University of Virginia Library

Scœna. I.

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,
So 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,
Thrirsting 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 fingers 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
Upon 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.