 | The Second Part of The Bloody Conquests of Mighty Tamburlaine |  |
Actus. 4.
Scæna. I.
Alarme: Amyras and Celebinus, issues from the tent where Caliphas sits a sleepe.Now in their glories shine the golden crownes
Of these proud Turks, much like so many suns
That halfe dismay the maiesty of heauen:
Now brother follow we our fathers sword,
That flies with fury swifter than our thoughts,
And cuts down armies with his conquerings wings,
Cel.
Call foorth our laisie brother from the tent,
For if my father misse him in the field,
Wrath kindled in the furnace of his breast,
Wil send a deadly lightening to his heart.
Amy.
Brother, ho, what, giuen so much to sleep
You cannot leaue it, when our enemies drums
And ratling cannons thunder in our eares
Our proper ruine, and our fathers foile?
Cal.
Away ye fools, my father needs not me,
Nor you in faith, but that you wil be thought
More childish valourous than manly wise:
If halfe our campe should sit and sleepe with me,
My father ware enough to scar the foe:
You doo dishonor to his maiesty,
To think our helps will doe him any good.
Amy.
What, dar'st thou then be absent frō the fight,
Knowing my father hates thy cowardise,
And oft hath warn'd thee to be stil in field,
When he himselfe amidst the thickest troopes
Beats downe our foes to flesh our taintlesse swords.
Cal.
I know sir, what it is to kil a man,
I take no pleasure to be murtherous,
Nor care for blood when wine wil quench my thirst.
Cel.
O cowardly boy, fie for shame, come foorth.
Thou doost dishonor manhood, and thy house.
Cal.
Goe, goe tall stripling, fight you for vs both,
And take my other toward brother here,
For person like to prooue a second Mars,
Twill please my mind as wel to heare both you
Haue won a heape of honor in the field,
And left your slender carkasses behind,
As if I lay with you for company.
Amy.
You wil not goe then?
Cal
You say true.
Amy.
Were all the lofty mounts of Zona mundi,
That fill the midst of farthest Tartary,
Turn'd into pearle and proffered for my stay,
I would not bide the furie of my father:
When made a victor in these hautie arms.
He comes and findes his sonnes haue had no shares
In all the honors he proposde for vs.
Cal.
Take you the honor, I will take my ease,
My wisedome shall excuse my cowardise:
I goe into the field before I need?
Alarme, and Amy. and Celeb. run in.
The bullets fly at random where they list.
And should I goe and kill a thousand men,
I were as soone rewarded with a shot,
And sooner far than he that neuer fights.
And should I goe and do nor harme nor good,
I might haue harme, which all the good I haue
Ioin'd with my fathers crowne would neuer cure.
Perd.
Here my Lord.
Cal.
Come, thou and I wil goe to cardes to driue
away the time.
Per.
Content my Lord, but what shal we play for?
Cal.
Who shal kisse the fairest of the Turkes Concubines
first, when my father hath conquered them.
Per.
Agreed yfaith.
They play.
Cal.
They say I am a coward, (Perdicas) and I
feare as litle their tara, tantaras, their swordes or their
cannons, as I doe a naked Lady in a net of golde, and
for feare I should be affraid, would put it off and come
to bed with me.
Per.
Such a feare (my Lord) would neuer make yee retire.
Cal.
I would my father would let me be put in the
front of such a battaile once, to trie my valour.
What a coyle they keepe, I beleeue there will be some
hurt done anon amongst them.
Enter Tamburlain, Theridamas, Techelles, Vsumeasane, Amyras, Celebinus, leading the Turkish kings.
Tam.
See now ye slaues, my childrē stoops your pride
And leads your glories sheep-like to the sword.
Bring them my boyes, and tel me if the warres
Be not a life that may illustrate Gods,
And tickle not your Spirits with desire
Stil to be train'd in armes and chiualry?
Amy.
Shal we let goe these kings again my Lord
To gather greater numbers gainst our power,
That they may say, it is not chance doth this,
tamb.
No, no Amyras, tempt not Fortune so,
Cherish thy valour stil with fresh supplies:
And glut it not with stale and daunted foes,
But wher's this coward, villaine, not my sonne,
But traitor to my name and maiesty.
He goes in and brings him out.
Image of sloth, and and picture of a slaue,
The obloquie and skorne of my renowne,
How may my hart, thus fired with mine eies,
Wounded with shame, and kill'd with discontent,
Shrowd any thought may holde my striuing hands
From martiall iustice on thy wretched soule.
ther.
Yet pardon him I pray your Maiesty.
tech. & Vsu.
Let al of vs intreat your highnesse pardon
tam.
Stand vp, ye base vnworthy souldiers,
Know ye not yet the argument of Armes?
Amy.
Good my Lord, let him be forgiuen for once,
And we wil force him to the field hereafter.
tam.
Stand vp my boyes, and I wil teach ye arms,
And what the iealousie of warres must doe.
O Samarcanda, where I breathed first,
And ioy'd the fire of this martiall flesh,
Blush, blush faire citie, at thine honors foile,
And shame of nature with Iaertis streame,
Embracing thee with deepest of his loue,
Can neuer wash from thy distained browes.
Here Ioue, receiue his fainting soule againe,
A Forme not meet to giue that subiect essence,
Whose matter is the flesh of Tamburlain,
Wherein an incorporeall spirit mooues,
Made of the mould whereof thy selfe consists.
Ready to leuie power against thy throne,
That I might mooue the turning Spheares of heauē,
For earth and al this aery region
Cannot containe the state of Tamburlaine.
By Mahomet, thy mighty friend I sweare,
In sending to my issue such a soule,
Created of the massy dregges of earth,
The scum and tartar of the Elements,
Wherein was neither corrage, strength or wit,
But follie, sloth, and damned idlenesse:
Thou hast procur'd a greater enemie,
Than he that darted mountaines at thy head,
Shaking the burthen mighty Atlas beares:
Whereat thou trembling hid'st thee in the aire.
Cloth'd with a pitchy cloud for being seene.
And now ye cankred curres of Asia,
That will not see the strength of Tamburlaine,
Although it shine as brightly as the Sun.
Now you shal feele the strength of Tamburlain,
And by the state of his supremacie,
Approoue the difference twixt himself and you.
Orc.
Thou shewest the difference twixt our selues and thee.
In this thy barbarous damned tyranny.
Ier.
Thy victories are growne so violent,
That shortly heauen, fild with the meteors
Of blood and fire thy tyrannies haue made,
Will poure down blood and fire on thy head:
Whose scalding drops wil pierce thy seething braines,
And with our bloods, reuenge our bloods on thee.
Tamb.
Uillaines, these terrours and these tyrannies
I execute, enioin'd me from aboue:
To scourge the pride of such as heauen abhors,
Nor am I made Arch-monark of the world,
Crown'd and inuested by the hand of Ioue,
For deeds of bounty or nobility:
But since I exercise a greater name,
The Scourge of God and terrour of the world,
I must apply my selfe to fit those tearmes,
In war, in blood, in death, in crueltie,
And plague such Pesants as resisting me,
The power of heauens eternall maiesty.
Theridamas, techelles, and Casane,
Ransacke the tents and the pauilions
Of these proud Turks, and take their Concubines.
Making them burie this effeminate brat,
For not a common Souldier shall defile
His manly fingers with so faint a boy.
Then bring those Turkish harlots to my tent,
And Ile dispose them as it likes me best,
Meane while take him in.
Soul.
We will my Lord.
Ier.
O damned monster, nay a Feend of Hell,
Whose cruelties are not so harsh as thine,
Nor yet imposd, with such a bitter hate.
Orc.
Reuenge it Radamanth and Eacus,
And let your hates extended in his paines,
Expell the hate wherewith he paines our soules.
treb.
May neuer day giue vertue to his eies,
Whose sight composde of furie and of fire
Doth send such sterne affections to his heart,
Sor.
May neuer spirit, vaine or Artier feed
But (wanting moisture and remorsefull blood)
Drie vp with anger, and consume with heat.
tam.
Wel, bark ye dogs, Ile bridle al your tongues
And bind them close with bits of burnisht steele,
Downe to the channels of your hatefull throats,
And with the paines my rigour shall inflict,
Ile make ye roare, that earth may eccho foorth
The far resounding torments ye sustaine,
As when an heard of lusty Cymbrian Buls,
Run mourning round about, the Femals misse,
And stung with furie of their following,
Fill all the aire with troublous bellowing:
I will with Engines, neuer exercisde,
Conquer, sacke, and vtterly consume
Your cities and your golden pallaces,
And with the flames that beat against the clowdes
Incense the heauens. and make the starres to melt,
As if they were the teares of Mahomet
For hot consumption of his countries pride:
And til by vision, or by speach I heare
Immortall Ioue say, Cease my Tamburlaine,
I will persist a terrour to the world,
Making the Meteors, that like armed men
Are seene to march vpon the towers of heauen,
Run tilting round about the firmament,
And breake their burning Lances in the aire,
For honor of my woondrous victories.
Come bring them in to our Pauilion.
Exeunt.
Scæna. 3,
Olympiaalone.
Distrest Olympia, whose weeping eies
Since thy arriuall here beheld no Sun,
But closde within the compasse of a tent,
Hath stain'd thy cheekes, & made thee look like death
Deuise some meanes to rid thee of thy life.
Rather than yeeld to his detested suit,
Whose drift is onely to dishonor thee.
And since this earth, dew'd with thy brinish teares,
Affoords no hearbs, whose taste may poison thee,
Nor yet this aier, beat often with thy sighes,
Contagious smels, and vapors to infect thee,
Nor thy close Caue a sword to murther thee,
Let this inuention be the instrument.
Enter Theridamas.
The.
Wel met Olympia, I sought thee in my tent
But when I saw the place obscure and darke,
Which with thy beauty thou wast woont to light,
Enrag'd, I ran about the fields for thee,
Supposing, amorous Ioue had sent his sonne,
The winged Hermes, to conuay thee hence:
But now I finde thee, and that feare is past.
Tell me Olympia, wilt thou graunt my suit?
Olym.
My Lord and husbandes death, with my sweete sons,
With whom I buried al affections,
Saue griefe and sorrow which torment my heart,
Forbids my mind to entertaine a thought
That tends to loue, but meditate on death,
Ther.
Olympia, pitie him, in whom thy looks
Haue greater operation and more force
Than Cynthias in the watery wildernes,
For with thy view my ioyes are at the full,
And eb againe, as thou departst from me.
Olim.
Ah, pity me my Lord, and draw your sword,
Making a passage for my troubled soule,
Which beates against this prison to get out,
And meet my husband and my louing sonne.
ther.
Nothing, but stil thy husband and thy sonne?
Leaue this my Loue, and listen more to me,
Thou shalt be stately Queene of faire Argier,
And cloth'd in costly cloath of massy gold,
Upon the marble turrets of my Court
Sit like to Venus in her chaire of state,
Commanding all thy princely eie desires,
And I will cast off armes and sit with thee,
Spending my life in sweet discourse of loue.
Olym.
No such discourse is pleasant in mine eares,
But that where euery period ends with death,
And euery line begins with death againe:
I cannot loue to be an Emperesse.
ther.
Nay Lady, then if nothing wil preuaile,
Ile vse some other means to make you yeeld,
Such is the sodaine fury of my loue,
I must and wil be pleasde, and you shall yeeld:
Come to the tent againe.
Olym.
Stay good my Lord, and wil you saue my honor,
Ile giue your Grace a present of such price,
As all the world cannot affoord the like.
ther.
What is it.
An ointment which a cunning Alcumist
Distilled from the purest Balsamum,
And simplest extracts of all Minerals,
In which the essentiall fourme of Marble stone,
Tempered by science metaphisicall,
And Spels of magicke from the mouthes of spirits,
With which if you but noint your tender Skin,
Nor Pistol, Sword, nor Lance can pierce your flesh.
Ther.
Why Madam, thinke ye to mocke me thus
palpably?
Olim.
To prooue it, I mil noint my naked throat,
Which when you stab, looke on your weapons point,
And you shall se't rebated with the blow.
ther.
Why gaue you not your husband some of it, if
you loued him, and it so precious?
Olym.
My purpose was (my Lord) to spend it so,
But was preuented by his sodaine end.
And for a present easie proofe hereof,
That I dissemble not, trie it on me,
ther.
I wil Olympia, and will keep it for
The richest present of this Easterne world.
She noints her throat.
Olym.
Now stab my Lord, and mark your weapons point
That wil be blunted if the blow be great.
ther.
Here then Olympia.
What, haue I slaine her? Uillaine, stab thy selfe:
Cut off this arme that murthered my Loue:
In whom the learned Rabies of this age,
Might find as many woondrous myracles,
As in the Theoria of the world.
Now Hell is fairer than Elisian,
A greater Lamp than that bright eie of heauen,
Wanders about the black circumference,
And now the damned soules are free from paine,
For euery Fury gazeth on her lookes:
Infernall Dis is courting of my Loue,
Inuenting maskes and stately showes for her,
Opening the doores of his rich treasurie,
To entertaine this Queene of chastitie,
Whose body shall be tomb'd with all the pompe
The treasure of my kingdome may affoord.
Exit, taking her away.
Scæna. 4.
Tamburlaine drawen in his chariot by Trebizon and Soria with bittes in their mouthes, reines in his left hand, in his right hād a whip, with which he scourgeth them, Techelles, Theridamas, Vsumeasane, Amyras, Celebinus: Natolia, and Ierusalem led by with fiue or six common souldiers.Tam.
Holla , ye pampered Iades of Asia:
What, can ye draw but twenty miles a day,
And haue so proud a chariot at your heeles,
And such a Coachman as great Tamburlaine?
But from Asphaltis, where I conquer'd you,
To Byron here where thus I honor you?
The horse that guide the golden eie of heauen,
And blow the morning from their nosterils,
Making their fiery gate aboue the cloudes,
Are not so honoured in their Gouernour,
As you (ye slaues) in mighty Tamburlain.
The headstrong Iades of Thrace, Alcides tam'd,
And made so wanton that they knew their strengths,
Were not subdew'd with valour more diuine,
Than you by this vnconquered arme of mine.
To make you fierce, and fit my appetite,
You shal be fed with flesh as raw as blood,
And drinke in pailes the strongest Muscadell:
If you can liue with it, then liue, and draw
My chariot swifter than the racking cloudes:
If not, then dy like beasts, and fit for nought
But perches for the black and fatall Rauens.
Thus am I right the Scourge of highest Ioue,
And see the figure of my dignitie,
By which I hold my name and maiesty.
Ami.
Let me haue coach my Lord, that I may ride,
And thus be drawen with these two idle kings.
tam.
Thy youth forbids such ease my kingly boy,
They shall to morrow draw my chariot,
While these their fellow kings may be refresht,
Orc.
O thou that swaiest the region vnder earth,
And art a king as absolute as Ioue,
Come as thou didst in fruitfull Scicilie,
Suruaieng all the glories of the land:
And as thou took'st the faire Proserpina,
Ioying the fruit of Ceres garden plot,
For loue, for honor, and to make her Queene,
So for iust hate, for shame, and to subdew
This proud contemner of thy dreadfull power,
Come once in furie and suruay his pride,
Haling him headlong to the lowest hell.
ther.
Your Maiesty must get some byts for these,
To bridle their contemptuous cursing tongues,
Breake through the hedges of their hateful mouthes,
And passe their fixed boundes exceedingly.
Tech.
Nay, we wil break the hedges of their mouths
And pul their kicking colts out of their pastures,
Vsu
Your Maiesty already hath deuisde
A meane, as fit as may be to restraine
These coltish coach-horse tongues from blasphemy.
Cel.
How like you that sir king? why speak you not?
Ier.
Ah cruel Brat, sprung from a tyrants loines,
How like his cursed father he begins,
To practize tauntes and bitter tyrannies?
Tam.
I Turke, I tel thee, this same Boy is he,
That must (aduaunst in higher pompe than this)
Rifle the kingdomes I shall leaue vnsackt.
If Ioue esteeming me too good for earth,
Raise me to match the faire Aldeboran,
Aboue the threefold Astracisme of heauen,
Before I conquere all the triple world.
Now fetch me out the Turkish Concubines,
I will prefer them for the funerall
They haue bestowed on my abortiue sonne.
The Concubines are brought in.
Where are my common souldiers now that fought
So Lion-like vpon Asphaltis plaines?
Soul.
Here my Lord.
Tam.
Hold ye tal souldiers, take ye Queens apeece
(I meane such Queens as were kings Concubines)
Take them, deuide them and their iewels too,
And let them equally serue all your turnes.
Soul.
We thank your maiesty.
tam.
Brawle not (I warne yon) for your lechery,
Orc.
Iniurious tyrant, wilt thou so defame
The hatefull fortunes of thy victory,
To exercise vpon such guiltlesse Dames,
The violence of thy common Souldiours lust.
Tam.
Liue content then (ye slaues) and meet not me
With troopes of harlots at your sloothful heeles
Lad.
O pity vs my Lord, and saue our honours.
tam.
Are ye not gone ye villaines with your spoiles?
They run away with the Ladies.
Ier.
O mercilesse infernall cruelty.
Tam.
Saue your honours? twere but time indeed,
Lost long before you knew what honour meant.
ther.
It seemes they meant to conquer vs my Lord,
And make vs ieasting Pageants for their Trulles.
tam.
And now themselues shal make our Pageant,
And common souldiers iest with all their Truls,
Let them take pleasure soundly in their spoiles,
Till we prepare our martch to Babylon,
Whether we next make expedition.
tech.
Let vs not be idle then my Lord,
But presently be prest to conquer it.
tam.
We wil techelles, forward then ye Iades:
Now crowch ye kings of greatest Asia,
And tremble when ye heare this Scourge wil come,
That whips downe cities, and controwleth crownes,
Adding their wealth and treasure to my store,
The Euxine sea North to Natolia,
The Terrene west, the Caspian north north-east,
And on the south Senus Arabicus.
Shal al be loden with the martiall spoiles
We will conuay with vs to Persea.
And christall waues of fresh Iaertis streame,
The pride and beautie of her princely seat,
Be famous through the furthest continents,
For there my Pallace royal shal be plac'd:
Whose shyning Turrets shal dismay the heauens,
And cast the fame of Ilions Tower to hell.
Thorow the streets with troops of conquered kings,
Ile ride in golden armour like the Sun,
And in my helme a triple plume shal spring,
Spangled with Diamonds dancing in the aire,
To note me Emperour of the three fold world.
Like to an almond tree ymounted high,
Upon the lofty and celestiall mount,
Of euery greene Selinus queintly dect
With bloomes more white than Hericinas browes,
Whose tender blossoms tremble euery one,
At euery litle breath that thorow heauen is blowen:
Then in my coach like Saturnes royal son,
Mounted his shining chariots, gilt with fire.
And drawen with princely Eagles through the path,
Pau'd with bright Christall, and enchac'd with starres,
When all the Gods stand gazing at his pomp.
So will I ride through Samarcanda streets,
Until my soule disseuered from this flesh,
Shall mount the milk-white way and meet him there.
To Babylon my Lords, to Babylon.
Exeunt.
Finis Actus quarti.
| The Second Part of The Bloody Conquests of Mighty Tamburlaine | |