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
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
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
King Vsum. Faith and techelles it was manly done And since he was so wise and honorable Let vs affoord him now the bearing hence And craue his triple worthy buriall tech. Agreed Casane we wil honor him Act. 3. Scaena 3 Tamburlain Techelles Vsumeasane Theridamas Bassoe Zenocrate with others Tamburlaine BAssoe by this thy Lord and maister knowes I meane to meet him in Bithynia see how he comes Tush Turkes are ful of brags And menace more than they can wel performe He meet me in the field and fetch thee hence Alas poore Turke his fortune is to weake T' incounter with the strength of Tamburlaine View well my Camp and speake indifferently Doo not my captaines and my souldiers looke As if they meant to conquer Affrica Basl. Your men are valiant but their number few And cannot terrefie his mightie hoste My Lord the great Commander of the worlde Besides fifteene contributorie kings Hath now in armes ten thousand Ianisaries Mounted on lusty Mauritanian Steeds Brought to the war by men of Tripoly Two hundred thousand footmen that haue seru'd In two set battels fought in Grecia And for the expedition of this war If he think good can from his garrisons Withdraw as many more to follow him tech. The more he brings the greater is the spoile For when they perish by our warlike hands We meane to seate our footmen on their Steeds And rifle all those stately Ianisars tam. But wil those Kings accompany your Lord Bass. Such as his Highnesse please but some must stay To rule the prouinces he late subdude tam. Thē fight couragiously their crowns are yours This hand shal set them on your conquering heads That made me Emperour of Asia Vsum. Let him bring missions infinite of men Vnpeopling Westerne Affrica and Greece Yet we assure vs of the victorie ther. Euen he that in a trice vanquisht two kings More mighty than the Turkish Emperour Shall rouse him out of Europe and pursue His scattered armie til they yeeld or die tamb. Wel said theridamas speake in that mood For Wil and Shall best fitteth Tamburlain Whose smiling stars giues him assured hope Of martiall triumph ere he meete his foes I that am tearm'd the Scourge and Wrath of God The onely feare and terrour of the world Wil first subdue the Turke and then inlarge Those Christian Captiues which you keep as slaues Burdening their bodies with your heauie chaines And feeding them with thin and slender fare That naked rowe about the Terrene sea And when they chance to breath and rest a space Are punisht with Bastones so grieuously That they lie panting on the Gallies side And striue for life at euery stroke they giue These are the cruell pirates of Argeire That damned traine the scum of Affrica Inhabited with stragling Runnagates That make quick hauock of the Christian blood But as I liue that towne shall curse the time That Tamburlaine set foot in Affrica Enter Baiazeth with his Bassoes and contributorie Kinges Bai. Bassoes and Ianisaries of my Guard Attend vpon the person of your Lord The greatest Potentate of Affrica Tam. Techelles and the rest prepare your swordes I meane t' incounter with that Baiazeth Bai. Kings of Fesse Moroccus and Argier He cals me Baiazeth whom you call Lord Note the presumption of this Scythian slaue I tell thee villaine those that lead my horse Haue to their names tytles of dignity And dar'st thou bluntly call me Baiazeth Tam. And know thou Turke that those which lead my horse Shall lead thee Captiue thorow Affrica And dar'st thou bluntly call me tamburlaine Bai. By Mahomet my Kinsmans sepulcher And by the holy Alcaron I sweare He shall be made a chast and lustlesse Eunuke And in my Sarell tend my Concubines And all his Captaines that thus stoutly stand Shall draw the chariot of my Emperesse Whom I haue brought to see their ouerthrow Tamb. By this my sword that conquer'd Persea Thy fall shall make me famous through the world I will not tell thee how I le handle thee But euery common souldier of my Camp Shall smile to see thy miserable state Fess. What meanes the mighty Turkish Emperor To talk with one so base as tamburlaine Moro. Ye Moores and valiant men of Barbary How can ye suffer these indignities Arg. Leaue words and let them feele your lances pointes Which glided through the bowels of the Greekes Bai. Wel said my stout contributory kings Your threefold armie and my hugie hoste Shall swallow vp these base borne Perseans tech. Puissant renowmed and mighty tamburlain Why stay we thus prolonging all their liues ther. I long to see those crownes won by our swords That we may raigne as kings of Affrica Vsum. What Coward wold not fight for such a prize Tamb. Fight all couragiously and be you kings I speake it and my words are oracles Bai. Zabina mother of three brauer boies Than Hercules that in his infancie Did pash the iawes of Serpents venomous Whose hands are made to gripe a warlike Lance Their shoulders broad for complet armour fit Their lims more large and of a bigger size Than all the brats ysprong from Typhons loins Who when they come vnto their fathers age Will batter Turrets with their manly fists And on thy head weare my Emperiall crowne Vntill I bring this sturdy tamburlain And all his Captains bound in captiue chaines zab. Such good successe happen to Baiazeth Tam. zenocrate the loueliest Maide aliue Fairer than rockes of pearle and pretious stone The onely Paragon of tamburlaine Whose eies are brighter than the Lamps of heauen And speech more pleasant than sweet harmony That with thy lookes canst cleare the darkened Sky And calme the rage of thundring Iupiter Sit downe by her adorned with my Crowne As if thou wert the Empresse of the world Stir not zenocrate vntill thou see Me martch victoriously with all my men Triumphing ouer him and these his kings Which I will bring as Vassals to thy feete Til then take thou my crowne vaunt of my worth And manage words with her as we will armes zen. And may my Loue the king of Persea Returne with victorie and free from wound Bai. Now shalt thou feel the force of Turkish arms Which lately made all Europe quake for feare I haue of Turkes Arabians Moores and Iewes Enough to couer all Bythinia Let thousands die their slaughtered Carkasses Shal serue for walles and bulwarkes to the rest And as the heads of Hydra so my power Subdued shall stand as mighty as before If they should yeeld their necks vnto the sword Thy souldiers armes could not endure to strike So many blowes as I haue heads for thee Thou knowest not foolish hardy Tamburlaine What t is to meet me in the open field That leaue no ground for thee to martch vpon Tam. Our conquering swords shall marshal vs the way We vse to march vpon the slaughtered foe Trampling their bowels with our horses hooffes Braue horses bred on the white Tartarian hils My Campe is like to Iulius
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
my loue Must Tamburlaine by their resistlesse powers With vertue of a gentle victorie Conclude a league of honor to my hope Then as the powers deuine haue preordainde With happy safty of my fathers life Send like defence of faire Arabia They sound to the battaile And Tamburlaine enioyes the victory after Arabia enters wounded Ar. What cursed power guides the murthering hands Of this infamous Tyrants souldiers That no escape may saue their enemies Nor fortune keep them selues from victory Lye down Arabia wounded to the death And let Zenocrates faire eies beholde That as for her thou bearst these wretched armes Euen so for her thou diest in these armes Leauing thy blood for witnesse of thy loue zen. Too deare a witnesse for such loue my Lord Behold Zenocrate the cursed obiect Whose Fortunes neuer mastered her griefs Behold her wounded in conceit for thee As much as thy faire body is for me Ar. Then shal I die with full contented heart Hauing beheld deuine Zenocrate Whose sight with ioy would take away my life As now it bringeth sweetnesse to my wound If I had not bin wounded as I am Ah that the deadly panges I suffer now Would lend an howers license to my tongue To make discourse of some sweet accidents Haue chanc'd thy merits in this worthles bondage And that I might be priuy to the state Of thy deseru'd contentment and thy loue But making now a vertue of thy sight To driue all sorrow from my fainting soule Since Death denies me further cause of ioy Depriu'd of care my heart with comfort dies Since thy desired hand shall close mine eies Enter Tamburlain leading the Souldane Techelles Theridamas Vsumeasane with others Tam. Come happy Father of Zenocrate A title higher than thy Souldans name Though my right hand haue thus enthralled thee Thy princely daughter here shall set thee free She that hath calmde the furie of my sword Which had ere this bin bathde in streames of blood As vast and deep as Euphrates or Nile Zen: O sight thrice welcome to my ioiful soule To see the king my Father issue safe From dangerous battel of my conquering Loue Soul Wel met my only deare Zenocrate Though with the losse of Egypt and my Crown tam. T was I my lord that gat the victory And therfore grieue not at your ouerthrow Since I shall render all into your hands And ad more strength to your dominions Then euer yet confirm'd th' Egyptian Crown The God of war resignes his roume to me Meaning to make me Generall of the world Ioue viewing me in armes lookes pale and wan Fearing my power should pull him from his throne Where ere I come the fatall sisters sweat And griesly death by running to and fro To doo their ceassles homag to my sword And here in Affrick where it seldom raines Since I arriu'd with my triumphat hoste Haue swelling cloudes drawen from wide gasping woundes Bene oft resolu'd in bloody purple showers A meteor that might terrify the earth And make it quake at euery drop it drinks Millions of soules sit on the bankes of Styx Waiting the back returne of Charons boat Hell and Elisian swarme with ghosts of men That I haue sent from sundry foughten fields To spread my fame through hell and vp to heauen And see my Lord a sight of strange import Emperours and kings lie breathlesse at my feet The Turk and his great Emperesse as it seems Left to themselues while we were at the fight Haue desperatly dispatcht their slauish liues With them Arabia too hath left his life Al sights of power to grace my victory And such are obiects fit for Tamburlaine Wherein as in a mirrour may be seene His honor that consists in sheading blood When men presume to manage armes with him Soul Mighty hath God Mahomet made thy hand Renowmed tamburlain to whom all kings Of force must yeeld their crownes and Emperies And I am pleasde with this my ouerthrow If as beseemes a person of thy state Thou hast with honor vsde Zenocrate tamb. Her state and person wants no pomp you see And for all blot of foule inchastity I record heauen her heauenly selfe is cleare Then let me find no further time to grace Her princely Temples with the Persean crowne But here these kings that on my fortunes wait And haue bene crown'd for prooued worthynesse Euen by this hand that shall establish them Shal now adioining al their hands with mine Inuest her here my Queene of Persea What saith the noble Souldane and Zenocrate Soul I yeeld with thanks and protestations Of endlesse honor to thee for her loue Tamb. Then doubt I not but faire Zenocrate Will soone consent to satisfy vs both Zen. Els should I much forget my self my Lord Ther. Then let vs set the crowne vpon her head That long hath lingred for so high a seat Tech. My hand is ready to performe the deed For now her mariage time shall worke vs rest Vsum. And her 's the crown my Lord help set it on Tam. Then sit thou downe diuine Zenocrate And here we crowne thee Queene of Persea And all the kingdomes and dominions That late the power of Tamburlaine subdewed As Iuno when the Giants were supprest That darted mount aimes at her brother Ioue So lookes my Loue shadowing in her browes Triumphes and Trophees for my victories Or as Latonas daughter bent to armes Adding more courage to my conquering mind To gratify the sweet zenocrate Egyptians Moores and men of Asia From Barbary vnto the Westeme Indie Shall pay a yearly tribute to thy Syre And from the boundes of Affrick to the banks Of Ganges shall his mighty arme extend And now my Lords and louing followers That purchac'd kingdomes by your martiall deeds Cast off your armor put on scarlet roabes Mount vp your royall places of estate Enuironed with troopes of noble men And there make lawes to rule your prouinces Hang vp your weapons on Alcides poste For Tamburlaine takes truce with al the world Thy first betrothed Loue Arabia Shall we with honor as beseemes entombe With this great Turke and his faire Emperesse Then after all these solemne Exequies We wil our celebrated rites of mariage solemnize Finis Actus quinti vltimi huius primae partis Tamburlaine the great THE SECOND PART OF The bloody Conquests of mighty Tamburlaine With his impassionate fury for the death of his Lady and loue faire Zenocrate his fourme of exhortation and discipline to his three sons and the maner of his own death The Prologue THe generall welcomes Tamburlain receiud When he arriued last vpon our stage Hath made our Poet pen his second part Wher death cuts off the progres of his pomp And murdrous Fates throwes al his triumphs down But what became of faire Zenocrate And with how manie cities sacrifice He celebrated her said funerall Himselfe in presence shal vnfold at large Actus 1. Scaena 1. Orcanes king of Natolia Gazellus vice-roy of Byron Vpibassa and their traine
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
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
are wrought with beaten golde Their swords enameld and about their neckes Hangs massie chaines of golde downe to the waste In euery part exceeding braue and rich Tam. Then shall we fight couragiously with them Or looke you I should play the Orator Tech. No cowards and fainthearted runawaies Looke for orations when the foe is neere Our swordes shall play the Orators for vs Vsum. Come let vs meet them at the mountain foot And with a sodaine and an hot alarme Driue all their horses headlong down the hill Tech. Come let vs martch Tam. Stay Techelles aske a parlee first The Souldiers enter Open the Males yet guard the treasure sure Lay out our golden wedges to the view That their reflexions may amaze the Perseans And looke we friendly on them when they come But if they offer word or violence Wee le fight fiue hundred men at armes to one Before we part with our possession And gainst the Generall we will lift our swords And either lanch his greedy thirsting throat Or take him prisoner and his chaine shall serue For Manackles till he be ransom'd home Tech, I heare them come shal we encounter them Tam. Keep all your standings and not stir a foote My selfe will bide the danger of the brunt Enter Theridamas with others Ther. Where is this Scythian Tamberlaine Tam. Whō seekst thou Persean I am Taburlain Ther. Tamburlaine A Scythian Shepheard so imbellished With Natures pride and richest furniture His looks do menace heauen and dare the Gods His fierie eies are fixt vpon the earth As if he now deuis'd some Stratageme Or meant to pierce Auernas darksome vaults To pull the triple headed dog from hell tamb. Noble and milde this Persean seemes to be If outward habit iudge the inward man tech. His deep affections make him passionate tamb. With what a maiesty he rears his looks In thee thou valiant man of Persea I see the folly of thy Emperour Art thou but Captaine of a thousand horse That vy Characters grauen in thy browes And by thy martiall face and stout aspect Deseru'st to haue the leading of an hoste Forsake thy king and do but ioine with me And we will triumph ouer all the world I hold the Fates bound fast in yron chaines And with my hand turne Fortunes wheel about And sooner shall the Sun fall from his Spheare Than Tamburlaine be slaine or ouercome Draw foorth thy sword thou mighty man at Armes Intending but to rase my charmed skin And Ioue himselfe will stretch his hand from heauen To ward the blow and shield me safe from harme See how he raines down heaps of gold in showers As if he meant to giue my Souldiers pay And as a sure and grounded argument That I shall be the Monark of the East He sends this Sculdans daughter rich and braue To be my Queen and portly Emperesse If thou wilt stay with me renowmed man And lead thy thousand horse with my conduct Besides thy share of this Egyptian prise Those thousand horse shall sweat with martiall spoile Of conquered kingdomes and of Cities sackt Both we wil walke vpon the lofty clifts And Christian Merchants that with Russian stems Plow vp huge furrowes in the Caspian sea Shall vaile to vs as Lords of all the Lake Both we will raigne as Consuls of the earth And mightie kings shall be our Senators Ioue sometime masked in a Shepheards weed And by those steps that he hath scal'd the heauens May we become immortall like the Gods Ioine with me now in this my meane estate I cal it meane because being yet obscure The Nations far remoou'd admyre me not And when my name and honor shall be spread As far as Boreas claps his brazen wings Or faire Botëes sends his cheerefull light Then shalt thou be Competitor with me And sit with Tambulaine in all his maiestie Ther. Not Hermes Prolocutor to the Gods Could vse perswasions more patheticall Tam. Nor are Apollos Oracles more true Then thou shalt find my vaunts substantiall Tec. We are his friends and if the Persean king Should offer present Duke domes to our state We thinke it losse to make exchange for that We are assured of by our friends successe Vsum. And kingdomes at the least we all expect Befides the honor in assured conquestes Where kings shall crouch vnto our conquering swords And hostes of souldiers stand amaz'd at vs When with their fearfull tongues they shall cenfesse Theise are the men that all the world admires Ther. What stronge enchantments tice my yeelding soule Are these resolued noble Scythians But shall I prooue a Traitor to my King Tam. No but the trustie friend of Tamburlaine Ther. Won with thy words conquered with thy looks I yeeld my selfe my men horse to thee To be partaker of thy good or ill As long as life maintaines Theridamas Tam. Theridamas my friend take here my hand Which is as much as if I swore by heauen And calld' the Gods to witnesse of my vow Thus shall my heart be still combinde with thine Vntill our bodies turne to Elements And both our soules aspire celestiall thrones Techelles and Casane welcome him Tech. Welcome renowmed Persean to vs all Cas. Long may theridamas remaine with vs Tam. These are my friends in whō I more reioice Than dooth the King of Persea in his Crowne And by the loue of Pyllades and Orestes Whose statutes we adore in Scythia Thy selfe and them shall neuer part from me Before I crowne you kings in Asia Make much of them gentle Theridamas And they will neuer leaue thee till the death ther. Nor thee nor them thrice noble Tamburlain Shal want my heart to be with gladnes pierc'd To do you honor and securitie Tam. A thousand thankes worthy theridamas And now faire Madam and my noble Lords If you will willingly remaine with me You shall haue herors as your merits be Or els you shall be forc'd with slauerie Agid. We yeeld vnto thee happie Tamburlaine tamb. For you then Maddam I am out of doubt Zeno. I must be pleasde perforce wretched Zenocrate Exeunt Actus 2. Scaena 1. Cosroe Menaphon Ortygius Ceneus with other Souldiers Cosroe THus farre are we towards Theridamas And valiant Tamburlaine the man of fame The man that in the forhead of his fortune Beares figures of renowne and myracle But tell me that hast seene him Menaphon What stature wields he and what personage Mena. Of stature tall and straightly fashioned Like his desire lift vpwards and diuine Sa large of lims his ioints so strongly knit Such breadth of shoulders as might mainely beare Olde Atlas burthen twixt his manly pitch A pearle more worth then all the world is plaste Wherein by curious soueraintie of Art Are fixt his piercing instruments of sight Whose fiery cyrcles beare encompassed A heauen of heauenly bodies in their Spheares That guides his steps and actions to the throne Where honor sits inuested royally Pale of complexion wrought in him with passion Thirsting with souerainty with loue
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.