Rome. Before the Palace. | |
| |
Enter AARON. | |
| Aar. Now climbeth Tamora Olympus’ top, | |
| Safe out of Fortune’s shot; and sits aloft, | 4 |
| Secure of thunder’s crack or lightning flash, | |
| Advanc’d above pale envy’s threat’ning reach. | |
| As when the golden sun salutes the morn, | |
| And, having gilt the ocean with his beams, | 8 |
| Gallops the zodiac in his glistering coach; | |
| And overlooks the highest-peering hills; | |
| So Tamora. | |
| Upon her wit doth earthly honour wait | 12 |
| And virtue stoops and trembles at her frown. | |
| Then, Aaron, arm thy heart, and fit thy thoughts | |
| To mount aloft with thy imperial mistress, | |
| And mount her pitch, whom thou in triumph long | 16 |
| Hast prisoner held, fetter’d in amorous chains, | |
| And faster bound to Aaron’s charming eyes | |
| Than is Prometheus tied to Caucasus. | |
| Away with slavish weeds and servile thoughts! | 20 |
| I will be bright, and shine in pearl and gold, | |
| To wait upon this new-made empress. | |
| To wait, said I? to wanton with this queen, | |
| This goddess, this Semiramis, this nymph, | 24 |
| This siren, that will charm Rome’s Saturnine, | |
| And see his ship wrack and his commonweal’s. | |
| Holla! what storm is this? | |
| |
Enter DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, braving. | 28 |
| Dem. Chiron, thy years want wit, thy wit wants edge | |
| And manners, to intrude where I am grac’d, | |
| And may, for aught thou know’st, affected be. | |
| Chi. Demetrius, thou dost over-ween in all | 32 |
| And so in this, to bear me down with braves. | |
| ’Tis not the difference of a year or two | |
| Makes me less gracious or thee more fortunate: | |
| I am as able and as fit as thou | 36 |
| To serve, and to deserve my mistress’ grace; | |
| And that my sword upon thee shall approve, | |
| And plead my passions for Lavinia’s love. | |
| Aar. Clubs, clubs! these lovers will not keep the peace. | 40 |
| Dem. Why, boy, although our mother, unadvis’d, | |
| Gave you a dancing-rapier by your side, | |
| Are you so desperate grown, to threat your friends? | |
| Go to; have your lath glu’d within your sheath | 44 |
| Till you know better how to handle it. | |
| Chi. Meanwhile, sir, with the little skill I have, | |
| Full well shalt thou perceive how much I dare. | |
| Dem. Ay, boy, grow ye so brave? [They draw. | 48 |
| Aar. Why, how now, lords! | |
| So near the emperor’s palace dare you draw, | |
| And maintain such a quarrel openly? | |
| Full well I wot the ground of all this grudge: | 52 |
| I would not for a million of gold | |
| The cause were known to them it most concerns; | |
| Nor would your noble mother for much more | |
| Be so dishonour’d in the court of Rome. | 56 |
| For shame, put up. | |
| Dem. Not I, till I have sheath’d | |
| My rapier in his bosom, and withal | |
| Thrust those reproachful speeches down his throat | 60 |
| That he hath breath’d in my dishonour here. | |
| Chi. For that I am prepar’d and full resolv’d, | |
| Foul-spoken coward, that thunder’st with thy tongue, | |
| And with thy weapon nothing dar’st perform! | 64 |
| Aar. Away, I say! | |
| Now, by the gods that war-like Goths adore, | |
| This petty brabble will undo us all. | |
| Why, lords, and think you not how dangerous | 68 |
| It is to jet upon a prince’s right? | |
| What! is Lavinia then become so loose, | |
| Or Bassianus so degenerate, | |
| That for her love such quarrels may be broach’d | 72 |
| Without controlment, justice, or revenge? | |
| Young lords, beware! an should the empress know | |
| This discord’s ground, the music would not please. | |
| Chi. I care not, I, knew she and all the world: | 76 |
| I love Lavinia more than all the world. | |
| Dem. Youngling, learn thou to make some meaner choice: | |
| Lavinia is thine elder brother’s hope. | |
| Aar. Why, are ye mad? or know ye not in Rome | 80 |
| How furious and impatient they be, | |
| And cannot brook competitors in love? | |
| I tell you, lords, you do but plot your deaths | |
| By this device. | 84 |
| Chi. Aaron, a thousand deaths | |
| Would I propose, to achieve her whom I love. | |
| Aar. To achieve her! how? | |
| Dem. Why mak’st thou it so strange? | 88 |
| She is a woman, therefore may be woo’d; | |
| She is a woman, therefore may be won; | |
| She is Lavinia, therefore must be lov’d. | |
| What, man! more water glideth by the mill | 92 |
| Than wots the miller of; and easy it is | |
| Of a cut loaf to steal a shive, we know: | |
| Though Bassianus be the emperor’s brother, | |
| Better than he have worn Vulcan’s badge. | 96 |
| Aar. [Aside.] Ay, and as good as Saturninus may. | |
| Dem. Then why should he despair that knows to court it | |
| With words, fair looks, and liberality? | |
| What! hast thou not full often struck a doe, | 100 |
| And borne her cleanly by the keeper’s nose? | |
| Aar. Why, then, it seems, some certain snatch or so | |
| Would serve your turns. | |
| Chi. Ay, so the turn were serv’d. | 104 |
| Dem. Aaron, thou hast hit it. | |
| Aar. Would you had hit it too! | |
| Then should not we be tir’d with this ado. | |
| Why, hark ye, hark ye! and are you such fools | 108 |
| To square for this? Would it offend you then | |
| That both should speed? | |
| Chi. Faith, not me. | |
| Dem. Nor me, so I were one. | 112 |
| Aar. For shame, be friends, and join for that you jar: | |
| ’Tis policy and stratagem must do | |
| That you affect; and so must you resolve, | |
| That what you cannot as you would achieve, | 116 |
| You must perforce accomplish as you may. | |
| Take this of me: Lucrece was not more chaste | |
| Than this Lavinia, Bassianus’ love. | |
| A speedier course than lingering languishment | 120 |
| Must we pursue, and I have found the path. | |
| My lords, a solemn hunting is in hand; | |
| There will the lovely Roman ladies troop: | |
| The forest walks are wide and spacious, | 124 |
| And many unfrequented plots there are | |
| Fitted by kind for rape and villany: | |
| Single you thither then this dainty doe, | |
| And strike her home by force, if not by words: | 128 |
| This way, or not at all, stand you in hope. | |
| Come, come, our empress, with her sacred wit | |
| To villany and vengeance consecrate, | |
| Will we acquaint with all that we intend; | 132 |
| And she shall file our engines with advice, | |
| That will not suffer you to square yourselves, | |
| But to your wishes’ height advance you both. | |
| The emperor’s court is like the house of Fame, | 136 |
| The palace full of tongues, of eyes, and ears: | |
| The woods are ruthless, dreadful, deaf, and dull; | |
| There speak, and strike, brave boys, and take your turns; | |
| There serve your lusts, shadow’d from heaven’s eye, | 140 |
| And revel in Lavinia’s treasury. | |
| Chi. Thy counsel, lad, smells of no cowardice. | |
| Dem. Sit fas aut nefas, till I find the stream | |
| To cool this heat, a charm to calm these fits, | 144 |
| Per Styga, per manes vehor. [Exeunt. | |
