Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Go thou before, be our embassador: [To ÆMILIUS.
Say, that the emperor requests a parley
Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting,
Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus.

Sat. Æmilius, do this message honourably: .
And if he stand on hostage for his safety,
Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.
Æmil. Your bidding shall I do effectually.

[E.rit ÆMILIUS. Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus; And temper him, with all the art I have, To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths. And now, sweet emperor, be blithe again, And bury all thy fear in my devices. Sat. Then go successfully, and plead to him.

[Exeunt.

ACT V. SCENE I. Plains near Rome. Enter Lucius, and Goths, with Drum and Colours.

Luc. Approved warriors, and my faithful friends, I have received letters from great Rome, Which signify, what hate they bear their emperor, And how desirous of our sight they are. Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness, Imperious, and impatient of your wrongs; And, wherein Rome hath done you any scath, Let him make treble satisfaction. i Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great An

dronicus,

9.-_.scath,] i. ę, harm.

Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort;
Whose high exploits, and honourable deeds,
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us : we'll follow where thou lead'st,
Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day,
Led by their master to the flower'd fields,
And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora...

Goths. And, as he saith, so say we all with him.

Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all. But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth

Enter a Goth, leading Aaron, with his Child in

his Arms, 2 Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I : stray'd, To gaze upon a ruinous monastery ;' And as I earnestly did fix mine eye Upon the wasted building, suddenly I heard a child cry underneath a wall : I made unto the noise ; when soon I heard The crying babe controllid with this discourse : Peace, tawny slave; half me, and half thy dam! Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art, Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look, Villain, thou might'st have been an emperor; But where the bull and cow are both milk-white, They riever da beget a coal-black calf.

"To gaze upon a ruinous monastery;] Shakspeare has so perpe. tually offended against chronology in all his plays, that no very conclusive argument can be deduced from the particular absurdity of these anachronisms, relative to the authenticity of Titus Andronicus, And yet the ruined monastery, the popish tricks, &c. that · Aaron talks of, and especially the French salutation from the mouth of Titus, are altogether so very much out of place, that I cannot persuade myself even our hasty poct could have been guilty of their insertion, or would have permitted them to remain, had he corrected the performance for another. STEEVENS.

ve

Peace, villain, peace !-even thus he rates the

babe, For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth; * Who, when he knows thou art the empress' babe, Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake. With this my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him, Surpriz'd him suddenly; and brought him hither, To use as you think needful of the man.

Luc. O worthy Goth! this is the incarnate devil, That robb’d Andronicus of his good hand : This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye ;? And here's the base fruit of his burning lust.Say, wall-ey'd slave, whither would'st thou convey This growing image of thy fiend-like face: Why dost not speak? What! deaf? No; not a

word ? . A halter, soldiers ; hang him on this tree, And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aar. Touch not the boy, he is. of royal blood.

Luc. Too like the sire for ever being good. First, hang the child, that he may see it sprawl ; A sight to vex the father's soul withal. Get me a ladder. [A Ladder brought, which Aaron is obliged to

. ascend. Aar.

Lucius, save the child ; And bear it from me to the emperess. If thou do this, I'll show thee wond’rous things, That highly may advantage thee to hear: If thou wilt not, befall what may befall, I'll speak no more; But vengeance rot you all! Luc. Say on; and, if it please me which thou

speak'st, Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.

2 This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye;] Alluding to the proverb, " A black man is a pearl in a fair woman's eye."

Aar. An if it please thee? why, assure thee,

- Lucius, "Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak; For I must talk of murders, rapes, and massacres, Acts of black night, abominable deeds, Complots of mischief, treason ; villainies Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform’d : And this shall all be buried by my death, Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live. Luc. Tell on thy mind; I say, thy child shall

live. Aar. Swear, that he shall, and then I will begin. Luc. Who should I swear by? thou believ'st no

god; That granted, how canst thou believe an oath ?

Aar. What if I do not ? as, indeed, I do not:
Yet, for I know thou art religious,
And hast a thing within thee, called conscience ;
With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies,
Which I have seen thee careful to observe,
Therefore I urge thy oath ;- For that, I know,
An idiot holds his bauble for a god,
And keeps the oath, which by that god he swears ;
To that I'll urge him :- Therefore, thou shalt vow
By that same god, what god spe'er it be,
That thou ador’st and hast in reverence,
To save my boy, to nourish, and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my god, I swear to thee, I will.
Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the em-

press.
Luc. () most insatiate, luxurious woman !3

Aar. Tut, Lucius! this was but a deed of charity, To that which thou shalt hear of ine anon. 'Twas her two sons that murder'd Bassianus:

They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her,
And cut her hands; and trimm'd her as thou saw'st.
Luc. O, détestable villain! call'st thou that trim-

ming?
Aar. Why, she was wash’d, and cut, and trimm'd;

and t'was Trim sport for them that had the doing of it.

Luc. O, barbarous, beastly villains, like thyself?

Aar. Indeed, I was their tutor to instruct them;
That codding spirit had they from their mother,
As sure a card as ever won the set ;
That bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of me,
As true a dog as ever fought at head.
Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth...
I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole,
Where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay :
• I wrote the letter that thy father found,

And hid the gold within the letter mention'd, -
Confederate with the queen, and her two sons;
And what not done, that thou hast cause to rue,
Wherein I had no stroke of mischief in it?
I play'd the cheater for thy father's hand;
And, when I had it, drew myself apart,
And almost broke my heart with extreme laughter.
I pry'd me through the crevice of a wall,
When, for his hand, he had his two sons' heads; .
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd so heartily,
That both mine eyes were rainy like to his;
And when I told the empress of this sport,
She swounded almost at my pleasing tale,
And, for my tidings, gave me twenty kisses.
Goth. What! canst thou say all this, and never

blush?
Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is.

. * As true a dog as ever fought at head. An allusion to bulldogs, whose generosity and courage are always shown by meeting the bull in front, and seizing his nose.