ABSTRACT
The History of Titus Andronicus 39 Revenge on Andronicus, who most opposed her Proceedings, she procured him to be banished 1; but the People, whose Deliverer he had been in their greatest Extremity, calling to mind that, and his many other good Services, rose unanimously in Arms, and went clamouring to the Palace, threatning to fire it, and revenge so base an Indignity on the Queen, if the Decree which had been passed against all Reason was not speedily revoked. This put her and the Emperor into such a Fears, that their Request was granted; and now she plotted by more private Ways to bring the Effects of Revenge and implacable Hatred about more secretly. 2
She had a Moor as revengeful as herself, whom she trusted in many great Affairs and was usually privy to her Secrets, so far that from private Dalliances she grew pregnant, and brought forth a Blackmoor Child: This grived the Emperor extreamly, but she allayed his Anger, by telling him it was conceived by the Force of Imagination, and brought many suborned Women and Physicians to testify the like had often happened. This made the Emperor send the Moor into Banishment, upon pain of Death never to return to Rome; but her Lust, and Confidence she had put in him as the main Engine to bring about her Devilish Designs, made her Plot to have that Decree revoked; when having got the Emperor into a pleasant Humour, she feigned herself sick, telling him withal she had seen a Vision, which commanded her to call back the innocent Moor from Banishment, or she should never recover of that Sickness: The kind good-natur'd Emperor, who could not resist her Tears and Intreaties, with some difficulty consented to it, provided he should be commanded to keep always out of her Sight, lest the like Mischance might happen as had been before: This she seemingly consented to, and he was immediately sent for, and the former Familiarities continued between them, though more privately.
