To gaze upon a ruinous monaftery:
And as I earneftly did fix mine eye
Upon the wafted building, fuddenly
I heard a child cry underneath a wall;
I made unto the noife, when foon I heard
The crying babe controul'd with this difcourfe:
Peace, tawny flave, 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'ft have been an Emperor :
But where the bull and cow are both milk-white, "They never do beget a cole black calf;
"Peace, villain, peace! (even thus he rates the babe) "For I must bear thee to a trufty Goth;
"Who, when he knows thou art the Emprefs' babe,
"Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's fake."
With this, my weapon drawn, I rufh'd upon him,
Surpriz'd him fuddenly, and brought him hither,
To ufe as you think needful of the man.
Luc. O worthy Goth, this is th' incarnate Devil,
That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand;
This is the Pearl that pleas'd your Emprefs' eye,
And here's the base fruit of his burning luft.
Say, wall-ey'd flave, whither would it thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face? v
Why doft not speak? what! deaf? no! not a word ?
A halter, foldiers; hang him on this tree,
And by his fide his fruit of baftardy.
Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood.
Luc. Too like the fire for ever being good.
Firft, hang the child, that he may fee it fprawl,
A fight to vex the father's foul withal.
Get me a ladder. (16)
(16) Aar. Get me a Ladder. Lucius, fave the Child.] All the printed Editions have given this whole Verfe to Aaron. But why should the Moor here ask for a Ladder, who earnestly wanted to have his Child fav'd? Unless the Poet is fuppos'd to mean for Aaron, that, if they would get him a Ladder, he would refolutely hang himself out of the way, fo they would
Aar. Lucius, fave the child,
And bear it from me to the Emperefs;
If thou do this, I'll fhew 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 fhall live, and I will fee it nourish'd.
Aar. An if it please thee? why, affure thee, Lucius,
'Twill vex thy foul to hear what I shall speak :
For I must talk of murthers, rapes and massacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mifchief, treafon, villanies,
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:
And this fhall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou fwear to me, my child shall live.
Luc. Tell on thy mind; I fay, thy child shall live.
Aar. Swear, that he fhall; and then I will begin.
Luc. Who fhould I fwear by? thou believ't no
God:
That granted, how can't thou believe an oath è
Aar. What if I do not! as, indeed, I do not;
Yet, for I know thou art religious,
And haft a thing within thee called Conscience,
With twenty popih 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 fwears,
To that I'll urge him;) therefore thou shalt vow
By that fame God, what God foe'er it be,
That thou ador'ft and haft in reverence,
To fave my bay, nourish and bring him up;
Or elfe I will discover nought to thee.
Luc. Even by my God I swear to thee, I will.
fpare the Child. But, I much rather suspect, there is an old Error in prefixing the Names of the Perfons; and that Lucius ught to call for the Ladder, and then Aaron very properly intreats of Lucius to fave the Child,
Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the Emprefs. Luc. O most infatiate, luxurious, woman! Aar. Tut, Lucius, this was but a deed of charity, To That which thou shalt hear of me anon. "Twas her two fons, that murder'd Baffianus ; They cut thy fifter's tongue, and ravish'd her, And cut her hands, and trim'd her as thou faw'st. Luc. Oh, deteftable villain! call'st thou That triming?
Aar. Why, fhe was washed, and cut, and trim'd;
And 'twas trim sport for them that had the doing of't.
Luc. Oh, barb'rous beastly villains like thy felf!
Aar. Indeed, I was their tutor to inftruct them:
That codding spirit had they from their mother,
As fure a card as ever won the fet;
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 corps of Bafianus lay:
I wrote the letter that thy father found,
And hid the gold within the letter mention'd;
Confed'rate with the Queen, and her two fons.
And what not done, that thou haft caufe to rue,
Wherein I had no ftroke of mischief in't!
I plaid the cheater for thy father's hand,
And when I had it, drew my felf apart,
And almost broke my heart with extream laughter.
I pry'd me through the crevice of a wall,
When for his hand he had his two fons' heads;
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd fo heartily,
That both mine eyes were rainy like to his :
And when I told the Emprefs of this sport,
She fwooned almost at my pleafing Tale,
And for my tidings gave me twenty kiffes.
Goth. What! can't thou fay all this, and never blush.!
Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the Saying is.
Luc. Art thou not forry for these heinous deeds?
Aar. Ay, that I had not done a thousand more.
Ev'n now I curfe the day (and yet, I think,
Few come within the compafs of my curse)
Wherein I did not fome notorious III,
As kill a man, or else devife his death;
Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it;
Accuse fome innocent, and forfwear my felf;
Set deadly enmity between two friends';
Make poor Men's cattle break their necks;
Set fire on barns and hay-ftacks in the night,
And bid the owners quench them with their tears:
Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves,
And fet them upright at their dear friends' doors,
Ev'n when their forrow almoft was forgot;
And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,
Have with my knife carved in Roman letters,
"Let not your forrow die, though I am dead.
Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things,
As willingly as one would kill a fly:
And nothing grieves me heartily indeed,
But that I cannot do ten thousand more.
Luc. Bring down the devil, for he must not die
So fweet a death, as hanging prefently,
Aar. If there be devils, 'would I were a devil, To live and burn in ever-lafting fire,
So I might have your company in hell,
But to torment you with my bitter tongue!
Luc. Sirs, ftop his mouth, and let him fpeak no more. Enter Emilius..
Goth. My lord, there is a meffenger from Rome Defires to be admitted to your prefence.
Luc. Let him come near.
Welcome, Emilius, what's the news from Rome?
Emil. Lord Lucius, and you Princes of the Goths,
The Roman Emperor greets you all by me;
And, for he understands you are in arms,
He craves a parley at your father's house,
Willing you to demand your hoftages,
And they fhall be immediately deliver'd.
Goth. What fays our General?
Luc. Emilius, let the Emperor give his pledges
Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
And we will come: march away.
SCENE changes to Titus's Palace in Rome.
Enter Tamora, Chiron and Demetrius, difguis'd.
HUS, in these strange and fad habiliments,
I will encounter with Andronicus: ·
And fay, I am Revenge sent from below,
To join with him, and right his heinous wrongs,
Knock at the Study, where, they fay, he keeps,
To ruminate ftrange plots of dire revenge;
Tell him, Revenge is come to join with him,
And work confufion on his enemies.
[They knock, and Titus appears above.
Tit. Who doth moleft my contemplation ?
Is it your trick to make me ope the door,
That fo fad decrees may fly away,
And all my study be to no effect?
You are deceiv'd; for what I mean to do,
See, here in bloody lines I have fet down;
And what is written, fhall be executed.
Tam. Titus, I am come to talk with thee.
Tit. No, not a word: how can I grace my Talk,
Wanting a hand to give it that accord ?
Thou haft the odds of me, therefore no more.
Tam. If thou did't know me, thou wouldst talk with
Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough;
Witness this wretched ftamp, these crimson lines,
Witness these trenches, made by grief and care,
Witness the tiring day and heavy night;
Witnefs all forrow, that I know thee well
For our proud Emprefs, mighty Tamora:
Is not thy Coming for my other hand ?
Tam. Know thou, fad man, I am not Tamora;
She is thy enemy, and I thy friend;
I am Revenge, fent from th' infernal Kingdom,
To cafe the gnawing Vulture of thy mind,
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