Titus Andronicus - Act 5 - Scene 1

SCENE I. Plains near Rome.

    Enter LUCIUS with an army of Goths, with drum and colours

LUCIUS

    Approved warriors, and my faithful friends,
    I have received letters from great Rome,
    Which signify what hate they bear their emperor
    And how desirous of our sight they are.
    Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles 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 flowered fields,
    And be avenged 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 lusty 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,
    Surprised 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 pleased your empress' eye,
    And here's the base fruit of his burning lust.
    Say, wall-eyed 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 bastardy.

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 ascend

AARON

    Lucius, save the child,
    And bear it from me to the empress.
    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, assure thee, Lucius,
    'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak;
    For I must talk of murders, rapes and massacres,
    Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
    Complots of mischief, treason, villanies
    Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd:
    And this shall all be buried by 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 god:
    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 god
    And keeps the oath which by that god he swears,
    To that I'll urge him: therefore thou shalt vow
    By that same god, what god 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 god 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 murder'd Bassianus;
    They cut thy sister's tongue and ravish'd her
    And cut her hands and trimm'd her as thou saw'st.

LUCIUS

    O detestable villain! call'st thou that trimming?

AARON

    Why, she was wash'd and cut and trimm'd, and 'twas
    Trim sport for them that 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 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 corpse of Bassianus lay:
    I wrote the letter that thy father found
    And hid the gold within the 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 pry'd 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.

First Goth

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

AARON

    Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is.

LUCIUS

    Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds?

AARON

    Ay, that I had not done a thousand more.
    Even now I curse the day--and yet, I think,
    Few come within the compass of my curse,--
    Wherein I did not some notorious ill,
    As kill a man, or else devise his death,
    Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it,
    Accuse some innocent and forswear myself,
    Set deadly enmity between two friends,
    Make poor men's cattle break their necks;
    Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night,
    And bid the owners quench them with their tears.
    Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves,
    And set them upright at their dear friends' doors,
    Even when their sorrows almost were forgot;
    And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,
    Have with my knife carved in Roman letters,
    'Let not your sorrow 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.

LUCIUS

    Bring down the devil; for he must not die
    So sweet a death as hanging presently.

AARON

    If there be devils, would I were a devil,
    To live and burn in everlasting fire,
    So I might have your company in hell,
    But to torment you with my bitter tongue!

LUCIUS

    Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak no more.

    Enter a Goth

Third Goth

    My lord, there is a messenger from Rome
    Desires to be admitted to your presence.

LUCIUS

    Let him come near.

    Enter AEMILIUS
    Welcome, AEmilius what's the news from Rome?

AEMILIUS

    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 hostages,
    And they shall be immediately deliver'd.

First Goth

    What says our general?

LUCIUS

    AEmilius, let the emperor give his pledges
    Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
    And we will come. March away.

    Exeunt

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