Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Act 4 - Scene 4
The same. Before the palace.
Saturninus : Why, lords, what wrongs are these! was ever seen
[p]An emperor in Rome
thus overborne,
[p]Troubled, confronted thus; and, for the
extent
[p]Of egal justice, used in such contempt?
[p]My lords, you
know, as know the mightful gods,
[p]However these disturbers of our
peace
[p]Buz in the people's ears, there nought hath pass'd,
[p]But
even with law, against the willful sons
[p]Of old Andronicus. And what
an if
[p]His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits,
[p]Shall we be thus
afflicted in his wreaks,
[p]His fits, his frenzy, and his
bitterness?
[p]And now he writes to heaven for his redress:
[p]See,
here's to Jove, and this to Mercury;
[p]This to Apollo; this to the
god of war;
[p]Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of
Rome!
[p]What's this but libelling against the senate,
[p]And
blazoning our injustice every where?
[p]A goodly humour, is it not, my
lords?
[p]As who would say, in Rome no justice were.
[p]But if I live,
his feigned ecstasies
[p]Shall be no shelter to these outrages:
[p]But
he and his shall know that justice lives
[p]In Saturninus' health,
whom, if she sleep,
[p]He'll so awake as she in fury shall
[p]Cut off
the proud'st conspirator that lives.
Tamora : My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,
[p]Lord of my life, commander
of my thoughts,
[p]Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus'
age,
[p]The effects of sorrow for his valiant sons,
[p]Whose loss hath
pierced him deep and scarr'd his heart;
[p]And rather comfort his
distressed plight
[p]Than prosecute the meanest or the best
[p]For
these contempts.
[p][Aside]
[p]Why, thus it shall
become
[p]High-witted Tamora to gloze with all:
[p]But, Titus, I have
touched thee to the quick,
[p]Thy life-blood out: if Aaron now be
wise,
[p]Then is all safe, the anchor's in the port.
[p][Enter
Clown]
[p]How now, good fellow! wouldst thou speak with us?
Clown : Yea, forsooth, an your mistership be emperial.
Tamora : Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor.
Clown : 'Tis he. God and Saint Stephen give you good den:
[p]I have brought
you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.
Saturninus : Go, take him away, and hang him presently.
Clown : How much money must I have?
Tamora : Come, sirrah, you must be hanged.
Clown : Hanged! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to
[p]a fair end.
Saturninus : Despiteful and intolerable wrongs!
[p]Shall I endure this monstrous
villany?
[p]I know from whence this same device proceeds:
[p]May this
be borne?--as if his traitorous sons,
[p]That died by law for murder
of our brother,
[p]Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully!
[p]Go,
drag the villain hither by the hair;
[p]Nor age nor honour shall shape
privilege:
[p]For this proud mock I'll be thy slaughterman;
[p]Sly
frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great,
[p]In hope thyself
should govern Rome and me.
[p][Enter AEMILIUS]
[p]What news with thee,
AEmilius?
Aemilius : Arm, arm, my lord;--Rome never had more cause.
[p]The Goths have
gather'd head; and with a power
[p]high-resolved men, bent to the
spoil,
[p]They hither march amain, under conduct
[p]Of Lucius, son to
old Andronicus;
[p]Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do
[p]As
much as ever Coriolanus did.
Saturninus : Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?
[p]These tidings nip me, and I
hang the head
[p]As flowers with frost or grass beat down with
storms:
[p]Ay, now begin our sorrows to approach:
[p]'Tis he the
common people love so much;
[p]Myself hath often over-heard them
say,
[p]When I have walked like a private man,
[p]That Lucius'
banishment was wrongfully,
[p]And they have wish'd that Lucius were
their emperor.
Tamora : Why should you fear? is not your city strong?
Saturninus : Ay, but the citizens favor Lucius,
[p]And will revolt from me to
succor him.
Tamora : King, be thy thoughts imperious, like thy name.
[p]Is the sun dimm'd,
that gnats do fly in it?
[p]The eagle suffers little birds to
sing,
[p]And is not careful what they mean thereby,
[p]Knowing that
with the shadow of his wings
[p]He can at pleasure stint their
melody:
[p]Even so mayst thou the giddy men of Rome.
[p]Then cheer thy
spirit : for know, thou emperor,
[p]I will enchant the old
Andronicus
[p]With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,
[p]Than
baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep,
[p]When as the one is wounded
with the bait,
[p]The other rotted with delicious feed.
Saturninus : But he will not entreat his son for us.
Tamora : If Tamora entreat him, then he will:
[p]For I can smooth and fill his
aged ear
[p]With golden promises; that, were his heart
[p]Almost
impregnable, his old ears deaf,
[p]Yet should both ear and heart obey
my tongue.
[p][To AEmilius]
[p]Go thou before, be our
ambassador:
[p]Say that the emperor requests a parley
[p]Of warlike
Lucius, and appoint the meeting
[p]Even at his father's house, the old
Andronicus.
Saturninus : AEmilius, do this message honourably:
[p]And if he stand on hostage
for his safety,
[p]Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.
Aemilius : Your bidding shall I do effectually.
Tamora : Now will I to that old Andronicus;
[p]And temper him with all the art
I have,
[p]To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths.
[p]And now,
sweet emperor, be blithe again,
[p]And bury all thy fear in my
devices.
Saturninus : Then go successantly, and plead to him.
Previous: Act 4 - Scene 3
Next: Act 5 - Scene 1
