Aar. Ay,juft;have it

-a verfe in Horace—right, you

Now, what a thing it is to be an Afs?

Here's no fond jeft; th' old man hath found their guilt,

And fends the weapons wrap'd about with lines,
That wound, beyond their feeling, to the quick:
But were our witty Emprefs well a-foot,

She would applaud Andronicus' conceit :
But let her reft in her unreft a while.

And now, young lords, was't not a happy ftar
Led us to Rome ftrangers, and more than fo,
Captives, to be advanced to this height?
It did me good before the Palace-gate
To brave the Tribune in his Brother's hearing.
Dem. But me more good, to fee fo great a lord
Bafely infinuate, and fend us gifts.

Aar. Had he not reason, lord. Demetrius?
Did you not use his daughter very friendly?
Dem. I would, we had a thousand Roman dames
At fuch a bay, by turn to serve our luft.

Chi. A charitable wish, and full of love.

Aar. Here lacketh but your mother to fay Amen. Chi. And that would she for twenty thousand more. Dem. Come, let us go, and pray to all the Gods For our beloved mother. in her pains.

Aar. Pray to the devils; the Gods have given us [Flourish. Dem. Why do the Emp'ror's trumpets flourish

-over

thus?

Chi. Belike, for joy the Emp'ror bath a son.
Dem. Soft, who comes here?

Enter Nurfe, with a Black-a-moor Chitd.

OOD morrow, lords:

Nur.GO, tell me,

Aar. Well, more or lefs, or ne'er a whit at all, Here Aaron is, and what with Aaron now?

Nur. O gentle Aaron, we are all undone : Now help, or woe betide thee evermore!

Aar. Why, what a caterwauling doft thou keep? What doft thou wrap and fumble in thine arms? Nur. O that which I would hide from heaven's

eye,

Our Emprefs' fhame, and ftately Rome's difgrace..
She is deliver'd, lords, fhe is deliver'd.

Aar. To whom?

Nur. I mean, fhe is brought to bed. Aar. Well, God give her good rest! What hath he fent her?

Nur. A devil.

Aar. Why, then she is the devil's dam: a joyful iffue.

Nur. A joylefs, difmal, black, and forrowful iffue.
Here is the babe, as loathfome as a toad,
Amongst the fairest breeders of our clime.

The Emprefs fends it thee, thy ftamp, thy feal':
And bids thee chriften it with thy dagger's point.
Aar. Out, out, you whore! is black fo bafe a
Hue?

Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous bloffom, fure.
Dem. Villain, what haft thou done?
Aar. That which thou canst not undo.

Chi. Thou haft undone our mother.

Dem. Woe to her chance, and damn'd her loathed choice.

Accurs'd the offspring of fo foul a fiend!

Chi. It fhall not live.

Aar. It fhall not die.

Nur. Aaron, it muft, the Mother wills it fo.
Aar. What, must it, nurse? then let no man but I

Do execution on my flesh and blood.

Dem. I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point: Nurse, give it me, my fword fhall foon difpatch it.

M 3

Aar.

Aar. Sooner this fword fhall plough thy bowels up. Stay, murderous villains, will you kill your brother? Now, by the burning tapers of the sky,

That fhone fo brightly when this boy was got,
He dies upon my Scymitar's fharp point,
That touches this my firft-born fon and heir.
I tell you, Younglings, not Enceladus

With all his threatning band of Typhon's brood,
Nor great Alcides, nor the God of war,

Shall feize this prey out of his father's hands.
What, what, ye fanguine fhallow-hearted boys,
Ye white-lim'd walls, ye ale-house painted figns,
Coal-black is better than another hue:

In that it scorns to bear another hue:
For all the water in the ocean

Can never turn the fwans black legs to white,
Although the lave them hourly in the flood.
Tell the Emprefs from me, I am of age
To keep mine own; excuse it, how the can.
Dem. Wilt thou betray thy noble mistress thus?
Aar. My mistress is my miftrefs; this, myself
The vigour and the picture of my youth.
This, before all the world, do I prefer;
This, maugre all the world, will I keep fafe ;
Or fome of you shall smoke for it in Rome.

Dem. By this our mother is for ever sham'd.
Chi. Rome will defpife her for this foul escape.
Nur. The Emperor in his rage will doom her
death.

Chi. I blufh to think upon this ignominy.

Aar. Why, there's the privilege your beauty bears: Fie, treacherous hue, that will betray with blushing The close enacts and counfels of the heart! Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer, Look, how the black slave smiles upon the father; As who should say, ' Old lad, I am thine own.' He is your brother, lords; fenfibly fed Of that felf-blood, that first gave life to you;

And

And from that womb, where you imprifon'd were,
He is infranchised and come to light:
Nay, he's your brother by the surer side;
Although my feal is ftamped in his face.

Nur. Aaron, what fhall I fay unto the Emprefs?
Dem. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done,
And we will all fubfcribe to thy advice:
Save you the child, fo we may be all fafe.

Aar. Then fit we down, and let us all confult. My fon and I will have the wind of you: Keep there: now talk at pleasure of your fafety. [They fit on the ground. Dem. How many women faw this child of his? Aar. Why, fo, brave lords; when we all join in

league,

I am a lamb: but if you brave the Moor,
The chafed boar, the mountain lioness,
The ocean fwells not fo as Aaron forms:
But fay again, how many faw the child?
Nur. Cornelia the midwife, and myself-
And no one elfe but the deliver'd Empress.

Aar. The Emprefs, the midwife, and yourfelf-
Two may keep counsel, when the third's away:
Go to the Emprefs, tell her, this I faid-[He kills her.
Week,-week!-fo cries a pig, prepar'd to th' fpit.
Dem What mean'ft thou, Aaron? wherefore didst
thou this?

Aar. O lord, Sir, 'tis a deed of policy:
Shall the live to betray this guilt of ours?
A long tongu'd babbling goffip? no, lords, no.
And now be it known to you my full intent:
Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman,
His wife but yefternight was brought to bed,
His child is like to her, fair as you are:
Go pack with him, and give the mother gold,
And tell them both the circumftance of all;
And how by this their child fhall be advanc'd,
And be receiv'd for the Emp'ror's heir,

And fubftituted in the place of mine,

To calm this tempeft whirling in the Court;
And let the Emperor dandle him for his own.
Hark ye, my lords, ye fee, I have given her phyfic;
And you must needs beftow her funeral;

The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms:
This done, fee, that you take no longer days,
But fend the midwife presently to me.
The midwife and the nurfe well made away,
Then let the ladies tattle what they please.
Chi. Aaron, I fee, thou wilt not trust the air
With fecrets.

Dem. For this care of Tamora,
Herfelf and hers are highly bound to thee.

[Exeunt.
Aar. Now to the Goths, as fwift as Swallow flies,
There to difpofe this treafure in my arms,
And fecretly to greet the Emprefs' friends.
Come on, you thick-lip'd flave, I bear you hence,
For it is you that put us to our shifts:

F'll make you feed on berries, and on roots,

And feed on curds and whey, and fuck the goat,
And cabin in a cave; and bring you up
To be a warrior, and command a camp.

[Exit.

Enter Titus, old Marcus, young Lucius, and other Gentlemen with bows; and Titus bears the arrows with letters on the end of them.

Tit.

COME, Marcus, come; kinsmen, this is the

way.

Sir boy, now let me fee your archery.

Look, ye draw home enough, and 'tis there ftraight; Terras Afræa reliquit be you remember'd Mar

cus

She's gone, fhe's fled-Sirs, take you to your tools;

You