Enter CLOWN

How now, good fellow! Wouldst thou speak with us?

CLOWN. Yes, forsooth, an your mistris.h.i.+p be Emperial.

TAMORA. Empress I am, but yonder sits the Emperor.

CLOWN. 'Tis he.- G.o.d and Saint Stephen give you G.o.dden. I have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.

[SATURNINUS reads the letter]

SATURNINUS. Go take him away, and hang him presently.

CLOWN. How much money must I have?

TAMORA. Come, sirrah, you must be hang'd.

CLOWN. Hang'd! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end. [Exit guarded]

SATURNINUS. Despiteful and intolerable wrongs!

Shall I endure this monstrous villainy?

I know from whence this same device proceeds.

May this be borne- as if his traitorous sons That died by law for murder of our brother Have by my means been butchered wrongfully?

Go drag the villain hither by the hair; Nor age nor honour shall shape privilege.

For this proud mock I'll be thy slaughterman, Sly frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great, In hope thyself should govern Rome and me.

Enter NUNTIUS AEMILIUS

What news with thee, Aemilius?

AEMILIUS. Arm, my lords! Rome never had more cause.

The Goths have gathered head; and with a power Of high resolved men, bent to the spoil, They hither march amain, under conduct Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus; Who threats in course of this revenge to do As much as ever Coriola.n.u.s did.

SATURNINUS. Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?

These tidings nip me, and I hang the head As flowers with frost, or gra.s.s beat down with storms.

Ay, now begins our sorrows to approach.

'Tis he the common people love so much; Myself hath often heard them say- When I have walked like a private man- That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully, And they have wish'd that Lucius were their emperor.

TAMORA. Why should you fear? Is not your city strong?

SATURNINUS. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius, And will revolt from me to succour him.

TAMORA. King, be thy thoughts imperious like thy name!

Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it?

The eagle suffers little birds to sing, And is not careful what they mean thereby, Knowing that with the shadow of his wings He can at pleasure stint their melody; Even so mayest thou the giddy men of Rome.

Then cheer thy spirit; for know thou, Emperor, I will enchant the old Andronicus With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous, Than baits to fish or honey-stalks to sheep, When as the one is wounded with the bait, The other rotted with delicious feed.

SATURNINUS. But he will not entreat his son for us.

TAMORA. If Tamora entreat him, then he will; For I can smooth and fill his aged ears With golden promises, that, were his heart Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf, Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.

[To AEMILIUS] Go thou before to be our amba.s.sador; Say that the Emperor requests a parley Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus.

SATURNINUS. Aemilius, do this message honourably; And if he stand on hostage for his safety, Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.

AEMILIUS. Your bidding shall I do effectually. Exit TAMORA. 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.

SATURNINUS. Then go successantly, and plead to him.

Exeunt

>

ACT V. SCENE I.

Plains near Rome

Enter LUCIUS with an army of GOTHS with drums and colours

LUCIUS. Approved warriors and my faithful friends, I have received letters from great Rome Which signifies what hate they bear their Emperor And how desirous of our sight they are.

Therefore, great lords, be, as your t.i.tles 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, 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 flow'red fields, And be aveng'd 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 l.u.s.ty Goth?

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.

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, 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- '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, Surpris'd him suddenly, and brought him hither 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 pleas'd your Empress' eye; And here's the base fruit of her burning l.u.s.t.

Say, wall-ey'd 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 b.a.s.t.a.r.dy.

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.

[A ladder brought, which AARON is made to climb]

AARON. Lucius, save the child, And bear it from me to the Emperess.

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, 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, a.s.sure thee, Lucius, 'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak; For I must talk of murders, rapes, and ma.s.sacres, Acts of black night, abominable deeds, Complots of mischief, treason, villainies, Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd; And this shall all be buried in my death, 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 G.o.d; That granted, how canst thou believe an oath?

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, Therefore I urge thy oath. For that I know An idiot holds his bauble for a G.o.d, And keeps the oath which by that G.o.d he swears, To that I'll urge him. Therefore thou shalt vow By that same G.o.d- what G.o.d soe'er it be 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 G.o.d I swear to thee I will.

AARON. First know thou, I begot him on the Empress.

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 murdered Ba.s.sia.n.u.s; They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her, And cut her hands, and trimm'd her as thou sawest.

LUCIUS. O detestable villain! Call'st thou that tr.i.m.m.i.n.g?

AARON. Why, she was wash'd, and cut, and trimm'd, and 'twas Trim sport for them which had the doing of it.

LUCIUS. O barbarous beastly villains like thyself!

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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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 Ba.s.sia.n.u.s lay; I wrote the letter that thy father found, And hid the gold within that 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 pried 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 swooned almost at my pleasing tale, And for my tidings gave me twenty kisses.

GOTH. What, canst thou say all this and never blush?