Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

Act 5 - Scene 1

Plains near Rome.

Lucius : Approved warriors, and my faithful friends, [p]I have received letters
from great Rome, [p]Which signify what hate they bear their
emperor [p]And how desirous of our sight they are. [p]Therefore, great
lords, be, as your titles witness, [p]Imperious and impatient of your
wrongs, [p]And wherein Rome hath done you any scath, [p]Let him make
treble satisfaction.

First Goth : Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus, [p]Whose name was once
our terror, now our comfort; [p]Whose high exploits and honourable
deeds [p]Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt, [p]Be bold in
us: we'll follow where thou lead'st, [p]Like stinging bees in hottest
summer's day [p]Led by their master to the flowered fields, [p]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. [p]But who comes here, led by
a lusty Goth?

Second Goth : Renowned Lucius, from our troops I stray'd [p]To gaze upon a ruinous
monastery; [p]And, as I earnestly did fix mine eye [p]Upon the wasted
building, suddenly [p]I heard a child cry underneath a wall. [p]I made
unto the noise; when soon I heard [p]The crying babe controll'd with
this discourse: [p]'Peace, tawny slave, half me and half thy
dam! [p]Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art, [p]Had nature lent
thee but thy mother's look, [p]Villain, thou mightst have been an
emperor: [p]But where the bull and cow are both milk-white, [p]They
never do beget a coal-black calf. [p]Peace, villain, peace!'--even
thus he rates [p]the babe,-- [p]'For I must bear thee to a trusty
Goth; [p]Who, when he knows thou art the empress' babe, [p]Will hold
thee dearly for thy mother's sake.' [p]With this, my weapon drawn, I
rush'd upon him, [p]Surprised him suddenly, and brought him
hither, [p]To use as you think needful of the man.

Lucius : O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil [p]That robb'd Andronicus
of his good hand; [p]This is the pearl that pleased your empress'
eye, [p]And here's the base fruit of his burning lust. [p]Say,
wall-eyed slave, whither wouldst thou convey [p]This growing image of
thy fiend-like face? [p]Why dost not speak? what, deaf? not a
word? [p]A halter, soldiers! hang him on this tree. [p]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. [p]First hang the child, that
he may see it sprawl; [p]A sight to vex the father's soul
withal. [p]Get me a ladder.

Aaron : Lucius, save the child, [p]And bear it from me to the empress. [p]If
thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous things, [p]That highly may
advantage thee to hear: [p]If thou wilt not, befall what may
befall, [p]I'll speak no more but 'Vengeance rot you all!'

Lucius : Say on: an if it please me which thou speak'st [p]Thy child shall
live, and I will see it nourish'd.

Aaron : An if it please thee! why, assure thee, Lucius, [p]'Twill vex thy soul
to hear what I shall speak; [p]For I must talk of murders, rapes and
massacres, [p]Acts of black night, abominable deeds, [p]Complots of
mischief, treason, villanies [p]Ruthful to hear, yet piteously
perform'd: [p]And this shall all be buried by my death, [p]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: [p]That granted, how
canst thou believe an oath?

Aaron : What if I do not? as, indeed, I do not; [p]Yet, for I know thou art
religious [p]And hast a thing within thee called conscience, [p]With
twenty popish tricks and ceremonies, [p]Which I have seen thee careful
to observe, [p]Therefore I urge thy oath; for that I know [p]An idiot
holds his bauble for a god [p]And keeps the oath which by that god he
swears, [p]To that I'll urge him: therefore thou shalt vow [p]By that
same god, what god soe'er it be, [p]That thou adorest and hast in
reverence, [p]To save my boy, to nourish and bring him up; [p]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 [p]To that which thou
shalt hear of me anon. [p]'Twas her two sons that murder'd
Bassianus; [p]They cut thy sister's tongue and ravish'd her [p]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 [p]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: [p]That codding spirit had
they from their mother, [p]As sure a card as ever won the set; [p]That
bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of me, [p]As true a dog as ever
fought at head. [p]Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth. [p]I
train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole [p]Where the dead corpse of
Bassianus lay: [p]I wrote the letter that thy father found [p]And hid
the gold within the letter mention'd, [p]Confederate with the queen
and her two sons: [p]And what not done, that thou hast cause to
rue, [p]Wherein I had no stroke of mischief in it? [p]I play'd the
cheater for thy father's hand, [p]And, when I had it, drew myself
apart [p]And almost broke my heart with extreme laughter: [p]I pry'd
me through the crevice of a wall [p]When, for his hand, he had his two
sons' heads; [p]Beheld his tears, and laugh'd so heartily, [p]That
both mine eyes were rainy like to his : [p]And when I told the empress
of this sport, [p]She swooned almost at my pleasing tale, [p]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. [p]Even now I curse the
day--and yet, I think, [p]Few come within the compass of my
curse,-- [p]Wherein I did not some notorious ill, [p]As kill a man, or
else devise his death, [p]Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do
it, [p]Accuse some innocent and forswear myself, [p]Set deadly enmity
between two friends, [p]Make poor men's cattle break their
necks; [p]Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night, [p]And bid
the owners quench them with their tears. [p]Oft have I digg'd up dead
men from their graves, [p]And set them upright at their dear friends'
doors, [p]Even when their sorrows almost were forgot; [p]And on their
skins, as on the bark of trees, [p]Have with my knife carved in Roman
letters, [p]'Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead.' [p]Tut, I
have done a thousand dreadful things [p]As willingly as one would kill
a fly, [p]And nothing grieves me heartily indeed [p]But that I cannot
do ten thousand more.

Lucius : Bring down the devil; for he must not die [p]So sweet a death as
hanging presently.

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

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

Third Goth : My lord, there is a messenger from Rome [p]Desires to be admitted to
your presence.

Lucius : Let him come near. [p][Enter AEMILIUS] [p]Welcome, AEmilius. what's
the news from Rome?

Aemilius : Lord Lucius, and you princes of the Goths, [p]The Roman emperor greets
you all by me; [p]And, for he understands you are in arms, [p]He
craves a parley at your father's house, [p]Willing you to demand your
hostages, [p]And they shall be immediately deliver'd.

First Goth : What says our general?

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

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