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.

1010

1015

1021

Zen. (Agydas,) 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,

Agid. How can you fancie one that lookes so fierce, Onelie disposed to martiall Stratagems?

1026

And might in noble minds be counted princely.

Who when he shall embrace you in his armes,
Will tell how many thousand men he slew,
And when you looke for amorous discourse,
Will rattle foorth his facts of war and blood,
Too harsh a subiect for your dainty eares.

1030

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.

1035

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 e(n)ioy his choise.
You see though first the King of Persea

1040

(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.

1045

1020 Agydas, leave conj. Dyce, Bull. Leaue 1590-1605: Leave, Agydas Cunn.

1035 much] more 1605

Zen. Thence rise the tears that so distain my cheeks, sh Fearing his loue through my vnworthynesse.

1050

Tamburlaine goes to her, & takes her away louingly by the
hand, looking wrathfully on Agidas, and sayes nothing.
Exeunt all except Agydas.)

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
Vpon his browes was pourtraid vgly death,
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

1055

1060

All sweating, tilt about the watery heauens,

With shiuering speares enforcing thunderclaps,

1065

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 (and Vsumcasane).

Tech. See you Agidas how the King salutes you. He bids you prophesie what it imports.

1070

Exit.

Agid. I prophecied before and now I prooue,

The killing frownes of iealousie and loue.

He needed not with words confirme my feare,

The naked action of my threatned end.

For words are vaine where working tooles present

It saies, Agydas, thou shalt surely die,
And of extremities elect the least.

1075

1080

1058

1071 sent]

1050+ S.D. Exeunt.. Agydas add. Dyce 1053 of] and 1592 furies 1592 1059 shine] shone conj. Dyce, Dyce

send Dyce

1072 S.D. and Vsumcasane add. Dyce

om. 1605, Dyce etc.

1074 + S.D.

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,
Remooued from the Torments and the hell:
Wherewith he may excruciate thy soule.
And let Agidas by Agidas die.

And with this stab slumber eternally.

1085

1090

(Stabs himselfe.)

Tech. Vsumcasane, 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.

1095

(Exeunt, bearing out the body.)

Act. 3. Scana 3.

Tamburlain, Techelles, Vsumcasane, Theridamas,

Bassoe, Zenocrate, with others.

Tamburlaine. Bassoe, by this thy Lord and maister knowes, I meane to meet him in Bithynia?

See how he comes! Tush. Turkes are ful of brags
And menace more than they can wel performe :
He meet me in the field and fetch thee hence?
Alas (poore Turke) his fortune is to weake,
T'incounter with the strength of Tamburlaine.
View well my Camp, and speake indifferently,
Doo not my captaines and my souldiers looke
As if they meant to conquer Affrica.

1105

Bass. Your men are valiant but their number few, And cannot terrefie his mightie hoste.

My Lord, the great Commander of the worlde,

/Besides fifteene contributorie kings,

Hath now in armes ten thousand Ianisaries,
Mounted on lusty Mauritanian Steeds.

Brought to the war by men of Tripoly.

1091 S.D. add. 1605 meane 1605

1115

Two hundred thousand footmen that haue seru'd
In two set battels fought in Grecia: pr
And for the expedition of this war,

If he think good, can from his garrisons,
Withdraw as many more to follow him.

Tech. The more he brings, the greater is the spoile,
For when they perish by our warlike hands,
We meane to seate our footmen on their Steeds,
And rifle all those stately Ianisars.

1120

1124

Tam. But wil those Kings accompany your Lord? Bass. Such as his Highnesse please, but some must stay To rule the prouinces he late subdude.

Tam. Then fight couragiously, their crowns are yours. This hand shal set them on your conquering heads: That made me Emperour of Asia.

Vsum. Let him bring millions infinite of men, Vnpeopling Westerne Affrica and Greece:

Yet we assure vs of the victorie.

Ther. Euen he that in a trice vanquisht two kings,

More mighty than the Turkish Emperour :
Shall rouse him out of Europe, and pursue
His scattered armie til they yeeld or die.

Tamb. Wel said Theridamas, speake in that mood,
For Wil and Shall best fitteth Tamburlain,
Whose smiling stars giues him assured hope
Of martiall triumph, ere he meete his foes:

1 that am tearm'd the Scourge and Wrath of God,
The onely feare and terrour of the world,
Wil first subdue the Turke, and then inlarge

1130

1135

1140

Those Christian Captiues, which you keep as slaues, 1145
Burdening their bodies with your heauie chaines,

And feeding them with thin and slender fare,
That naked rowe about the Terrene sea.

And when they chance to breath and rest a space,

Are punisht with Bastones so grieuously,

That they lie panting on the Gallies side,

And striue for life at euery stroke they giue.
These are the cruell pirates of Argeire,
That damned traine, the scum of Affrica,
Inhabited with stragling Runnagates,

1150

That make quick hauock of the Christian blood. Y

1123 seate] set 1592, Dyce, Bull.

1149 breath and rest 1590, 1605, Wag.: Bull. 1151 they om. 1605

1155

1140 giue 1592, Dyce to Bull. rest or breath 1592, Rob. to

But as I liue that towne shall curse the time

That Tamburlaine set foot in Affrica.

Enter Baiazeth with his Bassoes and contributorie
Kinges. (Zabina and Ebea.)

Bai. Bassoes and Ianisaries of my Guard,
Attend vpon the person of your Lord,

The greatest Potentate of Affrica.

Tam. Techelles, and the rest prepare your swordes. I meane t'incounter with that Baiazeth.

Bai. Kings of Fesse, Moroccus and Argier,

He cals me Baiazeth, whom you call Lord.

Note the presumption of this Scythian slaue :

1160

1165

I tell thee villaine, those that lead my horse
Haue to their names tytles of dignity,

And dar'st thou bluntly call me Baiazeth?

horse,

Tam. And know thou Turke, that those which lead my

Shall lead thee Captiue thorow Affrica.

And dar'st thou bluntly call me Tamburlaine ?
Bai. By Mahomet, my Kinsmans sepulcher,
And by the holy Alcaron I sweare,

1170

He shall be made a chast and lustlesse Eunuke,
And in my Sarell tend my Concubines :

1175

And all his Captaines that thus stoutly stand,
Shall draw the chariot of my Emperesse,

Whom I haue brought to see their ouerthrow.

Tamb. By this my sword that conquer'd Persea, 1180 Thy fall shall make me famous through the world: I will not tell thee how Ile handle thee,

But euery common souldier of my Camp

Shall smile to see thy miserable state.

Fess. What meanes the mighty Turkish Emperor 1183 To talk with one so base as Tamburlaine?

Moro. Ye Moores and valiant men of Barbary,

How can ye suffer these indignities?

Arg. Leaue words and let them feele your lances pointes,

Which glided through the bowels of the Greekes.

Bai. Wel said my stout contributory kings,
Your threefold armie and my hugie hoste,
Shall swallow vp these base borne Perseans.

1190

1158 S.D. contributorie] his contributory 1605 Zabina and Ebea

add. Dyce

Ile] I will 1605

1163 to encounter 1592

1185 the] this 1605

1168 title 1605 1182 1188 ye] you 1605