Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the Emprefs. Luc. O most insatiate, 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 Bassianus ; They cut thy fifter's tongue, and ravish'd her, And cut her hands, and trim'd her as thou faw'ft. Luc. Oh, deteftable villain! call'ft thou That triming ?
Aar. Why, the was washed, and cut, and trim'd; And 'twas trim fport for them that had the doing of't. Luc. Oh, barb'rous beaftly 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 curfe) -
Wherein I did not fome notorious Ill,
As kill a man, or elfe devise his death;
Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it ;
Accufe fome innocent, and forfwear my self;
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 almost 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 presently.
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 speak no more.
Goth. My lord, there is a meffenger from Rome Defires to be admitted to your presence.
Welcome, Æmilius, 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 shall 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.
Tam. HUS, in these strange and fad habiliments,
I will encounter with Andronicus:
And fay, I am Revenge fent 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 my 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 me.
Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough;
Witness this wretched ftump, these crimson lines,
Witness these trenches, made by grief and care,
Witness the tiring day and heavy night;
Witness 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,
By working wreakful vengeance on thy foes.
Come down, and welcome me to this world's light;
Confer with me of murder and of death;
There's not a hollow cave, nor lurking place,
No vaft obfcurity, or mifty vale,
Where bloody Murder or detefted Rape
Can couch for fear, but I will find them out; And in their ears tell them dreadful name,
Revenge, which makes the foul offenders quake.
Tit. Art thou Revenge? and art thou sent to me,
To be a torment to mine enemies?
Tam. I am; therefore come down, and welcome me.
Tit. Do me fome fervice, ere I come to thee:
Lo, by thy fide where Rape, and Murder, ftands;
Now give fome furance that thou art revenge,
Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot-wheels;
And then I'll come and be thy waggoner,
And whirl along with thee about the globes:
Provide two proper Palfries black as jet,
To hale thy vengeful waggon fwift away,
And find out murders in their guilty caves.
And when thy car is loaden with their heads,
I will difmount, and by thy waggon-wheel
Trot like a fervile foot-man all day long;
Even from Hyperion's rifing in the east,
Until his very downfal in the fea.
And day by day I'll do this heavy task,
So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.
Tam. These are my minifters, and come with me. Tit. Are they thy minifters? what are they call'd y Tam. Rapine and Murder; therefore called fo, 'Cause they take vengeance on fuch kind of men. Tit. Good lord, how like the Emprefs' fons they are, And you the Emprefs! but we worldly men
Have miferable and mistaking eyes:
O fweet Revenge, now do I come to thee,
And if one arm's embracement will content thee,
I will embrace thee in it by and by.
Tam. This clofing with him fits his lunacy.
Whate'er I forge to feed his brain-fick fits,
Do you uphold, and maintain in your speech,
For now he firmly takes me for Revenge;
And, being credulous in this mad thought,
I'll make him fend for Lucius, his fon :
And whilst I at a banquet hold him fure,
I'll find fome cunning practice out of hand,
To scatter and difperfe the giddy Goths,
Or, at the least, make them his enemies ;
See, here he comes, and I muft ply my theme.
Enter Titus.
Tit. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee: Welcome, dread fury, to my woful house; Rapine and Murder, you are welcome too : How like the Empress and her fons you are! Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor; Could not all hell afford you fuch a devil? For, well I wot, the Emprefs never wags, But in her company there is a Moor; And would you reprefent our Queen aright, It were convenient you had fuch a devil: But welcome, as you are: what shall we do? Tam. What wouldft thou have us do, Andronicus? Dem. Shew me a murderer, I'll deal with him. Chi. Shew me a villain, that has done a rape, And I am fent to be reveng'd on him.
Tam. Shew me a thousand, that have done thee wrong;
And I will be revenged on them all.
Tit. Look round about the wicked streets of Rome, And when thou find'st a man that's like thy felf,
Good Murder, ftab him; he's a murderer.
Go thou with him, and when it is thy hap
To find another that is like to thee,
Good Rapine, ftab him; he is a ravisher.
Go thou with them, and in the Emperor's Court
There is a Queen attended by a Moor;
Well may'ft thou know her by thy own proportion, up and down fhe doth resemble thee;
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