The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 518

AARON. He that had wit would think that I had none, To bury so much gold under a tree And never after to inherit it.

Let him that thinks of me so abjectly Know that this gold must coin a stratagem, Which, cunningly effected, will beget A very excellent piece of villainy.

And so repose, sweet gold, for their unrest [Hides the gold]

That have their alms out of the Empress' chest.

Enter TAMORA alone, to the Moor

TAMORA. My lovely Aaron, wherefore look'st thou sad When everything does make a gleeful boast?

The birds chant melody on every bush; The snakes lie rolled in the cheerful sun; The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind And make a chequer'd shadow on the ground; Under their sweet shade, Aaron, let us sit, And while the babbling echo mocks the hounds, Replying shrilly to the well-tun'd horns, As if a double hunt were heard at once, Let us sit down and mark their yellowing noise; And- after conflict such as was suppos'd The wand'ring prince and Dido once enjoyed, When with a happy storm they were surpris'd, And curtain'd with a counsel-keeping cave- We may, each wreathed in the other's arms, Our pastimes done, possess a golden slumber, Whiles hounds and horns and sweet melodious birds Be unto us as is a nurse's song Of lullaby to bring her babe asleep.

AARON. Madam, though Venus govern your desires, Saturn is dominator over mine.

What signifies my deadly-standing eye, My silence and my cloudy melancholy, My fleece of woolly hair that now uncurls Even as an adder when she doth unroll To do some fatal execution?

No, madam, these are no venereal signs.

Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand, Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.

Hark, Tamora, the empress of my soul, Which never hopes more heaven than rests in thee- This is the day of doom for Ba.s.sia.n.u.s; His Philomel must lose her tongue to-day, Thy sons make pillage of her chast.i.ty, And wash their hands in Ba.s.sia.n.u.s' blood.

Seest thou this letter? Take it up, I pray thee, And give the King this fatal-plotted scroll.

Now question me no more; we are espied.

Here comes a parcel of our hopeful booty, Which dreads not yet their lives' destruction.

Enter Ba.s.sIa.n.u.s and LAVINIA

TAMORA. Ah, my sweet Moor, sweeter to me than life!

AARON. No more, great Empress: Ba.s.sia.n.u.s comes.

Be cross with him; and I'll go fetch thy sons To back thy quarrels, whatsoe'er they be. Exit Ba.s.sIa.n.u.s. Who have we here? Rome's royal Emperess, Unfurnish'd of her well-beseeming troop?

Or is it Dian, habited like her, Who hath abandoned her holy groves To see the general hunting in this forest?

TAMORA. Saucy controller of my private steps!

Had I the pow'r that some say Dian had, Thy temples should be planted presently With horns, as was Actaeon's; and the hounds Should drive upon thy new-transformed limbs, Unmannerly intruder as thou art!

LAVINIA. Under your patience, gentle Emperess, 'Tis thought you have a goodly gift in horning, And to be doubted that your Moor and you Are singled forth to try thy experiments.

Jove s.h.i.+eld your husband from his hounds to-day!

'Tis pity they should take him for a stag.

Ba.s.sIa.n.u.s. Believe me, Queen, your swarth Cimmerian Doth make your honour of his body's hue, Spotted, detested, and abominable.

Why are you sequest'red from all your train, Dismounted from your snow-white goodly steed, And wand'red hither to an obscure plot, Accompanied but with a barbarous Moor, If foul desire had not conducted you?

LAVINIA. And, being intercepted in your sport, Great reason that my n.o.ble lord be rated For sauciness. I pray you let us hence, And let her joy her raven-coloured love; This valley fits the purpose pa.s.sing well.

Ba.s.sIa.n.u.s. The King my brother shall have notice of this.

LAVINIA. Ay, for these slips have made him noted long.

Good king, to be so mightily abused!

TAMORA. Why, I have patience to endure all this.

Enter CHIRON and DEMETRIUS

DEMETRIUS. How now, dear sovereign, and our gracious mother!

Why doth your Highness look so pale and wan?

TAMORA. Have I not reason, think you, to look pale?

These two have 'ticed me hither to this place.

A barren detested vale you see it is: The trees, though summer, yet forlorn and lean, Overcome with moss and baleful mistletoe; Here never s.h.i.+nes the sun; here nothing breeds, Unless the nightly owl or fatal raven.

And when they show'd me this abhorred pit, They told me, here, at dead time of the night, A thousand fiends, a thousand hissing snakes, Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins, Would make such fearful and confused cries As any mortal body hearing it Should straight fall mad or else die suddenly.

No sooner had they told this h.e.l.lish tale But straight they told me they would bind me here Unto the body of a dismal yew, And leave me to this miserable death.

And then they call'd me foul adulteress, Lascivious Goth, and all the bitterest terms That ever ear did hear to such effect; And had you not by wondrous fortune come, This vengeance on me had they executed.

Revenge it, as you love your mother's life, Or be ye not henceforth call'd my children.

DEMETRIUS. This is a witness that I am thy son.

[Stabs Ba.s.sIa.n.u.s]

CHIRON. And this for me, struck home to show my strength.

[Also stabs]

LAVINIA. Ay, come, Semiramis- nay, barbarous Tamora, For no name fits thy nature but thy own!

TAMORA. Give me the poniard; you shall know, my boys, Your mother's hand shall right your mother's wrong.

DEMETRIUS. Stay, madam, here is more belongs to her; First thrash the corn, then after burn the straw.

This minion stood upon her chast.i.ty, Upon her nuptial vow, her loyalty, And with that painted hope braves your mightiness; And shall she carry this unto her grave?

CHIRON. An if she do, I would I were an eunuch.

Drag hence her husband to some secret hole, And make his dead trunk pillow to our l.u.s.t.

TAMORA. But when ye have the honey we desire, Let not this wasp outlive, us both to sting.

CHIRON. I warrant you, madam, we will make that sure.

Come, mistress, now perforce we will enjoy That nice-preserved honesty of yours.

LAVINIA. O Tamora! thou bearest a woman's face- TAMORA. I will not hear her speak; away with her!

LAVINIA. Sweet lords, entreat her hear me but a word.

DEMETRIUS. Listen, fair madam: let it be your glory To see her tears; but be your heart to them As unrelenting flint to drops of rain.

LAVINIA. When did the tiger's young ones teach the dam?

O, do not learn her wrath- she taught it thee; The milk thou suck'dst from her did turn to marble, Even at thy teat thou hadst thy tyranny.

Yet every mother breeds not sons alike: [To CHIRON] Do thou entreat her show a woman's pity.

CHIRON. What, wouldst thou have me prove myself a b.a.s.t.a.r.d?

LAVINIA. 'Tis true, the raven doth not hatch a lark.

Yet have I heard- O, could I find it now!- The lion, mov'd with pity, did endure To have his princely paws par'd all away.

Some say that ravens foster forlorn children, The whilst their own birds famish in their nests; O, be to me, though thy hard heart say no, Nothing so kind, but something pitiful!

TAMORA. I know not what it means; away with her!

LAVINIA. O, let me teach thee! For my father's sake, That gave thee life when well he might have slain thee, Be not obdurate, open thy deaf ears.

TAMORA. Hadst thou in person ne'er offended me, Even for his sake am I pitiless.

Remember, boys, I pour'd forth tears in vain To save your brother from the sacrifice; But fierce Andronicus would not relent.

Therefore away with her, and use her as you will; The worse to her the better lov'd of me.

LAVINIA. O Tamora, be call'd a gentle queen, And with thine own hands kill me in this place!

For 'tis not life that I have begg'd so long; Poor I was slain when Ba.s.sia.n.u.s died.

TAMORA. What beg'st thou, then? Fond woman, let me go.

LAVINIA. 'Tis present death I beg; and one thing more, That womanhood denies my tongue to tell: O, keep me from their worse than killing l.u.s.t, And tumble me into some loathsome pit, Where never man's eye may behold my body; Do this, and be a charitable murderer.

TAMORA. So should I rob my sweet sons of their fee; No, let them satisfy their l.u.s.t on thee.

DEMETRIUS. Away! for thou hast stay'd us here too long.

LAVINIA. No grace? no womanhood? Ah, beastly creature, The blot and enemy to our general name!

Confusion fall- CHIRON. Nay, then I'll stop your mouth. Bring thou her husband.

This is the hole where Aaron bid us hide him.

DEMETRIUS throws the body of Ba.s.sIa.n.u.s into the pit; then exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, dragging off LAVINIA

TAMORA. Farewell, my sons; see that you make her sure.

Ne'er let my heart know merry cheer indeed Till all the Andronici be made away.

Now will I hence to seek my lovely Moor, And let my spleenful sons this trull deflower. Exit

Re-enter AARON, with two of t.i.tUS' sons, QUINTUS and MARTIUS

AARON. Come on, my lords, the better foot before; Straight will I bring you to the loathsome pit Where I espied the panther fast asleep.

QUINTUS. My sight is very dull, whate'er it bodes.

MARTIUS. And mine, I promise you; were it not for shame, Well could I leave our sport to sleep awhile.

[Falls into the pit]

QUINTUS. What, art thou fallen? What subtle hole is this, Whose mouth is covered with rude-growing briers, Upon whose leaves are drops of new-shed blood As fresh as morning dew distill'd on flowers?