That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand:
This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye;
And here's the base fruit of his burning luft.—
Say, wall-ey'd flave, whither would'ft thou convey
This growing image of thy fiend-like face?
Why doft not speak? What! deaf? No; not a word?
A halter, foldiers; hang him on this tree,
And by his fide his fruit of baftardy.

AAR. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood.
Luc. Too like the fire for ever being good.-
First, hang the child, that he may fee it sprawl;
A fight to vex the father's foul withal.

Get me a ladder.

[A ladder brought, which AARON is obliged to afcend, AAR. Lucius, fave the child;

And bear it from me to the emperess.

If thou do this, I'll fhow thee wond'rous 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!

Luc. Say on; and, if it please me which thou speak'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 mifchief, treason; villainies
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd :
And this fhall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou fwear to me, my child shall live.

Luc. Tell on thy mind; I fay, thy child fhall live.
AAR. Swear, that he shall, and then I will begin.
Luc. Who fhould I swear by? thou believ'ft no god;

That granted, how can'ft thon 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 swears;
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, to nourish, and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my god, I swear to thee, I will.
AAR. First, 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 fhalt hear of me anon.
'Twas her two fons that murder'd Baffianus:
They cut thy fifter's tongue, and ravish'd her,
And cut her hands; and trimm'd her as thou faw'ft.
Luc. O, détestable villain! call'ft thou that trimming?
AAR. Why, she was wash'd, and cut, and trimm'd;
and 'twas

Trim fport for them that had the doing of it.

Luc. O, barbarous, beaftly villains, like thyfelf!
AAR. Indeed, I was their tutor to instruct 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 corpfe of Baffianus 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 fons ;
And what not done, that thou haft caufe to rue,
Wherein I had no ftroke 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 fons' heads;
Beheld his tears, and laugh'd fo heartily,

That both mine eyes were rainy like to his;
And when I told the empress of this sport,
She fwounded almost at my pleasing tale,
And, for my tidings, gave me twenty kisses.

GOTH. What! canft thou fay all this, and never blush? AAR. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is. Luc. Art thou not forry for thefe heinous deeds? AAR. Ay, that I had not done a thousand more. Even now I curfe the day, (and yet, I think, Few come within the compass of my curse,) 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,

Even when their forrows almost were forgot;
And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,
Have with my knife carv'd 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 everlasting 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 a GOTH.

GOTH. My lord, there is a messenger from Rome, Defires to be admitted to your prefence.

Luc. Let him come near.

Enter EMILIUS.

Welcome, Æmilius, what's 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.
I GOTH. What fays our general?

Luc. Æmilius, let the emperor give his pledges
Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,

And we will come.-March away.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. Rome. Before TITUS'S Houfe.

Enter TAMORA, CHIRON, and DEMETRIUS, difguis'd. TAM. Thus, in this strange and fad habiliment, I will encounter with Andronicus;

And fay, I am Revenge, fent from below,

To join with him, and right his heinous wrongs.
Knock at his study, where, they fay, he keeps,
To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge;
Tell him, Revenge is come to join with him,
And work confufion on his enemies.

Enter TITUS, above.

TIT. Who doth moleft my contemplation? Is it your trick, to make me ope the door; That fo fad decrees may fly away,

my

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 set down;
And what is written shall be executed.

[They knock.

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 action?

Thou haft the odds of me, therefore no more.

TAM. If thou did'ft know me, thou would'st 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 empress, 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 the infernal kingdom,
To ease the gnawing vulture of thy mind,