 | The Second Part of The Bloody Conquests of Mighty Tamburlaine |  |
Actus. 5.
Scæna. I.
Enter the Gouernour of Babylon vpon the walles with others.Gouer.
What saith Maximus?
Max.
My Lord, the breach the enimie hath made
Giues such assurance of our ouerthrow,
That litle hope is left to saue our liues,
Or hold our citie from the Conquerours hands.
Then hang out flagges (my Lord of humble truce,
And satisfie the peoples generall praiers,
That Tamburlains intollorable wrath
May be supprest by our submission.
Gou.
Uillaine, respects thou more thy slauish life,
Than honor of thy countrie or thy name?
Is not my life and state as deere to me,
The citie and my natiue countries weale,
As any thing of price with thy conceit?
Haue we not hope, for all our battered walles,
To liue secure, and keep his forces out,
When this our famous lake of Limnasphaltis
Makes walles a fresh with euery thing that falles
Into the liquid substance of his streame,
More strong than are the gates of death or hel.
What faintnesse should dismay our courages,
When we are thus defenc'd against our Foe,
And haue no terrour but his threatning lookes?
Enter another, kneeling to the Gouernour.
My Lord, if euer you did deed of ruth,
And now will work a refuge to our liues,
That Tamburlaine may pitie our distresse,
And vse vs like a louing Conquerour,
Though this be held his last daies dreadfull siege,
Wherein he spareth neither man nor child,
Yet are there Christians of Georgia here,
Whose state he euer pitied and relieu'd:
Wil get his pardon if your grace would send.
Gouer.
How is my soule enuironed,
And this eternisde citie Babylon,
Fill'd with a packe of faintheart Fugitiues,
That thus intreat their shame and seruitude?
Another.
My Lord, if euer you wil win our hearts,
Yeeld vp the towne, saue our wiues and children:
For I wil cast my selfe from off these walles,
Or die some death of quickest violence,
Before I bide the wrath of Tamburlaine.
Gouer.
Uillaines, cowards, Traitors to our state,
Fall to the earth, and pierce the pit of Hel,
That legions of tormenting spirits may vex
Your slauish bosomes with continuall paines,
I care not, nor the towne will neuer yeeld
As long as any life is in my breast.
Enter Theridamas and Techelles, with other souldiers.
Thou desperate Gouernour of Babylon,
To saue thy life, and vs a litle labour,
Yeeld speedily the citie to our hands,
Or els be sure thou shalt be forc'd with paines,
More exquisite than euer Traitor felt.
Gou.
Tyrant, I turne the traitor in thy throat,
And wil defend it in despight of thee.
tech.
Yeeld foolish Gouernour, we offer more
Than euer pet we did to such proud slaues,
As durst resist vs till our third daies siege:
Thou seest vs prest to giue the last assault,
And that shal bide no more regard of parlie.
Gou.
Assault and spare not, we 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 hurst 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?
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,
Upon 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 perswade 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:
Tis not thy bloody tents can make me yeeld,
Nor yet thy selfe, the anger of the highest,
For though thy cannon shooke the citie walles,
My heart did neuer quake, or corrage faint.
tam.
Wel, now Ile 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.
Uile monster, borne of some infernal hag,
And sent from hell to tyrannise on earth,
Do all thy wurst, nor death, nor Tamburlaine,
tam.
Up with him then, his body shalbe 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.
Under 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,
Unharnesse 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.
Uild Tyrant, barbarous bloody Tamburlain
Tamb.
Take them away Theridamas, see them dispatcht.
Ther
I will my Lord.
tam.
Come Asian Uiceroies, 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 out princely mindes
To vile and ignominious seruitude.
Ier.
Rather lend me thy weapon Tamburlain,
That I may sheath it in this breast of mine,
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.
Tis 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.
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,
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 high hill about the citie here.
tam.
Let it be so, about it souldiers:
But stay, I feele my selfe distempered sudainly.
tech.
What is it dares distemper Tamburlain?
tam.
Something tcchelles but I know not what,
But foorth ye vassals, what so ere it be,
Sicknes or death can neuer conquer me.
Exeunt
Scæna. 4.
Enter Callapine, Amasia, with drums and trumpets.Callap.
King of Amasia, now our mighty hoste,
Marcheth in Asia maior where the streames,
Of Euphrates and Tigris swiftly runs,
And here may we behold great Babylon,
Circled about with Limnasphaltis Lake,
Where tamburlaine with all his armie lies,
Which being faint and weary with the siege,
Wee may lie ready to encounter him.
And so reuenge our latest grieuous losse,
If God or Mahomet send any aide.
Ama.
Doubt not my lord, but we shal conquer him
The Monster that hath drunke a sea of blood,
And yet gapes stil for more to quench his thirst,
Our Turkish swords shal headlong send to hell,
And that vile Carkasse drawne by warlike kings,
The Foules shall eate, for neuer sepulchre
Shall grace that base-borne Tyrant tamburlaine.
Cal.
When I record my Parents slauish life,
Their cruel death, mine owne captiuity,
My Uiceroies bondage vnder tamburlaine,
Me thinks I could sustaine a thousand deaths,
To be reueng'd of all his Uillanie.
Ah sacred Mahomet, thou that hast seene,
Millions of Turkes perish by Tamburlaine,
Kingdomes made waste, braue cities sackt & burnt,
And but one hoste is left to honor thee.
Aid thy obedient seruant Callapine.
And make him after all these ouerthrowes,
To triumph ouer cursed Tamburlaine.
Ama
Feare not my Lord, I see great Mahomet
Clothed in purple clowdes, and on his head
A Chaplet brighter than Apollos crowne,
Marching about the ayer with armed men,
To ioine with you against this Tamburlaine.
Renowmed Generall mighty Callapine,
Though God himselfe and holy Mahomet,
Should come in person to resist your power,
Yet might your mighty hoste incounter all,
And pull proud Tamburlaine vpon his knees,
Cal.
Captaine the force of Tamburlaine is great,
His fortune greater, and the victories
Wherewith he hath so sore dismaide the world,
Are greatest to discourage all our drifts,
Yet when the pride of Cynthia is at full,
She waines againe, and so shall his I hope,
For we haue here the chiefe selected men
Of twenty seuerall kingdomes at the least:
Nor plowman, Priest, nor Merchant staies at home,
All Turkie is in armes with Callapine.
And neuer wil we sunder camps and armes,
Before himselfe or his be conquered.
This is the time that must eternize me,
For conquering the Tyrant of the world.
Come Souldiers, let vs lie in wait for him
And if we find him absent from his campe,
Or that it be reioin'd again at full,
Assaile it and be sure of victorie.
Exeunt.
Scæna. 6.
Theridamas, Techelles, Vsumeasane.Weepe heauens, and vanish into liquid teares
Fal starres that gouerne his natiuity,
And sommon al the shining lamps of heauen
To cast their bootlesse fires to the earth.
And shed their feble influence in the aire.
Muffle your beauties with eternall clowdes,
For hell and darknesse pitch their pitchy tentes,
And Death with armies of Cymerian spirits
Now in defiance of that woonted loue,
Your sacred vertues pour'd vpon his throne,
And made his state an honor to the heauens,
These cowards inuisiblie assaile hys soule,
And threaten conquest on our Soueraigne:
But if he die, your glories are disgrac'd,
Earth droopes and saies, that hell in heauen is plac'd.
tech.
O then ye Powers that sway eternal seates,
And guide this massy substance of the earthe,
If you retaine desert of holinesse,
As your supreame estates instruct our thoughtes,
Be not inconstant, carelesse of your fame,
Beare not the burthen of your enemies ioyes,
Triumphing in his fall whom you aduaunst,
But as his birth, life, health and maiesty
Were strangely blest and gouerned by heauen,
So honour heauen til heauen dissolued be,
His byrth, his life, his health and maiesty.
Cas..
Blush heauen to loose the honor of thy name,
To see thy foot-stoole set vpon thy head,
And let no basenesse in thy haughty breast,
Sustaine a shame of such inexcellence:
To see the deuils mount in Angels throanes,
And Angels diue into the pooles of hell.
And though they think their painfull date is out,
And that their power is puissant as Ioues,
Which makes them manage armes against thy state,
Yet make them feele the strength of Tamburlain,
Thy instrument and note of Maisty.
Is greater far, than they can thus subdue.
For if he die, thy glorie is disgrac'd,
tam.
What daring God torments my body thus,
And seeks to conquer mighty Tamburlaine,
Shall sicknesse prooue me now to be a man,
That haue bene tearm'd the terrour of the world?
Techelles and the rest, come take your swords,
And threaten him whose hand afflicts my soul,
Come let vs march against the powers of heauen,
And set blacke streamers in the firmament,
To signifie the slaughter of the Gods,
Ah friends, what shal I doe I cannot stand,
Come carie me to war against the Gods,
That thus inuie the health of Tamburlaine,
ther.
Ah good my Lord, leaue these impatient words,
Which ad much danger to your malladie.
tam.
Why shal I sit and languish in this paine,
No, strike the drums, and in reuenge of this,
Come let vs chardge our speares and pierce his breast,
Whose shoulders beare the Axis of the world,
That if I perish, heauen and earth may fade,
theridamas, haste to the court of Ioue,
Will him to send Apollo hether straight,
To cure me, or Ile fetch him downe my selfe.
tech.
Sit stil my gratious Lord, this griefe wil cease.
And cannot last, it is so violent.
tam.
Not last techelles, no, for I shall die,
See where my slaue, the vglie monster death
Shaking and quiuering, pale and wan for feare,
Stands aiming at me with his murthering dart,
Who flies away at euery glance I giue,
And when I look away, comes stealing on:
Uillaine away, and hie thee to the field,
With soules of thousand mangled carkasses,
Looke where he goes, but see, he comes againe
Because I stay, techelles let vs march,
And weary Death with bearing soules to hell.
Phi.
Pleaseth your Maiesty to drink this potion.
Which wil abate the furie of your fit,
And cause some milder spirits gouerne you.
tam.
Tel me, what think you of my sicknes now?
Phi.
I view'd your vrine, and the Hipostates
Thick and obscure doth make your danger great,
Your vaines are full of accidentall heat,
Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried,
The Humidum and Calor, which some holde
Is not a parcell of the Elements,
But of a substance more diuine and pure,
Is almost cleane extinguished and spent.
Which being the cause of life, imports your death.
Besides my Lord, this day is Criticall,
Dangerous to those, whose Chrisis is as yours:
Your Artiers which alongst the vaines conuey
The liuely spirits which the heart ingenders
Are partcht and void of spirit that the soule
Wanting those Organnons by which it mooues,
Can not indure by argument of art,
Yet if your maiesty may escape this day,
No doubt, but you shal soone recouer all.
tam.
Then will I comfort all my vital parts,
And liue in spight of death aboue a day.
Alarme within.
Mess.
My Lord, yong Callapine that lately fled from
your maiesty, hath nowe gathered a fresh Armie, and
presently.
Tam.
See my Phisitions now, how Ioue hath sent
A present medicince to recure my paine:
My looks shall make them flie, and might I follow,
There should not one of all the villaines power
Liue to giue offer of another fight.
Vsum.
I ioy my Lord, your highnesse is so strong,
That can endure so well your royall presence,
Which onely will dismay the enemy.
Tam.
I know it wil Casane: draw you slaues,
In spight of death I will goe show my face.
Alarme, Tamb. goes in, and comes out againe with al the rest.
Thus are the villaines, cowards fled for feare,
Like Summers vapours, vanisht by the Sun.
And could I but a while pursue the field,
That Callapine should be my slaue againe.
But I perceiue my martial strength is spent,
In vaine I striue and raile against those powers,
That meane t'inuest me in a higher throane,
As much too high for this disdainfull earth.
Giue me a Map, then let me see how much
Is left for me to conquer all the world,
That these my boies may finish all my wantes,
One brings a Map.
Here I began to martch towards Persea,
Along Armenia and the Caspian sea,
And thence vnto Bythinia, where I tooke
The Turke and his great Empresse prisoners,
Then martcht I into Egypt and Arabia,
And here not far from Alexandria,
Being distant lesse than ful a hundred leagues,
I meant to cut a channell to them both,
That men might quickly saile to India.
From thence to Nubia neere Borno Lake,
And so along the Ethiopian sea,
Cutting the Tropicke line of Capricorne,
I conquered all as far as Zansibar,
Then by the Northerne part of Affrica.
I came at last to Græcia, and from thence
To Asia, where I stay against my will,
Which is from Scythia, where I first began,
Backeward and forwards nere fiue thousand leagues,
Looke here my boies, see what a world of ground,
Lies westward from the midst of Cancers line,
Unto the rising of this earthly globe,
Whereas the Sun declining from our sight,
Begins the day with our Antypodes:
And shall I die, and this vnconquered?
Loe here my sonnes, are all the golden Mines,
Inestimable drugs and precious stones,
More worth Asia, and the world beside,
And from th'Antartique Pole, Eastward behold
As much more land, which neuer was descried,
Wherein are rockes of Pearle, that shine as kright
As all the Lamps that beautifie the Sky,
And shal I die, and this vnconquered?
Here louely boies, what death forbids my life,
That let your liues commaund in spight of death.
Amy.
Alas my Lord, how should our bleeding harts
Wounded and broken with your Highnesse griefe,
Retaine a thought of ioy, or sparke of life?
Whose matter is incorporoat in your flesh.
Cel.
Your paines do pierce our soules, no hope suruiues,
For by your life we entertaine our liues,
tam.
But sons, this subiect not of force enough,
To hold the fiery spirit it containes,
must part, imparting his impressions,
By equall portions into both your breasts:
My flesh deuided in your precious shapes,
Shal still retaine my spirit, though I die,
And liue in all your seedes immortally:
Then now remooue me, that I may resigne
My place and proper tytle to my sonne:
First take my Scourge and my imperiall Crowne,
And mount my royall chariot of estate,
That I may see thee crown'd before I die,
Help me (my Lords) to make my last remooue.
ther.
A woful change my Lord, that daunts our thoughts,
More the ruine of our proper soules.
tam.
Sit vp my sonne, let me see how well
Thou wilt become thy fathers maiestie.
They crowne him.
Ami.
With what a flinty bosome should I ioy,
The breath of life, and burthen of my soule,
If not resolu'd into resolued paines,
My bodies mortified lineaments
should exercise the motions of my heart,
Pierc'd with the ioy of any dignity?
O father, if the vnrelenting eares
Of death and hell be shut against my praiers,
And that the spightfull influence of heauen.
Denie my soule fruition of her ioy,
Against the inward powers of my heart,
Leading a life that onely striues to die,
And plead in vaine, vnpleasing souerainty.
tam.
Let not thy loue exceed thyne honor sonne,
Nor bar thy mind that magnanimitie,
That nobly must admit necessity:
Sit vp my boy, and with those silken raines,
Bridle the steeled stomackes of those Iades.
ther.
My Lord, you must obey his maiesty,
Since Fate commands, and proud necessity.
Amy.
Heauens witnes me, with what a broken hart
And damned spirit I ascend this seat,
And send my soule before my father die,
His anguish and his burning agony.
tam.
Now fetch the hearse of faire Zenocrate,
Let it be plac'd by this my fatall chaire,
And serue as parcell of my funerall.
Cas
Then feeles your maiesty no soueraigne ease,
Nor may our hearts all drown'd in teares of blood,
Ioy any hope of your recouery?
tamb.
Casane no, the Monarke of the earth,
And eielesse Monster that torments my soule,
Cannot behold the teares ye shed for me,
And therefore stil augments his cruelty.
tech.
Then let some God oppose his holy power,
Against the wrath and tyranny of death,
That his teare-thyrsty and vnquenched hate,
May be vpon himselfe reuerberate.
They bring in the hearse.
tam
Now eies, inioy your latest benefite,
And when my soule hath vertue of your sight,
And glut your longings with a heauen of ioy.
So, raigne my sonne, scourge and controlle those slaues
Guiding thy chariot with thy Fathers hand.
As precious is the charge thou vndertak'st
As that which Clymeus brainsicke sonne did guide,
When wandring Phœbes Iuory cheeks were scortcht
And all the earth like AEtna breathing fire:
Be warn'd by him, then learne with awfull eie
To sway a throane as dangerous as his:
For if thy body thriue not full of thoughtes
As pure and fiery as Phyteus beames,
The nature of these proud rebelling Iades
Wil take occasion by the slenderest haire,
And draw thee peecemeale like Hyppolitus,
Through rocks more steepe and sharp than Caspian cliftes.
The nature of thy chariot wil not beare
A guide of baser temper than my selfe,
More then heauens coach, the pride of Phaeton.
Farewell my boies, my dearest friends, farewel,
My body feeles, my soule dooth weepe to see
Your sweet desires depriu'd my company,
For Tamburlaine, the Scourge of God must die.
Amy.
Meet heauen & earth, & here let al things end
For earth hath spent the pride of all her fruit,
And heauen consum'd his choisest liuing fire.
Let earth and heauen his timelesse death deplore,
For both their woorths wil equall him no more.
FINIS.
| The Second Part of The Bloody Conquests of Mighty Tamburlaine | |