Titus Andronicus & Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare Read Free Book Online Page B

found their guilt,
    And sends them weapons wrapped about with lines
    That wound beyond their feeling to the quick. 28
    But were our witty empress well afoot 29
    She would applaud Andronicus’ conceit: 30
    But let her rest in her unrest 31 awhile.—
    To Chiron and Demetrius
    And now, young lords, was’t not a happy 32 star
    Led us to Rome, strangers, and more than so,
    Captives, to be advancèd to this height?
    It did me good before the palace gate
    To brave 36 the tribune in his brother’s hearing.
    DEMETRIUS     But me more good to see so great a lord
    Basely insinuate 38 and send us gifts.
    AARON     Had he not reason, Lord Demetrius?
    Did you not use his daughter very friendly? 40
    DEMETRIUS     I would we had a thousand Roman dames
    At such a bay , by turn to serve 42 our lust.
    CHIRON     A charitable wish and full of love.
    AARON     Here lacks but your mother for to say ‘Amen’.
    CHIRON     And that would she for twenty thousand more. 45
    DEMETRIUS     Come, let us go; and pray to all the gods
    For our belovèd mother in her pains.
    Aside?
    AARON     Pray to the devils: the gods have given us over.
    Flourish
    DEMETRIUS     Why do the emperor’s trumpets flourish thus?
    CHIRON      Belike 50 for joy the emperor hath a son.
    DEMETRIUS     Soft, who comes here?
    Enter Nurse with a blackamoor child
    The child hidden in her arms
    NURSE     Good morrow, lords.
    O, tell me, did you see Aaron the Moor?
    AARON     Well, more or less, or ne’er a whit 54 at all:
    Here Aaron is, and what 55 with Aaron now?
    NURSE     O gentle Aaron, we are all undone. 56
    Now help, or woe betide thee evermore!
    AARON     Why, what a caterwauling dost thou keep!
    What dost thou wrap and fumble in thine arms?
    NURSE     O, that which I would hide from heaven’s eye,
    Our empress’ shame and stately Rome’s disgrace!
    She is delivered, lords, she is delivered.
    AARON     To whom?
    NURSE     I mean, she is brought abed.
    AARON     Well, God give her good rest! What hath he sent her?
    NURSE     A devil.
    AARON     Why, then she is the devil’s dam: a joyful issue. 67
    NURSE     A joyless, dismal, black, and sorrowful issue:
    Here is the babe, as loathsome as a toad
    Amongst the fair-faced breeders of our clime. 70
    The empress sends it thee, thy stamp, thy seal, 71
    And bids thee christen it with thy dagger’s point.
    AARON     Out, you whore! Is black so base a hue?—
    To the child
    Sweet blowse 74 , you are a beauteous blossom, sure.
    DEMETRIUS     Villain, what hast thou done?
    AARON     That which thou canst not undo.
    CHIRON     Thou hast undone our mother.
    AARON     Villain, I have done 78 thy mother.
    DEMETRIUS     And therein, hellish dog, thou hast undone.
    Woe to her chance 80 , and damned her loathèd choice,
    Accursed the offspring of so foul a fiend.
    CHIRON     It shall not live.
    AARON     It shall not die.
    NURSE     Aaron, it must: the mother wills it so.
    AARON     What, must it, nurse? Then let no man but I
    Do execution on my flesh and blood.
    DEMETRIUS     I’ll broach 87 the tadpole on my rapier’s point.
    Nurse, give it me: my sword shall soon dispatch it.
    Draws his sword and takes the child
    AARON     Sooner this sword shall plough thy bowels up.
    Stay, murderous villains! Will you kill your brother?
    Now, by the burning tapers of the sky,
    That shone so brightly when this boy was got, 92
    He dies upon my scimitar’s sharp point
    That touches this my first-born son and heir.
    I tell you, younglings, not Enceladus 95
    With all his threat’ning band of Typhon’s 96 brood,
    Nor great Alcides , nor the god of war, 97
    Shall seize this prey out of his father’s hands.
    What, what, ye sanguine 99 , shallow-hearted boys!
    Ye white-limed walls, ye