pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the emperial's men. MAR. Why, sir, that is as fit as can be, to serve for your oration; and let him deliver the pigeons to the 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 life. my TIT. Sirrah, come hither: make no more ado, But give your pigeons to the emperor : By me thou shalt have justice at his hands. Hold, hold;-mean while, here's money for thy charges. Give me a pen and ink. Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a supplication? 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’Îl be at hand, sir; see you do it bravely. 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: 1 the tribunal plebs,] I suppose the Clown means to say, Plebeian tribune, i. e. tribune of the people; for none could fill this office but such as were descended from Plebeian ancestors. STEEVENS. Sir T. Hanmer supposes that he means-tribunus plebis. MALONE. And when thou hast given it to the emperor, * Tir. Come, Marcus, let's go :-Publius, follow [Exeunt. me. Enter SATURNINUS, TAMORA, CHIRON, DEMETRIUS, Lords and Others: SATURNINUS with the Arrows in his Hand, that TITUS shot. SAT. Why, lords, what wrongs are these? Was ever seen An emperor of Rome thus overborne, Troubled, confronted thus; and, for the extent My lords, you know, as do2 the mightful gods, Buz in the people's ears, there nought hath pass'd, 2 as do-] These two words were supplied by Mr. Rowe; who also in the concluding lines of this speech substituted if she sleep, &c. for, if he sleep, and-as she, for, as he. MALONE. even with law,] Thus the second folio. The first, un metrically, even with the law. STEEVENS. And now he writes to heaven for his redress: TAM. My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine, And rather comfort his distressed plight, Enter Clown. How now, good fellow? would'st thou speak with us? the anchor's in the port.] Edition 1600, reads-the anchor in the port. TODD. CLO. Yes, forsooth, an your mistership be imperial. TAM. Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor. CLO. 'Tis he.-God, and saint Stephen, give you good den: I have brought you a letter, and a couple of pigeons here. [SATURNINUS reads the Letter. SAT. Go, take him away, and hang him presently. CLO. How much money must I have? TAM. Come, sirrah, you must be hang'd. CLO. Hang'd! By'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end. [Exit, guarded. SAT. Despiteful and intolerable wrongs! Shall I endure this monstrous villainy? I know from whence this same device proceeds; Enter EMILIUS. 5 What news with thee, Æmilius? Enter Æmilius.] [Old copy-Nuntius Æmilius.] In the author's manuscript, I presume, it was writ, Enter Nuntius; and they observing, that he is immediately called Æmilius, thought proper to give him his whole title, and so clapped inEnter Nuntius Æmilius.-Mr. Pope has very critically followed EMIL. Arm, arm, my lords; Rome never had more cause! The Goths have gather'd head; and with a power Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do SAT. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths? them; and ought, methinks, to have given this new-adopted citizen Nuntius, a place in the Dramatis Personæ. THEOBALD. The edition 1600 reads as in Theobald's old copy. TODD. 6 Arm, arm, my lords;] The second arm is wanting in the old copies. STEEVENS. Arm, is here used as a dissyllable. MALONE. i. e. to those who can pronounce it. I continue, for the sake of metre, to repeat the word-arm. May I add, that having seen very correct and harmonious lines of Mr. Malone's composition, I cannot suppose, if he had written a tale of persecuted love, he would have ended it with such a couplet as follows?and yet, according to his present position, if arms be a dissyllable, it must certainly be allowed to rhyme with any word of corresponding sound;-for instance: 66 Escaping thus aunt Tabby's larums, They triumph'd in each other's arms." i. e. arums. But let the reader determine on the pretension of arms to rank as a dissyllable. STEEVENS. 7 Myself hath often over-heard-] Self was used formerly as a substantive, and written separately from the pronominal adjective: my self. The late editors, not attending to this, read, after Sir Thomas Hanmer,-have often.-Over, which is not in the old copies, was supplied by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. Over is wanting in edition 1600. TODD. |