those whose Chrisis is as yours Your Artiers which alongst the vaines conuey The liuely spirits which the heart ingenders Are partcht and void of spirit that the soule Wanting those Organnons by which it mooues Can not indure by argument of art Yet if your maiesty may escape this day No doubt but you shal soone recouer all tam. Then will I comfort all my vital parts And liue in spight of death aboue a day Alarme within Mess. My Lord yong Callapine that lately fled from your maiesty hath nowe gathered a fresh Armie and hearing your absence in the field offers to set vpon vs presently Tam. See my Phisitions now how Ioue hath sent A present medicince to recure my paine My looks shall make them flie and might I follow There should not one of all the villaines power Liue to giue offer of another fight Vsum. I ioy my Lord your highnesse is so strong That can endure so well your royall presence Which onely will dismay the enemy Tam. I know it wil Casane draw you slaues In spight of death I will goe show my face Alarme Tam. goes in and comes out againe with al the rest Thus are the villaines cowards fled for feare Like Summers vapours vanisht by the Sun And could I but a while pursue the field That Callapine should be my slaue againe But I perceiue my martial strength is spent In vaine I striue and raile against those powers That meane t' inuest me in a higher throne As much too high for this disdainfull earth Giue me a Map then let me see how much Is left for me to conquer all the world That these my boies may finish all my wantes One brings a Map Here I began to martch towards Persea Along Armenia and the Caspian sea And thence vnto Bythinia where I tooke The Turke and his great Empresse priseners Then martcht I into Egypt and Arabia And here not far from Alexandria Whereas the Terren and the red sea meet Being distant lesse than stil a hundred leagues I meant to cut a channell to them both That men might quickly saile to India From thence to Nubia neere Borno Lake And so along the Ethiopian sea Cutting the Tropicke line of Capricorne I conquered all as far as Zansibar Then by the Northerne part of Affrica I came at last to Graecia and from thence To Asia where I stay against my will Which is from Scythia where I first began Backeward and forwards nere fiue thousand leagues Looke here my boies see what a world of ground Lies westward from the midst of Cancers line Vnto the rising of this earthly globe Whereas the Sun declining from our sight Begins the day with our Antypodes And shall I die and this vnconquered Loe here my sonnes are all the golden Mines Inestimable drugs and precious stones More worth than Asia and the world beside And from th' Antartique Pole Eastward behold As much more land which neuer was descried Wherein are rockes of Pearle that shine as bright As all the Lamps that beautifie the Sky And shal I die and this vnconquered Here louely boies what death forbids my life That let your liues commaund in spight of death Amy. Alas my Lord how should our bleeding harts Wounded and broken with your Highnesse griefe Retaine a thought of ioy or sparke of life Your soul giues essence to our wretched subiects Whose matter is incorporoat in your flesh Cel. Your paines do pierce our soules no hope suruiues For by your life we entertaine our liues tam. But sons this subiect not of force enough To hold the fiery spirit it containes must part imparting his impressions By equall portions into both your breasts My flesh deuided in your precious shapes Shal still retaine my spirit though I die And liue in all your seedes immortally Then now remooue me that I may resigne My place and proper tytle to my sonne First take my Scourge and my imperiall Crowne And mount my royall chariot of estate That I may see thee crown'd before I die Help me my Lords to make my last remooue ther. A woful change my Lord that daunts our thoughts More than the ruine of our proper soules tam. Sit vp my sonne let me see how well Thou wilt become thy fathers maiestie They crowne him Ami With what a flinty bosome should I ioy The breath of life and burthen of my soule If not resolu'd into resolued paines My bodies mortified lineaments should exercise the motions of my heart Pierc'd with the ioy of any dignity O father if the vnrelenting eares Of death and hell be shut against my praiers And that the spightfull influence of heauen Denie my soule fruition of her ioy How should I step or stir my hatefull feete Against the inward powers of my heart Leading a life that onely striues to die And plead in vaine vnpleasing soueranity tam. Let not thy loue exceed thyne honor sonne Nor bar thy mind that magnanimitie That nobly must admit necessity Sit vp my boy and with those silken raines Bridle the steeled stomackes of those Iades ther. My Lord you must obey his maiesty Since Fate commands and proud necessity Amy. Heauens witnes me with what a broken hart And damned spirit I ascend this seat And send my soule before my father die His anguish and his burning agony tam. Now fetch the hearse of faire Zenocrate Let it be plac'd by this my fatall chaire And serue as parcell of my funerall Cas. Then feeles your maiesty no soueraigne ease Nor may our hearts all drown'd in teares of blood Ioy any hope of your recouery tamb. Casane no the Monarke of the earth And eielesse Monster that torments my soule Cannot behold the teares ye shed for me And therefore stil augments his cruelty tech. Then let some God oppose his holy power Against the wrath and tyranny of death That his teare-thyrsty and vnquenched hate May be vpon himselfe reuerberate They bring in the hearse tam Now eies inioy your latest benefite And when my soule hath vertue of your sight Pierce through the coffin and the sheet of gold And glut your longings with a heauen of ioy So raigne my sonne scourge and controlle those slaues Guiding thy chariot with thy Fathers hand As precious is the charge thou vndertak'st As that which Clymens brainsicke sonne did guide When wandring Phoebes Iuory cheeks were scortcht And all the earth like AEtna breathing fire Be warn'd by him then learne with awfull eie To sway a throane as dangerous as his For if thy body thriue not full of thoughtes As pure and fiery as Phyteus beames The nature of these proud rebelling Iades Wil take occasion by the slenderest haire And draw thee peecemeale like Hyppolitus Through rocks more steepe and sharp than Caspian cliftes The nature of thy chariot wil not beare A guide of baser temper than my selfe More then heauens coach the pride of Phaeton Farewell my boies my dearest friends farewel My body feeles my soule dooth weepe to see Your sweet desires depriu'd my company For Tamburlaine the Scourge of God must die Amy. Meet heauen earth here let al things end For earth hath spent the pride of all her fruit And heauen consum'd his choisest liuing fire Let earth and heauen his timelesse death deplore For both their woorths wil equall him no more FINIS
and reuerence euermore haue raign'd Pitie the mariage bed where many a Lord In prime and glorie of his louing ioy Embraceth now with teares of ruth and blood The iealous bodie of his fearfull wife Whose cheekes and hearts so punisht with conceit To thinke thy puisant neuer staied arme Will part their bodies and preuent their soules From heauens of comfort yet their age might beare Now waxe all pale and withered to the death As well for griefe our ruthlesse Gouernour Haue thus refusde the mercie of thy hand Whose scepter Angels kisse and Furies dread As for their liberties their loues or liues O then for these and such as we our selues For vs for infants and for all our bloods That neuer nourisht thought against thy rule Pitie O pitie sacred Emperour The prostrate seruice of this wretched towne And take in signe thereof this gilded wreath Whereto ech man of rule hath giuen his hand And wisht as worthy subiects happy meanes To be inuesters of thy royall browes Euen with the true Egyptian Diadem tam. Virgins in vaine ye labore to preuent That which mine honor sweares shal be perform'd Behold my sword what see you at the point Virg. Nothing but feare and fatall steele my Lord tam. Your fearfull minds are thicke and mistie then For there sits Death there sits imperious Death Keeping his circuit by the slicing edge But I 'am pleasde you shall not see him there He now is seated on my horsmens speares And on their points his fleshlesse bodie feches Techelles straight goe charge a few of them To chardge these Dames and shew my seruant death Sitting in scarlet on their armed speares Omnes O pitie vs tam. Away with them I say and shew them death They take them away I will not spare these proud Egyptians Nor change my Martiall obseruations For all the wealth of Gehons golden waues Or for the loue of Venus would she leaue The angrie God of Armes and lie with me They haue refusde the offer of their liues And know my customes are as peremptory As wrathfull Planets death or destinie Enter Techelles What haue your horsmen shewen the virgins Death tech. They haue my Lord and on Damascus wals Haue hoisted vp their slaughtered carcases tam. A sight as banefull to their soules I think As are Thessalian drugs or Mithradate But goe my Lords put the rest to the sword Exeunt Ah faire Zenocrate diuine Zenocrate Faire is too foule an Epithite for thee That in thy passion for thy countries loue And feare to see thy kingly Fathers harme With haire discheweld wip'st thy watery cheeks And like to Flora in her mornings pride Shaking her siluer treshes in the aire Rain'st on the earth resolued pearle in showers And sprinklest Saphyrs on thy shining face Wher Beauty mother to the Muses sits And comments vollumes with her Yuory pen Taking instructions from thy flowing eies Eies when that Ebena steps to heauen In silence of thy solemn Euenings walk Making the mantle of the richest night The Moone the Planets and the Meteors light There Angels in their christal armours fight A doubtfull battell with my tempted thoughtes For Egypts freedom and the Souldans life His life that so consumes Zenocrate Whose sorrowes lay more siege vnto my saule Than all my Army to Damascus walles And neither Perseans Soueraign nor the Turk Troubled my sences with conceit of foile So much by much as dooth zenocrate What is beauty saith my sufferings then If all the pens that euer poets held Had fed the feeling of their maisters thoughts And euery sweetnes that inspir'd their harts Their minds and muses on admyred theames If all the heauenly Quintessence they still From their immortall flowers of Poesy Wherein as in a myrrour we perceiue The highest reaches of a humaine wit If these had made one Poems period And all combin'd in Beauties worthinesse Yet should ther houer in their restlesse heads One thought one grace one woonder at the least Which into words no vertue can digest But how vnseemly is it for my Sex My discipline of armes and Chiualrie My nature and the terrour of my name To harbour thoughts effeminate and faint Saue onely that in Beauties iust applause With whose instinct the soule of man is toucht And euery warriour that is rapt with loue Of fame of valour and of victory Must needs haue beauty beat on his conceites I thus conceiuing and subduing both That which hath stopt the tempest of the Gods Euen from the fiery spangled vaile of heauen To feele the louely warmth of shepheards flames And martch in cottages of strowed weeds Shal giue the world to note for all my byrth That Vertue solely is the sum of glorie And fashions men with true nobility Who 's within there Enter two or three Hath Baiazeth bene fed to day An. I my Lord tamb. Bring him forth let vs know if the towne be ransackt Enter Techelles Theridamas Vsumeasan others tech The town is ours my Lord and fresh supply Of conquest and of spoile is offered vs tam. That 's wel techelles what 's the newes tech. The Souldan and the Arabian king together Martch on vs with such eager violence As if there were no way but one with vs tam. No more there is not I warrant thee techelles They bring in the Turke ther. We know the victorie is ours my Lord But let vs saue the reuerend Souldans life For faire Zenocrate that so laments his state tamb. That will we chiefly see vnto theridamas For sweet zenocrate whose worthinesse Deserues a conquest ouer euery hart And now my footstoole if I loose the field You hope of libertie and restitution Here let him stay my maysters from the tents Till we haue made vs ready for the field Pray for vs Baiazeth we are going Exeunt Bai. Go neuer to returne with victorie Millions of men encompasse thee about And gore thy body with as many wounds Sharpe forked arrowes light vpon thy horse Furies from the blacke Cocitus lake Breake vp the earth and with their firebrands Enforce thee run vpon the banefull pikes Volleyes of shot pierce through thy charmed Skin And euery bullet dipt in poisoned drugs Or roaring Cannons seuer all thy ioints Making thee mount as high as Eagles soare zab. Let all the swords and Lances in the field Stick in his breast as in their proper roomes At euery pore let blood comme dropping foorth That lingring paines may massacre his heart And madnesse send his damned soule to hell Bai. Ah faire zabina we may curse his power The heauens may frowne the earth for anger quake But such a Star hath influence in his sword As rules the Skies and countermands the Gods More than Cymerian Stix or Distinie And then shall we in this detested guyse With shame with hungar and with horror aie Griping our bowels with retorqued thoughtes And haue no hope to end our extasies zab. Then is there left no Mahomet no God No Feend no Fortune nor no hope of end
is often proou'd a myracle Orc. Yet in my thoughts shall Christ be honoured Not dooing Mahomet an iniurie Whose power had share in this our victory And since this miscreant hath disgrac'd his faith And died a traitor both to heauen and earth We wil both watch and ward shall keepe his trunke Amidst these plaines for Foules to pray vpon Go Vribassa giue it straight in charge Vri. I will my Lord Exit Vrib. Orc. And now Gazellus let vs haste and meete Our Army and our brother of Ierusalem Of Soria Trebizon and Amasia And happily with full Natolian bowles Of Greekish wine now let vs celebrate Our happy conquest and his angry fate Exeunt Actus 2. Scaena vltima The Arras is drawen and Zenocrate lies in her bed of state Tamburlaine sitting by her three Phisitians about her bed tempering potions Theridamas Techelles Vsumeasane and the three sonnes Tamburlaine BLacke is the beauty of the brightest day The golden balle of heauens eternal fire That danc'd with glorie on the siluer waues Now wants the fewell that enflamde his beames And all with faintnesse and for foule disgrace He bindes his temples with a frowning cloude Ready to darken earth with endlesse night Zenocrate that gaue him light and life Whose eies shot fire from their Iuory bowers And tempered euery soule with liuely heat Now by the malice of the angry Skies Whose iealousie admits no second Mate Drawes in the comfort of her latest breath All dasled with the hellish mists of death Now walk the angels on the walles of heauen As Centinels to warne th' immortall soules To entertaine deuine Zenocrate Apollo Cynthia and the ceaslesse lamps That gently look'd vpon this loathsome earth Shine downwards now no more but deck the heauens To entertaine diuine Zenocrate The christall springs whose taste illuminates Refined eies with an eternall sight Like tried siluer runs through Paradice To entertaine diuine zenocrate The Cherubins and holy Seraphins That sing and play before the king of kings We all their voices and their instruments To entertaine diuine Zenocrate And in this sweet and currious harmony The God that tunes this musicke to our soules Holds out his hand in highest maiesty To entertaine diuine Zenocrate Then let some holy trance conuay my thoughts Vp to the pallace of th' imperiall heauen That this my life may be as short to me As are the daies of sweet Zenocrate Phisitions wil no phisicke do her good Phis. My Lord your Maiesty shall soone perceiue And if she passe this fit the worst is past tam. Tell me how fares my faire Zenocrate zen. I fare my Lord as other Emperesses That when this fraile and transitory flesh Hath suckt the measure of that vitall aire That feeds the body with his dated health Wanes with enforst and necessary change tam. May neuer such a change transfourme my loue In whose sweet being I repose my life Whose heauenly presence beautified with health Giues light to Phoebus and the fixed stars Whose absence make the sun and Moone as darke As when opposde in one Diamiter Their Spheares are mounted on the serpents head Or els discended to his winding traine Liue still my Loue and so conserue my life Or dieng be the anchor of my death zen. Liue still my Lord O let my soueraigne liue And sooner let the fiery Element Dissolue and make your kingdome in the Sky Than this base earth should shroud your maiesty For should I but suspect your death by mine The comfort of my future happinesse And hope to meet your highnesse in the heauens Turn'd to dispaire would break my wretched breast And furie would confound my present rest But let me die my Loue yet let me die With loue and patience let your true loue die Your griefe and furie hurtes my second life Yet let me kisse my Lord before I die And let me die with kissing of my Lord But since my life is lengthened yet a while Let me take leaue of these my louing sonnes And of my Lords whose true nobilitie Haue merited my latest memorie Sweet sons farewell in death resemble me And in your liues your fathers excellency Some musicke and my fit wil cease my Lord They call musicke tam. Proud furie and intollorable fit That dares torment the body of my Loue And scourge the Scourge of the immortall God Now are those Spheares where Cupid vsde to sit Wounding the world with woonder and with loue Sadly supplied with pale and ghastly death Whose darts do pierce the Center of my soule Her sacred beauty hath enchaunted heauen And had she liu'd before the siege of Troy Hellen whose beauty sommond Greece to armes And drew a thousand ships to Tenedos Had not bene nam'd in Homers Iliads Her name had bene in euery line he wrote Or had those wanton Poets for whose byrth Olde Rome was proud but gasde a while on her Nor Lesbia nor Corrinna had bene nam'd zenocrate had bene the argument Of euery Epigram or Eligie The musicke sounds and she dies tam. What is she dead Techelles draw thy sword And wound the earth that it may cleaue in twaine And we discend into th' infernall vaults To haile the fatall Sisters by the haire And throw them in the triple more of Hell For taking hence my faire zenocrate Casane and theridamas to armes Raise Caualieros higher than the cloudes And with the cannon breake the frame of heauen Batter the shining pallace of the Sun And shiuer all the starry firmament For amorous Ioue hath snatcht my loue from hence Meaning to make her stately Queene of heauen What God so euer holds thee in his armes Giuing thee Nectar and Ambrosia Behold me here diuine zenocrate Rauing impatient desperate and mad Breaking my steeled lance with which I burst The rusty beames of Ianus Temple doores Letting out death and tyrannising war To martch with me vnder this bloody flag And if thou pitiest Tamburlain the great Come downe from heauen and liue with me againe ther. Ah good my Lord be patient she is dead And all this raging cannot make her liue If woords might serue our voice hath rent the aire If teares our eies haue watered all the earth If griefe our murthered harts haue straind forth blood Nothing preuailes for she is dead my Lord tam. For she is dead thy words doo pierce my soule Ah sweet theridamas say so no more Though she be dead yet let me think she liues And feed my mind that dies for want of her Where ere her soule be thou shalt stay with me Embalm'd with Cassia Amber Greece and Myrre Not lapt in lead but in a sheet of gold And till I die thou shalt not be interrd Then in as rich a tombe as Mausolus We both will rest and haue one Epitaph Writ in as many seuerall languages As I haue conquered kingdomes with my sword This cursed towne will I consume with fire Because this place bereft me of my Loue The houses burnt wil looke as if they mourn'd And here will I
consumption of his countries pride And til by vision or by speach I heare Immortall Ioue say Cease my Tamburlaine I will persist a terrour to the world Making the Meteors that like armed men Are seene to march vpon the towers of heauen Run tilting round about the firmament And breake their burning Lances in the aire For honor of my woondrous victories Come bring them in to our Pauilion Exeunt Actus 4. Scaena 3 Olympia alone DIstrest Olympia whose weeping eies Since thy arriuall here beheld no Sun But closde within the compasse of a tent Hath stain'd thy cheekes made thee look like death Deuise some meanes to rid thee of thy life Rather than yeeld to his detested suit Whose drift is onely to dishonor thee And since this earth dew'd with thy brinish teares Affoords no hearbs whose taste may poison thee Nor yet this aier beat often with thy sighes Contagious smels and vapors to infect thee Nor thy close Caue a sword to murther thee Let this inuention be the instrument Enter Theridamas The. Wel met Olympia I sought thee in my tent But when I saw the place obscure and darke Which with thy beauty thou wast woont to light Enrag'd I ran about the fields for thee Supposing amorous Ioue had sent his sonne The winged Hermes to conuay thee hence But now I finde thee and that feare is past Tell me Olympia wilt thou graunt my suit Olym. My Lord and husbandes death with my sweete sons With whom I buried al affections Saue griefe and sorrow which torment my heart Forbids my mind to entertaine a thought That tends to loue but meditate on death A fitter subiect for a pensiue soule Ther. Olympia pitie him in whom thy looks Haue greater operation and more force Than Cynthias in the watery wildernes For with thy view my ioyes are at the full And eb againe as thou departst from me Olim. Ah pity me my Lord and draw your sword Making a passage for my troubled soule Which beates against this prison to get out And meet my husband and my louing sonne ther. Nothing but stil thy husband and thy sonne Leaue this my Loue and listen more to me Thou shalt be stately Queene of faire Argier And cloth'd in costly cloath of massy gold Vpon the marble turrets of my Court Sit like to Venus in her chaire of state Commanding all thy princely eie desires And I will cast off armes and sit with thee Spending my life in sweet discourse of loue Olym. No such discourse is pleasant in mine eares But that where euery period ends with death And euery line begins with death againe I cannot loue to be an Emperesse ther. Nay Lady then if nothing wil preuaile I le vse some other means to make you yeeld Such is the sodaine fury of my loue I must and wil be pleasde and you shall yeeld Come to the tent againe Olym. Stay good my Lord and wil you saue my honor I le giue your Grace a present of such price As all the world cannot affoord the like ther. What is it Olym. An ointment which a cunning Alcumist Distilled from the purest Balsamum And simplest extracts of all Minerals In which the essentiall fourme of Marble stone Tempered by science metaphisicall And Spels of magicke from the mouthes of spirits With which if you but noint your tender Skin Nor Pistol Sword nor Lance can pierce your flesh Ther. Why Madam thinke ye to mocke me thus palpably Olim. To prooue it I wil noint my naked throat Which when you stab looke on your weapons point And you shall se 't rebated with the blow ther. Why gaue you not your husband some of it if you loued him and it so precious Olym. My purpose was my Lord to spend it so But was preuented by his sodaine end And for a present easie proofe hereof That I dissemble not trie it on me ther. I wil Olympia and will keep it for The richest present of this Easterne world She noints her throat Olym. Now stab my Lord and mark your weapons point That wil be blunted if the blow be great ther. Here then Olympia What haue I slaine her Villaine stab thy selfe Cut off this arme that murthered my Loue In whom the learned Rabies of this age Might find as many woondrous myracles As in the Theoria of the world Now Hell is fairer than Elisian A greater Lamp than that bright eie of heauen From whence the starres doo borrow all their light Wanders about the black circumference And now the damned soules are free from paine For euery Fury gazeth on her lookes Infernall Dis is courting of my Loue Inuenting maskes and stately showes for her Opening the doores of his rich treasorie To entertaine this Queene of chastitie Whose body shall be comb'd with all the pompe The treasure of my kingdome may affoord Exit taking her away Actus 4. Scaena 4. Tamburlaine drawen in his chariot by Trebizon and Soria with bittes in their mouthes reines in his left hand in his right hād a whip with which he scourgeth them Techelles Theridamas Vsumeasane Amyras Celebinus Natolia and Ierusalem led by with fiue or six common souldiers Tam. HOlla ye pampered Iades of Asia What can ye draw but twenty miles a day And haue so proud a chariot at your heeles And such a Coachman as great Tamburlaine But from Asphaltis where I conquer'd you To Byron here where thus I honor you The horse that guide the golden eie of heauen And blow the morning from their nosterils Making their fiery gate aboue the cloudes Are not so honoured in their Gouernour As you ye slaues in mighty Tamburlain The headstrong Iades of Thrace Alcides tam'd That King Egeus fed with humaine flesh And made so wanton that they knew their strengths Were not subdew'd with valour more diuine Than you by this vnconquered arme of mine To make you fierce and fit my appetite You shal be fed with flesh as raw as blood And drinke in pailes the strongest Muscadell If you can liue with it then liue and draw My chariot swifter than the racking cloudes If not then dy like beasts and fit for nought But perches for the black and fatall Rauens Thus am I right the Scourge of highest Ioue And see the figure of my dignitie By which I hold my name and maiesty Ami. Let me haue coach my Lord that I may ride And thus be drawen with these two idle kings tam. Thy youth for bids such ease my kingly boy They shall to morrow draw my chariot While these their fellow kings may be refresht Orc. O thou that swaiest the region vnder earth And art a king as absolute as Ioue Come as thou didst in fruitfull Scicilie Suruaieng all the glories of the land And as thou took'st the faire Proserpina Ioying the fruit of Ceres garden plot For loue for honor and to make her Queene So for iust hate for shame and to subdew This proud contemner of thy dreadfull power Come once in furie and
high hill about the citie here tam. Let it be so about it souldiers But stay I feele my selfe distempered sudainly tech. What is it dares distemper Tamburlain tam. Something techelles but I know not what But foorth ye vassals what so ere it be Sicknes or death can neuer conquer me Exeunt Actus 5. Scaena 4. Enter Callapine Amasia with drums and trumpets Callap. KIng of Amasia now our mighty hoste Marcheth in Asia maior where the streames Of Euphrates and Tigris swiftly runs And here may we behald great Babylon Circled about with Limnasphaltis Lake Where tamburlaine with all his armie lies Which being faint and weary with the siege Wee may lie ready to encounter him Before his hoste be full from Babylon And so reuenge our latest grieuous losse If God or Mahomet send any aide Ama. Doubt not my lord but we shal conquer him The Monster that hath drinke a sea of blood And yet gapes stil for more to quench his thirst Our Turkish swords shal headlong send to hell And that vile Carkasse drawne by warlike kings The Foules shall eate for neuer sepulchre Shall grace that base-borne Tyrant tamburlaine Cal. When I record my Parents slauish life Their cruel death mine owne captiuity My Viceroies bondage vnder tamburlaine Me thinks I could sustaine a thousand deaths To be reueng'd of all his Villanie Ah sacred Mahomet thou that hast seene Millions of Turkes perish by Tamburlaine Kingdomes made waste braue cities sackt burnt And but one hoste is left to honor thee And thy obedient seruant Callapine And make him after all these ouerthrowes To triumph ouer cursed Tamburlaine Ama Feare not my Lord I see great Mahomet Clothed in purple clowdes and on his head A Chaplet brighter than Apollos crowne Marching about the ayer with armed men To ioine with you against this Tamburlaine Renowmed Generall mighty Callapine Though God himselfe and holy Mahomet Should come in person to resist your power Yet might your mighty hoste incounter all And pull proud Tamburlaine vpon his knees To sue for mercie at your highnesse feete Cal. Captaine the force of Tamburlaine is great His fortune greater and the victories Wherewith he hath so sore dismaide the world Are greatest to discourage all our drifts Yet when the pride of Cynthia is at full She waines againe and so shall his I hope For we haue here the chiefe selected men Of twenty seuerall kingdomes at the least Nor plowman Priest nor Merchant staies at home All Turkie is in armes with Callapine And neuer wil we sunder camps and armes Before himselfe or his be conquered This is the time that must eternize me For conquering the Tyrant of the world Come Souldiers let vs lie in wait for him And if we find him absent from his campe Or that it be reioin'd again at full Assaile it and be sure of victorie Exeunt Actus 5. Scaena 6. Theridamas Techelles Vsumeasane WEepe heauens and vanish into liquid teares Fal starres that gouerne his natiuity And sommon al the shining lamps of heauen To cast their bootlesse fires to the earth And shed their feble influence in the aire Muffle your beauties with eternall clowdes For hell and darknesse pitch their pitchy tentes And Death with armies of Cymerian spirits Giues battile gainst the heart of Tamburlaine Now in defiance of that woonted loue Your sacred vertues pour'd vpon his throne And made his state an honor to the heauens These cowards inuisiblie assaile hys soule And threaten conquest on our Soueraigne But if he die your glories are disgrac'd Earth droopes and saies that hell in heauen is plac'd tech. O then ye Powers that sway eternal seates And guide this massy substance of the earthe If you retaine desert of holinesse As your supreame estates instruct our thoughtes Be not inconstant carelesse of your fame Beare not the burthen of your enemies ioyes Triumphing in his fall whom you aduanst But as his birth life health and maiesty Were strangely blest and gouerned by heauen So honour heauen til heauen dissolued be His byrth his life his health and maiesty Cas Blush heauen to loose the honor of thy name To see thy foot-stoole set vpon thy head And let no basenesse in thy haughty breast Sustaine a shame of such inexcellence To see the deuils mount in Angels throanes And Angels diue into the pooles of hell And though they think their painfull date is out And that their power is puissant as Ioues Which makes them manage armes against thy state Yet make them feele the strength of Tamburlain Thy instrument and note of Maisty Is greater far than they can thus subdue For if he die thy glorie is disgrac'd Earth droopes and saies that hel in heauen is plac'd tam. What daring God torments my body thus And seeks to conquet mighty Tamburlaine Shall sicknesse prooue me now to be a man That haue bene tearm'd the terrour of the world Techelles and the rest come take your swords And threaten him whose hand afflicts my soul Come let vs march against the powers of heauen And set blacke streamers in the firmament To signifie the slaughter of the Gods Ah friends what shal I doe I cannot stand Come carie me to war against the Gods That thus inuie the health of Tamburlaine ther. Ah good my Lord leaue these impatient words Which ad much danger to your malladie tam. Why shal I sit and languish in this paine No strike the drums and in reuenge of this Come let vs chardge our speares and pierce his breast Whose shoulders beare the Axis of the world That if I perish heauen and earth may fade theridamas haste to the court of Ioue Will him to send Apollo hether straight To cure me or I le fetch him downe my selfe tech. Sit stil my gratious Lord this griefe wil cease And cannot last it is so violent tam. Not last techelles no for I shall die See where my slaue the vglie monster death Shaking and quiuering pale and wan for feare Stands aiming at me with his murthering dart Who flies away at euery glance I giue And when I look away comes stealing on Villaine away and hie thee to the field I and myne armie come to lode thy barke With soules of thousand mangled carkasses Looke where he goes but see he comes againe Because I stay techelles let vs march And weary Death with bearing soules to hell Phi. Pleaseth your Maiesty to drink this potion Which wil abate the furie of your fit And cause some milder spirits gouerne you tam. Tel me what think you of my sicknes now Phi. I view'd your vrine and the Hipostates Thick and obscure doth make your danger great Your vaines are full of accidentall heat Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried The Humidum and Calor which some holde Is not a parcell of the Elements But of a substance more diuine and pure Is almost cleane extinguished and spent Which being the cause of life imports your death Besides my Lord this day is Criticall Dangerous to
of armes His lofty browes in foldes do figure death And in their smoothnesse amitie and life About them hangs a knot of Amber heire Wrapped in curles as fierce Achilles was On which the breath of heauen delights to play Making it daunce with wanton maiestie His armes and singers long and snowy Betokening valour and excesse of strength In euery part proportioned like the man Should make the world subdued to Tamburlaine Cos Wel hast thou pourtraid in thy tearms of life The face and personage of a woondrous man Nature doth striue with Fortune and his stars To make him famous in accomplisht woorth And well his merits show him to be made His Fortunes maister and the king of men That could perswade at such a sodaine pinch With reasons of his valour and his life A thousand sworne and ouermatching foes Then when our powers in points of swords are ioin'd And closde in compasse of the killing bullet Though straight the passage and the port be made That leads to Pallace of my brothers life Proud is his fortune if we pierce it not And when the princely Persean Diadem Shall ouerway his wearie witlesse head And fall like mellowed fruit with shakes of death In faire Persea noble tamburlaine Shall be my Regent and remaine as King Ort. In happy hower we haue set the Crowne Vpon your kingly head that seeks our honor In ioyning with the man ordain'd by heauen To further euery action to the best Cen. He that with Shepheards and a litle spoile Durst in disdaine of wrong and tyrannie Defend his freedome gainst a Monarchie What will he doe supported by a king Leading a troope of Gentlemen and Lords And stuft with trasure for his highest thoughts Cos. And such shall wait on worthy Tamburlaine Our army will be forty thousand strong When Tamburlain and braue Theridamas Haue met vs by the riuer Araris And all conioin'd to meet the witlesse King That now is marching neer to Parthia And with vnwilling souldiers faintly arm'd To seeke reuenge on me and Tamburlaine To whom sweet Menaphon direct me straight Mena. I will my Lord Exeunt Act. 2. Scaena 2 Mycetes Meander with other Lords and Souldiers Mycetes COme my Meander let vs to this geere I tel you true my heart is swolne with wrath On this same theeuish villaine tamburlaine And of that false Cosroe my traiterous brother Would it not grieue a King to be so abusde And haue a thousand horsmen tane away And which is worst to haue his Diadem Sought for by such scalde knaues as loue him net I thinke it would wel then by heauens I sweare Aurora shall not peepe out of her doores But I will haue Cosroe by the head And kill proud Tamburlaine with point of sword Tell you the rest Meander I haue said Mean Then hauing past Armenian desarts now And pitch our tents vnder the Georgean hilles Whose tops are couered with Tartarian thieues That lie in ambush waiting for a pray What should we doe but bid them battaile straight And rid the world of those detested troopes Least if we let them lynger here a while They gather strength by power of fresh supplies This countrie swarmes with vile outragious men That liue by rapine and by lawlesse spoile Fit Souldiers for the wicked Tamburlaine And he that could with giftes and promises Inueigle him that lead a thousand horse And make him false his faith vnto his King Will quickly win such as are like himselfe Therefore cheere vp your mindes prepare to fight He that can take or slaughter tamburlaine Shall rule the Prouince of Albania Who brings that Traitors head theridamas Shal haue a gouernment in Medea Beside the spoile of him and all his traine But if Cosroe as our Spials say And as we know remaines with tamburlaine His Highnesse pleasure is that he should liue And be reclaim'd with princely lenitie A Spy An hundred horsmen of my company Scowting abroad vpon these champion plaines Haue view'd the army of the Scythians Which make reports it far exceeds the Kings Mean Suppose they be in number infinit Yet being void of Martiall discipline All running headlong after greedy spoiles And more regarding gaine than victory Like to the cruell brothers of the earth Sprong of the teeth of Dragons venomous Their carelesse swords shal lanch their fellowes threats And make vs triumph in their ouerthrow Myc. Was there such brethren sweet Meander say That sprong of teeth of Dragons venomous Meand. So Poets say my Lord Myce. And t is a prety toy to be a Poet Wel wel Meander thou art deeply read And hauing thee I haue a iewell sure Go en my Lord and giue your charge I say Thy wit will make vs Conquerors to day Mean Then noble souldiors to intrap these theeues That liue confounded in disordered troopes If wealth or riches may preuaile with them We haue our Cammels laden all with gold Which you that be but common souldiers Shall fling in euery corner of the field And while the base borne Tartars take it vp You fighting more for honor than for gold Shall massacre those greedy minded slaues And when their scattered armie is subdu'd And you march on their slaughtered carkasses Share equally the gold that bought their liues And liue like Gentlemen in Persea Strike vp the Drum and martch corragiously Fortune her selfe dooth sit vpon our Crests Myc. He tels you true my maisters so he does Drumis why sound ye not whē Meand. speakis Exeunt Actus 2. Scaena 3. Cosroe Tamburlaine Theridamas Techelles Vsumeasane Ortygius with others Cosroe NOw worthy Tamburlaine haue I reposde In thy approoued Fortunes all my hope What thinkst thou man shal come of our attemptes For euen as from assured oracle I take thy doome for satisfaction Tamb. And so mistake you not a whit my Lord For Fates and Oracles heauen haue sworne To roialise the deedes of tamburlaine And make them blest that share in his attemptes And doubt you not but if you fauour me And let my Fortunes and my valour sway To some direction in your martiall deeds The world will striue with hostes of men at armes To swarme vnto the Ensigne I support The host of Xerxes which by fame is said To drinke the mightie Parthian Araris Was but a handful to that we will haue Our quiuering Lances shaking in the aire And bullets like Ioues dreadfull Thunderbolts Enrolde in flames and fiery smoldering mistes Shall threat the Gods more than Cyclopian warres And with our Sun-bright armour as we march Wee l chase the Stars from heauen and dim their eies That stand and muse at our admyred armes therid. You see my Lord what woorking woordes he hath But when you see his actions stop his speech Your speech will stay or so extol his worth As I shall be commended and excusde For turning my poore charge to his direction And these his two renowmed friends my Lord Would make one thrust and striue to be retain'd In such a great degree of amitie tech.
With dutie not with amitie we yeeld Our vtmost seruice to the faire Cosroe Cos. Which I esteeme as portion of my crown Vsumeasane and techelles both When she that rules in Rhamnis golden gates And makes a passage for all prosperous Armes Shall make me solely Emperour of Asia Then shall your meeds and vallours be aduaunst To roomes of honour and Nobilitie Tam. Then haste Cosroe to be king alone That I with these my friends and all my men May triumph in our long expected Fate The King your Brother is now hard at hand Meete with the foole and rid your royall shoulders Of such a burthen as outwaies the sands And all the craggie rockes of Caspea Mess. My Lord we haue discouered the enemie Ready to chardge you with a mighty armie Cos. Come tamburlain now whet thy winged sword And lift thy lofty arme into the cloudes That it may reach the King of Perseas crowne And set it safe on my victorious head tam. See where it is the keenest Cutle-axe That ere made passage thorow Persean Armes These are the wings shall make it flie as swift As dooth the lightening or the breath of heauen And kill as sure as it swiftly flies Cos. Thy words assure me of kind successe Go valiant Souldier go before and charge The fainting army of that foolish King tamb. Vsumeasane and techelles come We are enough to scarre the enemy And more than needes to make an Emperour To the Battaile and Mycetes comes out alone with his Crowne in his hand offering to hide it Myc. Accurst be he that first inuented war They knew not ah they knew not simple men How those were hit by pelting Cannon shot Stand staggering like a quiuering Aspen leafe Fearing the force of Boreas boistrous blasts In what a lamentable case were I If Nature had not giuen me wisedomes lore For Kings are clouts that euery man shoots at Our Crowne the pin that thousands seeke to cleaue Therefore in pollicie I thinke it good To hide it close a goodly Stratagem And far from any man that is a foole So shall not I be knowen or if I bee They cannot take away my crowne from me Here will I hide it in this simple hole Enter Tamburlain tam. What fearful coward stragling from the camp When Kings themselues are present in the field Myc. Thou liest tam. Base villaine darst thou giue the lie Myc. Away I am the King go touch me not Thou breakst the law of Armes vnlesse thou kneele And cry me mercie noble King Tam Are you the witty King of Persea Myce. I marie am I haue you any suite to me Tam. I would intreat you to speak but three wise wordes Myce. So I can when I see my time Tam. Is this your Crowne Myce. I Didst thou euer see a fairer Tamb. You will not sell it wil ye Myce. Such another word and I will haue thee executed Come giue it me Tamb. No I tooke it prisoner Myce. You lie I gaue it you tam. Then t is mine Myce. No I meane I let you keep it tamb. Wel I meane you shall haue it againe Here take it for a while I lend it thee Till I may see thee hem'd with armed men Then shalt thou see me pull it from thy head Thou art no match for mightie Tamburlaine Myce. O Gods is this tamburlaine the thiefe I marueile much he stole it not away Sound trumpets to the battell and he runs in Cosroe Tamburlaine Theridamas Menaphon Meander Ortygius Techelles Vsumeasane with others Tamb. Holde thee Cosroe weare two imperiall Crownes Thinks thee Inuested now as royally Euen by the mighty hand of tamburlaine As if as many kinges as could encompasse thee With greatest pompe had crown'd thee Emperour Cosr. So do I thrice renowined man at armes And none shall keepe the crowne but tamburlaine Thee doo I make my Regent of Persea And Generall Lieftenant of my Armies Meander you that were our brothers Guide And chiefest Counsailor in all his acts Since he is yeelded to the stroke of War On your submission we with thanks excuse And giue you equall place in our affaires Mean Most happy Emperour in humblest tearms I vow my seruice to your Maiestie With vtmost vertue of my faith and dutie Cosr. Thanks good Meander then Cosroe raign And gouerne Persea in her former pomp Now send Ambassage to thy neighbor Kings And let them know the Persean King is chang'd From one that knew not what a King should do To one that can commaund what longs thereto And now we will to faire Persepolis With twenty thousand expert souldiers The Lords and Captaines of my brothers campe With litle slaughter take Meanders course And gladly yeeld them to my gracious rule Ortigius and menaphon my trustie friendes Now will I gratify your former good And grace your calling with a greater sway Ort. And as we euer and at your behoofe And sought your state all honor it deseru'd So will we with our powers and our liues Indeuor to preserue and prosper it Cos. I will not thank thee sweet Ortigius Better replies shall prooue my purposes And now Lord tamburlaine my brothers Campe I leaue to thee and to theridamas To follow me to faire Persepolis Then will we march to all those Indian Mines My witlesse brother to the Christians lost And ransome them with fame and vsurie And till thou ouertake me tamburlaine Staying to order all the scattered troopes Farewell Lord Regent and his happie friends I long to sit vpon my brothers throne Mena. Your Maiestie shall shortly haue your wish And ride in triumph through Persepolis Exeunt Manent Tamb. Tech. Ther. Vsum. tamb. And ride in triumph through Persepolis Is it not braue to be a King techelles Vsumeasane and theridamas Is it not passing braue to be a King And ride in triumph through Persepolis tech. O my Lord t is sweet and full of pompe Vsum. To be a King is halfe to be a God ther. A God is not so glorious as a King I thinke the pleasure they enioy in heauen Can not compare with kingly ioyes in earth To weare a Crowne enchac'd with pearle and golde Whose vertues carie with it life and death To aske and haue command and be obeied When looks breed loue with lookes to gaine the prize Such power attractiue shines in princes eies tam. Why say theridamas wilt thou be a king the. Nay though I praise it I can liue without it tam. What saies my other friends wil you be kings tec. I if I could with all my heart my Lord tam. Why that 's wel said techelles so would I And so would you my maisters would you not Vsum. What then my Lord tam. Why then Casanes shall we wish for ought The world affoords in greatest noueltie And rest attmplesse faint and destitute Me thinks we should not I am strongly moou'd That if I should desire the Persean Crowne I could attaine it with a woondrous ease And would not all our souldiers soone consent If
we should aime at such a dignitie ther. I know they would with our perswasions tam. Why then theridamas I le first assay To get the Persean Kingdome to my selfe Then thou for Parthia they for Scythia and Medea And if I prosper all shall be as sure As if the Turke the Pope Affrike and Greece Came creeping to vs with their crownes apace tech. Then shall we send to this triumphing King And bid him battell for his nouell Crowne Vsum. Nay quickly then before his roome be hot tam. T wil prooue a pretie iest in faith my friends the. A iest to chardge on twenty thousand men I iudge the purchase more important far tam. Iudge by thy selfe theridamas not me For presently techelles here shal haste To bid him battaile ere he passe too farre And lose more labor than the gaine will quight Then shalt thou see the Scythian tamburlaine Make but a iest to win the Persean crowne techelles take a thousand horse with thee And bid him turne his back to war with vs That onely made him King to make vs sport We will not steale vpon him cowardly But giue him warning and more warriours Haste the techelles we will follow thee What saith theridamas ther. Goe on for me Exeunt Actus 2. Scaena 6. Cosroe Meander Ortygius Menaphon with other Souldiers Cos. VVhat means this diuelish shepheard to aspire With such a Giantly presumption To cast vp hils against the face of heauen And dare the force of angrie Iupiter But as he thrust them vnderneath the hils And prest out fire from their burning iawes So will I send this monstrous slaue to hell Where flames shall euer feed vpon his soule mean Some powers diuine or els infernall mixt Their angry seeds at his conception For he was neuer sprong of humaine race Since with the spirit of his fearefull pride He dares so doubtlesly resolue of rule And by profession be ambitous Ort. What God or Feend or spirit of the earth Or Monster turned to a manly shape Or of what mould or mettel he be made What star or state soeuer gouerne him Let vs put on our meet incountring mindes And in detesting such a diuelish Thiefe In loue of honor defence of right Be arm'd against the hate of such a foe Whether from earth or hell or heauen he grow Cos. Nobly resolu'd my good Ortygius And since we all haue suckt one wholsome aire And with the same proportion of Elements Resolue I hope we are resembled Vowing our loues to equall death and life Let 's cheere our souldiers to incounter him That grieuous image of ingratitude That fiery thirster after Soueraingtie And burne him in the fury of that flame That none can quench but blood and Emperie Resolue my Lords and louing souldiers now To saue your King and country from decay Then strike vp Drum and all the Starres that make The loathsome Circle of my dated life Direct my weapon to his barbarous heart That thus opposeth him against the Gods And scornes the Powers that gouerne Persea Enter to the Battell after the battell enter Cosroe wounded Theridamas tamburlaine Techelles Vsumeasane with others Cos. Barbarous and bloody Tamburlaine Thus to depriue me of my crowne and life Treacherous and false theridamas Euen at the morning of my happy state Scarce being seated in my royall throne To worke my downfall and vntimely end An vncouth paine torments my grieued soule And death arrests the organe of my voice Who entring at the breach thy sword hath made Sacks euery vaine and artier of my heart Bloody and insatiate Tamburlain tam. The thirst of raigne and sweetnes of a crown That causde the eldest sonne of heauenly Ops To thrust his doting father from his chaire And place himselfe in the Emperiall heauen Moou'd me to manage armes against they state What better president than mightie Ioue Nature that fram'd vs of foure Elements Warring within our breasts for regiment Doth teach vs all to haue aspyring minds Our soules whose faculties can comprehend The wondrous Architecture of the world And measure euery wandring plannets course Still climing after knowledge infinite And alwaies moouing as the restles Spheares Wils vs to weare our selues and neuer rest Vntil we reach the ripest fruit of all That perfect blisse and sole felicitie The sweet fruition of an earthly crowne Ther. And that made me to ioine with tamburlain For he is grosse and like the massie earth That mooues not vpwards nor by princely deeds Doth meane to soare aboue the highest sort Tec. And that made vs the friends of Tamburlaine To lift our swords against the Persean King Vsum. For as when Ioue did thrust old Saturn down Neptune and Dis gain'd each of them a Crowne So do we hope to raign in Asia If tamburlain be plac'd in Persea Cos. The strangest men that euer nature made I know not how to take their tyrannies My bloodlesse body waxeth chill and colde And with my blood my life slides through my wound My soule begins to take her flight to hell And sommons all my sences to depart The heat and moisture which did feed each other For want of nourishment to feed them both Is drie and cold and now dooth gastly death With greedy tallents gripe my bleeding hart And like a Harpyr tires on my life Theridamas and Tamburlaine I die And fearefull vengeance light vpon you both He takes the Crowne and puts it on tam. Not all the curses which the furies breathe Shall make me leaue so rich a prize as this Teridamas techelles and the rest Who thinke you now is king of Persea All Tamburlaine tamburlaine Tamb. Though Mars himselfe the angrie God of armes And all the earthly Potentates conspire To dispossesse me of this Diadem Yet will I weare it in despight of them As great commander of the Easterne world If you but say that tamburlaine shall raigne Al. Long liue tamburlaine and raigne in Asia tamb. So now it is more surer on my head Than if the Gods had held a Parliament And all pronounst me king of Persea Finis Actus 2. Actus 3. Scaena 1. Baiazeth the kings of Fess. Moroco and Argier with others in great pompe Baiazeth GReat Kings of Barbary and my portly Bassoes We heare the Tartars the Easterne theeues Vnder the conduct of one Tamburlaine Presume a bickering with your Emperour And thinks to rouse vs from our dreadful siege Of the famous Grecian Constantinople You know our Armie is inuincible As many circumcised Turkes we haue And warlike bands of Christians renied As hath the Ocean or the Terrene sea Small drops of water when the Moon begins To ioine in one her semi-circled hornes Yet would we not be brau'd with forrain power Nor raise our siege before the Gretians yeeld Or breathles lie before the citie walles Fess. Renowmed Emperour and mighty Generall What if you sent the Bassoes of your guard To charge him to remaine in Asia Or els to threaten death and deadly armes As
from the mouth of mighty Baiazeth Bai. Hie thee my Bassoe fast to Persea Tell him thy Lord the Turkish Emperour Dread Lord of Affrike Europe and Asia Great King and conquerour of Grecia The Ocean Terrene and the cole-blacke sea The high and highest Monarke of the world Wils and Commands for say not I intreat Not once to set his foot in Affrica Or spread his collours in Grecia Least he incurre the furie of my wrath Tell him I am content to take a truce Because I heare he beares a valiant mind But if presuming on his silly power He be so mad to manage Armes with me Then stay thou with him say I bid thee so And if before the Sun haue measured heauen With triple circuit thou regreet vs not We meane to take his mornings next arise For messenger he will not be reclaim'd And meane to fetch thee in despight of him Bass. Most great and puisant Monarke of the earth Your Bassoe will accomplish your behest And show your pleasure to the Persean As fits the Legate of the stately Turk Exit Bass. Arg. They say he is the King of Persea But if he dare attempt to stir your siege T were requisite he should be ten times more For all flesh quakes at your magnificence Bai. True Argier and tremble at my lookes Moro. The spring is hindred by your smoothering host For neither rain can fall vpon the earth Nor Sun reflexe his vertuous beames thereon The ground is mantled with such multitudes Bai. All this is true as holy Mahomet And all the trees are blasted with our breathes Fess. What thinks your greatnes best to be atchieu'd In pursuit of the Cities ouerthrow Bai. I wil the captiue Pioners of Argier Cut of the water that by leaden pipes Runs to the citie from the mountain Carnon Two thousand horse shall forrage vp and downe That no reliefe or succour come by Land And all the sea my Gallies countermaund Then shall our footmen lie within the trench And with their Cannons mouth'd like Orcus gulfe Batter the walles and we will enter in And thus the Grecians shall be conquered Exeunt Actus 3. Scaena 2. Agidas Zenocrate Anippe with others MAdam Zenocrate may I presume To know the cause of these vnquiet fits That worke such trouble to your woonted rest T is more then pitty such a heauenly face Should by hearts sorrow wax so wan and pale When your offensiue rape by tamburlaine Which of your whole displeasures should be most Hath seem'd to be digested long agoe Zen. Although it be digested long agoe As his exceding fauours haue deseru'd And might content the Queene of heauen as well As it hath chang'd my first conceiu'd disdaine Yet since a farther passion feeds my thoughts With ceaselesse and disconsolate conceits Which dies my lookes so liuelesse as they are And might if my extreams had full euents Make me the gastly counterfeit of death Agid. Eternall heauen sooner be dissolu'd And all that pierceth Phoebes siluer eie Before such hap fall to zenocrate zen. Ah life and soule still houer in his Breast And leaue my body sencelesse as the earth Or els vnite you to his life and soule That I may liue and die with tamburlain Enter Tamburlaine with Techelles and others Agid. With tamburlaine Ah faire zenocrate Let not a man so vile and barbarous That holds you from your father in despight And keeps you from the honors of a Queene Being supposde his worthlesse Concubine Be honored with your loue but for necessity So now the mighty Souldan heares of you Your Highnesse needs not doubt but in short time He will with Tamburlaines destruction Redeeme you from this deadly seruitude Zen. leaue to wound me with these words And speake of tamburlaine as he deserues The entertainment we haue had of him Is far from villanie or seruitude And might in noble minds be counted princely Agid. How can you fancie one that lookes so fierce Onelie disposed to martiall Stratagems Who when he shall embrace you in his armes Will tell how many thousand men he slew And when you looke for amorous discourse Will rattle foorth his facts of war and blood Too harsh a subiect for your dainty eares Zen. As looks the sun through Nilus flowing stream Or when the morning holds him in her armes So lookes my Lordly loue faire tamburlaine His talke much sweeter than the Muses song They sung for honor gainst Pierides Or when Minerua did with Neptune striue And higher would I reare my estimate Than Iuno sister to the highest God If I were matcht with mightie tamburlaine Agid. Yet be not so inconstant in your loue But let the yong Arabian liue in hope After your rescue to eioy his choise You see though first the King of Persea Being a Shepheard seem'd to loue you much Now in his maiesty he leaues those lookes Those words of fauour and those comfortings And giues no more than common courtesies Zen. Thence rise the tears that so distain my checks Fearing his loue through my vnworthynesse Tamburlaine goes to her takes her away louingly by the hand looking wrathfully on Agidas and sayes nothing Agid. Betraide by fortune and suspitious loue Threatned with frowning wrath and iealousie Surprizd with feare of hideous reuenge I stand agast but most astonied To see his choller shut in secrete thoughtes And wrapt in silence of his angry soule Vpon his browes was pourtraid vgly death And in his eies the furie of his hart That shine as Comets menacing reuenge And casts a pale complexion on his cheeks As when the Sea-man sees the Hyades Gather an armye of Cemerian clouds Auster and Aquilon with winged Steads All sweating tilt about the watery heauens With shiuering speares enforcing thunderclaps And from their shieldes strike flames of lightening All fearefull foldes his sailes and sounds the maine Lifting his prayers to the heauens for aid Against the terrour of the winds and waues So fares Agydas for the late felt frownes That sent a tempest to my daunted thoughtes And makes my soule deuine her ouerthrow Enter Techelles with a naked dagger tech. See you Agidas how the King salutes you He bids you prophesie what it imports Exit Agid. I prophecied before and now I prooue The killing frownes of iealousie and loue He needed not with words confirme my feare For words are vaine where working tooles present The naked action of my threatned end It saies Agydas thou shalt surely die And of extremities elect the least More honor and lesse paine it may procure To dy by this resolued hand of thine Than stay the torments he and heauen haue sworne Then haste Agydas and preuent the plagues Which thy prolonged Fates may draw on thee Go wander free from feare of Tyrants rage Remooued from the Torments and the hell Wherewith he may excruciate thy soule And let Agidas by Agidas die And with this stab slumber eternally tech. Vsumeasane see how right the man Hath hit the meaning of my Lord the
could their nūbers counteruail the stars Or euer drisling drops of Aprill showers Or withered leaues that Autume shaketh downe Yet would the Souldane by his conquering power So scatter and consume them in his rage That not a man should liue to rue their fall Cap. So might your highnesse had you time to sort Your fighting men and raise your royall hoste But tamburlaine by expedition Aduantage takes of your vnreadinesse Soul Let him take all th' aduantages he can Were all the world conspird to fight for him Nay were he Deuill as he is no man Yet in reuenge of faire Zenocrate Whom he detaineth in despight of vs This arme should send him downe to Erebus To shroud his shame in darknes of the night Mess. Pleaseth your mightinesse to vnderstand His resolution far exceedeth all The first day when he pitcheth downe his tentes White is their hew and on his siluer crest A snowy Feather spangled white he beares To signify the mildnesse of his minde That satiate with spoile refuseth blood But when Aurora mounts the second time As red as scarlet is his furniture Then must his kindled wrath bee quencht with blood Not sparing any that can manage armes But if these threats mooue not submission Black are his collours blacke Pauilion His speare his shield his horse his armour plumes And Ietty Feathers menace death and hell Without respect of Sex degree or age He raceth all his foes with fire and sword Soul Mercilesse villaine Pesant ignorant Of lawfull armes or martiall discipline Pillage and murder are his vsuall trades The slaue vsurps the glorious name of war See Capolin the faire Arabian king That hath bene disapointed by this slaue Of my faire daughter and his princely Loue May haue fresh warning to go war with vs And be reueng'd for her dispardgement Actus 4. Scaena 2. Tamburlain Techelles Theridamas Vsumeasane Zenocrate Anippe two Moores drawing Baiazeth in his cage and his wife following him Tamb. BRing out my foot-stoole They take him out of the cage Bai Ye holy Priests of heauenly Mahomet That sacrificing slice and cut your flesh Staining his Altars with your purple blood Make heauen to frowne and euery fired starre To sucke vp poison from the moorish Fens And poure it in this glorious Tyrants throat tam. The chiefest God first moouer of that Spheare Enchac'd with thousands euer shining lamps Will sooner burne the glorious frame of Heauen Then it should so conspire my ouerthrow But Villaine thou that wishest this to me Fall prostrate on the lowe disdainefull earth And be the foot-stoole of great Tamburlain That I may rise into my royall throne Bai. First shalt thou rip my bowels with thy sword And sacrifice my heart to death and hell Before I yeeld to such a slauery tamb. Base villain vassall slaue to Tamburlaine Vnworthy to imbrace or touch the ground That beares the honor of my royall waight Stoop villaine stoope stoope for so he bids That may command thee peecemeale to be torne Or scattered like the lofty Cedar trees Strocke with the voice of thundring Iupiter Bai. Then as I look downe to the damned Feends Feends looke on me and thou dread God of hell With Evan Scepter strike this hatefull earth And make it swallow both of vs at once He gets vp vpon him to his chaire Tamb. Now cleare the triple region of the aire And let the maiestie of heauen beholde Their Scourge and Terrour treade on Emperours Smile Stars that raign'd at my natiuity And dim the brightnesse of their neighbor Lamps Disdaine to borrow light of Cynthia For I the chiefest Lamp of all the earth First rising in the East with milde aspect But fired now in the Meridian line Will send vp fire to your turning Spheares And cause the Sun to borrowe light of you My sword stroke fire from his coat of steele Euen in Bythinia when I took this Turke As when a fiery exhalation Wrapt in the bowels of a freezing cloude Fighting for passage make the Welkin cracke And casts a flash of lightning to the earth But ere I martch to wealthy Persea Or leaue Damascus and th' Egyptian fields As was the fame of Clymeus brain-sicke sonne That almost brent the Axeltree of heauen So shall our swords our lances and our shot Fill all the aire with fiery meteors Then when the Sky shal waxe as red as blood It shall be said I made it red my selfe To make me think of nought but blood and war Zab. Vnworthy king that by thy crueltie Vnlawfully vsurpest the Persean seat Dar'st thou that neuer saw an Emperour Before thou met my husband in the field Being thy Captiue thus abuse his state Keeping his kingly body in a Cage That rooffes of golde and sun-bright Pallaces Should haue prepar'd to entertaine his Grace And treading him beneath thy loathsome feet Whose feet the kings of Affrica haue kist tech. You must deuise some tormēt worsse my Lord To make these captiues reine their lauish tongues tam. zenocrate looke better to your slaue zen. She is my Handmaids slaue and she shal looke That these abuses flow not from her tongue Chide her Anippe Anip. Let these be warnings for you then my slaue How you abuse the person of the king Or els I sweare to haue you whipt stark nak'd Bai. Great tamburlaine great in my ouerthrow Ambitious pride shall make thee fall as low For treading on the back of Baiazeth That should be horsed on fower mightie kings tam. Thy names and tytles and thy dignities Are fled from Baiazeth and remaine with me That will maintaine it against a world of Kings Put him in againe Bai. Is this a place for mighty Baiazeth Confusion light on him that helps thee thus tam. There whiles he liues shal Baiezeth be kept And where I goe be thus in triumph drawne And thou his wife shalt feed him with the scraps My seruitures shall bring the from my boord For he that giues him other food than this Shall sit by him and starue to death himselfe This is my minde and I will haue it so Not all the Kings and Emperours of the Earth If they would lay their crownes before my feet Shall ransome him or take him from his cage The ages that shall talk of Tamburlain Euen from this day to Platoes wondrous yeare Shall talke how I haue handled Baiazeth These Mores that drew him from Bythinia To faire Damascus where we now remaine Shall lead him with vs wheresoere we goe Techelles and my louing followers Now may we see Damascus lofty towers Like to the shadowes of Pyramides That with their beauties grac'd the Memphion fields The golden stature of their feathered bird That spreads her wings vpon the citie wals Shall not defend it from our battering shot The townes-men maske in silke and cloath of gold And euery house is as a treasurie The men the treasure and the towne is ours Ther. Your tentes of white now pitch'd before the gates And gentle flags of amitie displaid I
in you my Lord Or if my loue vnto your maiesty May merit fauour at your highnesse handes Then raise your siege from faire Damascus walles And with my father take a frindly truce tamb. Zenocrate were Egypt Ioues owne land Yet would I with my sword make Ioue to stoupe I will confute those blind Geographers That make a triple region in the world Excluding Regions which I meane to trace And with this pen reduce them to a Map Calling the Prouinces Citties and townes After my name and thine zenocrate Here at Damascus will I make the Point That shall begin the Perpendicular And wouldst thou haue me buy thy Fathers loue With such a losse Tell me zenocrate Zen. Honor still waight on happy tamburlaine Yet giue me leaue to plead for him my Lord Tam. Content thy selfe his person shall be safe And all the friendes of faire Zenocrate If with their liues they will be pleasde to yeeld Or may be forc'd to make me Emperour For Egypt and Arabia must be mine Feed you slaue thou maist thinke thy selfe happie to be fed from my trencher Bai. My empty stomacke ful of idle heat Drawes bloody humours from my feeble partes Preseruing life by hasting cruell death My vaines are pale my sinowes hard and drie My iointes benumb'd vnlesse I eat I die Zab. Eat Baiazeth Let vs liue in spite of them Looking some happie power will pitie and inlarge vs tam. Here Turk wilt thou haue a cleane trencher Bai. I Tyrant and more meat tam. Soft sir you must be dieted too much eating will make you surfeit ther. So it would my lord specially hauing so smal a walke and so litle exercise Enter a second course of Crownes tam. Theridamas techelles and Casane here are the cates you desire to finger are they not ther. I my Lord but none saue kinges must feede with these tech. T is enough for vs to see them and for tamburlaine onely to enioy them tam. Wel Here is now to the Souldane of Egypt the King of Arabia and the Gouernour of Damascus Now take these three crownes and pledge me my contributorie Kings I crowne you here Theridamas King of Argier Techelles King of Fesse and Vsumeasane King of Morocus How say you to this Turke these are not your contributorie kings Bai. Nor shall they long be thine I warrant them tam. Kings of Argier Morocus and of Fesse You that haue martcht with happy Tamburlaine As far as from the frozen place of heauen Vnto the watry mornings ruddy hower And thence by land vnto the Torrid Zone Deserue these tytles I endow you with By value and by magnanimity Your byrthes shall be no blemish to your fame For vertue is the fount whence honor springs And they are worthy she inuesteth kings ther. And since your highnesse hath so well vouchsaft If we deserue them not with higher meeds Then erst our states and actions haue retain'd Take them away againe and make vs slaues Tam. Wel said Theridamas when holy Fates Shall stablish me in strong Egyptia We meane to traueile to th' Antatique Pole Conquering the people vnderneath our feet And be renowm'd as neuer Emperours were zenocrate I will not crowne thee yet Vntil with greater honors I be grac'd Finis Actus quarti Actus 5. Scaena 1. The Gouernour of Damasco with three or foure Citizens and foure Virgins with branches of Laurell in their hands Gouernour STil doth this man or rather God of war Batter our walles and beat our Turrets downe And to resist with longer stubbornesse Or hope of rescue from the Souldans power Were but to bring our wilfull ouerthrow And make vs desperate of our threatned liues We see his tents haue now bene altered With terrours to the last and cruelst hew His cole-blacke collours euery where aduaunst Threaten our citie with a generall spoile And if we should with common rites of Armes Offer our safeties to his clemencie I feare the custome proper to his sword Which he obserues as parcell of his fame Intending so to terrifie the world By any innouation or remorse Will neuer be dispenc'd with til our deaths Therfore for these our harmlesse virgines sakes Whose honors and whose liues relie on him Let vs haue hope that their vnspotted praiers Their blubbered cheekes and hartie humble mones Will melt his furie into some remorse And vse vs like a louing Conquerour Virg. If humble suites or imprecations vttered with teares of wretchednesse and blood Shead from the heads and hearts of all our Sex Some made your wiues and some your children Might haue intreated your obdurate breasts To entertaine some care of our securities Whiles only danger beat vpon our walles These more than dangerous warrants of our death Had neuer bene erected as they bee Nor you depend on such weake helps as we Go. Wel louely Virgins think our countries care Our loue of honor loth to be enthral'd To forraine powers and rough imperious yokes Would not with too much cowardize or feare Before all hope of rescue were denied Submit your selues and vs to seruitude Therefore in that your safeties and our owne Your honors liberties and liues were weigh'd In equall care and ballance with our owne Endure as we the malice of our stars The wrath of Tamburlain and power of warres Or be the means the ouerweighing heauens Haue kept to quallifie these hot extreames And bring vs pardon in your chearfull lookes 2. Virg. Then here before the maiesty of heauen And holy Patrones of Egyptia With knees and hearts submissiue we intreate Grace to our words and pitie to our lookes That this deuise may prooue propitious And through the eies and eares of tamburlaine Conuey euents of mercie to his heart Graunt that these signes of victorie we yeeld May bind the temples of his conquering head To hide the folded furrowes of his browes And shadow his displeased countenance With happy looks of ruthe and lenity Leaue vs my Lord and louing countrimen What simple Virgins may perswade we will Go. Farewell sweet Virgins on whose safe return Depends our citie libertie and liues Exeunt Actus 5. Scaena 2. Tamburlaine Techelles Theridamas Vsumeasan with others Tamburlaine all in blacke and verie melancholy Tamb. WHat are the Turtles fraide out of their neastes Alas poore fooles must you be first shal feele The sworne destruction of Damascus They know my custome could they not as well Haue sent ye out when first my milkwhite flags Through which sweet mercie threw her gentle beams Reflexing them on your disdainfull eyes As now when furie and incensed hate Flings slaughtering terrour from my coleblack tents And tels for trueth submissions comes too late 1. Virgin Most happy King and Emperour of the earth Image of Honor and Nobilitie For whome the Powers diuine haue made the world And on whose throne the holy Graces sit In whose sweete person is compriz'd the Sum Of natures Skill and heauenly maiestie Pittie our plightes O pitie poore Damascus Pitie olde age within whose siluer haires Honor
To our infamous monstrous slaueries Gape earth and let the Feends infernall view As hell as hoplesse and as full of feare As are the blasted banks of Erebus Where shaking ghosts with euer howling grones Houer about the vgly Ferriman to get a passage to Elisiā why should we liue O wretches beggars slaues Why liue we Baiazeth and build vp neasts So high within the region of the aire By liuing long in this oppression That all the world will see and laugh to scorne The former triumphes of our mightines In this obscure infernall seruitude Bai. O life more loathsome to my vexed thoughts Than noisome parbreak of the Stygian Snakes Which fils the nookes of Hell with standing aire Infecting all the Ghosts with curelesse griefs O dreary Engines of my loathed sight That sees my crowne my honor and my name Thrust vnder yoke and thraldom of a thiefe Why feed ye still on daies accursed beams And sink not quite into my tortur'd soule You see my wife my Queene and Emperesse Brought vp and propped by the hand of fame Queen of fifteene contributory Queens Now throwen to roomes of blacke abiection Smear'd with blots of basest drudgery And Villanesse to shame disdaine and misery Accursed Baiazeth whose words of ruth That would with pity chear zabinas heart And make our soules resolue in ceasles teares Sharp hunger bites vpon and gripes the root From whence the issues of my thoughts doe breake O poore zabina O my Queen my Queen Fetch me some water for my burning breast To coole and comfort me with longer date That in the shortned sequel of my life I may poure foorth my soule into thine armes With words of loue whose moaning entercourse Hath hetherto bin staid with wrath and hate Of our expreslesse band inflictions zab. Sweet Baiazeth I will prolong thy life As long as any blood or sparke of breath Can quench or coole the torments of my griefe She goes out Bai. Now Baiazeth abridge thy banefull daies And beat thy braines out of thy conquer'd head Since other meanes are all forbidden me That may be ministers of my decay O highest Lamp of euerliuing Ioue Accursed day infected with my griefs Hide now thy stained face in endles night And shut the windowes of the lightsome heauens Let vgly darknesse with her rusty coach Engyrt with tempests wrapt in pitchy clouds Smother the earth with neuer fading mistes And let her horses from their nostrels breathe Rebellious winds and dreadfull thunderclaps That in this terrour tamburlaine may liue And my pin'd soule resolu'd in liquid ay May styl excruciate his tormented thoughts Then let the stony dart of sencelesse colde Pierce through the center of my withered heart And make a passage for my loathed life He brains himself against the cage Enter Zabina Zab. What do mine eies behold my husband dead His Skul al riuin in twain his braines dasht out The braines of Baiazeth my Lord and Soueraigne O Baiazeth my husband and my Lord O Baiazet O Turk O Emperor giue him his liquor Not I bring milk and fire and my blood I bring him againe teare me in peeces giue me the sworde with a ball of wildefire vpon it Downe with him downe with him Goe to my child away away away Ah saue that Infant saue him saue him I euen I speake to her the Sun was downe Streamers white Red Blacke here here here Fling the meat in his face Tamburlaine tamburlaine Let the souldiers be buried Hel death tamburlain Hell make ready my Coch my chaire my iewels I come I come I come She runs against the Cage and braines her selfe Zenocrate wyth Anippe Wretched Zenocrate that liuest to see Damascus walles di'd with Egytian blood Thy Fathers subiects and thy countrimen Thy streetes strowed with disseuered iointes of men And wounded bodies gasping yet for life But most accurst to see the Sun-bright troope Of heauenly vyrgins and vnspotted maides Whose lookes might make the angry God of armes To breake his sword and mildly treat of loue On horsmens Lances to be hoisted vp And guiltlesly endure a cruell death For euery fell and stout Tartarian Stead That stampt on others with their thundring hooues When al their riders chardg'd their quiuering speares Began to checke the ground and rain themselues Gazing vpon the beautie of their lookes Ah Tamburlaine wert thou the cause of this That tearm'st Zenocrate thy dearest loue Whose liues were dearer to Zenocrate Than her owne life or ought saue thine owne loue But see another bloody spectacle Ah wretched eies the enemies of my hart How are ye glutted with these grieuous obiects And tell my soule mor tales of bleeding ruth See se Anippe if they breathe or no Anip. No breath nor sence nor motion in them both Ah Madam this their slauery hath Enforc'd And ruthlesse cruelty of Tamburlaine Zen. Earth cast vp fountaines from thy entralles And wet thy cheeks for their vntimely deathes Shake with their waight in signe of feare griefe Blush heauen that gaue them honor at their birth And let them die a death so barbarous Those that are proud of fickle Empery And place their chiefest good in earthly pompe Behold the Turke and his great Emperesse Ah tamburlaine my loue sweet tamburlaine That fights for Scepters and for slippery crownes Behold the Turk and his great Emperesse Thou that in conduct of thy happy stars Sleep'st euery night with conquest on thy browes And yet wouldst shun the wauering turnes of war In feare and feeling of the like distresse Behold the Turke and his great Emperesse Ah myghty Ioue and holy Mahomet Pardon my Loue oh pardon his contempt Of earthly fortune and respect of pitie And let not conquest ruthlesly pursewde Be equally against his life incenst In this great Turk and haplesse Emperesse And pardon me that was not moou'd with ruthe To see them liue so long in misery Ah what may chance to thee zenocrate Anip, Madam content your self and be resolu'd Your Loue hath fortune so at his command That she shall stay and turne her wheele no more As long as life maintaines his mighty arme That fights for honor to adorne your head Enter a Messenger Zen. What other heauie news now brings Philemus Phi. Madam your father and th' Arabian king The first affecter of your excellence Comes now as Turnus gainst Eneas did Armed with lance into the Egyptian fields Ready for battaile gainst my Lord the King Zen. Now shame and duty loue and feare presents A thousand sorrowes to my martyred soule Whom should I wish the fatall victory When my poore pleasures are deuided thus And rackt by dutie from my cursed heart My father and my first betrothed loue Must fight against my life and present loue Wherin the change I vse condemns my faith And makes my deeds infamous through the world But as the Gods to end the Troyans toile Preuent'd Turnus of Lauinia And fatally enricht Eneas loue So for a finall Issue to my griefes To pacifie my countrie and
let vs haste frō hence Along the caue that leads beyond the foe No hope is left to saue this conquered hold Cap. A deadly bullet gliding through my side Lies heauy on my heart I cannot liue I feele my liuer pierc'd and all my vaines That there begin and nourish euery part Mangled and torne and all my entrals bath'd In blood that straineth from their orifex Farewell sweet wife sweet son farewell I die Olym. Death whether art thou gone that both we liue Come back again sweet death strike vs both One minute end our daies and one sepulcher Containe our bodies death why comm'st thou not Wel this must be the messenger for thee Now vgly death stretch out thy Sable wings And carie both our soules where his remaines Tell me sweet boie art thou content to die These barbarous Scythians full of cruelty And Moores in whom was neuer pitie found Will hew vs peecemeale put vs to the wheele Or els inuent some torture worse than that Therefore die by thy louing mothers hand Who gently now wil lance thy Iuory throat And quickly rid thee both of paine and life Son Mother dispatch me or I le kil my selfe For think ye I can liue and see him dead Giue me your knife good mother or strike home The Scythiens shall not tyrannise on me Sweet mother strike that I may meet my father She stabs him Olym. Ah sacred Mahomet if this be sin Intreat a pardon of the God of heauen And purge my soule before it come to thee Entert Theridamas Techelles and all their traine ther. How now Madam what are you doing Olim. Killing my selfe as I haue done my sonne Whose body with his fathers I haue burnt Least cruell Scythians should dismember him tech. T was brauely done and like a souldiers wife Thou shalt with vs to Tamburlaine the great Who when he heares how resolute thou wert Wil match thee with a viceroy or a king Olym. My Lord deceast was dearer vnto me Than any Viceroy King or Emperour And for his sake here will I end my daies ther. But Lady goe with vs to Tamburlaine And thou shalt see a man greater than Mahomet In whose high lookes is much more maiesty Than from the Concaue superficies Of Ioues vast pallace the imperiall Orbe Vnto the shining bower where Cynthia sits Like louely thetis in a Christall robe That treadeth Fortune vnderneath his feete And makes the mighty God of armes his slaue On whom death and the fatall sisters waite With naked swords and scarlet liueries Before whom mounted on a Lions backe Rhammusia beares a helmet ful of blood And strowes the way with braines of slaughtered men By whose proud side the vgly furies run Harkening when he shall bid them plague the world Ouer whose zenith cloth'd in windy aire And Eagles wings ioin'd to her feathered breast Fame houereth sounding of her golden Trumpe That to the aduerse poles of that straight line Which measureth the glorious frame of heauen The name of mightie Tamburlain is spread And him faire Lady shall thy eies behold Come Olim Take pitie of a Ladies ruthfull teares That humbly craues vpon her knees to stay And cast her bodie in the burning flame That feeds vpon her sonnes and husbands flesh tech. Madam sooner shall fire consume vs both Then scortch a face so beautiful as this In frame of which Nature hath shewed more skill Than when she gaue eternall Chaos forme Drawing from it the shining Lamps of heauen ther. Madam I am so far in loue with you That you must goe with vs no remedy Olim. Then carie me I care not where you will And let the end of this my fatall iourney Be likewise end to my accursed life tech. No Madam but the beginning of your ioy Come willinglie therfore ther. Souldiers now let vs meet the Generall Who by this time is at Natolia Ready to charge the army of the Turke The gold the siluer and the pearle ye got Rifling this Fort deuide in equall shares This Lady shall haue twice so much againe Out of the coffers of our treasurie Exeunt Actus 3. Scaena 5. Callepine Orcanes Ierusalem Trebizon Soria Almeda with their traine Messenger REnowmed Emperour mighty Callepine Gods great lieftenant ouer all the world Here at Alepo with an hoste of men Lies Tamburlaine this king of Persea In number more than are the quyuering leaues Of Idas forrest where your highnesse hounds With open crie pursues the wounded Stag Who meanes to gyrt Natolias walles with siege Fire the towne and ouerrun the land Cal. My royal army is as great as his That from the bounds of Phrigia to the sea Which washeth Cyprus with his brinish waues Couers the hils the valleies and the plaines Viceroies and Peeres of Turky play the men Whet all your swords to mangle Tamburlain His sonnes his Captaines and his followers By Mahomet not one of them shal liue The field wherin this battaile shall be fought For euer terme the Perseans sepulchre In memorie of this our victory Orc. Now he that cals himself the scourge of Ioue The Emperour of the world and earthly God Shal end the warlike progresse he intends And traueile hedlong to the lake of hell Where legions of deuils knowing he must die Here in Natolia by your highnesse hands All brandishing their brands of quenchlesse fire Streching their monstrous pawes grin with their teeth And guard the gates to entertaine his soule Cal. Tel me Viceroies the number of your men And what our Army royall is esteem'd Ier. From Palestina and Ierusalem Of Hebrewes three score thousand fighting men Are come since last we shewed your maiesty Orc. So from Arabia desart and the bounds Of that sweet land whose braue Metropolis Reedified the faire Semyramis Came forty thousand warlike foot and horse Since last we numbred to your Maiesty treb. From trebizon in Asia the lesse Naturalized Turks and stout Bythinians Came to my bands full fifty thousand more That fighting knowes not what retreat doth meane Nor ere returne but with the victory Since last we numbred to your maiesty Sor. Of Sorians from Halla is repair'd And neighbor cities of your highnesse land Ten thousand horse and thirty thousand foot Since last we numbred to your maiestie So that the Army royall is esteem'd Six hundred thousand valiant fighting men Callep. Then welcome Tamburlaine vnto thy death Come puissant Viceroies let vs to the field The Perseans Sepulchre and sacrifice Mountaines of breathlesse men to Mahomet Who now with Ioue opens the firmament To see the slaughter of our enemies Actus 2. Scaena 1. Tamburlaine with his three sonnes Vsumeasane with other Tam. HOw now Casane See a knot of kings Sitting as if they were a telling tidles Vsu. My Lord your presence makes them pale and wan Poore soules they looke as if their deaths were neere tamb. Why so he is Casane I am here But yet I le sane their liues and make them slaues Ye petty kings of Turkye I am come
As Hector did into the Grecian campe To ouerdare the pride of Groecia And set his warlike person to the view Of fierce Achilles riuall of his fame I doe you honor in the simile For if I should as Hector did Achilles The worthiest knight that euer brandishe sword Challenge in combat any of you all I see how fearfully ye would refuse And fly my gloue as from a Scorpion Orc. Now thou art fearfull of thy armies strength Thou wouldst with ouer match of person fight But Shepheards issue base borne tamburlaine Thinke of thy end this sword shall lance thy throat Tamb. Villain the shepheards issue at whose byrth Heauen did affoord a gratious aspect And ioin'd those stars that shall be opposite Euen till the dissolution of the world And neuer meant to make a Conquerour So famous as is mighty Tamburlain Shall so torment thee and that Callapine That like a roguish runnaway suborn'd That villaine there that slaue that Turkish dog To false his seruice to his Soueraigne As ye shal curse the byrth of Tamburlaine Cal. Raile not proud Scythian I shall now reuenge My fathers vile abuses and mine owne Ier. By Mahomet he shal be tied in chaines Rowing with Christians in a Brigandine About the Grecian Isles to rob and spoile And turne him to his ancient trade againe Me thinks the slaue should make a lusty theefe Cal. Nay when the battaile ends al we wil meet And sit in councell to inuent some paine That most may vex his body and his soule Tam. Sirha Callapine I le hang a clogge about your necke for running away againe you shall not trouble me thus to come and fetch you But as for you Viceroy you shal haue bits And harnest like my horses draw my coch And when ye stay be lasht with whips of wier I le haue you learne to feed on prouander And in a stable lie vpon the planks Orc. But Tamburlaine first thou shalt kneele to vs And humbly craue a pardon for thy life treb. The common souldiers of our mighty hoste Shal bring thee bound vnto the Generals tent Sor. And all haue iointly sworne thy cruell death Or bind thee in eternall torments wrath tam. Wel sirs diet your selues you knowe I shall haue occasion shortly to iourney you Cel. See father how Almeda the Iaylor lookes vpon vs tam. Villaine traitor damned fugitiue I le make thee wish the earth had swallowed thee Seest thou not death within my wrathfull looks Goe villaine cast thee headlong from a rock Or rip thy bowels and rend out thy heart T' appease my wrath or els I le torture thee Searing thy hatefull flesh with burning yrons And drops of scalding lead while all thy ioints Be rackt and beat asunder with the wheele For if thou liuest not any Element Shal shrowde thee from the wrath of tamburlaine Cal. Wel in despight of thee he shall be king Come Almeda receiue this crowne of me I here inuest thee king of Ariadan Bordering on Mare Roso neere to Meca Or. What take it man Al. Good my Lord let me take it Cal. Doost thou aske him leaue Hēre take it tam. Go too sirha take your crown and make vp the halfe dozen So sirha now you are a king you must giue armes Or. So he shal and we are thy head in his Scutchion tamb. No let him hang a bunch of keies on his standerd to put him in remembrance he was a Iailor that when I take him I may knocke out his braines with them and lock you in the stable when you shall come sweating from my chariot treb. Away let vs to the field that the villaine may be slaine tamb. Sirha prepare whips and bring my chariot to my Tent For as soone as the battaile is done I le ride in triumph through the Camp Enter Theridamas Techelles and their traine How now ye pety kings loe here are Bugges Wil make the haire stand vpright on your heads And cast your crownes in slauery at their feet Welcome theridamas and techelles both See ye this rout and know ye this same king ther. I my Lord he was Calapines keeper tam. Wel now you see hee is a king looke to him theridamas when we are fighting least hee hide his crowne as the foolish king of Persea did Sor. No Tamburlaine hee shall not be put to that Exigent I warrant thee tam. You knowe not sir But now my followers and my louing friends Fight as you euer did like Conquerours The glorie of this happy day is yours My sterne aspect shall make faire Victory Houering betwixt our armies light on me Loden with Lawrell wreathes to crowne vs all tech. I smile to think how when this field is fought And rich Natolia ours our men shall sweat With carrieng pearle and treasure on their backes tamb. You shall be princes all immediatly Come fight ye Turks or yeeld vs victory Or. No we wil meet thee slauish tāburlain Exeunt Actus 4. Scaena 1. Alarme Amyras and Celebinus issues from the tent where Caliphas sits a sleepe NOw in their glories shine the golden crownes Of these proud Turks much like so many suns That halfe dismay the maiesty of heauen Now brother follow we our fathers sword That flies with fury swifter than our thoughts And cuts down armies with his conquering wings Cel. Call foorth our laisie brother from the tent For if my father misse him in the field Wrath kindled in the furnace of his breast Wil send a deadly lightening to his heart Amy. Brother ho what giuen so much to sleep You cannot leaue it when our enemies drums And ratling cannons thunder in our eares Our proper ruine and our fathers foile Cal. Away ye fools my father needs not me Nor you in faith but that you wil be thought More childish valourous than manly wise If halfe our campe should sit and sleepe with me My father ware enough to scar the foe You doo dishonor to his maiesty To think our helps will doe him any good Amy. What dar'st thou then be absent frō the fight Knowing my father hates thy cowardise And oft hath warn'd thee to be stil in field When he himselfe amidst the thickest troopes Beats downe our foes to flesh our taintlesse swords Cal. I know sir what it is to kil a man It works remorse of conscience in me I take no pleasure to be murtherous Nor care for blood when wine wil quench my thirst Cel. O cowardly boy fie for shame come foorth Thou doost dishonor manhood and thy house Cal. Goe goe tall stripling fight you for vs both And take my other toward brother here For person like to prooue a second Mars T will please my mind as wel to heare both you Haue won a heape of honor in the field And left your slender carkasses behind As if I lay with you for company Amy. You wil not goe then Cal You say true Amy. Were all the lofty mounts of Zona mundi That fill the midst of farthest Tartary Turn'd into pearle
wil neuer yeeld Alarme and they scale the walles Enter Tamburlain with Vsumeasane Amyras and Celebinus with others the two spare kings Tam. The stately buildings of faire Babylon Whose lofty Pillers higher than the cloudes Were woont to guide the seaman in the deepe Being caried thither by the cannons force Now fil the mouth of Limnasphaltes lake And make a bridge vnto the battered walles Where Belus Ninus and great Alexander Haue rode in triumph triumphs Tamburlaine Whose chariot wheeles haue burst th' Assirians bones Drawen with these kings on heaps of carkasses Now in the place where faire Semiramis Courted by kings and peeres of Asia Hath trode the Meisures do my souldiers martch And in the streets where braue Assirian Dames Haue rid in pompe like rich Saturnia With furious words and frowning visages My horsmen brandish their vnruly blades Enter Theridamas and Techelles bringing the Gouernor of Babylon Who haue ye there my Lordes Ther. The sturdy Gouernour of Babylon That made vs all the labour for the towne And vsde such slender reckning of you maiesty tam. Go bind the villaine he shall hang in chaines Vpon the ruines of this conquered towne Sirha the view of our vermillion tents Which threatned more than if the region Next vnderneath the Element of fire Were full of Commets and of blazing stars Whose flaming traines should reach down to the earth Could not affright you no nor I my selfe The wrathfull messenger of mighty Ioue That with his sword hath quail'd all earthly kings Could not perswadé you to submission But stil the ports were shut villaine I say Should I but touch the rusty gates of hell The triple headed Cerberus would howle And wake blacke Ioue to crouch and kneele to me But I haue sent volleies of shot to you Yet could not enter till the breach was made Gou. Nor if my body could haue stopt the breach Shouldst thou haue entred cruel tamburlaine T is not thy bloody tents can make me yeeld Nor yet thy selfe thè anger of the highest For though thy cannon shooke the citie walles My heart did neuer quake or corrage faint tam. Wel now I le make it quake go draw him vp Hang him vp in chaines vpon the citie walles And let my souldiers shoot the slaue to death Gouern. Vile monster borne of some infernal hag And sent from hell to tyrannise on earth Do all thy wurst nor death nor Tamburlaine Torture or paine can daunt my dreadlesse minde tam. Vp with him then his body shal be scard Gou But Tamburlain in Lymnasphaltis lake There lies more gold than Babylon is worth Which when the citie was besieg'd I hid Saue but my life and I wil giue it thee tam. Then for all your valour you would saue your life Where about lies it Gou. Vnder a hollow bank right opposite Against the Westerne gate of Babylon tam Go thither some of you and take his gold The rest forward with execution Away with him hence let him speake no more I think I make your courage something quaile When this is done we 'll martch from Babylon And make our greatest haste to Persea These Iades are broken winded and halfe tyr'd Vnharnesse them and let me haue fresh horse So now their best is done to honour me Take them and hang them both vp presently Tre. Vild Tyrant barbarous bloody Tamburlain Tamb. Take them away Theridamas see them dispatcht Ther I will my Lord tam. Come Asian Viceroies to your taskes a while And take such fortune as your fellowes felt Orc. First let thy Scythyan horse teare both our limmes Rather then we should draw thy chariot And like base slaues abiect our princely mindes To vile and ignominious seruitude Ier. Rather lend me thy weapon Tamburlain That I may sheath it in this breast of mine A thousand deathes could not torment our hearts More than the thought of this dooth vexe our soules Amy. They will talk still my Lord if you doe not bridle them tam. Bridle them and let me to my coach They bridle them Amy. See now my Lord how braue the Captaine hangs tam. T is braue indeed my boy wel done Shoot first my Lord and then the rest shall follow ther. Then haue at him to begin withall Theridamas shootes Gou Yet saue my life and let this wound appease The mortall furie of great Tamburlain tam. No though Asphaltis lake were liquid gold And offer'd me as ransome for thy life Yet shouldst thou die shoot at him all at once They shoote So now he hangs like Bagdets Gouernour Hauing as many bullets in his flesh As there be breaches in her battered wall Goe now and bind the Burghers hand and foot And cast them headlong in the cities lake Tartars and Perseans shall inhabit there And to command the citie I will build A Cytadell that all Affrica Which hath bene subiect to the Persean king Shall pay me tribute for in Babylon tech. What shal be done with their wiues and children my Lord tam, Techelles Drowne them all man woman and child Leaue not a Babylonian in the towne tech I will about it straight come Souldiers Exit tam. Now Casane wher 's the Turkish Alcaron And all the heapes of supersticious bookes Found in the Temples of that Mahomet Whom I haue thought a God they shal be burnt Cas. Here they are my Lord tam. Wel said let there be a fire presently In vaine I see men worship Mahomet My sword hath sent millions of Turks to hell Slew all his Priests his kinsmen and his friends And yet I liue vntoucht by Mahomet There is a God full of reuenging wrath From whom the thunder and the lightning breaks Whose Scourge I am and him will I obey So Casane fling them in the fire Now Mahomet if thou haue any power Come downe thy selfe and worke a myracle Thou art not woorthy to be worshipped That suffers flames of fire to burne the writ Wherein the sum of thy religion rests Why send'st thou not a furious whyrlwind downe To blow thy Alcaron vp to thy throne Where men report thou sitt'st by God himselfe Or vengeance on the head of Tamburlain That shakes his sword against thy maiesty And spurns the Abstracts of thy foolish lawes Wel souldiers Mahomet remaines in hell He cannot heare the voice of Tamburlain Seeke out another Godhead to adore The God that sits in heauen if any God For he is God alone and none but he tech. I haue fulfil'd your highnes wil my Lord Thousands of men drown'd in Asphaltis Lake Haue made the water swell aboue the bankes And fishes feed by humaine carkasses Amasde swim vp and downe vpon the waues As when they swallow Assafitida Which makes them fleet aloft and gaspe for aire tam. Wel then my friendly Lordes what now remaines But that we leaue sufficient garrison And presently depart to Persea To triumph after all our victories ther. I good my Lord let vs in hast to Persea And let this Captaine be remoou'd the walles To some