 | Tamburlaine the Great |  |
Scæna. 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:
Tis 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.
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 Phœbes 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 tamburlaine.
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.
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 cheeks,
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.
Surpriz d 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.
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.
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 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.
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