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; villanies
Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd: 2
And this shall all be buried by 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 wil 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,-

• Woful.

2 i. e. performed in a manner exciting pity

To save my boy, to norish, and bring him up;
Or else I will discover naught 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, luxurious 1 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 murder'd Bassianus:
They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her,
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

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;

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:

1 Lascivious.

2 In allusion to bull-dogs, who always show their courage by meeting the bull in front, and seising his nose.

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 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 laughte
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 empress of this sport,
She swounded 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' doors, Even when their sorrows almost were forgot; And on their skins, as on the bark of trees,

6

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 GOTH.

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

Lucius. Let him come near.

Enter EMILIUS.

Welcome, Æmilius; what's the news from Rome?

Em. 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.
1 Goth. What says our general?

Lucius. Æmilius, let the emperor give his pledges Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,

Enter 7 AMORA, chiron, and demETRIUS, disguised.

Tam. 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.

Enter TITUS, above.

[they knock.

Tit. 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 deceived; for what I mean to do,
See here, in bloody lines I have set down;
And what is written shall be executed.

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