text stringlengths 0 85 |
|---|
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, sensibly fed |
Of that self-blood that first gave life to you; |
And from your womb where you imprisoned were |
He is enfranchised and come to light. |
Nay, he is your brother by the surer side, |
Although my seal be stamped in his face. |
NURSE. Aaron, what shall I say unto the Empress? |
DEMETRIUS. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done, |
And we will all subscribe to thy advice. |
Save thou the child, so we may all be safe. |
AARON. Then sit we down and let us all consult. |
My son and I will have the wind of you: |
Keep there; now talk at pleasure of your safety. |
[They sit] |
DEMETRIUS. How many women saw this child of his? |
AARON. Why, so, brave lords! When we join in league |
I am a lamb; but if you brave the Moor, |
The chafed boar, the mountain lioness, |
The ocean swells not so as Aaron storms. |
But say, again, how many saw the child? |
NURSE. Cornelia the midwife and myself; |
And no one else but the delivered Empress. |
AARON. The Emperess, the midwife, and yourself. |
Two may keep counsel when the third's away: |
Go to the Empress, tell her this I said. [He kills her] |
Weeke weeke! |
So cries a pig prepared to the spit. |
DEMETRIUS. What mean'st thou, Aaron? Wherefore didst thou this? |
AARON. O Lord, sir, 'tis a deed of policy. |
Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours- |
A long-tongu'd babbling gossip? No, lords, no. |
And now be it known to you my full intent: |
Not far, one Muliteus, my countryman- |
His wife but yesternight 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 circumstance of all, |
And how by this their child shall be advanc'd, |
And be received for the Emperor's heir |
And substituted in the place of mine, |
To calm this tempest whirling in the court; |
And let the Emperor dandle him for his own. |
Hark ye, lords. You see I have given her physic, |
[Pointing to the NURSE] |
And you must needs bestow her funeral; |
The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms. |
This done, see that you take no longer days, |
But send the midwife presently to me. |
The midwife and the nurse well made away, |
Then let the ladies tattle what they please. |
CHIRON. Aaron, I see thou wilt not trust the air |
With secrets. |
DEMETRIUS. For this care of Tamora, |
Herself and hers are highly bound to thee. |
Exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, bearing off the dead NURSE |
AARON. Now to the Goths, as swift as swallow flies, |
There to dispose this treasure in mine arms, |
And secretly to greet the Empress' friends. |
Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you hence; |
For it is you that puts us to our shifts. |
I'll make you feed on berries and on roots, |
And feed on curds and whey, and suck the goat, |
And cabin in a cave, and bring you up |
To be a warrior and command a camp. |
Exit with the CHILD |
SCENE III. |
Rome. A public place |
Enter TITUS, bearing arrows with letters on the ends of them; |
with him MARCUS, YOUNG LUCIUS, and other gentlemen, |
PUBLIUS, SEMPRONIUS, and CAIUS, with bows |
TITUS. Come, Marcus, come; kinsmen, this is the way. |
Sir boy, let me see your archery; |
Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there straight. |
Terras Astrea reliquit, |
Be you rememb'red, Marcus; she's gone, she's fled. |
Sirs, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall |
Go sound the ocean and cast your nets; |
Happily you may catch her in the sea; |
Yet there's as little justice as at land. |
No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it; |
'Tis you must dig with mattock and with spade, |
And pierce the inmost centre of the earth; |
Then, when you come to Pluto's region, |
I pray you deliver him this petition. |
Tell him it is for justice and for aid, |
And that it comes from old Andronicus, |
Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome. |
Ah, Rome! Well, well, I made thee miserable |
What time I threw the people's suffrages |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.