And as I earnestly did fix mine eye Peace, villain, peace!-even thus he rates the babe,For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth; him, Who, when he knows thou art the empress' babe, Luc. O worthy Goth! this is the incarnate devil, that no very conclusive argument can be deduced from the particular absurdity of these anachronisms relative to the authenticity of Titus Andronicus. And yet the ruined monastery, the popish tricks, &c. that Aaron talks of, and especially the French salutation from the mouth of Titus, are altogether so very much out of place that I cannot persuade myself that even our hasty poet could have been guilty of their insertion, or would have permitted them to remain, had he corrected the performance of another.'-Steevens. 3 Alluding to the proverb, A black man is a pearl in a fair woman's eye.' Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood. [A Ladder is brought, which AARON is obliged Aar. Lucius, save the child; If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things, I'll speak no more; But vengeance rot you all! Luc. Say on; and, if it please me which thou speak'st, Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd. 'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak; Aar. What if I do not? as, indeed, I do not: And hast a thing within thee, called conscience; 4i. e. performed in a manner exciting commiseration. An idiot holds his bauble5 for a god, And keeps the oath, which by that god he swears; Luc. Even by my god, I swear to thee, I will. Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the empress. Luc. O most insatiate, luxurious 6 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 Bassianus ; They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her, And cut her hands; and trimm'd her as thou saw'st. Luc. O, détestable villain! call'st thou that trimming? Aar. Why, she was wash'd, and cut, and trimm'd; and 'twas Trim sport for them that had the doing of it. 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, 5 See vol. iii. p. 315, note 4. Steevens thinks that the allusion is to a custom mentioned in Genesis, xxiv. 9. 6 i. e. lascivious. 7 That love of bed-sports. A cod is a pillow, from the A. S. codde; as in the following sentence from the Saxon Chronicle, cited by Lye: Creopan on hir mycele codde, i. e. to consult his pillow. The word is yet used in the north for a pillow or cushion. 8 An allusion to bulldogs; whose generosity and courage are always shown by meeting the bull in front. Amongst the dogs and beares he goes, Where, while he skipping cries-To head,-to head.' Davies's Epigrams. Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth. And almost broke my heart with extreme laughter. Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is. 9 Perhaps Young had this speech in his thoughts when he made his Moor say: 'I urg'd Don Carlos to resign his mistress; I forg'd the letter; I dispos'd the picture; I hated, I despis'd, and I destroy.' 10 The verb to swound, which we now write swoon, was anciently in common use. Set fire on barns and haystacks in the night, Luc. Bring down the devil; for he must not die 12 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, Luc. Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak no more. Enter a Goth. Goth. My lord, there is a messenger from Rome, Desires to be admitted to your presence. Luc. Let him come near. Enter EMILIUS. 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: 11 Marlowe has been supposed to be the author of this play; and whoever will read the conversation between Barabas and Ithimore, in the Jew of Malta, Act ii. and compare it. with these sentiments of Aaron, will perceive much reason for the opinion. 12 It appears from these words that the audience were entertained with part of the apparatus of an execution, and that Aaron was mounted on a ladder, as ready to be turned off. |