Act 4 — Scene III. The same. A public place.
Reading edition
Enter Titus, bearing arrows with letters at the ends of them; with him, Marcus, young Lucius, and other Gentlemen (Publius, Sempronius, and Caius), with bows.[4570]
Tit. Come, Marcus, come; kinsmen, this is the way.[4571] Sir boy, let me see your archery;[4572] Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there straight. Terras Astræa reliquit:[4573] Be you remember'd, Marcus, she's gone, she's fled.[4573][4574] 5 Sirs, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall[4573][4575] Go sound the ocean, and cast your nets;[4573] Happily you may catch her in the sea;[4573][4576] Yet there's as little justice as at land: No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it; 10 'Tis you must dig with mattock and with spade, And pierce the inmost centre of the earth: Then, when you come to Pluto's region, I pray you, deliver him this petition;[4577] Tell him, it is for justice and for aid, 15 And that it comes from old Andronicus, Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome. Ah, Rome! Well, well; I made thee miserable What time I threw the people's suffrages On him that thus doth tyrannize o'er me. 20 Go, get you gone; and pray be careful all, And leave you not a man-of-war unsearch'd: This wicked emperor may have shipp'd her hence; And, kinsmen, then we may go pipe for justice. Marc. O Publius, is not this a heavy case, 25 To see thy noble uncle thus distract? Pub. Therefore, my lord, it highly us concerns[4578][4579] By day and night to attend him carefully, And feed his humour kindly as we may, Till time beget some careful remedy. 30 Marc. Kinsmen, his sorrows are past remedy.[4580] Join with the Goths, and with revengeful war Take wreak on Rome for this ingratitude And vengeance on the traitor Saturnine. Tit. Publius, how now! how now, my masters![4581] 35 What, have you met with her?[4581] Pub. No, my good lord; but Pluto sends you word,[4578] If you will have Revenge from hell, you shall: Marry, for Justice, she is so employ'd,[4582] He thinks, with Jove in heaven, or somewhere else, 40 So that perforce you must needs stay a time. Tit. He doth me wrong to feed me with delays. I'll dive into the burning lake below, And pull her out of Acheron by the heels.[4583] Marcus, we are but shrubs, no cedars we, 45 No big-boned men framed of the Cyclops' size; But metal, Marcus, steel to the very back, Yet wrung with wrongs more than our backs can bear:[4584] And sith there's no justice in earth nor hell,[4585] We will solicit heaven, and move the gods 50 To send down Justice for to wreak our wrongs. Come, to this gear. You are a good archer, Marcus;[4586]
[He gives them the arrows.
'Ad Jovem,' that's for you: here, 'Ad Apollinem:'[4587] 'Ad Martem,' that's for myself:[4588] Here, boy, to Pallas: here, to Mercury: 55 To Saturn, Caius, not to Saturnine;[4589] You were as good to shoot against the wind. To it, boy! Marcus, loose when I bid.[4590] Of my word, I have written to effect;[4591] There's not a god left unsolicited. 60 Marc. Kinsmen, shoot all your shafts into the court:[4592] We will afflict the emperor in his pride. Tit. Now, masters, draw. [They shoot.] O, well said, Lucius![4593] Good boy, in Virgo's lap; give it Pallas.[4594] Marc. My lord, I aim a mile beyond the moon;[4595] 65 Your letter is with Jupiter by this. Tit. Ha, ha![4596] Publius, Publius, what hast thou done?[4596] See, see, thou hast shot off one of Taurus' horns.[4597] Marc. This was the sport, my lord: when Publius shot, 70 The Bull, being gall'd, gave Aries such a knock That down fell both the Ram's horns in the court; And who should find them but the empress' villain?[4598] She laugh'd, and told the Moor he should not choose But give them to his master for a present. 75 Tit. Why, there it goes: God give his lordship joy![4599]
Enter a Clown, with a basket, and two pigeons in it.[4600]
News, news from heaven! Marcus, the post is come.[4601] Sirrah, what tidings? have you any letters? Shall I have justice? what says Jupiter? Clo. O, the gibbet-maker! he says that he hath taken[4602] 80 them down again, for the man must not be hanged till the next week. Tit. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee?[4603] Clo. Alas, sir, I know not Jupiter; I never drank with[4604][4605] him in all my life.[4604] 85 Tit. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier? Clo. Ay, of my pigeons, sir; nothing else.[4606] Tit. Why, didst thou not come from heaven? Clo. From heaven! alas, sir, I never came there: God[4607] forbid I should be so bold to press to heaven in my young[4608] 90 days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men. Marc. Why, sir, that is as fit as can be to serve for your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the 95 emperor from you. Tit. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the emperor with a grace? Clo. Nay, truly, sir, I could never say grace in all my life. Tit. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado, 100 But give your pigeons to the emperor: By me thou shalt have justice at his hands. Hold, hold; meanwhile here's money for thy charges.[4609] Give me pen and ink.[4610] Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplication? 105 Clo. Ay, sir. Tit. Then here is a supplication for you. And when you come to him, at the first approach you must kneel; then kiss his foot; then deliver up your pigeons; and then look for your reward. I'll be at hand, sir; see you do it bravely. 110 Clo. I warrant you, sir, let me alone. Tit. Sirrah, hast thou a knife? come, let me see it. Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration; For thou hast made it like an humble suppliant: And when thou hast given it to the emperor,[4611] 115 Knock at my door, and tell me what he says. Clo. God be with you, sir; I will. [Exit.[4612] Tit. Come, Marcus, let us go. Publius, follow me. [Exeunt.[4613]