Titus Andronicus & Timon of Athens (14 page)

News, news from heaven! Marcus, the
post
⁷⁸
is come.—

Sirrah, what tidings? Have you any letters?

Shall I have justice? What says Jupiter?

CLOWN
    Ho, the
gibbet-maker
! He says that he hath
taken
⁸¹

them down again, for the man must not be hanged till the

next week.

TITUS
    But what says Jupiter, I ask thee?

CLOWN
    Alas, sir, I know not Jupiter: I never drank with him

in all my life.

TITUS
    Why, villain, art not thou the
carrier?
⁸⁷

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

TITUS
    Why, didst thou not come from heaven?

CLOWN
    From heaven? Alas, sir, I never came there: God

forbid I should be so bold to
press
⁹¹
to heaven in my young

days. Why, I am going with my pigeons to the
tribunal plebs
⁹²

to
take up
⁹³
a matter of brawl betwixt my uncle and one of the

emperial’s
⁹⁴
men.

MARCUS
    Why, sir, that is as fit as can be to serve for

your
oration
⁹⁶
, and let him deliver the pigeons to the emperor

from you.

TITUS
    Tell me, can you deliver an oration to the emperor

with a grace?
⁹⁹

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

TITUS
    Sirrah, come hither: make no more
ado,
¹⁰¹

But give your pigeons to the emperor.

By me thou shalt have justice at his hands.

Hold
, hold — meanwhile here’s money for thy
charges.
¹⁰⁴

Give me pen and ink.

Sirrah, can you with a grace deliver a
supplication?
¹⁰⁶

CLOWN
    Ay, sir.

TITUS
    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
¹¹¹
your reward. I’ll be at hand, sir: see you do it

bravely.
¹¹²

CLOWN
    I warrant you, sir,
let me alone.
¹¹³

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

Here, Marcus, fold it in the oration—

For thou must take it like an humble suppliant.

And when thou hast given it the emperor,

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

CLOWN
    God be with you, sir. I will.

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

SATURNINUS
    Why, lords, what wrongs are these? Was ever seen

An emperor in Rome thus
overborne,
²

Troubled, confronted thus, and
for the extent
³

Of equal justice, used in such contempt?

My lords, you know, as know the
mightful
⁵
gods,

However these disturbers of our peace

Buzz in the people’s ears, there nought hath
passed
⁷

But
even
⁸
with law against the wilful sons

Of old Andronicus. And what an if

His sorrows have so overwhelmed his wits,

Shall we be thus afflicted in his
wreaks,
¹¹

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
¹⁸
our injustice everywhere?

A goodly
humour
¹⁹
, is it not, my lords?

As who would say, in Rome no justice were.

But if I live, his feignèd ecstasies

Shall be no shelter to these outrages,

But he and his shall know that justice lives

In Saturninus’ health, whom, if
she
²⁴
sleep,

He’ll so awake as she in fury shall

Cut off the proud’st conspirator that lives.

TAMORA
    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 pierced him deep and scarred his heart;

And rather comfort his distressèd plight

Than prosecute the
meanest
³³
or the best

For these contempts.— Why, thus it shall become

High-witted
Tamora to
gloze
withal.
³⁵

But, Titus, I have touched thee to the quick,

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

Then is all safe, the anchor’s in the port.—

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

CLOWN
    Yea,
forsooth
⁴⁰
, an your mistership be emperial.

TAMORA
    Empress I am, but yonder sits the emperor.

CLOWN
    ’Tis he. God and Saint Stephen give you
good e’en
⁴²
. I

have brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons here.

SATURNINUS
    Go, take him away and hang him presently.

CLOWN
    How much money
must I
⁴⁵
have?

TAMORA
    Come, sirrah, you must be hanged.

CLOWN
    Hanged?
By’r lady
, then I have
brought up
a
neck
⁴⁷
to

a fair
end.
⁴⁸

SATURNINUS
    Despiteful and intolerable wrongs!

Shall I endure this monstrous villainy?

I know from whence this same
device
⁵¹
proceeds.

May this be borne as if his traitorous sons,

That died by law for murder of our brother,

Have by my means been butchered wrongfully?

Go, drag the villain hither by the hair:

Nor age nor honour shall
shape privilege.
⁵⁶

For this proud mock I’ll be thy
slaughterman,
⁵⁷

Sly
frantic
wretch that
holp’st
⁵⁸
to make me great

In hope thyself should govern Rome and me.

What news with thee, Emillius?

EMILLIUS
    Arm, my lords! Rome never had more cause:

The Goths have
gathered head
, and with a
power
⁶²

Of high-resolvèd men
bent to the spoil
⁶³

They hither march
amain
, under
conduct
⁶⁴

Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus,

Who threats in course of this revenge to do

As much as ever
Coriolanus
⁶⁷
did.

SATURNINUS
    Is warlike Lucius general of the Goths?

These tidings
nip me
⁶⁹
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
walkèd like a private man,
⁷⁴

That Lucius’ banishment was
wrongfully,
⁷⁵

And they have wished that Lucius were their emperor.

TAMORA
    Why should you fear? Is not our city strong?

SATURNINUS
    Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius,

And will revolt from me to succour him.

TAMORA
    King, be thy thoughts imperious, like
thy name.
⁸⁰

Is the sun dimmed, that gnats do fly in it?

The eagle
suffers
⁸²
little birds to sing,

And
is not careful
⁸³
what they mean thereby,

Knowing that with the shadow of his wings

He can at pleasure
stint
⁸⁵
their melody:

Even so mayst thou the
giddy
⁸⁶
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
⁹⁰
to sheep,

When as the one is wounded with the bait,

The other
rotted
⁹²
with delicious food.

SATURNINUS
    But he will not entreat his son for us.

TAMORA
    If Tamora entreat him, then he will,

For I can
smooth
⁹⁵
and fill his agèd ear

With golden promises that, were his heart

Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf,

Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.

Go thou before to be our ambassador:

Say that the emperor requests a
parley
¹⁰⁰

Of warlike Lucius, and
appoint
¹⁰¹
the meeting

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

SATURNINUS
    Emillius, do this message honourably:

And if he
stand in
¹⁰⁴
hostage for his safety,

Bid him demand what pledge will please him best.

EMILLIUS
    Your bidding shall I do
effectually.
¹⁰⁶

TAMORA
    Now will I to that old Andronicus,

And
temper
¹⁰⁸
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.

SATURNINUS
    Then go
successantly
¹¹²
, and plead to him.

LUCIUS
    
Approvèd
¹
warriors and my faithful friends,

I have receivèd 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,
⁵

Imperious and impatient of your wrongs,

And wherein Rome hath done you any
scathe
⁷

Let him make treble satisfaction.

FIRST GOTH
    Brave
slip
⁹
sprung from the great Andronicus,

Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort,

Whose high exploits and honourable deeds

Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,

Be
bold
¹³
in us. We’ll follow where thou lead’st,

Like stinging bees in hottest summer’s day

Led by their
master
¹⁵
to the flowered fields,

And be avenged on cursèd Tamora.

ALL THE GOTHS
    And as he saith, so say we all with him.

LUCIUS
    I humbly thank him, and I thank you all.

But who comes here, led by a
lusty
¹⁹
Goth?

SECOND GOTH
    Renownèd Lucius, from our troops I strayed

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery,

And as I
earnestly
²²
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
controlled
²⁶
with this discourse:

‘Peace,
tawny
²⁷
slave, half me and half thy dam!

Did not thy hue
bewray
whose
brat
²⁸
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
³³
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 rushed upon him,

Surprised him suddenly, and brought him hither

To
use as you think needful of the man.
³⁹

LUCIUS
    O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil

That robbed Andronicus of his good hand,

This is the
pearl that pleased your empress’ eye,
⁴²

And here’s the base
fruit
⁴³
of his burning lust.—