Tam. If Tamora intreat him, then he will: Yet fhould both ear and heart obey my tongue. Bid him demand what pledge will please him best. Sat. Then go fuccefsfully, and plead to him. [Exit. ACT V. SCENE, a Camp, at a fmall Diftance from Rome. Enter LUCIUS, with Goths, with Drum and Soldiers. LUCIUS. APPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends, received letters from great Rome, Which fignify what hate they bear their Emperor, Therefore, great Lords, be as your titles witness, [nicus, Goth. Brave flip, fprung from the great Andro (Who'e name was once our terror, now our com- Omn. And, as he faith, so say we all with him. Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all. But who comes here led by a lufty Goth? Enter a Goth leading AARON, with his Child in his Arms. Gath. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I ftray'd To gaze upon a ruined monaftery; And as I earneftly did fix mine eye Upon the wasted building, fuddenly I heard a child cry underneath a wall; I made unto the noife, when foon I heard The crying babe controuled with this difcourfe; Peace, tawny flave, 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'ft 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 Empress' babe, "Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's fake." With this, my weapon drawn, I rushed upon him, Surprised him fuddenly, and brought him thither, To ufe as you think needful of the man. Luc. O worthy Goth, this is th' incarnate devil, That robbed Andronicus of his good hand; This is the pearl that pleafed your Emprefs' eye, And here's the bafe fruit of his burning luft. Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood. Aar. Lucius, fave the child, And bear it from me to the Emprefs; If thou do this, I'll fhew thee wondrous things, I'll speak no more; but vengeance rot you all! Luc. Say on, and if it please me which thou fpeakeft, Thy child fhall live, and I will fee it nourished. Complots of mifchief, treafon, villainies, (15) Aar. Get me a ladder. Lucius, fave the child,} All the printed editions have given this whole verfe to Aaron. But why fhould the Moor here ask for a ladder, who earnestly wanted to have his child faved? Unless the Poet is fuppofed to mean for Aaron, that if they would get him a ladder, he would refolutely hang himself out of the way, fo they would fpare the child. But I much rather fufpect there is an old error in prefixing the names of the perfons; and that Lucius ought to call for the ladder, and then Aaron very properly entreats of Lucius to fave the child. I ventured to make this regulation in my Shakespeare Restored, and Mr Pope has embraced it in his laft edition. Ruthful to hear, yet piteoufly performed: That granted, how can'ft thou believe an oath? And haft a thing within thee called confcience, And keeps the oath, which by that god he fwears, Luc. Even by my God I swear to thee, I will. trimming? Aar. Why, fhe was wafhed, and cut, and trimmed; And 'twas trim fport for them that had the doing of't. Luc. Oh, barbarous beaftly villains like thyfelf! Aar. Indeed, I was their tutor to inftruct them: That codding fpirit had they from their mother, As fure a card as ever won the fet; ----- worth. That bloody mind, I think, they learned of me, I wrote the letter that thy father found, Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the faying is. Luc. Art thou not forry for these heinous deeds? Aar. Ay, that I had not done a thousand more! Even now I curfe the day (and yet, I think, Few come within the compafs of my curfe). Wherein I did not fome notorious ill, As kill a man, or elfe devife his death; Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it ;: Accufe fome innocent, and forfwear myself; Set deadly enmity between two friends; Make poor men's cattle break their necks; Set fire on barns and hay-ftacks in the night, And bid the owners quench them with their tears: |