TIT. These words are razors to my wounded

heart.

SAT. And therefore, lovely Tamora, queen of
Goths,-

That, like the stately Phœbe 'mongst her nymphs,
Dost overshine the gallant'st dames of Rome,-
If thou be pleas'd with this my sudden choice,
Behold, I choose thee, Tamora, for my bride,
And will create thee emperess of Rome.
Speak, queen of Goths, dost thou applaud my

choice?

And here I swear by all the Roman Gods,-
Sith priest and holy water are so near,
And tapers burn so bright, and every thing
In readiness for Hymeneus stand,-
I will not re-salute the streets of Rome,
Or climb my palace, till from forth this place
I lead espous'd my bride along with me.

TAM. And here, in sight of heaven, to Rome I

swear,

See Greene's Groundwork of Coneycatching, 1592. Hence, I suppose, this sense of the verb, to ruffle. Rufflers are likewise enumerated among other vagabonds, by Holinshed, Vol. I. p. 183. STEEVENS.

To ruffle meant, to be noisy, disorderly, turbulent. A ruffler was a boisterous swaggerer. MALONE.

That, like the stately Phœbe 'mongst her nymphs,
Dost overshine the gallant'st dames of Rome,]
" - Micat inter omnes

" Julium sidus, velut inter ignes
" Luna minores." Hor. MALONE.

From Phaer's Virgil, 1573: [Æneid, B. I.]

out

"Most like unto Diana bright when she to hunt goth "Whom thousands of the ladie nymphes awaite to do her will;

"She on her armes her quiuer beres, and al them ouershynes." RITSON.

If Saturnine advance the queen of Goths,
She will a handmaid be to his desires,
A loving nurse, a mother to his youth.

SAT. Ascend, fair queen, Pantheon :-Lords,

accompany

Your noble emperor, and his lovely bride,
Sent by the heavens for prince Saturnine,
Whose wisdom hath her fortune conquered :
There shall we cónsummate our spousal rites.

[Exeunt SATURNINUS, and his Followers; TAMORA, and her Sons; AARON and Goths. TIT. I am not bid to wait upon this bride;Titus, when wert thou wont to walk alone, Dishonour'd thus, and challenged of wrongs?

Re-enter MARCUS, LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MAR

TIUS.

MAR. O, Titus, see, O, see, what thou hast done! In a bad quarrel slain a virtuous son.

TIT. No, foolish tribune, no; no son of mine,Nor thou, nor these, confederates in the deed That hath dishonour'd all our family; Unworthy brother, and unworthy sons!

Luc. But let us give him burial, as becomes; Give Mutius burial with our brethren.

TIT. Traitors, away! he rests not in this tomb. This monument five hundred years hath stood, Which I have sumptuously re-edified: Here none but soldiers, and Rome's servitors, Repose in fame; none basely slain in brawls :Bury him where you can, he comes not here.

* I am not bid-] i. e. invited. See Vol. VII. p. 281, n. 4. MALONE.

MAR. My lord, this is impiety in you:
My nephew Mutius' deeds do plead for him;
He must be buried with his brethren.

QUIN. MART. And shall, or him we will accompany.

TIT. And shall? What villain was it spoke that word?

QUIN. He that would vouch't in any place but here.

TIT. What, would you bury him in my despite? MAR. No, noble Titus; but entreat of thee To pardon Mutius, and to bury him.

TIT. Marcus, even thou hast struck upon my crest, And, with these boys, mine honour thou hast

wounded:

My foes I do repute you every one ;
So trouble me no more, but get you gone.

MART. He is not with himself; let us withdraw.
QUIN. Not I, till Mutius' bones be buried.

[MARCUS and the Sons of TITUS kneel.

MAR. Brother, for in that name doth nature

plead.

QUIN. Father, and in that name doth nature speak.

TIT. Speak thou no more, if all the rest will speed.

9 He is not with himself; let us withdraw.] Read: He is not now himself; -. RITSON.

Perhaps the old reading is a mere affected imitation of Roman phraseology. See Æneid XI. 409, though the words there are otherwise applied:

"-habitet tecum, et sit pectore in isto."

STEEVENS.

MAR. Renowned Titus, more than half my

soul,

Luc. Dear father, soul and substance of us all, -
MAR. Suffer thy brother Marcus to inter

His noble nephew here in virtue's nest,
That died in honour and Lavinia's cause.
Thou art a Roman, be not barbarous.
The Greeks, upon advice, did bury Ajax
That slew himself; and wise Laertes' son
Did graciously plead for his funerals.1
Let not young Mutius then, that was thy joy,
Be barr'd his entrance here.

TIT.

Rise, Marcus, rise:

The dismall'st day is this, that e'er I saw,
To be dishonour'd by my sons in Rome!-
Well, bury him, and bury me the next.

[MUTIUS is put into the Tomb.

Luc. There lie thy bones, sweet Mutius, with thy friends,

Till we with trophies do adorn thy tomb! -
ALL. No man shed tears for noble Mutius; "
He lives in fame that died in virtue's cause.

The Greeks, upon advice, did bury Ajax
That slew himself; and wise Laertes' son

Did graciously plead for his funerals.] This passage alone would sufficiently convince me, that the play before us was the work of one who was conversant with the Greek tragedies in their original language. We have here a plain allusion to the Ajax of Sophocles, of which no translation was extant in the time of Shakspeare. In that piece, Agamemnon consents at last to allow Ajax the rites of sepulture, and Ulysses is the pleader, whose arguments prevail in favour of his remains. STEEVENS.

* No man shed tears &c.] This is evidently a translation of the distich of Ennius:

"Nemo me lacrumeis decoret: nec funera fletu
"Facsit, quur? volito vivu' per ora virûm."

STEEVENS.

MAR. My lord, -to step out of these dreary

dumps,

How comes it, that the subtle queen of Goths
Is of a sudden thus advanc'd in Rome?

TIT. I know not, Marcus; but, I know, it is;
Whether by device, or no, the heavens can tell:
Is she not then beholden to the man
That brought her for this high good turn so far?
Yes, and will nobly him remunerate.

Flourish. Re-enter, at one side, SATURNINUS, attended; TAMORA, CHIRON, DEMETRIUS, and AARON: At the Other, BASSIANUS, LAVINIA, and Others.

SAT. So, Bassianus, you have play'd your prize; God give you joy, sir, of your gallant bride.

Bas. And you of yours, my lord: I say no more, Nor wish no less; and so I take my leave. SAT. Traitor, if Rome have law, or we have power, Thou and thy faction shall repent this rape. BAS. Rape, call you it, my lord, to seize my own, My true-betrothed love, and now my wife? But let the laws of Rome determine all; Mean while I am possess'd of that is mine. SAT. 'Tis good, sir: You are very short with us; But, if we live, we'll be as sharp with you.

* Yes, &c.] This line is not in the quarto. I suspect, when it was added by the editor of the folio, he inadvertently omitted to prefix the name of the speaker, and that it belongs to Marcus. In the second line of this speech the modern editors read-If by device, &c. MALONE.

4

play'd your prize;] A technical term in the ancient fencing-school. See Vol. V. p. 32, n. 8. STEEVENS.