The empress fends it thee, thy ftamp, thy feal,
And bids thee chriften it with thy dagger's point.
Aar. Out, out, you whore! is black so base a hue ?—
Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous bloffom, fure.

Dem. Villain, what hast thou done?

Aar.

Can't not undo.

Chi.

Done! that which thou

Thou haft undone our mother.

Aar. Villain, I have done thy mother.

Dem. And therein, hellish dog, thou haft undone. Woe to her chance, and damn'd her loathed choice! Accurs'd the offspring of fo foul a fiend!

Nur. Aaron, it must; the mother wills it fo.

Aar. What, muft it, nurfe? then let no man, but I, Do execution on my flesh and blood.

Dem. I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point: Nurse, give it me; my fword fhall foon despatch it. Aar. Sooner this fword fhall plough thy bowels up. [Takes the child from the Nurse, and draws. Stay, murderous villains! will you kill your brother? Now, by the burning tapers of the sky,

That fhone fo brightly when this boy was got,

He dies upon my scymitar's sharp point,

That touches this my first-born fon and heir!

I tell you, younglings, not Enceladus,

With all his threat'ning band of Typhon's brood,
Nor great Alcides, nor the god of war,

Shall feize this prey out of his father's hands..
What, what; ye fanguine, shallow-hearted boys!
Ye white-lim'd walls! ye alehouse painted figns!
Coal-black is better than another hue,

In that it scorns to bear another hue:

For

For all the water in the ocean

Can never turn a fwan's black legs to white,
Although the lave them hourly in the flood.-
Tell the empress from me, I am of age
To keep mine own; excuse it how she can.

Dem. Wilt thou betray thy noble mistress thus ?
Aar. My mistress is my mistress; this, myself;
The vigour, and the picture of my youth:
This, before all the world, do I prefer ;
This, maugre all the world, will I keep safe,
Or some of you shall smoke for it in Rome.

Dem. By this our mother is for ever tham'd.
Chi. Rome will defpife her for this foul escape.
Nur. The emperor, in his rage, will doom her death.
Chi. I blush to think upon this ignomy.

Aar. Why there's the privilege your beauty bears:
Fye, treacherous hue! that will betray with blushing
The close enacts and counfels of the heart!

Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer:

Look, how the black flave smiles upon the father;
As who should say, Old lad, I am thine own.

He is your brother, lords; sensibly fed
Of that self-blood that first gave life to you;
And, from that womb, where you imprifon'd were,
He is enfranchised and come to light:

Nay, he's your brother by the furer fide,
Although my feal be stamped in his face.

Nur. Aaron, what thell I fay unto the empress?
Dem. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done,
And we will all fubfcribe to thy advice;
Save thou the child, fo we may all be safe.

Aar. Then fit we down, and let us all confult.
My fon and I will have the wind of you:

Keep

Keep there: Now talk at pleasure of your fafety.

[They fit on the ground.

Dem. How many women faw this child of his ?

Aar. Why, fo, brave lords; When we all join in league, I am a lamb : but if you brave the Moor, The chafed boar, the mountain lionefs, The ocean fwells not fo as Aaron ftorms.But, fay again, how many faw the child? Nur. Cornelia the midwife, and myself, And no one else, but the deliver'd emprefs.

Aar. The emperefs, the midwife, and yourself : Two may keep counfel, when the third's away : Go to the emprefs; tell her, this I said :— [Stabbing her. Weke, weke !-fo cries a pig, prepar'd to the spit.

Dem. What mean't thou, Aaron? Wherefore didst thou this?

Aar. O, lord, fir, 'tis a deed of policy :
Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours?
A long-tongu'd babbling goffip? no, lords, no.
And now be it known to you my full intent.
Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman,
His wife but yesternight was brought to bed;
His child is like to her, fair as you are:

Go pack with him, and give the mother gold,
And tell them both the circumstance of all;
And how by this their child fhall be advanc'd,
And be received for the emperor's heir,
And substituted in the place of mine,
To calm this tempeft whirling in the court;

And let the emperor dandle him for his own.

Hark ye, lords; ye fee, that I have given her phyfick,

[Pointing to the Nurse.

And you must needs bestow her funeral;
The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms:

This done, fee that you take no longer days,
But fend the midwife presently to me.

The midwife, and the nurse, well made away,
Then let the ladies tattle what they please.
Chi. Aaron, I fee, thou wilt not truft the air
With fecrets.

Dem.

For this care of Tamora,

Herself, and hers, are highly bound to thee.

[Exeunt DEM. and CHI. bearing off the Nurse. Aar. Now to the Goths, as fwift as fwallow flies; There to dispose this treasure in mine arms, And fecretly to greet the emprefs' friends.Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you hence; For it is you that puts us to our shifts:

I'll make you feed on berries, and on roots,

And feed on curds and whey, and fuck the goat,

And cabin in a cave; and bring you up

To be a warrior, and command a camp.

[Exit.

SCENE III.

The fame. A publick Place.

Enter TITUS, bearing arrows, with letters at the ends of

them;

with him MARCUS, young LUCIUS, and other Gentlemen, with bows.

Tit. Come, Marcus, come;-Kinsmen, this is the

way :-

Sir boy, now let me fee your archery;

Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there ftraight:
Terras Aftræa reliquit :-

Be you remember'd, Marcus, fhe's gone, fhe's fled.
Sir, take you to your tools. You, coufins, fhall

Go

Go found the ocean, and caft your nets;
Happily you may find her in the fea;
Yet there's as little justice as at land :—

No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it ;
'Tis you must dig with mattock, and with spade,
And pierce the inmoft center of the earth :
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you, deliver him this petition :
Tell him, it is for justice, and for aid;
And that it comes from old Andronicus,
Shaken with forrows in ungrateful Rome.-
Ah, Rome!-Well, well; I made thee miserable,
What time I threw the people's fuffrages
On him that thus doth tyrannize o'er me.-
Go, get you gone; and pray be careful all,
And leave you not a man of war unsearch'd;
This wicked emperor may have fhipp'd her hence,
And, kinfmen, then we may go pipe for justice.
Mar. O, Publius, is not this a heavy case,
To fee thy noble uncle thus distract?

Pub. Therefore, my lord, it highly us concerns,
By day and night to attend him carefully;

And feed his humour kindly as we may,

Till time beget fome careful remedy.

Mar. Kinsmen, his forrows are past remedy.

Join with the Goths; and with revengeful war
Take wreak on Rome for this ingratitude,

And vengeance on the traitor Saturnine.

Tit. Publius, how now? how now, my masters? What?

Have you met with her?

Pub. No, my good lord; but Pluto fends you word

If you will have revenge from hell, you shall :

Marry, for Juftice, she is fo employ'd,