The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (moboreader .TXT) 📕

The eagle suffers little birds to sing, And is not careful what they mean thereby, Knowing that with the shadow of his wings He can at pleasure stint their melody; Even so mayest thou the giddy men of Rome.

Then cheer thy spirit; for know thou, Emperor, I will enchant the old Andronicus

With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous, Than baits to fish or honey-stalks to sheep, When as the one is wounded with the bait, The other rotted with delicious feed.

SATURNINUS. But he will not entreat his son for us.

TAMORA. If Tamora entreat him, then he will; For I can smooth and fill his aged ears With golden promises, that, were his heart Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf, Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.

[To AEMILIUS] Go thou before to be our ambassador; Say that the Emperor requests a parley Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting Even at his father’s house, the old Andronicus.

SATURNINUS. Aemilius, do this message honourably; And if he stand on hostage for his safety, Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.

AEMILIUS. Your bidding shall I do effectually. Exit TAMORA. Now will I to that old Andronicus, And temper him with all the art I have, To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Goths.

And now, sweet Emperor, be blithe again, And bury all thy fear in my devices.

SATURNINUS. Then go successantly, and plead to him.

Exeunt

<<THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM

SHAKESPEARE IS COPYRIGHT 1990-1993 BY WORLD LIBRARY, INC., AND IS

PROVIDED BY PROJECT GUTENBERG ETEXT OF ILLINOIS BENEDICTINE COLLEGE

WITH PERMISSION. ELECTRONIC AND MACHINE READABLE COPIES MAY BE

DISTRIBUTED SO LONG AS SUCH COPIES (1) ARE FOR YOUR OR OTHERS

PERSONAL USE ONLY, AND (2) ARE NOT DISTRIBUTED OR USED

COMMERCIALLY. PROHIBITED COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION INCLUDES BY ANY

SERVICE THAT CHARGES FOR DOWNLOAD TIME OR FOR MEMBERSHIP.>>

ACT V. SCENE I.

Plains near Rome

Enter LUCIUS with an army of GOTHS with drums and colours LUCIUS. Approved warriors and my faithful friends, I have received letters from great Rome Which signifies 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 flow’red fields, And be aveng’d 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, Surpris’d 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 pleas’d your Empress’ eye; And here’s the base fruit of her burning lust.

Say, wall-ey’d 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 climb]

AARON. Lucius, save the child,

And bear it from me to the Emperess.

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, villainies, Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform’d; And this shall all be buried in 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 murdered Bassianus; They cut thy sister’s tongue, and ravish’d her, And cut her hands, and trimm’d her as thou sawest.

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 which 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 that 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 pried 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.

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’ door Even when their sorrows almost was 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 AEMILIUS

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

LUCIUS. Let him come near.

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

SCENE II.

Rome. Before TITUS’ house

Enter TAMORA, and her two sons, DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, disguised TAMORA. Thus, in this strange and sad habiliment, I will encounter with Andronicus,

And say I am Revenge, sent from below To join with him and right his heinous wrongs.

Knock at his study, where they say he keeps To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge; Tell him Revenge is come to join with him, And work confusion on his enemies.

They knock and TITUS opens his study door, above TITUS. Who doth molest my contemplation?

Is it your trick to make me ope the door, That so my sad decrees may fly away

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.

TAMORA. Titus, I am come to talk with thee.

TITUS. No, not a word. How can I grace my talk, Wanting a hand to give it that accord?

Thou hast the odds of me; therefore no more.

TAMORA. If thou didst know me, thou wouldst talk with me.

TITUS. I am not mad, I know thee well enough: Witness this wretched stump, witness these crimson lines; Witness these trenches made by grief and care; Witness the tiring day and heavy night; Witness all sorrow that I know thee well For our proud Empress, mighty Tamora.

Is not thy coming for my other hand?

TAMORA. Know thou, sad man, I am not Tamora: She is thy enemy and I thy friend.