مبللة

And father, of that chafte dishonour'd dame,
Lord Junius Brutus fware for Lucrece' rape,
That we will prosecute, by good advice,
Mortal revenge upon thefe traitorous Goths,
And fee their blood, or die with this reproach.

TIT. 'Tis fure enough, an you knew how, But if you hurt thefe bear-whelps, then beware: The dain will wake; and, if the wind you once, She's with the lion deeply ftill in league, And lulls him whilft fhe playeth on her back, And, when he fleeps, will the do what the lift. You're a young huntfman, Marcus; let it alone; * And, come, I will go get a leaf of brafs, And with a gad of steel 3 will write these words,

2

What meaning has hitherto been annexed to the word peer, in this paffage, I know not. The reading of the firft folio is feere, which fignifies a companion, and here metaphorically a husband. The proceeding of Brutus, which is alluded to, is described at length in our author's Rape of Lucrece, as putting an end to the lamentations of Collatinus and Lucretius, the hufband and father of Lucretia. So, in Sir Eglamour of Artoys, fig. A 4: "Chriftabell, your daughter free,

"When shall she have a fere?" i. e. husband.

Sir Thomas More's Lamentation on the Death of Queen Elizabeth, Wife of Henry VII:

"Was I not a king's fere in marriage?"

And again:

"Farewell my daughter Katherine, late the fere

"To prince Arthur." TYRWHITT.

The word feere or pheere very frequently occurs among the old dramatick writers and others. So, in Ben Jonson's Silent Woman, Morofe says:

her that I mean to chufe for my bed-pheere." And many other places. STEEVENS.

let it alone] In edit. 1600, it is wanting. TODD.

3 And with a gád of Steel] A gad, from the Saxon gad, i. e. the point of a fpear, is used here for fome fimilar pointed inftrument. MALONE.

And lay it by the angry northern wind

Will blow thefe fands, like Sybil's leaves, abroad,4
And where's your leffon then-Boy, what fay you?
Bor. I fay, my lord, that if I were a man,
Their mother's bed-chamber fhould not be safe
For these bad-bondmen to the yoke of Rome.
MAR. Ay, that's my boy! thy father hath full

oft

For this ungrateful country done the like.
Boy. And, uncle, fo will I, an if I live.
TIT. Come, go with me into mine armoury;
Lucius, I'll fit thee; and withal, my boy
Shall carry from me to the emprefs' fons
Prefents, that I intend to fend them both :
Come, come; thou'lt do thy meffage, wilt thou
not?

Bor. Ay, with my dagger in their bofoms,
grandfire.

TIT. No, boy, not fo; I'll teach thee another
courfe,

Lavinia, come:-Marcus, look to my house;
Lucius and I'll go brave it at the court;

Ay, marry, will we, fir; and we'll be waited on.
[Exeunt TITUS, LAVINIA, and Boy.
MAR. O heavens, can you hear a good man
groan,

And not relent, or not compaffion him?
Marcus, attend him in his ecstasy ;

That hath more scars of forrow in his heart,

the angry northern wind

Will blow thefe fands, like Sybil's leaves, abroad,]

Foliis tantum ne carmina manda,

"Ne turbata volent rapidis ludibria ventis." En. VI. 75.

STEEVENS.

Than foe-men's marks upon his batter'd shield:
But yet fo juft, that he will not revenge :-
Revenge the heavens 5 for old Andronicus! [Exit.

SCENE II.

The fame. A Room in the Palace.

Enter AARON, CHIRON, and DEMETRIUS, at one Door; at another Door, young Lucius, and an Attendant, with a Bundle of Weapons, and Verfes writ upon them.

CHI. Demetrius, here's the fon of Lucius; He hath some meffage to deliver to us.

AAR. Ay, fome mad meffage from his mad grandfather.

Bor. My lords, with all the humbleness I may, I greet your honours from Andronicus ;And pray the Roman gods, confound you both.

[Afide. DEM. Gramercy, lovely Lucius: What's the

news?

5 Revenge the heavens-] We should read:

Revenge thee, heavens!

It should be:

Revenge, ye heavens!

WARBURTON.

Ye was by the transcriber taken for ye, the. JOHNSON,

I believe the old reading is right, and fignifies-may the heavens revenge, &c. STEEVENS.

I believe we should read:

Revenge then heavens. TYRWHITT.

Gramercy,] i. e. grand merci ; great thanks. STEEVENS.

Bor. That you are both decipher'd, that's the

news,

For villains mark'd with rape. [Afide.] May it please you,

My grandfire, well-advis'd, hath sent by me
The goodlieft weapons of his armoury,
To gratify your honourable youth,

The hope of Rome; for fo he bade me say ;
And fo I do, and with his gifts prefent.
Your lordships, that whenever you have need,
You may be armed and appointed well:

And so I leave you both, [Afide.] like bloody villains. [Exeunt Boy and Attendant. DEM. What's here? A fcroll; and written round about?

Let's fee;

Integer vitæ, fcelerifque purus,

Non eget Mauri jaculis, nec arcu.

CHI. O, 'tis a verse in Horace; I know it well: I read it in the grammar long ago.

AAR. Ay, jufta verfe in Horace ;-right, you have it.

Now, what a thing it is to be an afs!

Here's no found jeft!" the old man hath found their guilt;

And fends the weapons wrapp'd about with

lines,

Afide.

7 Here's no found jeft !] Thus the old copies.. This mode of expreffion was common formerly; fo, in King Henry IV. P. I: "Here's no fine villainy !"-We yet talk of giving a found drubbing. Mr. Theobald, however, and the modern editors, read—Here's no fond jest. MALONE.

The old reading is undoubtedly the true one. So, in King Richard III:

"Good Catefby, go, effect this bufinefs foundly." See also Romeo and Juliet, A&t IV. fc. y. STEEVENS.

8

the weapons-] Edit. 1600,-them weapons. TODD.

That wound, beyond their feeling, to the

quick.

But were our witty empress well a-foot,
She would applaud Andronicus' conceit.
But let her reft in her unrest awhile.-

Afide.

And now, young lords, was't not a happy star
Led us to Rome, ftrangers, and, more than so,
Captives, to be advanced to this height?
It did me good, before the palace gate
To brave the tribune in his brother's hearing.
DEM. But me more good, to fee fo great a lord
Bafely infinuate, and fend us gifts.

AAR. Had he not reason, lord Demetrius ?

Did

you not use his daughter very friendly?

DEM. I would, we had a thousand Roman dames At fuch a bay, by turn to serve our luft.

CHI. A charitable with, and full of love.

AAR. Here lacks but your mother for to say

amen.

CHI. And that would fhe for twenty thousand

more.

DEM. Come, let us go; and pray to all the gods For our beloved mother in her pains.

AAR. Pray to the devils; the gods have given us [Afide. Flourish.

o'er.

DEM. Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish

thus ?

CHI. Belike, for joy the emperor hath a fon.

DEM. Soft; who comes here?