the heart blood of Brutus on his Child For thou must dye my Titus dye my Son I swear the Gods have Doom'd thee to the grave The violated Genius of thy Country Rears his sad head and passes Sentence on thee This morning Sun that lights my Sorrows on To the Tribunal of this horrid vengeance Shall never see thee more Tit. Alas my Lord Why are you mov'd thus Why am I worth your sorrow Why should the God-like Brutus shake to doom me Why all these Trappings for a Traytor 's Hearse The Gods will have it so Bru. They will my Titus Nor Heav'n nor Earth can have it otherwise Nay Titus mark the deeper that I search My harrass'd Soul returns the more confirm'd Me thinks I see the very hand of Iove Moving the dreadful wheels of this affair That whirl thee like a Machine to thy Fate It seems as if the Gods had preordain'd it To fix the reeling Spirits of the People And settle the loose Liberty of Rome 'T is fix'd O therefore let not Fancy fond thee So fix'd thy death that 't is not in the power Of Gods or Men to save thee from the Ax. Tit. The Ax O Heav'n then must I fall so basely What shall I perish by the common Hangman Bru. If thou deny me this thou givest me nothing Yes Titus since the Gods have so Decreed That I must lose thee I will take th' advantage Of thy important Fate Cement Rome's flaws And heal her wounded Freedom with thy blood I will ascend my self the sad Tribunal And sit upon my Sons on thee my Titus Behold thee suffer all the shame of death The Lictor's lashes bleed before People Then with thy hopes and all thy youth upon thee See thy head taken by the Common Ax Without a groan without one pittying tear If that the Gods can hold me to my purpose To make my Justice quite transcend example Tit. Scourg'd like a Bondman ha a beaten Slave But I deserve it all yet here I fail The Image of this suff'ring quite unmans me Nor can I longer stop the gushing tears O Sir O Brutus must I call you Father Yet have no token of your tenderness No sign of mercy what not bate me that Can you resolve O all th' extremity Of cruel rigor to behold me too To sit unmov'd and see me whipt to death Where are your bowels now Is this a Father Ah Sir why should you make my heart suspect That all your late compassion was dissembled How can I think that you did ever love me Bru. Think that I love thee by my present passion By these unmanly tears these Earthquakes here These sighs that twitch the very strings of life Think that no other cause on Earth could move me To tremble thus to sob or shed a tear Nor shake my solid Virtue from her point But Titus death O do not call it shameful That thus shall fix the glory of the World I own thy suff'rings ought t' unman me thus To make me throw my Body on the ground To bellow like a Beast to gnaw the Earth To tear my hair to curse the cruel Fates That force a Father thus to drag his bowels Tit. O rise thou violated Majesty Rise from the Earth or I shall beg those Fates Which you would curse to bolt me to the Center I now submit to all your threatn'd vengeance Come forth you Executioners of Justice Nay all you Lictors Slaves and common Hangmen Come strip me bare unrobe me in his sight And lash me till I bleed whip me like Furies And when you have scourg'd me till I foam and fall For want of Spirits groveling in the dust Then take my head and give it his Revenge By all the Gods I greedily resign it Bru. No more Farewel eternally Farewel If there be Gods they will reserve a room A Throne for thee in Heav'n One last embrace What is it makes thy eyes thus swim again Tit. I had forget be good to Teraminta When I am ashes Bru. Leave her to my care See her thou must not for thou canst not bear it O for one more this Pull this Tug of Heart-strings Farewel for ever Tit. O Brutus O my Father Bru. Canst thou not say Farewel Tit Farewel for ever Bru. For ever then But Oh my tears run o're Groans choak my words and I can speak no more Exeunt ACT. V. SCE. I. Valerius Horatius Herminius Mutius Hor. HIs Sons condemn'd Val. Doom'd to the Rods and Axes Hor. What both of ' em Val. Both Sir both both his Sons Hor. What Titus too Val. Yes Sir his Darling Titus Nay tho he knows him innocent as I am 'T is all one Sir his Sentence stands like Fate Hor. Yet I 'll intreat him Mut. So will I. Her And I. Val. Intreat him yes you may my Lords and move him As I have done why he 's no more a man He is not cast in the same Common mould His Spirit moves not with our Springs and wards He looks and talks as if that Iove had sent him To be the Judge of all the under World Tells me this Palace of the Universe With that vast Moat the Ocean running round us Th' eternal Stars so fiercely rowling o're us With all that Circulation of Heav'ns Orbs Were so establish'd from before all Ages To be the Dowry of Majestick Rome Then looks as if he had a Patent for it To take account of all this great expence And see the layings out of the round World Her What shall be done then for it grieves my Soul To think of Titus loss Val. There is no help But thus to shake your head and cross your arms And wonder what the Gods and he intend Her There 's scarce one man of this Conspiracy But is some way Related if not nearly To Iunius Brutus some of the Aquilians Are Nephews to him and Vitellius Sister The grave Sempronia is the Consul's Wife Val. Therefore I have ingag'd that groaning Matron To plead the Cause of her unhappy Sons Enter Titus with Lictors But see O Gods behold the Gallant Titus The Mirror of all Sons the white of Virtue Fill'd up with blots and writ all o're with blood Bowing with shame his body to the ground Whipt out of breath by these Inhuman Slaves O Titus is this possible this shame Tit. O my Valerius call it not my shame By all the Gods it is to Titus honor My constant suff'rings are my only glory What have I left besides but ask Valerius Ask these good men that have perform'd their duty If all the while they whipt me like a Slave If when the blood from every part ran down I gave one groan or shed a Womans tear I think I swear I think O my Valerius That I have born it well and like a Roman But O far better shall I bear my death Which as it brings less pain has less dishonor Enter Teraminta wounded Ter. Where is he where where is this God-like Son Of an
decreed in this great Execution Is here set down your Father and Valerius Tib. That 's as the King shall please but for Valerius I 'll take my self the honor of his Head And wear it on my Spear The Senate all Without exception shall be Sacrific'd And those that are the mutinous Heads o' th' People Whom I have mark'd to be the Soldier 's Spoil For Plunder must be given and who so fit As those notorious limbs your Commonwealth's men Their Daughters to be Ravish'd and their Sons Quarter'd like Brutes upon the Common Shambles Vit. Now for the Letters which the Fecialians Require us all to Sign and send to Tarquin Who will not else be apt to trust his Heralds Without Credentials under every hand The bus'ness being indeed of vast import On which the hazard of his Life and Empire As well as all our Fortunes does depend Tib. It were a break to the whole Enterprise To make a Scruple in our great affair I will sign first and for my Brother Titus Whom his new Wife detains I have his hand And Seal to show as fast and firm as any Vin. O Villany Villany What would they do with me if they should catch me peeping knock out my brains at least another Dish for the Priests who would make fine sauce of 'em for the hanch of a fat Citizen Tib. All hands have here Subscrib'd and that your hearts Prove Resolute to what your hands have giv'n Behold the Messengers of Heav'n to bind you Charms of Religion sacred Conjurations With Sounds of Execration words of horror Not to disclose or make least signs or show Of what you have both heard and seen and sworn But bear your selves as if it ne'r had been Swear by the Gods Celestial and Infernal By Pluto Mother Earth and by the Furies Not to reveal tho Racks were set before you A syllable of what is past and done Hark how the Offer'd Brutes begin to roar O that the hearts of all the Traitor Senate And heads of that foul Hydra Multitude Were frying with their fat upon this Pile That we might make an Off'ring worth an Empire And Sacrifice Rebellion to the King The Scene draws showing the Sacrifice One Burning and another Crucify'd the Priests coming forward with Goblets in their hands fill'd with human blood 1. Pri. Kneel all you Heroes of this black Design Each take his Goblet fill'd with Blood Wine Swear by the Thunderer swear by Jove Swear by the hundred Gods above Swear by Dis by Proserpine Swear by the Berecynthian Queen 2 Pri. To keep it close till Tarquin comes With Trumpets sound and beat of Drums But then to Thunder forth the Deed That Rome may blush and Traytors bleed Swear all All. We Swear 1 Pri. Now drink the Blood To make the Conjuration good Tib. Methinks I feel the Slaves exalted blood Warm at my heart O that it were the Spirits Of Rome's best life drawn from her grizled Fathers That were a draught indeed to quench Ambition And give new fierceness to the King's Revenge Vin. Oh the Gods what burn a man alive O Canibals Hell-hounds Eat one man and drink another Well I 'll to Valerius Brutus will not believe me because his Sons and Nephews are in the business What drink a man's blood Roast him and eat him alive A whole man roasted would not an Ox serve the turn Priests to do this Oh you immortal Gods For my part if this be your worship I renounce you No if a man can't go to Heaven unless your Priests eat him and drink him and roast him alive I 'll be for the broad way and the Devil shall have me at a venture Exit Enter Titus Tit. What hoa Tiberius give me back my hand What have you done Horrors and midnight Murders The Gods the Gods awake you to repentance As they have me Would'st thou believe me Brother Since I deliver'd thee that fatal Scrole That Writing to the King my heart rebell'd Against it self my thoughts were up in arms All in a roar like Seamen in a Storm My Reason and my Faculties were wrack'd The Mast the Rudder and the Tackling gone My Body like the Hull of some lost Vessel Beaten and tumbled with my Rowling fears Therefore I charge thee give me back my Writing Tib. What means my Brother Tit. O Tiberius O! Dark as it seems I tell thee that the Gods Look through a Day of Lightning on our City The Heav'n's on Fire and from the flaming Vault Portentous blood pours like a Torrent down There are a hundred Gods in Rome to night And ever larger Spirit is abroad Monuments empty'd every Urn is shaken To fright the State and put the World in Arms Just now I saw three Romans stand amaz'd Before a Flaming Sword then dropt down dead My self untouch'd while through the blazing Air A Fleeting head like a full riding Moon Glanc'd by and cry'd Titus I am Egeria Repent repent or certain death attends thee Treason and Tyranny shall not prevail Kingdom shall be no more Egeria sayes it And that vast turn Imperial Fate design'd I saw O Titus on th' eternal Loom 'T is Ripe 't is Perfect and is doom'd to stand 1 Pri. Fumes fumes the Fantoms of an ill digestion The Gods are as good quiet Gods as may be They 're fast asleep and mean not to disturb us Unless your Frenzy wake ' em Tit. Peace fury peace May the Gods Doom me to the pains of Hell If I enjoy'd the beauties that I sav'd The horror of my Treason shock'd my joys Enervated my purpose while I lay Colder than Marble by her Virgin side As if I had drunk the blood of Elephants Drowsie Mandragora or the Juice of Hemlock 1 Pri. I like him not I think we had best dispatch him Tit. Nothing but Images of horror round me Rome all in blood the Ravish'd Vestals raving The Sacred fire put out rob'd Mothers shrieks Deaf'ning the Gods with clamours for their Babes That sprawl'd aloft upon the Soldiers Speares The beard of Age pluck'd off by barbarous hands While from his piteous wounds and horrid gashes The labouring life flow'd faster than the blood Enter Valerius Vinditius with Guards who seize all but the Priests who slip away Vinditius follows them Val. Horror upon me what will this night bring forth Yes you immortal Gods strike strike the Consul Since these are here the crime will look less horrid In me than in his Sons Titus Tiberius O from this time let me be blind and dumb But hast there Mutius Fly call hither Brutus Bid him for ever leave the down of rest And sleep no more If Rome were all on Fire And Tarquin in the Streets bestriding Slaughter He would less wonder than at Titus here Tit. Stop there O stop that messenger of Fate Here bind Valerius bind this Villan's hands Tear off my Robes put me upon the Forks And lash me like a Slave till I shall howl My Soul away or hang me on a Cross Rack
the expected joys Warm for my bed and rushing to my arms So loving too alas as we did love Granted in hast in heat in flame of passion He knew not what himself and so Subscrib'd But now Sir now my Lord behold a wonder Behold a Miracle to move your Soul Tho in my arms just in the grasps of pleasure His noble heart strook with the thoughts of Brutus Of what he promis'd you till then forgot Leapt in his brest and dash'd him from enjoyment He shriek'd y' immortal Gods what have I done No Teraminta let us rather perish Divide for ever with whole Seas betwixt us Rather than Sin against so good a Father Tho he before had barr'd your life and Fortune Yet would not trust the Traytors with the safety Of him he call'd tho Image of the Gods Val. O Saint-like Virtue of a Roman Wife O Eloquence Divine now all the arts Of Womens tongues the Rhetoric of the Gods Inspire thy soft and tender Soul to move him Ter. On this he rouz'd Swore by the Powers Divine He would fetch back the Paper that he gave Or leave his life amongst 'em kept his word And came to challenge it but oh too late For in the mid'st of all his Piety His strong perswasions to swift repentance His vows to lay their horrid Treasons open His execration of the barbarous Priests How he abhor'd that bloody Sacrament As much as you and curs'd the conjuration Vinditius came that had before alarm'd The wise Valerius who with all the Guards Found Titus here believ'd him like the rest And seiz'd him too as guilty of the Treason Val. But by the Gods my Soul does now acquit him Blest be thy tongue blest the auspicious Gods That sent thee O true pattern of perfection To plead his bleeding Cause There needs no more I see his Father 's mov'd Behold a joy A watry comfort rising in his eyes That sayes 'T is more than half a Heav'n to hear thee Bru. Hast O Valerius hast and send for Titus Ter. For Titus Oh that is a word too distant Say for your Son for your beloved Son The Darling of the World the joy of Heav'n The hope of Earth your eyes not dearer to you Your Soul's best wish and comfort of your age Enter Titus with Valerius Tit. Ah Sir Oh whither shall I run to hide me Where shall I lower fall how shall I lye More groveling in your View and howl for mercy Yet 't is some comfort to my wild despair Some joy in death that I may kiss your feet And swear upon 'em by these streaming tears Black as I am with all my guilt upon me I never harbor'd ought against your person Ev'n in the height of my full fraught distraction Your life my Lord was Sacred ever dear And ever pretious to unhappy Titus Bru. Rise Titus rise my Son Tit. Alas I dare not I have not strength to see the Majesty Which I have brav'd if thus far I aspire If on your knees I hang and vent my groans It is too much too much for thousand lives Bru. I pity thee my Son and I forgive thee And that thou may'st believe my mercy true I take thee in my arms Tit. O all the Gods Bru. Now rise I charge thee on my blessing rise Ter. Ah! See Sir see against his will behold He does obey tho he would choose to kneel An Age before you see how he stands and trembles Now by my hopes of mercy he 's so lost His heart 's so full brimful of tenderness The Sence of what you 've done has strook him Speechless Nor can be thank you now but with his tears Bru. My dear Valerius let me now intreat thee Withdraw a while with gentle Teraminta And leave us to our our selves Ter. Ah Sir I fear you now Nor can I leave you with the humble Titus Unless you promise me you will not chide Nor fall again to anger Do not Sir Do not upbraid his soft and melting temper With what is past Behold he sighs again Now by the Gods that hitherto have blest us My heart forebodes a storm I know not why But say my Lord give me your God-like word You 'l not be cruel and I 'll not trust my heart How e're it leaps and fills me with new horror Bru I promise thee Ter. Why then I thank you Sir Ev'n from my Soul I thank you for this goodness The great good gracious Gods reward and bless you Ah Titus ah my Soul 's eternal treasure I fear I leave thee with a hard Usurer But I perforce must trust thee Oh Farewell Exit with Val. Bru. Well Titus speak how is it with thee now I would attend awhile this mighty motion Wait till the Tempest were quite o'verblown That I might take thee in the Calm of Nature With all thy gentler Virtues brooding on thee So hush'd a stilness as if all the Gods Look'd down and listn'd to what we were saying Speak then and tell me O my best belov'd My Son my Titus is all well again Tit. So well that saying how must make it nothing So well that I could wish to dye this moment For so my heart with pow'erful throbs perswades me That were indeed to make you reparation That were my Lord to thank you home to dye And that for Titus too would be most happy Bru. How 's that my Son would death for thee be happy Tit. Most certain Sir for in my Grave I scape All those affronts which I in life must look for All those reproaches which the eyes and fingers And tongues of Rome will daily cast upon me From whom to a Soul so sensible as mine Each single Scorn would be far worse than dying Besides I scape the stings of my own Conscience Which will for ever Rack me with remembrance Haunt me by day and torture me by night Casting my blotted honor in the way Where e're my melancholy thoughts shall guide me Bru. But is not death a very dreadful thing Tit. Not to a mind resolv'd No Sir to me It seems as natural as to be born Groans and Convulsions and discolour'd faces Friends weeping round us blacks and obsequies Make it a dreadful thing the Pomp of death Is far more terrible than Death it self Yes Sir I call the Powers of Heav'n to witness Titus dares dye if so you have Decreed Nay he shall dye with joy to honor Brutus To make your Justice famous through the World And six the Liberty of Rome for ever Not but I must confess my weakness too Yet it is great thus to resolve against it To have the frailty of a mortal man But the Security of th' immortal Gods Bru. O Titus Oh thou absolute young man Thou flatt'ring Mirror of thy Father's Image Where I behold my self at such advantage Thou perfect Glory of the Iunian Race Let me indear thee once more to my bosom Groan an eternal Farewel to thy Soul Instead of tears weep blood if possible Blood
about But cannot find thee now I sink in shaddows Dyes Tit. I come thou matchless Virtne Oh my heart Farewel my Love we 'll meet in Heav'n again My Lord I hope your Justice is aton'd I hope the glorious Liberty of Rome Thus water'd by the blood of both your Sons fill get Imperial growth and slourish long Bru. Thou hast so nobly born thy self in dying That not to bless thee were to curse my self Therefore I give thee thus my last embrace Print this last kiss upon thy trembling lips And ere thou goest I beg thee to report me To the great Shades of Romulus and Numa Just with that Majesty and rugged Virtue Which thy inspir'd and which the World has seen So for I see thou' rt gon Farewel for ever Eternal Iove the King of Gods and Men Reward and Crown thee in the other World Tit. What happiness has Life to equal this By all the Gods I would not live again For what can Iove or all the Gods give more To fall thus Crown'd with Virtu's fullest Charms And dye thus blest in such a Father's arms Dyes Val. He 's gone the gallant Spirit 's fled for ever How fares this noble Vessel that is rob'd Of all its Wealth spoil'd of its Top mast glory And now lyes floating in this World of ruin Bru. Peace Consul peace let us not soil the pomp Of this Majestick Fate with Womans brawls Kneel Fathers Friends kneel all you Roman People Hush'd as dead Calms while I conceive a pray'r That shall be worthy Rome and worthy Iove Val. Inspire him Gods and thou oh Rome attend Bru. Let Heav'n and Earth for ever keep their bound The Stars unshaken go their constant Round In harmless labour be our steel employ'd And endless peace thro all the World enjoy'd Let every Bark the Waves in safety Plough No angry Tempest curl the Ocean's brow No darted flames from Heav'n make Mortals fear Nor Thunder fright the weeping Passenger Let not poor Swains for storms at Harvest mourn But smile to see their hoards of bladed Corn No dreadful Comets threaten from the Skies No venom fall nor poys nous Vapors rise Thou Iove who dost the Fates of Empires Doom Guard and Defend the Liberty of Rome FINIS Epilogue Spoken by Mr. Barrey NO cringing Sirs the Poets Champion I Have sworn to stand and ev'ry Iudge defie But why each Bullying critick shou'd I name A Iugde whose only business is to damne While you your Arbitrary fist advance At Wit and dust it like a boor of France Who without show of reason or pretence Condemn a man to dye for speaking sence How ere we term'd you once the wise the strong Know we have born your impotence too long You that above your Sires presume to soare And are but copies dawb'd in Minuture You that have nothing right in heart nor tongue But only to be resolute in wrong Who sence affect with such an Aukward Ayre As if a Frenchman should become severe Or an Italian make his Wife a jest Like Spaniards pleasant or like Dutchmen drest That rank the noblest Poets with the vile And look your selves in a Plebeian stile But with an Oath False as your Wit and Iudgment now I swear By the known Maiden heads of each Theater Nay by my own The Poets shall not stand Like Shrove-tide Cocks the Palt of every hand Let not the purblind Critick's sentence pass That shoots the Poet through anopick glass No peals of ill plac'd praise from galleries come Nor punk below to clap or hiss presume Let her not cackle at the fops that flout her Nor clukk the Squires that use to pipp about her No full blown block head bloated like an Ox Traverse the pit with-dam â—e what a pox Know then for Ev'ry misdemeanor here I 'll be more stabbing sharp and more severe Then the Fell-she that on her Keeper comes Who in his drink last night laid wast her Roomes Thundred her China damn'd her quality Her glasses broke and tore her Point Venie That drag'd her by the hair and broke her head A Chamber Lion but a lamb in bed Like her I 'le teez you for your midnight storming For your all talking and your noe performing You that with monstrous Iudgment force the Stage You fribling fumbling Keepers of the Age.