The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus Read Online

God give his lordship joy!

Enter the Clown with a basket, and two pigeons in it.

News, news from heaven! Marcus, the post is come.

Sirrah, what tidings? have you any letters?

Shall I have justice? what says Jupiter?

CLO. Ho, the gibbet-maker? he says that he hath taken them down again, for the man must not be hang'd till the next week.

TIT. But what says Jupiter, I ask thee?

CLO. Alas, sir, I know not Jubiter, I never drank with him in all my life.

TIT. Why, villain, art not thou the carrier?

CLO. Ay, of my pigeons, sir, nothing else.

TIT. Why, didst thou not come from heaven?

CLO. From heaven! alas, sir, I never came there. God forbid I should be so bold to press to heaven in my young days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the tribunal plebs, to take up a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the Emperal's men.

MARC. Why, sir, that is as fit as can be to serve for your oration, and let him deliver the pigeons to the Emperor from you.

TIT. Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the Emperor with a grace?

CLO. Nay, truly, sir, I could never say grace in all my life.

TIT.

Sirrah, come hither, make no more ado,

But give your pigeons to the Emperor.

By me thou shalt have justice at his hands.

Hold, hold; mean while here's money for thy charges.

Give me pen and ink. Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver up a supplication?

CLO. Ay, sir.

TIT. Then here is a supplication for you; and when you come to him, at the first approach you must kneel, then kiss his foot, then deliver up your pigeons, and then look for your reward. I'll be at hand, sir, see you do it bravely.

CLO.

I warrant you, sir, let me alone.

TIT.

Sirrah, hast thou a knife? Come let me see it.

Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration,

For [then] hast made it like an humble suppliant.

And when thou hast given it the Emperor,

Knock at my door, and tell me what he says.

CLO.

God be with you, sir, I will.

Exit.

TIT.

Come, Marcus, let us go. Publius, follow me.

Exeunt.

[Scene IV]

Enter Emperor and Empress and her two sons [Demetrius and Chiron, Lords, and others]; the Emperor brings the arrow in his hand that Titus shot at him.

SAT.

Why, lords, what wrongs are these! was ever seen

An emperor in Rome thus overborne,

Troubled, confronted thus, and, for the extent

Of egall justice, us'd in such contempt?

My lords, you know, [as know] the mightful gods,

However these disturbers of our peace

Buzz in the people's ears, there nought hath pass'd,

But even with law, against the willful sons

Of old Andronicus. And what and if

His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits?

Shall we be thus afflicted in his wreaks,

His fits, his frenzy, and his bitterness?

And now he writes to heaven for his redress.

See, here's to Jove, and this to Mercury,

This to Apollo, this to the god of war:

Sweet scrolls to fly about the streets of Rome!

What's this but libelling against the Senate,

And blazoning our unjustice every where?

A goodly humor, is it not, my lords?

As who would say, in Rome no justice were.

But if I live, his feigned ecstasies

Shall be no shelter to these outrages,

But he and his shall know that justice lives

In Saturninus' health, whom, if he sleep,

He'll so awake as he in fury shall

Cut off the proud'st conspirator that lives.

TAM.

My gracious lord, my lovely Saturnine,

Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,

Calm thee, and bear the faults of Titus' age,

Th' effects of sorrow for his valiant sons,

Whose loss hath pierc'd him deep and scarr'd his heart,

And rather comfort his distressed plight

Than prosecute the meanest or the best

For these contempts.

[Aside.]

Why, thus it shall become

High-witted Tamora to gloze with all;

But, Titus, I have touch'd thee to the quick;

Thy life-blood out, if Aaron now be wise,

Then is all safe, the anchor in the port.

Enter Clown.

How now, good fellow, wouldst thou speak with us?

CLO. Yea forsooth, and your mistriship be emperial.

TAM. Empress I am, but yonder sits the Emperor.

CLO. 'Tis he. God and Saint Steven give you godde. I have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.

He [Saturninus] reads the letter.

SAT. Go take him away and hang him presently.

CLO. How much money must I have?

TAM. Come, sirrah, you must be hang'd.

CLO. Hang'd! by' lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end.

Exit [guarded].

SAT.

Despiteful and intolerable wrongs!

Shall I endure this monstrous villainy?

I know from whence this same device proceeds.

May this be borne as if his traitorous sons,

That died by law for murther of our brother,

Have by my means been butchered wrongfully?

Go drag the villain hither by the hair,

Nor age nor honor shall shape privilege;

For this proud mock I'll be thy slaughter-man,

Sly frantic wretch, that holp'st to make me great,

In hope thyself should govern Rome and me.

Enter Nuntius Aemilius.

What news with thee, Aemilius?

AEMIL.

Arm, my lords! Rome never had more cause.

The Goths have gathered head, and with a power

Of high-resolved men, bent to the spoil,

They hither march amain, under conduct

Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus,

Who threats, in course of this revenge, to do

As much as ever Coriolanus did.

SAT.

Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?

These tidings nip me, and I hang the head

As flowers with frost, or grass beat down with storms.

Ay, now begins our sorrows to approach.

'Tis he the common people love so much;

Myself hath often heard them say,

When I have walked like a private man,

That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully,

And they have wish'd that Lucius were their emperor.

TAM.

Why should you fear? is not your city strong?

SAT.

Ay, but the citizens favor Lucius,

And will revolt from me to succor him.

TAM.

King, be thy thoughts imperious, like thy name.

Is the sun dimm'd, that gnats do fly in it?

The eagle suffers little birds to sing,

And is not careful what they mean thereby,

Knowing that with the shadow of his wings

He can at pleasure stint their melody;

Even so mayest thou the giddy men of Rome.

Then cheer thy spirit, for know thou, Emperor,

I will enchant the old Andronicus

With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,

Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep,

When as the one is wounded with the bait,

The other rotted with delicious [feed].

SAT.

But he will not entreat his son for us.

TAM.

If Tamora entreat him, then he will,

For I can smooth and fill his aged ears

With golden promises, that, were his heart

Almost impregnable, his old years deaf,

Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.

[To Aemilius.]

Go thou before, to be our ambassador.

Say that the Emperor requests a parley

Of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting

Even at his father's house, the old Andronicus.

SAT.

Aemilius, do this message honorably,

And if he stand [on] hostage for his safety,

Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.

AEMIL.

Your bidding shall 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, sweet emperor, be blithe again,

And bury all thy fear in my devices.

SAT.

Then go successantly, and plead to him.

Exeunt.

Act V,

[Scene I]

[Flourish.] Enter Lucius with an army of Goths, with Drums and Soldiers.

LUC.

Approved warriors, and my faithful friends,

I have received letters from great Rome

Which signifies what hate they bear their emperor,

And how desirous of our sight they are.

Therefore, great lords, be as your titles witness,

Imperious, and impatient of your wrongs,

And wherein Rome hath done you any scath,

Let him make treble satisfaction.

[1.] GOTH.

Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus,

Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort,

Whose high exploits and honorable 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 flow'red fields,

And be adveng'd on cursed Tamora.

[OTHER GOTHS.]

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 of Aaron with his child in his arms.

[2.] GOTH.

Renowmed Lucius, from our troops I stray'd

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery,

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 controll'd with this discourse:

»Peace, tawny slave, half me and half thy dame.

Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,

Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look,

Villain, thou mightst 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 sake.«

With this, my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him,

Surpris'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 empress' eye,

And here's the base fruit of her burning lust.

Say, wall-ey'd slave, whither wouldst thou convey

This growing image of thy fiend-like face?

Why dost not speak? What, deaf? 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 sire for ever being good.

First hang the child, that he may see it sprawl –

A sight to vex the father's soul withal.

Get me a ladder.

[A ladder brought, which Aaron is made to ascend.]

AAR.

Lucius, save the child

And bear it from me to the Emperess.

If thou do this, I'll show thee wondrous 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 shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.

AAR.

And if it please thee? Why, assure thee, Lucius,

'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak:

For I must talk of murthers, 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 in 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 believest no god:

That granted, how canst 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 vow

By that same god, what god soe'er it be

That thou adorest and hast in reverence,

To save my boy, to 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 Empress.

LUC.

O most insatiate and 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 murdered Bassianus;

They cut thy sister's tongue, and ravish'd her,

And cut her hands, and trimm'd her as thou sawest.

LUC.

O detestable villain, call'st thou that trimming?

AAR.

Why, she was wash'd, and cut, and trimm'd, and 'twas

Trim sport for them which had the doing of it.

LUC.

O barbarous, beastly villains like thyself!

AAR.

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;

I wrote the letter that thy father found,

And hid the gold within that letter mentioned,

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 laughter.

I pried 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 sounded almost at my pleasing tale,

And for my tidings gave me twenty kisses.

[1.] GOTH.

What, canst thou say all this and never blush?

AAR.

Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is.

LUC.

Are 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 haystalks 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' door,

Even when their sorrows 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.«

But 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.

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!

LUC.

Sirs, stop his mouth, and let him speak no more.

Enter Aemilius.

GOTH.

My lord, there is a messenger from Rome

Desires to be admitted to your presence.

LUC.

Let him come near.

Welcome, Aemilius, what's the news from Rome?

AEMIL.

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 delivered.

[1.] GOTH.

What says our general?

LUC.

Aemilius, let the Emperor give his pledges

Unto my father and my uncle Marcus,

And we will come.