2134And as I earnestly did fixe mine eye

2135Vpon the wasted building, suddainely

2136I heard a childe cry vnderneath a wall:

2137I made vnto the noyse, when soone I heard,

2138The crying babe control'd with this discourse:

2139Peace Tawny slaue, halfe me, and halfe thy Dam,

2140Did not thy Hue bewray whose brat thou art?

2141Had nature lent thee, but thy Mothers looke,

2142Villaine thou might'st haue bene an Emperour.

2143But where the Bull and Cow are both milk-white,

2144They neuer do beget a cole-blacke-Calfe:

2145Peace, villaine peace, euen thus he rates the babe,

2146For I must beare thee to a trusty Goth,

2147Who when he knowes thou art the Empresse babe,

2148Will hold thee dearely for thy Mothers sake.

2149With this, my weapon drawne I rusht vpon him,

2150Surpriz'd him suddainely, and brought him hither

2151To vse, as you thinke neeedefull of the man.

2152Luci. Oh worthy Goth, this is the incarnate deuill,

2153That rob'd Andronicus of his good hand:

2154This is the Pearle that pleas'd your Empresse eye,

2155And heere's the Base Fruit of his burning lust.

2156Say wall-ey'd slaue, whether would'st thou conuay

2157This growing Image of thy fiend-like face?

2158Why dost not speake? what deafe? Not a word?

2159A halter Souldiers, hang him on this Tree,

2160And by his side his Fruite of Bastardie.

2161Aron. Touch not the Boy, he is of Royall blood.

2162Luci. Too like the Syre for euer being good.

2163First hang the Child that he may see it sprall,

2164A sight to vexe the Fathers soule withall.

2165Aron. Get me a Ladder Lucius, saue the Childe,

2166And beare it from me to the Empresse:

2167If thou do this, Ile shew thee wondrous things,

2168That highly may aduantage thee to heare;

2169If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,

2170Ile speake no more: but vengeance rot you all.

2171Luci. Say on, and if it please me which thou speak'st,

2172Thy child shall liue, and I will see it Nourisht.

2173Aron. And if it please thee? why assure thee Lucius,

2174'Twill vexe thy soule to heare what I shall speake:

2175For I must talke of Murthers, Rapes, and Massacres,

2176Acts of Blacke-night, abhominable Deeds,

2177Complots of Mischiefe, Treason, Villanies

2178Ruthfull to heare, yet pittiously preform'd,

2179And this shall all be buried by my death,

2180Vnlesse thou sweare to me my Childe shall liue.

2181Luci. Tell on thy minde,

2182I say thy Childe shall liue.

2183Aron. Sweare that he shall, and then I will begin.

2184Luci. Who should I sweare by,

2185Thou beleeuest no God,

2186That graunted, how can'st thou beleeue an oath?

2187Aron. What if I do not, as indeed I do not,

2188Yet for I know thou art Religious,

2189And hast a thing within thee, called Conscience,

2190With twenty Popish trickes and Ceremonies,

2191Which I haue seene thee carefull to obserue:

2192Therefore I vrge thy oath, for that I know

2193An Ideot holds his Bauble for a God,

2194And keepes the oath which by that God he sweares,

2195To that Ile vrge him: therefore thou shalt vow

2196By that same God, what God so ere it be

2197That thou adorest, and hast in reuerence,

2198To saue my Boy, to nourish and bring him vp,

2199Ore else I will discouer nought to thee.

2200Luci. Euen by my God I sweare to to thee I will.

2201Aron. First know thou,

2202I begot him on the Empresse.

2203Luci. Oh most Insatiate luxurious woman!

2204Aron. Tut Lucius, this was but a deed of Charitie,

2205To that which thou shalt heare of me anon,

2206'Twas her two Sonnes that murdered Bassianus,

2207They cut thy Sisters tongue, and rauisht her,

2208And cut her hands off, and trim'd her as thou saw'st.

2209Lucius. Oh detestable villaine!

2210Call'st thou that Trimming?

2211Aron. Why she was washt, and cut, and trim'd,

2212And 'twas trim sport for them that had the doing of it.

2213Luci. Oh barbarous beastly villaines like thyselfe!

2214Aron. Indeede, I was their Tutor to instruct them,

2215That Codding spirit had they from their Mother,

2216As sure a Card as euer wonne the Set:

2217That bloody minde I thinke they learn'd of me,

2218As true a Dog as euer fought at head.

2219Well, let my Deeds be witnesse of my worth:

2220I trayn'd thy Bretheren to that guilefull Hole,

2221Where the dead Corps of Bassianus lay:

2222I wrote the Letter, that thy Father found,

2223And hid the Gold within the Letter mention'd.

2224Confederate with the Queene, and her two Sonnes,

2225And what not done, that thou hast cause to rue,

2226Wherein I had no stroke of Mischeife in it.

2227I play'd the Cheater for thy Fathers hand,

2228And when I had it, drew myselfe apart,

2229And almost broke my heart with extreame laughter.

2230I pried me through the Creuice of a Wall,

2231When for his hand, he had his two Sonnes heads,

2232Beheld his teares, and laught so hartily,

2233That both mine eyes were rainie like to his:

2234And when I told the Empresse of this sport,

2235She sounded almost at my pleasing tale,

2236And for my tydings, gaue me twenty kisses.

2237Goth. What canst thou say all this, and neuer blush?

2238Aron. I, like a blacke Dogge, as the saying is.

2239Luci. Art thou not sorry for these hainous deedes?

2240Aron. I, that I had not done a thousand more:

2241Euen now I curse the day, and yet I thinke

2242Few come within few compasse of my curse,

2243Wherein I did not some Notorious ill,

2244As kill a man, or else deuise his death,

2245Rauish a Maid, or plot the way to do it,

2246Accuse some Innocent, and forsweare myselfe,

2247Set deadly Enmity betweene two Friends,

2248Make poore mens Cattell breake their neckes,

2249Set fire on Barnes and Haystackes in the night,

2250And bid the Owners quench them with the teares:

2251Oft haue I dig'd vp dead men from their graues,

2252And set them vpright at their deere Friends doore,

2253Euen when their sorrowes almost was forgot,

2254And on their skinnes, as on the Barke of Trees,

2255Haue with my knife carued in Romaine Letters,

2256Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead.

2257Tut, I haue done a thousand dreadfull things

2258As willingly, as one would kill a Fly,

2259And nothing greeues me hartily indeede,

2260But that I cannot doe ten thousand more.

2261Luci. Bring downe the diuell, for he must not die

2262So sweet a death as hanging presently.

2263Aron. If there be diuels, would I were a deuill,

2264To liue and burne in euerlasting fire,

2265So I might haue your company in hell,