A barren and detefted Vale you fee it is.
The Trees, tho' Summer, yet forlorn and lean,
O'ercome with Mofs, and baleful Miffelto.
Here never fhines the Sun, here nothing breeds,
Unless the nightly Owl, or fatal Raven.
And when they fhew'd me this abhorred Pit,
They told me, here at dead time of the Night,
A thousand Fiends, a thoufand hiffing Snakes,
Ten thousand fwelling Toads, as many Urchins,
Would make fuch fearful and confufed Cries,
As any mortal Body hearing it,

Should ftraight fall mad, or elfe die fuddenly.
No fooner had they told this hellish Tale,

But ftreight they told me they would bind me here,
Unto the Body of a difmal Yew,

And leave me to this miferable Death.
And then they call'd me foul Adulterefs,
Lafcivious Goth, and all the bittereft terms.
That ever Ears did hear to fuch effect.
And had you not by wondrous fortune come,
This Vengeance on me had they executed :
Revenge it, as you love your Mother's Life,
Or be ye not henceforth call'd my Children.
Dem. This is a witnefs that I am thy Son.
Chi. And this for me,

Struck home to fhew, my Strength.

[Stabs Baf.

Lav, I come, Semiramis, nay barbarous Tamora, For no Name fits thy Nature but thy own.

Tam. Give me thy Poniard; you fhall know, my Boys, Your Mother's Hand fhall right your Mother's wrong. Dem. Stay, Madam, here is more belongs to her, First, thrash the Corn, then after burn the Straw: This Minion ftood upon her Chastity,

Upon her Nuptial Vow, her Loyalty,

And with that painted hope the braves your Mightiness; And fhall the carry this unto her Grave?

Chi. And if the do,

I would I were an Eunuch.

Drag hence her Husband to fome fecret Hole,
And make his dead Trunk Pillow to our Luft.

Tam.

Tam. But when you have the Honey you defire, Let not this Wafp out-live us both to fting.

Chi. I warrant you, Madam, we will make that fure;
Come Miftrefs, now per force we will enjoy
That nice-preferved honefty of yours.

Lav. O Tamora, thou bear'ft a Woman's Face
Tam. I will not hear her fpeak; away with her.
Lav. Sweet Lords, intreat her hear me but a Word
Dem. Liften, fair Madam, let it be your glory
To fee her Tears; but be your Heart to them,
As unrelenting Flints to drops of Rain,

Lav. When did the Tyger's young ones teach the Dam?
O do not learn her Wrath, the taught it thee,
The Milk thou fuck'ft from her did turn to Marble;
Even at thy Teat thou hadft thy Tyranny:

Yet every Mother breeds not Sons alike;
Do thou intreat her, fhew a Woman Pity.
Chi. What!

Wouldst thou have me prove my self a Bastard?
Lav. 'Tis true,

The Raven doth not hatch a Lark:

Yet have I heard, O could I find it now,
The Lion, mov'd with Pity, did endure
To have his Princely Paws par'd all away.
Some fay, that Ravens fofter forlorn Children,
The whilft their own Birds famifh in their Nefts:
Oh be to me, tho' thy hard Heart fay no,
Nothing fo kind, but fomething pitiful.

Tam. I know not what it means; away with her.
Lav. Oh let me teach thee for my Father's fake,
That gave thee Life, when well he might have flain thee:
Be not obdurate, open thy deaf Ears.

Tam. Hadft thou in Perfon ne'er offended me,
Even for his fake am I now pitiless:

Remember, Boys, I pour'd forth Tears in vain,
To fave your Brother from the Sacrifice;
But fierce Andronicus would not relent:
Therefore away with her, and ufe her as you will,
The worfe to her, the better lov'd of me.
Lav. O Tamora,
Be call'd a gentle Queen,

And

And with thine own Hands kill me in this Place ;
For 'tis not Life that I have begg'd fo long;
Poor I was flain when Baffianus dy'd.

Tam. What begg'ft thou then? Fond Woman, let me go. Lav. 'Tis prefent Death I beg, and one thing more, That Womanhood denies my Tongue to tell:

O keep me from their worfe than killing Luft,
And tumble me into fome loathfom Pit,

Where never Man's Eye may behold my Body:
Do this, and be a charitable Murderer.

Tam. So fhould I rob my fweet Sons of their Fee,
No, let them fatisfie their Luft on thee.

No Woman-hood? Ah beaftly Creature,

The blot and Enemy of our general Name;
Confufion all-

Chi. Nay, then I'll ftop your Mouth

Bring thou her Husband:

[Dragging off Lavinia. This is the hole where Aaron bid us hide him. [Exeunt.

Tam. Farewel, my Sons, fee that ye make her fure;

Ne'er let my Heart know merry Cheer indeed,

Till all the Andronici be made away:

Now will I hence to seek my lovely Moor,

And let my spleenful Sons this Trull deflour.

Enter Aaron, with Quintus and Marcus.

[Exit.

Aaron. Come on, my Lords, the better Foot before, Strait will I bring you to the loathsom Pit,

Where I efpied the Panther faft afleep.

Quin. My fight is very dull, what e'er it bodes..

Mar. And mine, I promise you; were it not for fhame,

Well could I leave our Sport to fleep a while.

Quin. What, art thou fallen?

What fubtle Hole is this,

[Marcus falls into the Pit.

Whofe Mouth is covered with rude growing Briars?
Upon whofe Leaves are drops of new-fhed Blood,
As fresh as Morning Dew diftill'd on Flowers?
A very fatal Place it feems to me:

Speak, Brother, haft thou hurt thee with the fall?.
Mar. O Brother,

With

With the difmal'ft Object

That ever Eye, with fight, made Heart lament.

Aar. Now will I fetch the King to find them here, That he thereby may have a likely guess,

How these were they that made away his Brother.

[Exit Aaron. Mar. Why doft not comfort me, and help me out, From this unhallow'd and blood-ftained Hole?

Quin. I am furprized with an uncouth fear;
A killing Sweat o'er-runs my trembling Joints;
My Heart fufpects more than mine Eye can fee.
Mar. To prove thou haft a true divining Heart,
Aaron and thou, look down into the Den,
And fee a fearful fight of Bood and Death.
Quin. Aaron is gone,

And my compaffionate Heart

Will not permit mine Eyes once to behold
The thing whereat it trembles by furmife:
O tell me how it is; for ne'er till now,
Was I a Child, to fear I know not what.

Mar. Lord Baffianus lyes embrewed here,
All on a heap, like to the flaughter'd Lamb,
In this detefted, dark, blood-drinking Pit.

Quin. If it be dark, how do'ft thou know 'tis he?
Mar. Upon his bloody Finger he doth wear
A precious Ring, that lightens all the Hole:
Which like a Taper in fome Monument,
Doth fhine upon the dead Man's earthly Cheeks,
And fhews the ragged intrails of the Pit.
So pale did shine the Moon on Pyramus,
When he by night lay bath'd in Maiden-blood.
O Brother help me, with thy fainting Hand;
If Fear hath made thee faint, as me it hath,
Out of this fell devouring Receptacle,

As hateful as Cocytus mifty Mouth.

Quin. Reach me thy Hand, that I may help thee out, Or wanting ftrength, to do thee fo much good,

I may be pluck'd into the fwallowing Womb

Of this deep Pit, poor Baffianus Grave:

I have no ftrength to pluck thee to the brink.

Mar. Nor I no ftrength to climb without thy help

Quin.

Quin. Thy hand once more, I will not lofe again, 'Till thou art here aloft, or I below:

Thou can'ft not come to me, I come to thee. [Both fall in.
Enter the Emperor and Aaron.

Sat. Along with me, I'll fee what Hole is here,
And what he is that now is leap'd into it.
Say, who art thou that lately didft defcend
Into this gaping Hollow of the Earth?

Mar. The unhappy Son of old Andronicus,
Brought hither in a moft unlucky Hour,
To find thy Brother Bassianus dead.

Sat. My Brother dead? I know thou doft but jest,
He and his Lady both are at the Lodge,

Upon the North-fide of this pleasant Chase, 'Tis not an hour fince I left him there.

Mar. We know not where you left him all alive, But out, alas, here have we found him dead.

Enter Tamora, Andronicus, and Lucius.

Tam. Where is my Lord, the King?

Sat. Here Tamora, though griev'd with killing Grief.
Tam. Where is thy Brother Baffianus?

Sat. Now to the bottom doft thou fearch my Wound, Poor Baffianus here lyes murthered.

Tam. 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 pleafing fmiles fuch murderous Tyranny.

[She giveth Saturninus a Letter.

Saturninus reads the Letter.

And if we miss to meet him handfomly,
Sweet Huntfman, Baffianus, 'tis we mean,
Do thou fo much as dig the Grave for him,
Thou know'ft our meaning, look for thy reward
Among the Nettles at the Elder-tree:
Which over-fhades the mouth of that fame Pit,
Where we decreed to bury Baffianus;
Do this, and purchase us thy lafting Friends.

Sat. Oh 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 murthered Baffianus here.

Aar.