ACT FIVE
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.
[5]
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.
1 GOTH Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus,
Whose name was once our terror, now our
[10]
comfort,
Whose high exploits and honourable deeds
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us: weâll follow where thou leadâst,
Like stinging bees in hottest summerâs day,
[15]
Led by their master to the flowâred fields,
And be avengâd 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
2 GOTH Renowned Lucius, from our troops I
[20]
strayâd
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.
[25]
I made unto the noise, when soon I heard
The crying babe controllâd with this discourse:
âPeace, tawny slave, half me and half thy dam!
Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,
Had nature lent thee but thy motherâs look,
[30]
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!â â even thus he rates the babe â
âFor I must bear thee to a trusty Goth,
[35]
Who, when he knows thou art the Empressâ babe,
Will hold thee dearly for thy motherâs sakeâ.
With this, my weapon drawn, I rushâd upon him,
Surprisâd him suddenly, and brought him hither
To use as you think needful of the man.
[40]
LUCIUS O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil
That robbâd Andronicus of his good hand;
This is the pearl that pleasâd your Empressâ eye;
And hereâs the base fruit of her burning lust.
Say, wall-eyâd slave, whither wouldst thou convey
[45]
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.
[50]
LUCIUS Too like the sire for ever being good.
First hang the child, that he may see it sprawl â
A sight to vex the fatherâs 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 Empress.
[55]
If thou do this, Iâll show thee wondrous things
That highly may advantage thee to hear;
If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,
Iâll speak no more but âVengeance rot you all!â
LUCIUS Say on; an if it please me which thou speakâst,
[60]
Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourishâd.
AARON An if it please thee! Why, assure thee, Lucius,
âTwill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak;
For I must talk of murders, rapes, and massacres,
Acts of black night, abominable deeds,
[65]
Complots of mischief, treason, villainies,
Ruthful to hear! yet piteously performâd;
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.
[70]
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? â as indeed I do not;
Yet, for I know thou art religious
[75]
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,
[80]
And keeps the oath which by that god he swears,
To that Iâll urge him. Therefore thou shalt vow
By that same god â what god soeâer it be
That thou adorest and hast in reverence â
To save my boy, to nourish and bring him up;
[85]
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 luxuârious woman!
AARON Tut, Lucius, this was but a deed of charity
[90]
To that which thou shalt hear of me anon.
âTwas her two sons that murdered Bassianus;
They cut thy sisterâs tongue, and ravishâd her,
And cut her hands, and trimmâd her as thou sawest.
LUCIUS O detestable villain! Callâst thou that trimming?
AARON Why, she was washâd, and cut, and
[95]
trimmâd, and âtwas
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,
[100]
As sure a card as ever won the set;
That bloody mind, I think, they learnâd of me,
As true a dog as ever fought at head.
Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth.
I trainâd thy brethren to that gui...