But if they offer word or violence,

Weele fight fiue hundred men at armes to one,
Before we part with our possession.

And gainst the Generall we will lift our swords,
And either lanch his greedy thirsting throat,

Or take him prisoner, and his chaine shall serue
For Manackles, till he be ransom'd home.

340

Tech. I heare them come, shal we encounter them? Tam. Keep all your standings, and not stir a foote, 346 My selfe will bide the danger of the brunt.

Enter Theridamas with others.

Ther. Where is this Scythian Tamberlaine ?

Tam. Whom seekst thou Persean? I am Tamburlain. Ther. Tamburlaine? A Scythian Shepheard, so im

bellished

With Natures pride, and richest furniture,

350

His looks do menace heauen and dare the Gods,

His fierie eies are fixt vpon the earth,

As if he now deuis'd some Stratageme:

Or meant to pierce Auernas darksome vaults,

355

To pull the triple headed dog from hell.

Tamb. Noble and milde this Persean seemes to be,

If outward habit iudge the inward man.

Tech. His deep affections make him passionate.

Tamb. With what a maiesty he rears his looks:

350

In thee (thou valiant man of Persea)
I see the folly of thy Emperour :

Art thou but Captaine of a thousand horse,
That by Characters grauen in thy browes,
And by thy martiall face and stout aspect,
Deseru'st to haue the leading of an hoste?
Forsake thy king and do but ioine with me
And we will triumph ouer all the world.
I hold the Fates bound fast in yron chaines,
And with my hand turne Fortunes wheel about,
And sooner shall the Sun fall from his Spheare,
Than Tamburlaine be slaine or ouercome.

Draw foorth thy sword, thou mighty man at Armes,
Intending but to rase my charmed skin :

365

370

And Ioue himselfe will stretch his hand from heauen, 375

348 this] the 1605

362 thy] the 1605

Scythian] Scythian Shepherd conj. Dyce

To ward the blow, and shield me safe from harme.
See how he raines down heaps of gold in showers,
As if he meant to giue my Souldiers pay,
And as a sure and grounded argument,
That I shall be the Monark of the East,

380

He sends this Souldans daughter rich and braue,

To be my Queen and portly Emperesse.
If thou wilt stay with me, renowmed man,

And lead thy thousand horse with my conduct,
Besides thy share of this Egyptian prise,

385

And Christian Merchants that with Russian stems
Plow vp huge furrowes in the Caspian sea,

Those thousand horse shall sweat with martiall spoile
Of conquered kingdomes, and of Cities sackt.
Both we wil walke vpon the lofty clifts,

390

Shall vaile to vs, as Lords of all the Lake.
Both we will raigne as Consuls of the earth,
And mightie kings shall be our Senators.
Ioue sometime masked in a Shepheards weed,

And by those steps that he hath scal'd the heauens, 395
May we become immortall like the Gods.
Ioine with me now in this my meane estate,
(I cal it meane, because being yet obscure,
The Nations far remoou'd admyre me not)
And when my name and honor shall be spread,
As far as Boreas claps his brazen wings,
Or faire Bootes sends his cheerefull light,
Then shalt thou be Competitor with me,
And sit with Tamburlaine in all his maiestie.
Ther. Not Hermes Prolocutor to the Gods,

Could vse perswasions more patheticall.

Tam. Nor are Apollos Oracles more true, Then thou shalt find my vaunts substantiall.

400

495

Tec. We are his friends, and if the Persean king

Should offer present Dukedomes to our state,

410

We thinke it losse to make exchange for that,

We are assured of by our friends successe.

Vsum. And kingdomes at the least we all expect, Besides the honor in assured conquestes :

Where kings shall crouch vnto our conquering swords, 4:5 And hostes of souldiers stand amaz'd at vs,

When with their fearfull tongues they shall confesse

Theise are the men that all the world admires.

388 cliffes 1592

402 Botëes 1590, 1592: Boetes 1605

Ther. What stronge enchantments tice my yeelding

soule ?

Ah, these resolued noble Scythians!

But shall I prooue a Traitor to my King?

420

Tam. No, but the trustie friend of Tamburlaine.

Ther. Won with thy words, & conquered with thy looks, I yeeld my selfe, my men & horse to thee: To be partaker of thy good or ill,

425

As long as life maintaines Theridamas.

Tam. Theridamas my friend, take here my hand.
Which is as much as if I swore by heauen,
And call'd the Gods to witnesse of my vow,

Thus shall my heart be still combinde with thine,
Vntill our bodies turne to Elements:

430

And both our soules aspire celestiall thrones.
Techelles, and Casane, welcome him.

Tech. Welcome renowmed Persean to vs all.
(Vsum)Cas. Long may Theridamas remaine with vs. 435
Tam. These are my friends in whom I more reioice,
Than dooth the King of Persea in his Crowne :
And by the loue of Pyllades and Orestes,
Whose statues we adore in Scythia,

Thy selfe and them shall neuer part from me,

440

Before I crowne you kings in Asia.

Make much of them gentle Theridamas,

And they will neuer leaue, thee till the death.

Ther. Nor thee, nor them, thrice noble Tamburlain

Shal want my heart to be with gladnes pierc'd

445

And now faire Madam, and my noble Lords,

To do you honor and securitie.

Tam. A thousand thankes worthy Theridamas:

If you will willingly remaine with me,

You shall haue honors, as your merits be:

450

Or els you shall be forc'd with slauerie.

Agid. We yeeld vnto thee happie Tamburlaine.
Tamb. For you then Maddam, I am out of doubt.
Zeno. I must be pleasde perforce, wretched Zenocrate.

Exeunt.

these] there conj. Cook 439

419 tice] to conj. Cook 420 Ah Brereton: Are 1590-1605, Dyce1: To Rob, Dyce, Cunn.: Qy., As? statues 1605: statutes 1590, 1592 them] Nor they nor theirs Rob.

441 King 1605 449 will om. 1605

444 Nor..

Actus 2. Scæna I.

Cosroe, Menaphon, Ortygius, Ceneus, with other Souldiers.

Cosroe. Thus farre are we towards Theridamas,
And valiant Tamburlaine, the man of fame,
The man that in the forhead of his fortune,
Beares figures of renowne and myracle :
But tell me, that hast seene him, Menaphon,
What stature wields he, and what personage?

455

460

Mena. Of stature tall, and straightly fashioned,
Like his desire, lift vpwards and diuine,
So large of lims, his ioints so strongly knit,
Such breadth of shoulders as might mainely beare
Olde Atlas burthen, twixt his manly pitch,

465

A pearle more worth, then all the world is plaste:

Wherein by curious soueraintie of Art,

Are fixt his piercing instruments of sight:
Whose fiery cyrcles beare encompassed

A heauen of heauenly bodies in their Spheares :

470

That guides his steps and actions to the throne,
Where honor sits inuested royally :

Pale of complexion: wrought in him with passion,

Thirsting with souerainty with loue of armes.

His lofty browes in foldes, do figure death,

475

And in their smoothnesse, amitie and life:
About them hangs a knot of Amber heire,
Wrapped in curles, as fierce Achilles was,

On which the breath of heauen delights to play,
Making it daunce with wanton maiestie :
His armes and fingers long and s(i)nowy,
Betokening valour and excesse of strength :

480

In euery part proportioned like the man,

Should make the world subdued to Tamburlaine.

Cos. Wel hast thou pourtraid in thy tearms of life, 485 The face and personage of a woondrous man : Nature doth striue with Fortune and his stars To make him famous in accomplisht woorth: And well his merits show him to be made His Fortunes maister, and the king of men, That could perswade at such a sodaine pinch,

474 with loue 1590, 1592: and loue 1605 etc.

490

481 His armes long, his fingers snowy-white, 1605 sinewy Dyce etc.: snowy 1590, 1592

With reasons of his valour and his life,

A thousand sworne and ouermatching foes:
Then when our powers in points of swords are ioin'd
And closde in compasse of the killing bullet,

495

Though straight the passage and the port be made,
That leads to Pallace of my brothers life,
Proud is his fortune if we pierce it not.

And when the princely Persean Diadem,
Shall ouerway his wearie witlesse head,

500

And fall like mellowed fruit, with shakes of death,
In faire Persea noble Tamburlaine

Shall be my Regent, and remaine as King.

Ort. In happy hower we haue set the Crowne
Vpon your kingly head, that seeks our honor,
In ioyning with the man, ordain'd by heauen
To further euery action to the best.

Cen. He that with Shepheards and a litle spoile,
Durst in disdaine of wrong and tyrannie,

505

Defend his freedome gainst a Monarchie :
What will he doe supported by a king?

510

Leading a troope of Gentlemen and Lords,

And stuft with tr(e)asure for his highest thoughts?
Cos. And such shall wait on worthy Tamburlaine.
Our army will be forty thousand strong,
When Tamburlain and braue Theridamas
Haue met vs by the riuer Araris:

515

That now is marching neer to Parthia,

And all conioin'd to meet the witlesse King,

And with vnwilling souldiers faintly arm'd,
To seeke reuenge on me and Tamburlaine.
To whom sweet Menaphon, direct me straight.
Mena. I will my Lord.

Act. 2. Scana 2.

520

Exeunt.

Mycetes, Meander, with other Lords and Souldiers.
Mycetes. Come my Meander, let vs to this geere,
I tel you true my heart is swolne with wrath,
On this same theeuish villaine Tamburlaine.
And of that false Cosroe, my traiterous brother.
Would it not grieue a King to be so abusde,
And haue a thousand horsmen tane away?

498 is] in 1605

525