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Clown. How much money muft I have?

Tam. Come, firrah, thou must be hang'd.

Clown. Hang'd! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end.

Sat. Defpightful and intolerable wrongs!

Shall I endure this monftrous villany?

[Exit.

I know, from whence this fame device proceeds:
May this be borne ? as if his traiterous fons,
That dy'd by law for murther of our brother,
Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully?
Go, drag the villain hither by the hair,
Nor age nor honour fhall shape privilege.
For this proud mock I'll be thy flaughter-man;
Sly frantick wretch, that holp'ft to make me great,
In hope thy felf should govern Rome and me.

Enter Æmilius. (15)

Sat. What news with thee, Æmilius ?

[caufe;

Æmil. Arm, arm, my lords; Rome never had more

The Goths have gather'd head, and with a Power

Of high-refolved men, bent to the spoil,

They hither march amain, under the Conduct
Of Lucius, fon to old Andronicus:

Who threats in courfe of his revenge to do

As much as ever Coriolanus did.

Sat. Is warlike Lucius General of the Goths?

(15) Enter Nuntius Æmilius.] Thus the old Books have defcrib'd this Character: and, I believe, I can account for the Formality, from the Ignorance of the Editors. In the Author's Manufcript, I prefume, 'twas writ, Enter Nuntius; and they obferving, that he is immediately call'd Æmilius, thought proper to give him his whole Title, and fo clapp'd in Enter Nuntius Æmilius. Mr. Pope has very critically follow'd them; and ought, methinks, to have given his new-adopted Citizen Nuntius a place in the Dramatis Perfona. If this Gentleman has discover'd any Roman Family, that had the Prenomen of Nuntius; it is a Secret, I dare fay, more than Carifius, Diomedes Grammaticus, or the Fafti Capitolini, were ever acquainted withal. Shakespeare meant no more than, Enter Æmilius as a Messenger.

Thefe

Thefe Tidings nip me, and I hang the head
As flowers with froft, or grafs beat down with ftorms.
Ay, now begin our forrows to approach ;
'Tis he, the common people love fo much :
My felf hath often over-heard them fay,
(When I have walked like a private man)
That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully,

And they have wifh'd, that Lucius were their Emperor.
Tam. Why fhould you fear? is not our city ftrong?
Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius,
And will revolt from me, to fuccour him.

Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious like thy name.
Is the fun dim'd, that gnats do fly in it?
The eagle fuffers little birds to fing,

And is not careful what they mean thereby,
Knowing, that with the fhadow of his wings
He can at pleasure stint their melody;
Even fo may'ft thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy fpirit, for know, thou Emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus

With words more fweet, 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 food.

Sat. But he will not intreat his fon for us.
Tam. If Tamora intreat him, then he will:
For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear
With golden promises; that were his heart
Almoft impregnable, his old ears deaf,
Yet fhould both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Go' thou before as our embassador;

[To Æmilius.

Say, that the Emperor requests a parley
Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting.
Sat. Emilius, do this meffage honourably;
And if he stand on hoftage for his safety,

Bid him demand what pledge will please him beft.
Emil. Your bidding fhall I do effectually.
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:

[Exit.

L-5

And:

And now, fweet Emperor, be blith again,
And bury all thy fear in my devices.

Sat. Then go fuccessfully, and plead to him. [Exe.

A C T V.

SCENE, A Camp, at a small distance from Rome.

Enter Lucius with Goths, with drum and soldiers.

A

LUCIUS.

PPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends,
I have received letters from great Rome,

Which fignifie, what hate they bear their Em-
p'ror,

And how defirous of our fight they are.

Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious and impatient of your wrongs;

And wherein Rome hath done you any scathe,
Let him make treble fatisfaction.

Goth. Brave flip, fprung from the great Andronicas, (Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort,) Whofe high exploits and honourable deeds

Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
-Be bold in us; we'll follow, where thou lead'ft:
Like ftinging bees in hottest summer's day,
Led by their mafter to the flower'd fields,
And be aveng'd on curfeḍ Tamora.

Omn. And, as he faith, fo fay 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 bis Arms.

Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I ftray'd

To

To gaze upon a ruinous monaftery:
And as I earnestly did fix mine eye
Upon the wafted building, fuddenly
I heard a child cry underneath a wall;
I made unto the noise, 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;

66

"Peace, villain, peace! (ev'n 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 rush'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 Empress' eye,
And here's the bafe fruit of his burning luft.
Say, wall-ey'd flave, whither would'ft thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
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.
Lue. Too like the fire for ever being good.

First, hang the child, that he may fee it fprawl,
A fight to vex the father's foul withal.
Get me a ladder. (16)

Aar.

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(16) Aar. Get me a Ladder. Lucius, fave the Child.] All the printed Editions have given this whole Verfe to Aaron. Bus why fhould 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 resolutely hang himself out of the way, so they would

Spare

Aar. Lucius, fave the child,

And bear it from me to the Emperess;

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'ft,
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 fhall speak:
For I must talk of murthers, rapes and maffacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischief, treason, villanies,
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:
And this fhall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live.
Luc. Tell on thy mind; I fay, thy child fhall live.
Aar, Swear, that he fhall; and then I will begin.
Luc. Who fhould I fwear by thou believ❜st no
God:

That granted, how can't thou believe an oath ?
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 Confcience,
With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies
Which I have feen thee careful to obferve:
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 boy, nourish and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my God I fwear to thee, I will.

fpare the Child. But, I much rather fufpect, there is an old Error in prefixing the Names of the Perfons; and that Lucius ought to call for the Ladder, and then Aaron very properly eatreats of Lucius to fave the Child.

Aar.

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