Titus Andronicus & Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare Read Free Book Online Page A

vides?
    MARCUS     O, calm thee, gentle lord, although I know
    There is enough written upon this earth
    To stir a mutiny in the mildest thoughts
    And arm the minds of infants to exclaims. 88
    My lord, kneel down with me: Lavinia, kneel:
    They kneel
    And kneel, sweet boy, the Roman Hector’s hope, 90
    And swear with me — as, with the woeful fere 91
    And father of that chaste dishonoured dame,
    Lord Junius Brutus swore for Lucrece’ rape —
    That we will prosecute by good advice 94
    Mortal revenge upon these traitorous Goths,
    They rise
    And see their blood, or die with this reproach. 96
    TITUS     ’Tis sure enough, an 97 you knew how.
    But if you hunt these bear-whelps, then beware:
    The dam will wake, and, if she wind 99 you once
    She’s with the lion 100 deeply still in league,
    And lulls him whilst she playeth on her back, 101
    And when he sleeps will she do what she list. 102
    You are a young 103 huntsman, Marcus: let it alone,
    And come. I will go get a leaf 104 of brass
    And with a gad 105 of steel will write these words,
    And lay it by. The angry northern wind
    Will blow these sands, like Sibyl’s leaves 107 abroad,
    And where’s your lesson, then? Boy, what say you?
    BOY     I say, my lord, that if I were a man,
    Their mother’s bedchamber should not be safe
    For these bad bondmen 111 to the yoke of Rome.
    MARCUS     Ay, that’s my boy. Thy father hath full oft
    For his ungrateful country done the like.
    BOY     And, uncle, so will I, an if I live.
    TITUS     Come, go with me into mine armoury:
    Lucius, I’ll fit thee, and withal 116 my boy
    Shall carry from me to the empress’ sons
    Presents that I intend to send them both.
    Come, come, thou’lt do thy message, wilt thou not?
    BOY     Ay, with my dagger in their bosoms, grandsire.
    TITUS     No, boy, not so: I’ll teach thee another course.
    Lavinia, come: Marcus, look to my house:
    Lucius and I’ll go brave it 123 at the court.
    Ay, marry , will we, sir, and we’ll be waited on. 124
    Exeunt
. [
Marcus remains
]
    MARCUS     O heavens, can you hear a good man groan
    And not relent or not compassion 126 him?
    Marcus, attend him in his ecstasy 127
    That hath more scars of sorrow in his heart
    Than foemen’s marks upon his battered shield,
    But yet so just that he will not revenge.
    Revenge, the heavens, for old Andronicus!
    Exit
[Act 4 Scene 2]
    running scene 7
    Enter Aaron, Chiron and Demetrius at one door, and at another door Young Lucius and another
[
Attendant
],
with a bundle of weapons and verses writ upon them
    CHIRON     Demetrius, here’s the son of Lucius:
    He hath some message to deliver us.
    AARON     Ay, some mad message from his mad grandfather.
    BOY     My lords, with all the humbleness I may,
    I greet your honours from Andronicus.—
    Aside
    And pray the Roman gods confound 6 you both.
    DEMETRIUS      Gramercy, 7 lovely Lucius. What’s the news?
    Aside
    BOY     That you are both deciphered 8 , that’s the news,
    To them
    For villains marked with rape.— May it please you,
    My grandsire, well advised 10 , hath sent by me
    The goodliest weapons of his armoury
    To gratify your honourable youth,
    The hope of Rome, for so he bade me say,
    And so I do, and with his gifts present
    Your lordships, that, whenever you have need,
    Attendant presents the weapons
    You may be armèd and appointed 16 well.
    And so I leave you both— like bloody villains.
    Exeunt
[
Young Lucius and Attendant
]
    Aside
    DEMETRIUS     What’s here? A scroll, and written round about?
    Let’s see:
    Reads
    ‘Integer vitae, scelerisque purus
, 20
    Non eget Mauri jaculis, nec arcu.’
    CHIRON     O, ’tis a verse in Horace, I know it well:
    I read it in the grammar 23 long ago.
    AARON     Ay, just 24 : a verse in Horace, right, you have it.—
    Aside
    Now, what a thing it is to be an ass!
    Here’s no sound jest! 26 The old man hath