Even fo may'st thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy fpirit, for know, thou Emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus

With words more fweet, and yet more dangerous,
Than baits to fifh, or honey-ftalks to sheep:
When as the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious food.

Sat. But he will not intreat his fon for us. Tam. If Tamora intreat him, then he will; For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear With golden promifes; that were his heart Almoft impregnable, his old ears deaf, Yet fhould both ear and heart obey my tongue. Go thou before as our embaffador; [To Æmilius. Say, that the Emperor requests a parley Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting. Sat. Æmilius, do this meffage honourably; And if he stand on hoftage for his fafety,... Bid him demand what pledge will please him beft. Emil. Your bidding fhall I do effectually. [Exit. Tam. 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, fweet Emperor, be blith again, And bury all thy fear in my devices. Sat. Then go fuccefsfully, and plead to him.

9 -boney-ftalks to sheep:] Honey talks are clover flowers, which contain a fweet juice. It

[Exeunt.

is common for cattle to overcharge themselves with clover, and die.

ACT

ACT V.
V. SCENE L

The Camp, at a Small Distance from Rome.

Enter Lucius with Góths, with drums and foldiers:

A

Luctus.

PPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends, I have received letters from great Rome, Which fignify, what hate they bear their Emp❜ror, And how defirous of our fight they are.

Therefore, great Lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious and impatient of your wrong's;
And wherein Rome hath done you any scathe,
Let him make treble fatisfaction.

Goth. Brave flip, sprung from the great Andronicus,
Whofe name was once our terror, now our comfort;
Whofe high exploits and honourable deeds
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us; we'll follow, where thou lead'ft,
Like ftinging bees in hotteft fummer's day,
Led by their mafter to the flower'd fields,
And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora.

Om. And, as he faith, fo fay we all with him. Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all. But who comes here, led by a lufty Goth?

SCEN E II.

Enter a Goth leading Aaron, with his child in bis Arms.

Goth, Renowned Lucius, from our troops I ftray'd To gaze upon a ruinous monaftery; And as I earneftly did fix mine eye

Upon the wafted building, fuddenly
I heard a child cry underneath a wall;
I made unto the noife, when foon I heard

The crying babe controul'd with this difcourfe: "Peace, tawny flave, half me and half thy dam. "Did not the hue bewray whofe brat thou art, "Had Nature lent thee but thy mother's look, "Villain, thou might'ft have been an Emperor; "But where the bull and cow are both milk-white, They never do beget a coal-black calf;

66

"Peace, villain, peace! (ev'n thus he rates the babe) "For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth;

"Who, when he knows thou art the Emprefs' babe, "Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's fake.” With this, my weapon drawn, I ruft'd upon him, Surpriz'd him fuddenly, and brought him hither, To ufe as you think needful of the man.

Luc. worthy Goth, this is th' incarnate Devil,
That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand;
This is the Pearl that pleas'd your Emprefs' eye,
And here's the base fruit of his burning luft.
Say, wall-ey'd flave, whither would't 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.
Firft hang the child, that he may fee it fprawl,
A fight to vex the father's foul withal.
'Get me a ladder,

Aar. Lucius, fave the child,
And bear it from me to the Empress ;

1 Aar. Get me a Ladder. Lucius, fave the Child.] All the printed Editions have given this whole Verfe to Aaron. But

why fhould the Maor here ask for a Ladder, who earnefly wanted to have his Child fav'd?

THEOBALD.

If

If thou do this, I'll fhew 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 mischief, treason, villanies,
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd;
And this fhall all be buried by my death,
Unless thou swear to me, my child fhall live.
Luc. Tell on thy mind; I fay, thy child fhall live.
Aar. Swear, that he fhall; and then I will begin.
Luc. Who fhould I swear by? thou believ'ft no God:
That granted, how can'ft thou 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 Confcience,
With twenty popifh 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, nourish and bring him up;
Or elfe I will difcover nought to thee.

Luc. Ev'n by my God I fwear to thee, I will.
Aar. First know thou, I begot him on the Em-
prefs.

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

They cut thy fifter's tongue, and ravish'd her,
And cut her hands, and trim'd her as thou saw'ft.
Luc. Oh, deteftable villain! call'st thou that triming?
Aar. Why, fhe was washed, and cut and trim'd;
And 'twas trim fport for them that had the doing of't.
Luc. Oh, barb'rous beastly villains like thyself!
Aar. Indeed, I was the tutor to inftruct them.
That codding spirit they had from their mother,
As fure a card as ever won the fet;

That bloody mind, I think, they learn'd of me,
2 As true a dog as ever fought at head;——
Well; let my deeds be witnefs of my worth.
I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole,
Where the dead corps of Baffianus lay:
I wrote the letter that thy father found,
And hid the gold within the letter mention'd;
Confed'rate 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't!
I plaid the cheater for thy father's hand,
And when I had it, drew myself apart,

And almost broke my heart with extream 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 Emprefs of this fport,
She fwooned almoft at my pleafing Tale,
And for my tidings gave me twenty kiffes.
Goth. What! can't thou fay all this, and never
blufh?

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.
Ev'n now I curfe the day (and yet, I think,

2 As true a dog as ever fought at head;] An allufion to bulldogs, whofe generofity and

courage are always fhewn by meeting the bull in front, and feizing his nofe.

Few