AARON.Titus Andronicus, my lord the Emperor Sends thee this word, that, if thou love thy sons, Let Marcus, Lucius, or thyself, old Titus, Or any one of you, chop off your hand And send it to the King: he for the same Will send thee hither both thy sons alive, And that shall be the ransom for their fault.TITUS.O gracious Emperor! O gentle Aaron! Did ever raven sing so like a lark That gives sweet tidings of the sun's uprise? With all my heart I'll send the Emperor my hand.Good Aaron, wilt thou help to chop it off? LUCIUS.Stay, father! for that noble hand of thine, That hath thrown down so many enemies, Shall not be sent.My hand will serve the turn, My youth can better spare my blood than you, And therefore mine shall save my brothers' lives.MARCUS.Which of your hands hath not defended Rome And rear'd aloft the bloody battle-axe, Writing destruction on the enemy's castle? O, none of both but are of high desert! My hand hath been but idle; let it serve To ransom my two nephews from their death; Then have I kept it to a worthy end.AARON.Nay, come, agree whose hand shall go along, For fear they die before their pardon come.MARCUS.My hand shall go.LUCIUS.By heaven, it shall not go! TITUS.Sirs, strive no more; such with'red herbs as these Are meet for plucking up, and therefore mine.LUCIUS.Sweet father, if I shall be thought thy son, Let me redeem my brothers both from death.MARCUS.And for our father's sake and mother's care, Now let me show a brother's love to thee.TITUS.Agree between you; I will spare my hand.LUCIUS.Then I'll go fetch an axe.MARCUS.But I will use the axe.Exeunt LUCIUS and MARCUS TITUS.Come hither, Aaron, I'll deceive them both; Lend me thy hand, and I will give thee mine.AARON.[Aside] If that be call'd deceit, I will be honest, And never whilst I live deceive men so; But I'll deceive you in another sort, And that you'll say ere half an hour pass.[He cuts off TITUS' hand]
Re-enter LUCIUS and MARCUS
TITUS.Now stay your strife.What shall be is dispatch'd.Good Aaron, give his Majesty my hand; Tell him it was a hand that warded him From thousand dangers; bid him bury it.More hath it merited- that let it have.As for my sons, say I account of them As jewels purchas'd at an easyprice; And yet dear too, because I bought mine own.AARON.I go, Andronicus; and for thy hand Look by and by to have thy sons with thee.[Aside] Their heads I mean.O, how this villainy Doth fat me with the very thoughts of it! Let fools do good, and fair men call for grace: Aaron will have his soul black like his face.Exit TITUS.O, here I lift this one hand up to heaven, And bow this feeble ruin to the earth; If any power pities wretched tears, To that I call! [To LAVINIA] What, would'st thou kneel with me? Do, then, dear heart; for heaven shall hear our prayers, Or with our sighs we'll breathe the welkin dim And stain the sun with fog, as sometime clouds When they do hug him in their melting bosoms.MARCUS.O brother, speak with possibility, And do not break into these deep extremes.TITUS.Is not my sorrow deep, having no bottom? Then be my passions bottomless with them.MARCUS.But yet let reason govern thy lament.TITUS.If there were reason for these miseries, Then into limits could I bind my woes.When heaven doth weep, doth not the earth o'erflow? If the winds rage, doth not the sea wax mad, Threat'ning the welkin with his big-swol'n face? And wilt thou have a reason for this coil? I am the sea; hark how her sighs do blow.She is the weeping welkin, I the earth; Then must my sea be moved with her sighs; Then must my earth with her continual tears Become a deluge, overflow'd and drown'd; For why my bowels cannot hide her woes, But like a drunkard must I vomit them.Then give me leave; for losers will have leave To ease their stomachs with their bitter tongues.
Enter a MESSENGER, with two heads and a hand MESSENGER.Worthy Andronicus, ill art thou repaid For that good hand thou sent'st the Emperor.Here are the heads of thy two noble sons; And here's thy hand, in scorn to thee sent back- Thy grief their sports, thy resolution mock'd, That woe is me to think upon thy woes, More than remembrance of my father's death.Exit MARCUS.Now let hot Aetna cool in Sicily, And be my heart an ever-burning hell! These miseries are more than may be borne.To weep with them that weep doth ease some deal, But sorrow flouted at is double death.LUCIUS.Ah, that this sight should make so deep a wound, And yet detested life not shrink thereat! That ever death should let life bear his name, Where life hath no more interest but to breathe! [LAVINIA kissesTITUS] MARCUS.Alas, poor heart, that kiss is comfortless As frozen water to a starved snake.TITUS.When will this fearful slumber have an end? MARCUS.Now farewell, flatt'ry; die, Andronicus.Thou dost not slumber: see thy two sons' heads, Thy warlike hand, thy mangled daughter here; Thy other banish'd son with this dear sight Struck pale and bloodless; and thy brother, I, Even like a stony image, cold and numb.Ah! now no more will I control thy griefs.Rent off thy silver hair, thy other hand Gnawing with thy teeth; and be this dismal sight The closing up of our most wretched eyes.Now is a time to storm; why art thou still? TITUS.Ha, ha, ha! MARCUS.Why dost thou laugh? It fits not with this hour.TITUS.Why, I have not another tear to shed; Besides, this sorrow is an enemy, And would usurp upon my wat'ry eyes And make them blind with tributary tears.Then which way shall I find Revenge's cave? For these two heads do seem to speak to me, And threat me I shall never come to bliss Till all these mischiefs be return'd again Even in their throats that have committed them.Come, let me see what task I have to do.You heavy people, circle me about, That I may turn me to each one of you And swear unto my soul to right your wrongs.The vow is made.Come, brother, take a head, And in this hand the other will I bear.And, Lavinia, thou shalt be employ'd in this; Bear thou my hand, sweet wench, between thy teeth.As for thee, boy, go, get thee from my sight; Thou art an exile, and thou must not stay.Hie to the Goths and raise an army there; And if ye love me, as I think you do, Let's kiss and part, for we have much to do.Exeunt all but Lucius LUCIUS.Farewell, Andronicus, my noble father, The woefull'st man that ever liv'd in Rome.Farewell, proud Rome; till Lucius come again, He leaves his pledges dearer than his life.Farewell, Lavinia, my noble sister; O, would thou wert as thou tofore hast been! But now nor Lucius nor Lavinia lives But in oblivion and hateful griefs.If Lucius live, he will requite your wrongs And make proud Saturnine and his emperess Beg at the gates like Tarquin and his queen.Now will I to the Goths, and raise a pow'r To be reveng'd on Rome and Saturnine.Exit