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.

(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 :
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.

1130

1135

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

I 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

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,

That make quick hauock of the Christian blood.

1123 seate] set 1592, Dyce, Bull. 1149 breath and rest 1590, 1605, Wag.: Bull. 1151 they om. 1605

1150

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 Africa.

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.

1160

1165

Note the presumption of this Scythian slaue :

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

And dar'st thou bluntly call me Baiazeth?

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

horse,

1170

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,

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 1185 To talk with one so base as Tamburlaine ?

Moro. Ye Moores and valiant men of Barbary,

How can ye suffer these indignities?

1190

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.

1158 S.D. contributorie] his contributory 1605 Zabina and Ebea add. Dyce Ile] I will 1605 1185 the] this 1605

1163 to encounter 1592

1168 title 1605 1182

1188 ye] you 1605

Tech. Puissant, renowmed and mighty Tamburlain, Why stay we thus prolonging all their liues?

1195

Ther. I long to see those crownes won by our swords That we may raigne as kings of Affrica.

Vsum. What Coward wold not fight for such a prize? Tamb. Fight all couragiously and be you kings.

I speake it, and my words are oracles.

Bai. Zabina, mother of three brauer boies, Than Hercules, that in his infancie

Did pash the iawes of Serpents venomous:

Whose hands are made to gripe a warlike Lance,
Their shoulders broad, for complet armour fit,
Their lims more large and of a bigger size

Than all the brats ysprong from Typhons loins:
Who, when they come vnto their fathers age,
Will batter Turrets with their manly fists.
Sit here vpon this royal chaire of state,
And on thy head weare my Emperiall crowne,
Vntill I bring this sturdy Tamburlain,
And all his Captains bound in captiue chaines.
Zab. Such good successe happen to Baiazeth.
Tam. Zenocrate, the loueliest Maide aliue,
Fairer than rockes of pearle and pretious stone,
The onely Paragon of Tamburlaine,

Whose eies are brighter than the Lamps of heauen,
And speech more pleasant than sweet harmony:

1200

1205

1210

1215

That with thy lookes canst cleare the darkened Sky: 1220 And calme the rage of thundring Iupiter :

Sit downe by her adorned with my Crowne,

As if thou wert the Empresse of the world.
Stir not Zenocrate vntill thou see

Me martch victoriously with all my men,
Triumphing ouer him and these his kings,
Which I will bring as Vassals to thy feete.

Til then take thou my crowne, vaunt of my worth,

And manage words with her as we will armes.
Zen. And may my Loue, the king of Persea

1225

1230

Returne with victorie, and free from wound.

Bai. Now shalt thou feel the force of Turkish arms, Which lately made all Europe quake for feare : I haue of Turkes, Arabians, Moores and lewes Enough to couer all Bythinia.

1195 all 1590, 1605, Wag.: of 1592, Rob. to Bull. 1590, 1605, Wag.: rule 1592, Rob. to Bull.

1235

1197 raigne

Let thousands die, their slaughtered Carkasses
Shal serue for walles and bulwarkes to the rest :
And as the heads of Hydra, so my power
Subdued, shall stand as mighty as before :
If they should yeeld their necks vnto the sword,
Thy souldiers armes could not endure to strike
So many blowes as I haue heads for thee.
Thou knowest not (foolish hardy Tamburlaine)
What is to meet me in the open field,

1240

That leaue no ground for thee to martch vpon.

1245

Tam. Our conquering swords shall marshal vs the way

We vse to march vpon the slaughtered foe :
Trampling their bowels with our horses hooffes:

Braue horses, bred on the white Tartarian hils:
My Campe is like to Iulius Cæsars Hoste,
That neuer fought but had the victorie:
Nor in Pharsalia was there such hot war,

1250

As these my followers willingly would haue :
Legions of Spirits fleeting in the aire,

Direct our Bullets and our weapons pointes

1255

And make our strokes to wound the sencelesse aire,

And when she sees our bloody Collours spread,
Then Victorie begins to take her flight,
Resting her selfe vpon my milk-white Tent :
But come my Lords, to weapons let vs fall.
The field is ours, the Turk, his wife and all.

1260

Exit, with his followers.

Bai. Come Kings and Bassoes, let vs glut our swords That thirst to drinke the feble Perseans blood.

Exit, with his followers.

Zab. Base Concubine, must thou be plac'd by me That am the Empresse of the mighty Turke ?

Zen. Disdainful Turkesse and vnreuerend Bosse, Call'st thou me Concubine that am betroath'd

Vnto the great and mighty Tamburlaine ?

1265

Zab. To Tamburlaine the great Tartarian thiefe ? Zen. Thou wilt repent these lauish words of thine, 1270 When thy great Bassoe maister and thy selfe

1242 thee] them Dyce2 1249 the omit conj. Dyce: th' Cunn., Bull. 1256 our] your Dyce etc. air conj. Dyce: lure 1590, 1605: lute 1592 light Rob. etc.: wind conj. Cunn.: winds conj. Wag. 1266 Bosse] Bassa conj. Mitford