 | The Second Part of The Bloody Conquests of Mighty Tamburlaine |  |
Actus. I.
Scæna. I.
Orcanes, king of Natolia, Gazellus, vice-roy of Byron, Vpibassa, and their traine, with drums and trumpets.Orcanes.
Egregious Uiceroyes of these Eastern parts
Plac'd by the issue of great Baiazeth:
And sacred Lord the mighty Calapine:
Who liues in Egypt, prisoner to that slaue,
Which kept his father in an yron cage:
Now have we martcht from faire Natolia
Our warlike hoste in compleat armour rest,
Where Sigismond the king of Hungary
Should meet our person to conclude a truce.
What? Shall we parle with the Christian?
Or crosse the streame, and meet him in the field.
Byr.
King of Natolia, let vs treat of peace,
We all are glutted with the Christians blood,
And haue a greater foe to fight against,
Proud Tamburlaine, that now in Asia,
Neere Guyrons head doth set his conquering feet,
And means to fire Turky as he goes:
Gainst him my Lord must you addresse your power.
Vpibas.
Besides, king Sigismond hath brought from Christendome,
More then his Camp of stout Hungarians,
Sclauonians, Almans, Rutters, Muffes, and Danes,
That with the Holbard, Lance, and murthering Axe,
Will hazard that we might with surety hold.
Though from the shortest Northren Paralell,
Uast Gruntland compast with the frozen sea,
Inhabited with tall and sturdy men,
Gyants as big as hugie Polypheme:
Millions of Souldiers cut the Artick line,
Bringing the strength of Europe to these Armes.
Our Turky blades shal glide through al their throats,
And make this champion mead a bloody Fen,
Danubius stream that runs to Trebizon,
Shall carie wrapt within his scarlet waues,
As martiall presents to our friends at home.
The slaughtered bodies of these Christians.
The Terrene main wherin Danubius fals,
The wandring Sailers of proud Italy,
Shall meet those Christians fleeting with the tyde,
Beating in heaps against their Argoses.
And make faire Europe mounted on her bull,
Trapt with the wealth and riches of the world,
Alight and weare a woful mourning weed.
Byr.
Yet stout Orcanes, Prorex of the world,
Since Tamburlaine hath mustred all his men,
Marching from Cairon northward with his camp,
To Alexandria, and the frontier townes,
Meaning to make a conquest of our land:
Tis requisit to parle for a peace
With Sigismond the king of Hungary:
And saue our forces for the hot assaults
Proud Tamburlaine intends Natolia.
Orc.
Uiceroy of Byron, wisely hast thou said:
My realme, the Center of our Empery
Once lost, All Turkie would be ouerthrowne:
And for that cause the Christians shall haue peace.
Slauonians, Almains, Rutters, Muffes, and Danes
Feare not Orcanes, but great Tamburlaine.
Nor he but Fortune that hath made him great.
We haue reuolted Grecians, Albanees,
Cicilians, Iewes, Arabians, Turks, and Moors,
Natolians, Sorians, blacke Egyptians,
Illicians, Thracians, and Bythinians,
Enough to swallow forcelesse Sigismond'
Yet scarse enough t'encounter Tamburlaine.
He brings a world of people to the field,
From Scythia to the Orientall Plage
Of India, wher raging Lantchidol
That neuer sea-man yet discouered:
All Asia is in Armes with tamburlaine,
Euen from the midst of fiery Cancers Tropick,
To Amazonia vnder Capricorne.
And thence as far as Archipellago.
All Affrike is in Armes with tamburlaine.
Therefore Uiceroies the Christians must haue peace.
Scæna. 2,
Sigismond, Fredericke, Baldwine, and their traine with drums and trumpets.Sigis.
Orcanes (as our Legates promist thee)
Wee with our Peeres haue crost Danubius stream
to treat of friēdly peace or deadly war:
Take which thou wilt, for as the Romans vsde
I here present thee with a naked sword,
Wilt thou haue war, then shake this blade at me,
If peace, restore it to my hands againe:
And I wil sheath it to confirme the same.
Orc.
Stay Sigismond, forgetst thou I am he
That with the Cannon shooke Vienna walles.
And made it dance vpon the Continent:
As when the massy substance of the earth,
Quiuer about the Axeltree of heauen.
Forgetst thou that I sent a shower of dartes
Mingled with powdered shot and fethered steele
So thick vpon the blink-ei'd Burghers heads,
That thou thy self, then County-Pallatine,
The king of Boheme, and the Austrich Duke,
In all your names desirde a truce of me?
Forgetst thou, that to haue me raise my siege,
Wagons of gold were set before my tent:
Stampt with the princely Foule that in her wings
Caries the fearfull thunderbolts of Ioue,
How canst thou think of this and offer war?
Sig.
Vienna was besieg'd, and I was there,
Then County-Pallatine, but now a king:
And what we did, was in extremity:
But now Orcanes, view my royall hoste,
That hides these plaines, and seems as vast and wide,
As dooth the Desart of Arabia.
To those that stand on Badgeths lofty Tower,
Or as the Ocean to the Traueiler
That restes vpon the snowy Appenines:
And tell me whether I should stoope so low,
Or treat of peace with the Natolian king?
Byr.
Kings of Natolia and of Hungarie,
We came from Turky to confirme a league,
And not to dare ech other to the field:
A friendly parle might become ye both.
Fred.
And we from Europe to the same intent,
Which if your General refuse or scorne,
Our Tents are pitcht, our men stand in array.
Ready to charge you ere you stir your feet.
Nat.
So prest are we, but yet if Sigismond
Speake as a friend, and stand not vpon tearmes,
Here is his sword, let peace be ratified
On these conditions specified before,
Drawen with aduise of our Ambassadors.
Sig.
Then here I sheath it, and giue thee my hand,
Against thy selfe or thy confederates:
But whilst I liue will be at truce with thee.
Nat.
But (Sigismond) confirme it with an oath,
And sweare in sight of heauen and by thy Christ.
Sig.
By him that made the world and sau'd my soule
The sonne of God and issue of a Mayd,
Sweet Iesus Christ, I sollemnly protest,
And vow to keepe this peace inuiolable.
Nat.
By sacred Mahomet, the friend of God,
Whose holy Alcaron remaines with vs,
Whose glorious body when he left the world,
Closde in a coffyn mounted vp the aire,
And hung on stately Mecas Temple roofe,
I sweare to keepe this truce inuiolable:
Of whose conditions, and our solemne othes
Sign'd with our handes, each shal retaine a scrowle:
As memorable witnesse of our league.
Now Sigismond, if any Christian King
Encroche vpon the confines of thy realme,
Send woord, Orcanes of Natolia
Confirm'd this league beyond Danubius streame,
And they will (trembling) sound a quicke retreat,
So am I fear'd among all Nations.
Sig.
If any heathen potentate or king
Inuade Natolia, Sigismond will send
A hundred thousand horse train'd to the war,
And backt by stout Lanceres of Germany.
The strength and sinewes of the imperiall seat.
Nat.
I thank thee Sigismond, but when I war
All Asia Minor, Affrica, and Greece
Come let vs goe and banquet in our tents:
I will dispatch chiefe of my army hence
To faire Natolia, and to Trebizon,
To stay my comming gainst proud Tamburlaine.
Freend Sigismond, and peeres of Hungary,
Come banquet and carouse with vs a while,
And then depart we to our territories.
Exeunt.
Scæna. 3.
Callapine with Almeda, his keeper.Callap.
Sweet Almeda, pity the ruthfull plight
Of Callapine, the sonne of Baiazeth,
Born to be Monarch of the Western world:
Yet here detain'd by cruell Tamburlaine.
Alm.
My Lord I pitie it, and with my heart
Wish your release, but he whose wrath is death,
My soueraigne Lord, renowmed tamburlain.
Forbids you further liberty than this.
Cal.
Ah were I now but halfe so eloquent
To paint in woords, what Ile perfourme in deeds,
I know thou wouldst depart from hence with me.
Al.
Not for all Affrike, therefore mooue me not.
Cal.
Yet heare me speake my gentle Almeda.
Al.
No speach to that end, by your fauour sir.
Cal.
By Cario runs.
Al.
No talke of running, I tell you sir.
Cal.
A litle further, gentle Almeda.
Al.
Wel sir, what of this?
Cal.
By Cario runs to Alexandria Bay,
A Turkish Gally of my royall fleet,
Waiting my comming to the riuer side,
Hoping by some means I shall be releast,
Which when I come aboord will hoist vp saile,
And soon put foorth into the Terrene sea:
Where twixt the Isles of Cyprus and of Creete,
We quickly may in Turkish seas arriue.
Then shalt thou see a hundred kings and more
Upon their knees, all bid me welcome home.
Amongst so mady crownes of burnisht gold,
Choose which thou wilt, all are at thy command,
A thousand Gallies mann'd with Christian slaues
I freely giue thee, which shall cut the straights,
And bring Armados from the coasts of Spaine,
Fraughted with golde of rich America:
The Grecian virgins shall attend on thee,
Skilful in musicke and in amorous laies:
As faire as was Pigmalions Iuory gyrle,
Or louely Io metamorphosed.
With naked Negros shall thy coach be drawen,
And as thou rid'st in triumph through the streets,
The pauement vnderneath thy chariot wheels
With Turky Carpets shall be couered:
And cloath of Arras hung about the walles,
Fit obiects for thy princely eie to pierce.
A hundred Bassoes cloath'd in crimson silk
Shall ride before the on Barbarian Steeds:
And when thou goest, a golden Canapie
Enchac'd with pretious stones, which shine as bright
As that faire vail that couers all the world:
When Phœbus leaping from his Hemi-Spheare,
And more than this, for all I cannot tell.
Alm.
How far hence lies the Galley, say you?
Cal.
Sweet Almeda, scarse halfe a league from hence.
Alm.
But need we not be spied going aboord?
Cal.
Betwixt the hollow hanging of a hill
And crooked bending of a craggy rock,
The sailes wrapt vp, the mast and tacklings downe,
She lies so close that none can find her out,
Alm.
I like that well: but tel me my Lord, if I
should let you goe, would you bee as good as your
word? Shall I be made a king for my labour?
Cal.
As I am Callapine the Emperour,
And by the hand of Mahomet I sweare,
Thou shalt be crown'd a king and be my mate,
Alm.
Then here I sweare, as I am Almeda,
Your Keeper vnder Tamburlaine the great,
(For that's the style and tytle I haue yet)
Although he sent a thousand armed men
To intercept this haughty enterprize,
Yet would I venture to conduct your Grace,
And die before I brought you backe again.
Cal.
Thanks gentle Almeda, then let vs haste,
Least time be past, and lingring let vs both.
Al.
When you will my Lord, I am ready,
Cal.
Euen straight: and farewell cursed Tamburlaine.
Now goe I to reuenge my fathers death.
Exeunt
Scæna. 4.
Tamburlaine with Zenocrate, and his three sonnes, Calyphas, Amyras, and Celebinus, with drummes and trumpets.Tamb.
Now bright zenocrate, the worlds faire eie,
Whose beames illuminate the lamps of heauē,
Whose chearful looks do cleare the clowdy aire
And cloath it in a christall liuerie,
Now rest thee here on faire Larissa Plaines,
Where Egypt and the Turkish Empire parts,
Betweene thy sons that shall be Emperours,
And euery one Commander of a world.
zen.
Sweet tamburlain, when wilt thou leaue these armes
And saue thy sacred person free from scathe:
And dangerous chances of the wrathfull war.
Tam.
When heauen shal cease to mooue on both the poles
& when the ground wheron my souldiers march
Shal rise aloft and touch the horned Moon,
And not before my sweet zenocrate:
Sit vp and rest thee like a louely Queene.
So, now she sits in pompe and maiestie:
When these my sonnes, more procions in mine eies
Than all the wealthy kingdomes I subdewed:
Plac'd by her side, looke on their mothers face,
But yet me thinks their looks are amorous,
Not martiall as the sons of Tamburlaine
Water and ayre being simbolisde in one:
Argue their want of courage and of wit,
Their haire as white as milke and soft as Downe.
Which should be like the quilles of Porcupines.
Bewraies they are too dainty for the wars.
Their fingers made to quauer on a Lute,
Their armes to hang about a Ladies necke:
Their legs to dance and caper in the aire:
Would make me thinke them Bastards, not my sons,
But that I know they issued from thy wombe,
That neuer look'd on man but Tamburlaine.
zen.
My gratious Lord, they haue their mothers looks
But whē they list, their cōquering fathers hart:
This louely boy the yongest of the three,
Not long agoe bestrid a Scythian Steed:
Trotting the ring, and tilting at a gloue:
Which when he tainted with his slender rod,
He raign'd him straight and made him so curuet,
As I cried out for feare he should haue falne,
Tam.
Wel done my boy, thou shalt haue shield and lance
Armour of proofe, horse, helme, & Curtle-axe
And I will teach thee how to charge thy foe,
And harmelesse run among the deadly pikes.
If thou wilt loue the warres and follow me,
Thou shalt be made a King and raigne with me,
Keeping in yron cages Emperours.
If thou exceed thy elder Brothers worth,
And shine in compleat vertue more than they,
Thou shalt be king before them, and thy seed
Shall issue crowned from their mothers wombe,
Cel.
Yes father, you shal see me if I liue,
Haue vnder me as many kings as you,
And martch with such a multitude of men,
As all the world shall tremble at their view.
tam.
These words assure me boy, thou art my sonne,
When I am old and cannot mannage armes,
Amy.
Why may not I my Lord, as wel as he,
Be tearm'd the scourge and terrour of the world?
tam.
Be al a scourge and terror to the world,
Or els you are not sons of Tamburlaine.
Cal.
But while my brothers follow armes my lord
Let me accompany my gratious mother,
They are enough to conquer all the world
And you haue won enough for me to keep.
tam.
Bastardly boy, sprong frō some cowards loins:
And not the issue of great Tamburlaine,
Of all the prouinces I haue subdued
Thou shalt not haue a foot, vnlesse thou beare
A mind corragious and inuincible:
For he shall weare the crowne of Persea,
Whose head hath deepest scarres, whose breast most woundes,
Which being wroth, sends lightning from his eies.
And in the furrowes of his frowning browes,
Harbors reuenge, war, death and cruelty:
For in a field whose superfluities
Is couered with a liquid purple veile,
And sprinkled with the braines of slaughtered men,
My royal chaire of state shall be aduanc'd:
And he that meanes to place himselfe therein
Must armed wade vp to the chin in blood.
zen.
My Lord, such speeches to our princely sonnes,
Dismaies their mindes before they come to prooue
The wounding troubles angry war affoords.
Cel.
No Madam, these are speeches fit for vs,
For if his chaire were in a sea of blood,
I would prepare a ship and saile to it.
Amy:
And I would striue to swim through pooles of blood,
Or make a bridge of murthered Carcases,
Whose arches should be fram'd with bones of Turks,
Ere I would loose the tytle of a king.
tam.
Wel louely boies, you shal be Emperours both
Stretching your conquering armes from east to west:
And sirha, if you meane to weare a crowne,
When we shall meet the Turkish Deputie
And all his Uiceroies, snatch it from his head,
And cleaue his Pericranion with thy sword.
Cal.
If any man will hold him, I will strike,
And cleaue him to the channell with my sword,
tamb.
Hold him, and cleaue him too, or Ile cleaue thee
For we will martch against them presently.
Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane
Promist to meet me on Larissa plaines
With hostes apeece against this Turkish crue,
For I haue sworne by sacred Mahomet,
To make it parcel of my Empery,
The trumpets sound Zenocrate, they come.
Scæna. 5.
Enter Theridamas, and his traine with Drums and Trumpets.Tamb.
Welcome Theridamas, king of Argier,
Ther.
My Lord the great and mighty Tamburlain,
Arch-Monarke of the world, I offer here,
In all affection at thy kingly feet.
tam.
Thanks good theridamas.
ther.
Under my collors march ten thousand Greeks
And of Argier and Affriks frontier townes,
Twise twenty thousand valiant men at armes,
All which haue sworue to sacke Natolia:
Fiue hundred Briggandines are vnder saile,
Meet for your seruice on the sea, my Lord,
That lanching from Argier to Tripoly,
Will quickly ride before Natolia:
And batter downe the castles on the shore.
tam.
Wel said Argier, receiue thy crowne againe.
Scæna. 6.
Enter Techelles and Vsumeasane together.Tamb.
Kings of Morocus and of Fesse, welcome.
Vsu.
Magnificent & peerlesse Tamburlaine,
I and my neighbor King of Fesse haue brought
To aide thee in this Turkish expedition,
A hundred thousand expert souldiers:
From Azamor to Tunys neare the sea,
Is Barbary vnpeopled for thy sake,
And all the men in armour vnder me,
Which with my crowne I gladly offer thee.
tam.
Thanks king of Morocus, take your crown again.
tech.
And mighty Tamburlaine, our earthly God,
Whose lookes make this inferiour world to quake,
I here present thee with the crowne of Fesse,
And with an hoste of Moores trainde to the war,
Whose coleblacke faces make their foes retire,
And quake for feare, as if infernall Ioue
Should pierce the blacke circumference of hell,
With vgly Furies bearing fiery flags,
And millions of his strong tormenting spirits:
From strong Tesella vnto Biledull,
All Barbary is vnpeopled for thy sake.
tam.
Thanks king of Fesse, take here thy crowne again
Your presence (louing friends and fellow kings)
Makes me to surfet in conceiuing ioy,
If all the christall gates of Ioues high court
Were opened wide, and I might enter in
To see the state and maiesty of heauen,
It could not more delight me than your sight.
Now will we banquet on these plaines a while,
And after martch to Turky with our Campe,
In number more than are the drops that fall
When Boreas rents a thousand swelling cloudes,
And proud Orcanes of Natolia,
With all his viceroies shall be so affraide,
That though the stones, as at Deucalions flood,
Were turnde to men, he should be ouercome:
Such lauish will I make of Turkish blood,
That Ioue shall send his winged Messenger
To bid me sheath my sword, and leaue the field:
The Sun vnable to sustaine the sight,
Shall hide his head in thetis, watery lap,
And leaue his steeds to faire Boetes charge:
For halfe the world shall perish in this fight:
But now my friends, let me examine ye,
How haue ye spent your absent time from me?
Vsum.
My Lord our men of Barbary haue martcht
Foure hundred miles with armour on their backes,
For since we left you at the Souldans court,
We haue subdude the Southerne Guallatia,
And all the land vnto the coast of Spaine.
We kept the narrow straight of Gibralter,
And made Canarea cal vs kings and Lords,
Yet neuer did they recreate themselues,
Or cease one day from war and hot alarms,
And therefore let them rest a while my Lord.
Tam.
They shal Casane, and tis time yfaith.
Tech.
And I haue martch'd along the riuer Nile,
To Machda, where the mighty Christian Priest
Cal'd Iohn the great, sits in a milk-white robe,
Whose triple Myter I did take by force,
And made him sweare obedience to my crowne.
From thence vnto Cazates did I martch,
Wher Amazonians met me in the field:
With whom (being women) I vouchsaft a league,
And with my power did march to zansibar
The Westerne part of Affrike, where I view'd.
The Ethiopian sea, riuers and lakes:
But neither man nor child in al the land:
Therfore I tooke my course to Manico.
Where vnresisted I remoou'd my campe:
And by the coast of Byather at last,
I came to Cubar, where the Negros dwell,
And conquering that, made haste to Nubia,
There hauing sackt Borno the Kingly seat,
I took the king, and lead him bound in chaines
Unto Damasco, where I staid before.
Tamb.
Well done Techelles: what saith Theridamas?
I left the confines and the bounds of Affrike
And made a voyage into Europe,
Where by the riuer Tyros I subdew'd
Stoka, Padalia, and Codemia.
Then crost the sea and came to Oblia.
And Nigra Silua, where the Deuils dance,
Which in despight of them I set on fire:
From thence I crost the Gulfe, call'd by the name
Mare magiore, of th'inhabitantes:
Yet shall my souldiers make no period
Untill Natolia kneele before your feet.
tamb.
Then wil we triumph, banquet and carouse,
Cookes shall haue pensions to prouide vs cates,
And glut vs with the dainties of the world,
Lachrima Christi and Calabrian wines
Shall common Souldiers drink in quaffing boules
I, liquid golde when we haue conquer'd him
Mingled with corrall and with orientall pearle:
Come let vs banquet and carrouse the whiles.
Exeunt.
Finis Actus primi.
| The Second Part of The Bloody Conquests of Mighty Tamburlaine | |