Luc.
Approved warriors, and my faithful friends,
I have received letters from great Rome,
Which signify ^note 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. ^note
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 ^note in us: ^note we'll follow where thou lead'st,
Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day,
Led by their master to the flowered ^note fields,
And be avenged ^note on cursed Tamora.

All the Goths. ^note
And as he saith, so say 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 ^note Aaron with his Child in his arms. ^note

Sec. Goth. ^note
Renowned ^note 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 ^note
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.

Luc.
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 ^note burning lust.
Say, wall-eyed slave, whither ^note wouldst thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face? ^note
Why dost not speak? what, deaf? not ^note a word?
A halter, soldiers! hang him on this tree,
And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aar.
Touch not the boy; he is of royal blood.

Luc.
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. ^note [A ladder ^note brought, which Aaron is made to ascend.

Aar.
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 ^note ‘Vengeance rot you all!’ ^note

Luc.
Say on: an if ^note it please me which thou speak'st,
Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.

Aar.
An if ^note 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 ^note, abominable deeds,
Complots of mischief, treason, villanies ^note
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously ^note perform'd:
And this shall all be buried in ^note my death,
Unless thou swear to me my child shall live.

Luc.
Tell on thy mind; I say thy child shall live ^note.

Aar.
Swear that he shall, and then I will begin.

Luc.
Who should I swear by? ^note thou believest no god ^note:
That granted, how canst thou believe an oath? ^note

Aar.
What if I do not? ^note 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 ^note: 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 ^note and bring him up;
Or ^note else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc.
Even by my god I swear to ^note thee I will.

Aar.
First know thou, I begot him on the ^note empress ^{note note}.

Luc.
O most insatiate, and ^note luxurious woman!

Aar.
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 ^note Bassianus;

They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her,
And cut her hands ^note, and trimm'd ^note her as thou saw'st ^note.

Luc.
O detestable ^note villain! call'st thou that trimming? ^note

Aar.
Why, she was wash'd and cut and trimm'd, and 'twas
Trim sport for them that had the doing of it ^{note note}.

Luc.
O barbarous, beastly villains, like thyself!

Aar.
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? ^note
I play'd the cheater for thy father's hand;
And, when I had it, drew myself apart ^note,
And almost broke my heart with extreme laughter:
I pried me through the crevice ^note 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 swounded ^note almost at my pleasing tale,
And for my tidings gave me twenty kisses.

First Goth. ^note
What, canst thou say all this, and never blush?

Aar.
Ay, like ^note a black dog, as the saying is.

Luc.
Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds?

Aar.
Ay, that I had not done a thousand more.
Even now I curse the day—and yet, I think,
Few come within the ^note 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 ^note myself;
Set deadly enmity between two friends;
Make poor men's cattle break their necks ^note;
Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night
And bid the owners ^note quench them with their ^note tears.
Oft have I digg'd up dead men from their graves,
And set them upright ^note at their dear friends' doors ^note,
Even when their sorrows almost were ^note 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.

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

Aar.
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!

Luc. ^note
Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak no more. Enter a Goth.

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

Luc.
Let him come near. Enter Æmilius. ^note
Welcome, Æmilius: what's ^note the news from Rome?

Æmil.
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 ^note.

First Goth. ^note
What says our general?

Luc.
Æmilius, let the emperor give his pledges
Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,
And we will come. March away. ^note [Flourish. Exeunt.

^note

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