A CT V.

SCENE I.

A

Tbe camp, at a small distance from Rome. Enter Lucius with Goths, with drum and soldiers.

LUCIUS,
PPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends, ,

I have received letters from great Rome,
Which signify, what hate they bear their emperor,
And how desirous of our fight they are.
Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious and impatient of your wrongs;
And wherein Rome hath done you any scathe,
Let him make treble satisfaction.

Goth. Brave Nip, {prung 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 flower'd fields, And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora.

Omn. And, as he saith, so say we all with him.

Luc. 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. Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I stray'd $ To gaze upon a ruinous monastery ;

And s To gaze upon a ruinous monastery.] Shakespeare bas so perpetually offended against chronology in all his plays, that no very conclusive argument can be deduced from the particular absurdity of these anachronisms, relative to the authenticity of Titus Andro

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 concrould with this discourse : “ Peace, tawny Nave, 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 might'st 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 emperess' babe, “ Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake.” With this my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him, Surpriz'd him suddenly, and brought him hither, To use as you think needful of the man,

Luc. O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil, That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand ; This is the pearl that pleas'd your emperess' eye, And here's the base fruit of his burning luft. Say, wall-ey'd Nave, whither would'st chou convey This growing image of thy fiend-like face? Why doft not speak? what! deaf? no! not a word? A halter, soldiers ; hang him on this tree, And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood.

Luc. Too like the fire for ever being good. First, hang the child, that he may see it sprawl, A sight to vex the father's soul withal.

ricus. And yet the ruined monaflery, the popish tricks, &c. that Aaron talks of, and the French salutation from the mouth of Titus are altogether fo very much out of place, that I cannot persuade myself even our hafty poet could have been guilty of their insertion, or have permitted them to remain, had he corrected the performance for another.

STBEVENS.

Get

Get me a ladder.

Aar: Lucius, save the child,
And bear it from me to the emperess;
If thou do this, I'll shew 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. Sayon, and if it please me which thou speak'st, Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.

Aar. 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 by my death,
Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live.

Luc. Tell on thy mind; I say, thy child shall live.
Aar. Swear, that he shall; and then I will begin.
Luc. Who should I swear by? thou believ'st no

God:
That granted, how can'st thou believe an oath ?

Aar. 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 vox
By that same God, what God soe'er it be,

• Aar. Get me a ladder. Lucius, save the child.] All the printed editions have given this whole verse to Aaron. But why should the Moor here ask for a ladder, who earnestly wanted to have his child saved ?

THEOBALD.

That

That thou ador'st and haft in reverence,
To save my boy, nourish, and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my God, I swear to thee, I will.
Aar. First, know thou, I begot him on the em-

perefs. Luc. O most insatiate, luxurious 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 Baffianus; They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her, And cut her hands, and trimm'd her as thou saw'it. Luc. Oh, detestable villain ! call’it thou that

trimming? Aar. Why, she was washed, and cut, and trimm'd; And 'twas trim fport for them that had the doing

of it. Luc. Oh, barbarous beastly, villains, like thyself!

Aar. Indeed, I was the 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 corps of Baltianus lay : I wrote the letter that thy father found, And hid the gold within the 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 furoke of mischief in't ! 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.

? As true a dog as ever fought at bead;] An allufion to bull-dors, whole generosity and courage are always hown by meeting the bull in front, and seizing his nose.

JOHNSON.

1 pry'd

I pry'd 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 emperess 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 ? Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is. Luc. Art thou not sorry for these heinous deeds?

Aar. 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' doors, Even when the forrow 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.

Luc. Bring down the devil,” for he must not die So sweet a death, as hanging presently.

Aar. & Bring down the devil.] It appears, from these words, that the audience wete entertained with part of the apparatus of an execu

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