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 ravished her, And cut her hands, and trimmed her as thou saw'st. Luc. O detestable villain! call'st thou that trimming? Aar. Why, she was washed, and cut, and trimmed; and 'twas Trim sport for them that had the doing of it. Luc. O barbarous, beastly villains, like thyself! That bloody mind, I think, they learned of me, I played the cheater for thy father's hand; 2 Goth. What! canst thou say all this, and never blush? Aar. Ay, like a black dog, as the saying is. 1 An allusion to bull-dogs; whose generosity and courage are always shown by meeting the bull in front. 2 The verb to swound, which we now write swoon, was anciently in common use. Luc. Art 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 haystacks in the night, And bid the owners quench them with their tears. Oft have I digged 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, 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. 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 a Goth. Goth. My lord, there is a messenger from Rome Desires to be admitted to your presence. Luc. Let him come near. Enter EMILIUS. Welcome, Æmilius; what's the news from Rome? Emil. Lord Lucius, and you princes of the Goths, The Roman emperor greets you all by me; Luc. Emilius, let the emperor give his pledges Unto my father and my uncle Marcus, And we will come.-March away.1 [Exeunt. SCENE II. Rome. Before Titus's House. Enter TAMORA, CHIRON, and DEMETRIUS, disguised. And say, Enter TITUS, above. [They knock. Tit. Who doth molest my contemplation? Tam. Titus, I am come to talk with thee. Thou hast the odds of me, therefore no more. Tam. If thou didst know me, thou wouldst talk with me. 1 Perhaps this is a stage direction crept into the text. Tit. I am not mad; I know thee well enough. Witness this wretched stump, witness these crimson lines; Witness these trenches, made by grief and care; Tam. Know thou, sad man, I am not Tamora; I am Revenge; sent from the infernal kingdom, Where bloody murder, or detested rape, Can couch for fear, but I will find them out; Tit. Art thou Revenge? and art thou sent to me To be a torment to mine enemies? Tam. I am; therefore come down and welcome me. Tit. Do me some service, ere I come to thee. And day by day I'll do this heavy task, So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there. 2 Tam. These are my ministers, and come with me. Tit. Are them thy ministers? what are they called? Tam. Rapine and Murder; therefore called so, 'Cause they take vengeance of such kind of men. Tit. Good lord, how like the empress' sons they are! And you the empress! But we worldly men Have miserable, mad, mistaking eyes. O sweet Revenge, now do I come to thee; And, if one arm's embracement will content thee, [Exit TITUS, from above. Enter TITUS. Tit. Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee. 1 Rape and rapine appear to have been sometimes used, anciently, as synonymous terins. 2 Similar violations of syntax, according to modern notions, are not unfrequent in our elder writers. |