Marc. See, brother, see; note how she quotes the leaves.
Tit. Lavinia, wert thou thus surprised, sweet girl,
Ravish'd and wrong'd as Philomela was,
Forced in the ruthless, vast, and gloomy woods?
See, see![4466] 55
Ay, such a place there is, where we did hunt—[4466]
O, had we never, never hunted there!—
Pattern'd by that the poet here describes,
By nature made for murders and for rapes.
Marc. O, why should nature build so foul a den, 60
Unless the gods delight in tragedies?[4467]
Tit. Give signs, sweet girl, for here are none but friends,
What Roman lord it was durst do the deed:
Or slunk not Saturnine, as Tarquin erst,[4468]
That left the camp to sin in Lucrece' bed?[4469] 65
Marc. Sit down, sweet niece: brother, sit down by me.
Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury,
Inspire me, that I may this treason find!
My lord, look here: look here, Lavinia:
This sandy plot is plain; guide, if thou canst, 70
This after me. [He writes his name with his staff, and guides it with feet and mouth.] I have writ my name[4470]
Without the help of any hand at all.
Cursed be that heart that forced us to this shift![4471]
Write thou, good niece; and here display at last[4472]
What God will have discovered for revenge:[4473] 75
Heaven guide thy pen to print thy sorrows plain,
That we may know the traitors and the truth!
[She takes the staff in her month, and guides it with her stumps, and writes.
Tit. O, do ye read, my lord, what she hath writ?[4474]
'Stuprum. Chiron. Demetrius.'
Marc. What, what! the lustful sons of Tamora 80
Performers of this heinous, bloody deed?[4475]
Tit. Magni Dominator poli,[4476]
Tam lentus audis scelera? tam lentus vides?
Marc. O, calm thee, gentle lord; although I know
There is enough written upon this earth 85
To stir a mutiny in the mildest thoughts
And arm the minds of infants to exclaims.[4477]
My lord, kneel down with me; Lavinia, kneel;
And kneel, sweet boy, the Roman Hector's hope;
And swear with me, as, with the woful fere[4478] 90
And father of that chaste dishonour'd dame,[4479]
Lord Junius Brutus sware for Lucrece' rape,[4480]
That we will prosecute by good advice[4481]
Mortal revenge upon these traitorous Goths,
And see their blood, or die with this reproach.[4482] 95