If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,
I'll speak no more; but vengeance rot you all!
Luc. Say on, and if it pleafe me which thou fpeak'st,
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 shall speak :
For I must talk of murders, rapes and maffacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischief, treafon, 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'ft 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 Conscience,
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 elfe I will discover nought to thee.
Luc. Ev'n by my God I fwear to thee, I will.
Aar. Firft, know thou, I begot him on the Empress.
Luc. O moft infatiate, 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 Bafianus ;
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, fhe was wafhed, and, cut and trim'd;
And 'twas trim sport for them that had the doing of't.
Luc. O barb'rous beaftly villains like thyself!
Aar. Indeed I was the 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 the brethren to that guileful hole,
Where the dead corps of Baffianus 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 myself 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 fport,
She fwooned almost at my pleafing Tale,
And for my tidings gave me twenty kisses.
Goth. What! can't thou fay all this, and never blush!
Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the faying 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 devife his death;
Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it;
Accufe fome innocent, and forfwear myself;
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 was almost forgot;
And on their fkins, 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 everlafting 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. Enter Emilius.
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 fhall 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.
Hus, in thefe ftrange 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 ftudy, 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 ftudy 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, thefe crimson lines,
Witness these trenches, made by grief and care,
Witnefs the tiring day and heavy night;
Witnefs 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 eafe 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 my drealful name,
Revenge, which makes the foul offenders quake.
Tit. Art thou Revenge? and art thou fent 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 deftroy Rapine and Murder there.
Tam. These are my minifters, and come with me.
Tit. Are they thy minifters? what are they call'd?
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 wordly 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.
[Exit Titus from above.
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 whilft I at a banquet hold him fure.
I'll find fome cunning practice out of hand,
To fcatter and difperfe the giddy Geths,
Or, at the leaft, make them his enemies:
See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.
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