fast.

Enter Titus Andronicus with a knife, and Lavinia

with a basin

TITUS

Come, come, Lavinia. Look, thy foes are bound.

Sirs, stop their mouths. Let them not speak to me,