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Plains near Rome.
[Enter LUCIUS with an army of Goths, with drum and colors]
LUCIUS
, , ,
, ,
Approved | warri|ors, and | my faith|ful friends,
, ,
, , ,
I have | receiv|ed let|ters from / great Rome,
, ,
, , ,
->
Which^sig|nify | what^hate | they bear | their
empe||ror,
, 2 ,
, ,
,
And | how* desir|ous of / our sight | they are.
,
T T T 2
, ,
->
Therefore | great lords, be | as your tit|les
wit||ness,
, , 2 2
, , ,
Im|perious | and impat|ient of | your wrongs,
,
, , ,
,
And where|in Rome | hath done | you an|y scath,
,
T Tx T , ,
Let him | make treble sat|isfac|tion.
FIRST GOTH
T T
T 2 ,
, ,
Brave slip, sprung | from the great |
Andron|icus,
, ,
x ,
,
Whose^name | was once | our terror,| now our |
comfort,
, T T
. T , ,
Whose^high | exploits, and^hon|ora|ble deeds,
,
, ,
, ,
Ingrate|ful Rome | requites | with foul |
contempt:
T T Tx
, ,
,
Be bold in us,| we'll fol|low where | thou
leadst,
,
, , ,
,
Like^sting|ing bees | in hot|test sum|mer's day,
,
, ,
, ,
Led by | their mast|er to | the flow|ered fields,
,
, , ,
,
And be | avenged | on curs|ed Tam|ora:
ALL GOTHS
,
, ,
, ,
And as | he saith,| so* say | we all | with him.
LUCIUS
, ,
, ,
,
I humb|ly thank | him, and | I thank | you all.
, T
T T 2 ,
,
But who | comes here, led | by a lus|ty Goth?
[Enter a Goth, leading AARON with his Child in his arms]
SECOND GOTH
, ,
, ,
,
Renown|ed Luc|ius, from | our troops | I strayed,
, ,
x , x
To gaze | upon | a ruin|ous mon|astery,
,
, , ,
,
And as | I earn|estly | did fix | mine^eye
,
, ,
, ,
Upon | the wast|ed build|ing, sud|denly
, .
T T T ,
,
I heard | a child cry und|erneath | a wall:
, ,
, ,
,
I made | unto | the noise,| when soon | I heard,
,
, , ,
,
The cry|ing babe | controlled | with this |
discourse:
T Tx
T ,
, ,
Peace tawny slave,| half^me,| and half | thy dam,
,
, ,
, ,
Did not | thy hue | bewray | whose^brat | thou
art?
, ,
, ,
,
Had na|ture lent | thee, but | thy moth|er's
look,
,
, ,
, ,
Villain | thou mightst | have been | an emp|eror.
, 2
, ,
T T T
But where the | bull and | cow are | both
milk-white,
, ,
, . T T
T
They nev|er do | beget | a coal-black calf:
T
Tx T 2 ,
, ,
Peace, villain peace,| even thus | he rates | the
babe,
, ,
, , ,
For^I | must bear | thee to | a trust|y Goth,
,
, , ,
,
Who when | he knows | thou art | the emp|ress'
babe,
, ,
, ,
,
Will hold | thee dear|ly for | thy moth|er's
sake.
,
, , ,
x
With this,| my weap|on drawn | I rushed | upon
him,
, ,
, , ,
2->
Surprised | him sud|denly,| and brought | him
hith||er
, ,
, ,
,
To use,| as you | think need/ful of | the man.
LUCIUS
, , ,
2 , x
O worth|y Goth,| this is | the incar|nate devil,
,
, ,
, ,
That robbed | Andron|icus | of his / good hand:
,
, ,
, ,
This is | the pearl | that pleased | your
emp|ress' eye,
,
, ,
, ,
And here's | the base | fruit of | his burn|ing
lust.
, ,
, ,
,
Say* wall-|eyed^slave,| whither | wouldst^thou |
convey
,
, , ,
,
This grow|ing im|age of thy // fiend-like face?
, T T
T , ,
Why dost | not speak? What | deaf? Not^|a word?
,
, , ,
,
A halt|er sol|diers, hang | him on | this tree,
,
, ,
, ,
And by | his side | his fruit | of bast|ardy.
AARON
T T .
T , ,
,
Touch not the boy,| he is | of roy|al blood.
LUCIUS
T T . T
, , ,
Too like the sire | for ev|er be|ing good.
T T
. T , ,
,
First hang the child | that he | may see | it
sprawl,
,
, ,
, ,
A sight | to vex | the fath|er's soul | withal.
AARON
, ,
, ,
,
Get me | a lad|der Luc|ius, save | the child,
, T
T T ,
,
And bear | it from me | to the | empress:
,
, , ,
,
If thou | do this,| I'll show | thee wond|rous
things,
,
, , ,
,
That high|ly may | advant|age thee | to hear;
, , ,
, ,
If thou | wilt not,| befall | what may | befall,
, ,
, , ,
I'll speak | no more:| but venge|ance rot | you
all.
LUCIUS
, , ,
, ,
Say^on,| and if | it please | me which | thou
speaks,
,
, ,
x ,
Thy child | shall live,| and I | will see it |
nourished.
AARON
, 2 ,
, ,
,
And if it | please thee?| Why as|sure thee |
Lucius,
, ,
, , ,
'Twill vex | thy soul | to hear | what I | shall
speak:
, 2
, ,
, , 2
For I must^|talk of | murders,| rapes, and |
massacres, ??
T . T T
, , ,
Acts of black night,| abom|ina|ble deeds,
T T . T
, ,
,
Complots of mis|chief, treas|on, vil|lanies
,
, , 2
, ,
Ruthful | to hear,| yet pit|eously | performed,
, ,
, ,
,
And this | shall all | be bur|ied 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 will |
begin.
LUCIUS
,
, __
Who should | I swear | by, \\
,
T T T
Thou be|lievst no god, \\
,
, ,
, ,
That* grant|ed, how | canst^thou | believe | an
oath?
AARON
, 2
, 2 , T T
T
What if | I do not,| as indeed | I do not,
??
,
, ,
, ,
Yet for | I know | thou art | reli|gious,
, ,
, , ,
And hast | a thing | within | thee* called |
conscience,
, ,
, , ,
->
With twen|ty pop|ish tricks | and ce|remon||ies,
, ,
, ,
2 ,
Which | I have | seen thee | careful | to
observe:
,
, , ,
,
Therefore | I urge | thy oath,| for that | I know
, 2 ,
, ,
,
An id|iot holds | his bau|ble for | a god,
, ,
, ,
,
And keeps | the oath | which^by | that god | he
swears,
, ,
, , ,
To that | I'll urge | him: there|fore thou |
shalt vow
, ,
, , ,
By that / same god,| what god | so ere | it be
,
, , ,
,
That thou | adorst,| and hast | in rev|erence,
, ,
, 2 ,
,
To save | my boy,| to nour|ish and bring | him
up,
, ,
, , ,
Or else | I will | discov|er nought | to thee.
LUCIUS
2 , ,
, , ,
Even by | my god | I swear | to thee | I will.
AARON
T T
T
First know thou, \\
T . T T
, ,
oo
I begot him | on the | empress.|
LUCIUS
T T . T 2
, , 2 ,
O most insat|iate lux|urious | woman!
AARON
, ,
2 , ,
, 2
Tut Luc/ius, this was | but a | deed of |
charity, ??
, , ,
, ,
To that | which thou | shalt hear | of me | anon,
, , ,
, x
'Twas her / two sons | that murd|ered Bas|sianus,
,
, , ,
,
They cut | thy sis|ter's tongue,| and rav|ished
her,
, ,
, ,
2 ,
And cut | her hands | off, and | trimmed her as |
thou sawst.
LUCIUS
, , 2
,
O de|testable | villain!
T T
T ,
Callst thou that | trimming? (tri with
prev)
AARON
, , ,
,
Why she | was washed,| and cut,| and trimmed,
<- ,
T T . T ,
, x
And 'twas || trim sport for them | that had |
the do|ing of it.
LUCIUS
, 2 ,
, , ,
O bar|barous beast|ly vil|lains like | thyself!
AARON
, , 2 ,
, ,
Indeed,| I was their | tutor | to in|struct them,
, x
, ,
,
That cod|ding spirit | had they / from their |
mother,
, ,
, ,
,
As sure | a card | as ev|er won | the set:
, ,
, ,
,
That blood|y mind | I think | they learned | of
me,
,
, ,
, ,
As true | a dog | as ev|er fought | at head.
,
, , ,
,
Well, let*| my deeds | be wit|ness of | my worth:
,
, , ,
,
I trained | thy breth|ren to | that guile|ful
hole,
,
, , , ,
Where the / dead corpse | of Bas|sian|us lay:
, ,
, ,
,
I wrote | the let|ter, that | thy fath|er found,
, ,
, x
,
And hid | the gold | within | the letter |
mentioned,
, 2
, ,
, ,
Confed|erate with | the queen,| and her / two
sons,
. T T
T , ,
,
And what not done,| that thou | hast cause | to
rue,
, ,
T T . T
x
Wherein | I had | no stroke of mis|chief in it.
, , ,
, ,
I played | the cheat|er for | thy fath|er's hand,
,
, , ,
,
And when | I had | it, drew | myself | apart,
,
, , 2 ,
,
And al|most broke | my heart | with extreme |
laughter.
, ,
, ,
,
I pried | me through | the crev|ice of | a wall,
, 2
, ,
T T T
When for his | hand, he | had his | two sons'
heads,
, ,
, , ,
Beheld | his tears,| and laughed | so heart/ily,
,
, , ,
,
That both | mine^eyes | were rain|y like | to
his:
,
, ,
, ,
And when | I told | the emp|ress of | this sport,
,
T T T ,
,
She swooned | almost at | my pleas|ing tale,
,
, , ,
, 2->
And for | my tid|ings, gave | me twen|ty
kiss||es.
FIRST GOTH
, ,
, ,
,
What canst | thou say | all this,| and nev|er
blush?
AARON
T T .
T , , ,
Aye, like a black | dog, as | the say|ing is.
LUCIUS
,
, , ,
,
Art thou | not sor/ry for | these hei|nous deeds?
AARON
,
, , ,
,
Aye, that | I had / not done | a thous|and more:
2 , ,
, ,
,
Even^now | I curse | the day,| and yet | I think
T T Tx
, ,
,
Few come within | the comp|ass of | my curse,
, ,
, , 2
,
Wherein | I did | not some | notor|ious ill,
,
, ,
, ,
As kill | a man,| or else | devise | his death,
, ,
, ,
x
Ravish | a maid,| or plot | the way | to do it,
, , ,
2 ,
,
Accuse | some^in|nocent,| and forswear | myself,
, ,
, . T T T
Set^dead|ly en|mity | between two friends,
T T
T ,
T T T
Make poor men's | cattle | break their necks,
,
, , ,
,
Set* fire | on barns | and hay-|stacks in | the
night,
, ,
, , ,
And bid | the own|ers quench | them with | their
tears:
, 2
T T T ,
,
Oft have I | digged up dead | men from | their
graves,
, ,
, 2 T
T T
And set | them up|right at their | dear friends'
doors,
x
, ,
, ,
Even when | their sor|rows al|most^were | forgot,
, ,
, ,
,
And on | their skins,| as on | the bark | of
trees,
,
, ,
, ,
Have with | my knife | carved in | Roman |
letters,
, ,
, , ,
Let^not | your sor|row die,| though I | am dead.
,
, ,
, ,
Tut, I | have done | a thous|and dread|ful things
,
, , ,
,
As wil|lingly | as one | would kill | a fly,
,
, , ,
,
And noth|ing grieves | me heart|ily | indeed,
, 2
, T T T
,
But that I | cannot | do ten thous|and more.
LUCIUS
T T .
T ,
, ,
Bring down the dev|il, for | he must / not die
, ,
, , ,
So sweet | a death | as hang|ing pres|ently.
AARON
, ,
, , x
If there | be dev|ils, would | I were | a devil,
, ,
, , ,
To live | and burn | in ev|erlast|ing fire,
,
, , ,
,
So I | might^have | your comp|any | in hell,
,
, ,
, ,
But to | torment | you with | my bit|ter tongue.
LUCIUS
T T .
T , ,
,
Sirs stop his mouth,| and let | him speak | no
more.
THIRD GOTH
, ,
, , ,
My lord,| there is | a mes|senger | from Rome
,
, , ,
, ->
Desires | to be | admit|ted to | your pres||ence.
LUCIUS
, ,
__
Let | him come | near. \\
,
, 2 , ,
,
Welcome | Aemil|ius, what's | the news | from
Rome?
AEMILIUS
, ,
, , ,
Lord Luc/ius, and | you prin/ces of | the Goths,
, ,
, , ,
The Rom|an empe|ror greets | you all | by me,
,
, , ,
,
And for | he und|erstands | you are | in arms,
,
, ,
, ,
He craves | a par|ley at | your fath|er's house
,
, , ,
,
Willing | you to | demand | your hos|tages,
, ,
, 2 , ,
2->
And they | shall be | immed|iately | deliv||ered.
FIRST GOTH
,
, ,
What says | our gen|eral? \\
LUCIUS
, 2
, , ,
x
Aemil|ius, let | the empe|ror give | his pledges
, ,
, ,
x
Unto | my fath|er, and | my unc|le Marcus,
, , ,
, oo
And we | will come:| march | away.|
[Exeunt]