University of Virginia Library

Actus. 4.

Scæna. I.

Souldan of Egipt with three or four Lords, Capolin
Souldan.
Awake ye men of Memphis, heare the clange
Of Scythian trumpets, heare the Basiliskes,
That roaring, shake Damascus turrets downe.
The rogue of Volga holds zenocrate,
The Souldans daughter for his Concubine,
And with a troope of theeues and vagabondes.
Hath spread his collours to our high disgrace:
While you faint-hearted base Egyptians,
Lie slumbering on the flowrie bankes of Nile,
As Crocodiles that vnaffrighted rest,
While thundring Cannons rattle on their Skins.

Mess.
Nay (mightie Souldan) did your greatnes see
The frowning lookes of fiery Tamburlaine,
That with his terrour and imperious eies,
Commandes the hearts of his associates,
It might amaze your royall maiesty.

Soul.
Uillain. I tell thee, were that tamburlaine.
As monstrous as Gorgon, prince of Hell,
The Souldane would not start a foot from him.
But speake, what power hath he?

Mess.
Mightie Lord,
Three hundred thousand men in armour clad,
Upon their pransing Steeds, disdainfully
With wanton paces trampling on the ground.
Fiue hundred thousand footmen threatning shot,
Shaking their swords, their speares and yron bils,
Enuironing their Standard round, that stood
As bristle-pointed as a thorny wood.
Their warlike Engins and munition
Exceed the forces of their martial men.

Soul.
Nay 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 detameth 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.

Scæna. 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 fixed 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 Uillaine, 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:
Unworthy 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,
Strooke 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 Eban 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 fixed 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.
Unworthy king, that by thy crueltie,
Unlawfully 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 doubt not but the Gouernour will yeeld,
Offering Damascus to your Maiesty.

Tam.
So shall he haue his life, and all the rest.
But if he stay vntil the bloody flag
Be once aduanc'd on my vermilion Tent,
He dies, and those that kept vs out so long.
And when they see me march in black aray,
With mournfull streamers hanging down their heads,
Were in that citie all the world contain'd.
Not one should scape: but perish by our swords.

zen.
Yet would you haue some pitie for my sake,
Because it is my countries, and my Fathers.

Tam.
Not for the world Zenocrate, if I haue sworn:
Come bring in the Turke.

Exeunt.

Scæna. 3,

Souldane, Arabia, Capoline, with steaming collors and Souldiers.
Souldan.
Methinks we martch as Meliager did,
Enuironed with braue Argolian knightes:
To chace the sauage Caldonian Boare,
Or Cephalus with lustie Thebane youths.
Against the Woolfe that angrie Themis sent.
To waste and spoile the sweet Aonian fieldes.
A monster of fiue hundred thousand heades,
Compact of Rapine, Pyracie, and spoile.
The Scum of men, the hate and Scourge of God,
Raues in Egyptia, and annoyeth vs.
My Lord it is the bloody Tamburlaine.
A sturdy Felon and a base-bred Thiefe.
By murder raised to the Persean Crowne.
That dares controll vs in our Territories.
To tame the pride of this presumotuous Beast,
Ioine your Arabians with the Souldans power:
Let vs vnite our royall bandes in one,
And hasten to remooue Damascus siege.
It is a blemish to the Maiestie
And high estate of mightie Emperours,
That such a base vsurping vagabond
Should braue a king, or weare a princely crowne.

Ara.
Renowmed Souldane, haue ye lately heard
The ouerthrow of mightie Baiazeth,
About the confines of Bythinia?
The slauerie wherewith he persecutes
The noble Turke and his great Emperesse.

Soul.
I haue, and sorrow for his bad successe:
But noble Lord of great Arabia,
Be so perswaded, that the Souldan is
No more dismaide with tidings of his fall,
Than in the hauen when the Pilot stands
And viewes a strangers ship rent in the winds,
And shiuered against a craggie rocke,
Yet in compassion of his wretched state,
A sacred vow to heauen and him I make,
Confirming it with Ibis holy name,
That Tamburlaine shall rue the day, the hower,
Wherein he wrought such ignominious wrong.
Unto the hallowed person of a prince,
Or kept the faire zenocrate so long.
As Concubine, I feare to feed his lust.

Ara.
Let griefe and furie hasten on reuenge,
Let Tamburlaine for his offences feele
Such plagues as heauen and we can poure on him.
I long to breake my speare vpon his crest,
And prooue the waight of his victorious arme:
For Fame I feare hath bene too prodigall:
In sounding through the world his partiall praise:

Soul.
Capolin, hast thou suruaid our powers.

Cap.
Great Emperours of Egypt and Arabia.
The number of your hostes vnited is,
A hundred and fifty thousand horse,
Two hundred thousand foot, braue men at armes,
Couragious and full of hardinesse:
As frolike as the hunters in the chace:
Of sauage beastes amid the desart woods.

Arab.
My mind presageth fortunate successe,
And tamburlaine, my spirit doth foresee
The vtter ruine of thy men and thee.

Soul.
Then reare your standardes, let your sounding Drummes
Direct our Souldiers to Damascus walles.
Now Tamburlaine, the mightie Souldane comes,
And leads with him the great Arabian King.
To dim thy basenesse and obscurity.
Famous for nothing but for theft and spoile,
To race and scatter thy inglorious crue,
Of Scythians and slauish Persians.

Exeunt.

Scæna 5.

The Banquet, and to it commeth Tamburlain al in scarlet, Theridamas, Techelles, Vsumeasane, the Turke, with others.
Tamb.
Now hang our bloody collours by Damascus.
Reflexing hewes of blood vpon their heads.
While they walke quiuering on their citie walles,
Halfe dead for feare before they feele my wrath:
Then let vs freely banquet and carouse
Full bowles of wine vnto the God of war,
That meanes to fill your helmets full of golde:
And make Damascus spoiles as rich to you,
As was to Iason Colchos golden fleece.
And now Baiazeth, hast thou any stomacke?

Bai.
I, such a stomacke (cruel tamburlane) as I could
Willingly feed vpon thy blood-raw hart.

tam.
Nay, thine owne is easier to come by, plucke out that,
And twil serue thee and thy wife: Wel zenocrate,
techelles, and the rest, fall to your victuals.

Bai.
Fall to, and neuer may your meat digest.
Ye Furies that can maske inuisible,
Diue to the bottome of Auernas poole,
And in your hands bring hellish poison vp.
And squease it in the cup of tamburlain.
Or winged snakes of Lerna cast your stings,
And leaue your venoms in this Tyrants dish.

zab.
And may this banquet prooue as omenous,
As Prognes to th'adulterous Thracian King.
That fed vpon the substance of his child.

zen.
My Lord, how can you suffer these outragious curses
By these slaues of yours?

tam.
To let them see (diuine zenocrate)
I glorie in the curses of my foes.
Hauing the power frō the Emperiall heauen,
To turne them al vpon their proper heades.

tech.

I pray you giue them leaue Madam, this
speech is a goodly refreshing to them.

Ther.

But if his highnesse would let them be fed, it
would doe them more good.

tam.

Sirra, why fall you not too, are you so daintily
brought vp, you cannot eat your owne flesh?

Bai.

First legions of deuils shall teare thee in peeces.

Vsum.

Uillain, knowest thou to whom thou speakest

tam.

O let him alone: here, eat sir, take it from my
swords point, or Ile thrust it to thy heart.

He takes it and stamps vpon it.
ther

He stamps it vnder his feet my Lord.

tam.

Take it vp Uillaine and eat it, or I will make
thee slice the brawnes of thy armes into carbonadoes,
and eat them.

vsu.

Nay, twere better he kild his wife, & then she shall
be sure not to be staru'd, & he be prouided for a moneths
victuall before hand.

tam,

Here is my dagger, dispatch her while she is
fat, for if she liue but a while longer, shee will fall into a
comsumption with freatting, and then she will not bee
woorth the eating.

ther.

Doost thou think that Mahomet wil suffer this

tech.

Tis like he wil, when he cannot let it.

tam.

Go to, fal to your meat: what not a bit? belike he
hath not bene watered to day, giue him some drinke.
They giue him water to drinke, and he flings it on the ground.
Faste and welcome sir, while hunger make you eat.
How now zenocrate, dooth not the Turke and his wife
make a goodly showe at a banquet?

Zen.

Yes, my Lord.

ther

Me thinks, tis a great deale better than a consort
of musicke.

tam.

Yet musicke woulde doe well to cheare vp zenocrate:
pray thee tel, why art thou so sad? If thou wilt
haue a song, the Turke shall straine his voice: but why
is it?

Zen.
My lord, to see my fathers towne besieg'd,
The countrie wasted where my selfe was borne,
How can it but afflict my verie soule?
If any loue remaine 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 stoope,
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 your 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.

Tis 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.
Unto 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,
Until with greater honors I be grac'd.