Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

ACT V SCENE I	Plains near Rome.
	Enter LUCIUS with an army of Goths, with drum and colours
LUCIUS	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.	5
	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.
First Goth	Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus,	10
	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	15
	Led by their master to the flowered fields,
	And be avenged on cursed Tamora.
All the Goths	And as he saith, so say we all with him.
LUCIUS	I humbly thank him, and I thank you all.
	But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth?	20
	Enter a Goth, leading AARON with his Child in his arms
Second 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.	25
	I made unto the noise; when soon I heard
	The crying babe controll'd 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,	30
	Villain, thou mightst have been an emperor:
	But where the bull and cow are both milk-white,
	They never do beget a coal-black calf.
	Peace, villain, peace!'--even thus he rates
	the babe,--	35
	'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,
	Surprised him suddenly, and brought him hither,	40
	To use as you think needful of the man.
LUCIUS	O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil
	That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand;
	This is the pearl that pleased your empress' eye,
	And here's the base fruit of his burning lust.	45
	Say, wall-eyed slave, whither wouldst thou convey
	This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
	Why dost not speak? what, deaf? not a word?
	A halter, soldiers! hang him on this tree.
	And by his side his fruit of bastardy.	50
AARON	Touch not the boy; he is of royal blood.
LUCIUS	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.	55
	A ladder brought, which AARON is made to ascend
AARON	Lucius, save the child,
	And bear it from me to the empress.
	If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things,
	That highly may advantage thee to hear:
	If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,	60
	I'll speak no more but 'Vengeance rot you all!'
LUCIUS	Say on: an if it please me which thou speak'st
	Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.
AARON	An if it please thee! why, assure thee, Lucius,
	'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak;	65
	For I must talk of murders, rapes and massacres,
	Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
	Complots of mischief, treason, villanies
	Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:
	And this shall all be buried by my death,	70
	Unless thou swear to me my child shall live.
LUCIUS	Tell on thy mind; I say thy child shall live.
AARON	Swear that he shall, and then I will begin.
LUCIUS	Who should I swear by? thou believest no god:
	That granted, how canst thou believe an oath?	75
AARON	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,	80
	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 soe'er it be,	85
	That thou adorest and hast in reverence,
	To save my boy, to nourish and bring him up;
	Or else I will discover nought to thee.
LUCIUS	Even by my god I swear to thee I will.
AARON	First know thou, I begot him on the empress.	90
LUCIUS	O most insatiate and luxurious woman!
AARON	Tut, Lucius, this was but a deed of charity
	To that which thou shalt hear of me anon.
	'Twas her two sons that murder'd Bassianus;
	They cut thy sister's tongue and ravish'd her	95
	And cut her hands and trimm'd her as thou saw'st.
LUCIUS	O detestable villain! call'st thou that trimming?
AARON	Why, she was wash'd and cut and trimm'd, and 'twas
	Trim sport for them that had the doing of it.
LUCIUS	O barbarous, beastly villains, like thyself!	100
AARON	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.	105
	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,	110
	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	115
	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 :	120
	And when I told the empress of this sport,
	She swooned almost at my pleasing tale,
	And for my tidings gave me twenty kisses.
First Goth	What, canst thou say all this, and never blush?
AARON	Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is.	125
LUCIUS	Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds?
AARON	Ay, that I had not done a thousand more.
	Even now I curse the day--and yet, I think,
	Few come within the compass of my curse,--
	Wherein I did not some notorious ill,	130
	As kill a man, or else devise his death,
	Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it,
	Accuse some innocent and forswear myself,
	Set deadly enmity between two friends,
	Make poor men's cattle break their necks;	135
	Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night,
	And bid the owners quench them with their tears.
	Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves,
	And set them upright at their dear friends' doors,
	Even when their sorrows almost were forgot;	140
	And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,
	Have with my knife carved in Roman letters,
	'Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead.'
	Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things
	As willingly as one would kill a fly,	145
	And nothing grieves me heartily indeed
	But that I cannot do ten thousand more.
LUCIUS	Bring down the devil; for he must not die
	So sweet a death as hanging presently.
AARON	If there be devils, would I were a devil,	150
	To live and burn in everlasting fire,
	So I might have your company in hell,
	But to torment you with my bitter tongue!
LUCIUS	Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak no more.
	Enter a Goth
Third Goth	My lord, there is a messenger from Rome	155
	Desires to be admitted to your presence.
LUCIUS	Let him come near.
	Enter AEMILIUS
	Welcome, AEmilius, what's the news from Rome?
AEMILIUS	Lord Lucius, and you princes of the Goths,
	The Roman emperor greets you all by me;	160
	And, for he understands you are in arms,
	He craves a parley at your father's house,
	Willing you to demand your hostages,
	And they shall be immediately deliver'd.
First Goth	What says our general?	165
LUCIUS	AEmilius, let the emperor give his pledges
	Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
	And we will come. March away.
	Exeunt