Tam. The chiefest God first moouer of that Spheare, Enchac'd with thousands euer shining lamps,

Will sooner burne the glorious frame of Heauen,
Then it should so conspire my ouerthrow.
But Villaine, thou that wishest this to me,
Fall prostrate on the lowe disdainefull earth,
And be the foot-stoole of great Tamburlain,

That I may rise into my royall throne.

1455

Bai. First shalt thou rip my bowels with thy sword, And sacrifice my heart to death and hell, Before I yeeld to such a slauery.

Tamb. Base villain, vassall, slaue to Tamburlaine : Vnworthy to imbrace or touch the ground,

1461

That beares the honor of my royall waight.
Stoop villaine, stoope, stoope for so he bids,

1465

That may command thee peecemeale to be torne,
Or scattered like the lofty Cedar trees,

Strooke with the voice of thundring Iupiter.

Bai. Then as I look downe to the damned Feends, 1470 Feends looke on me, and thou dread God of hell,

With Eban Scepter strike this hatefull earth,
And make it swallow both of vs at once.

He gets up vpon him to his chaire.

Tamb. Now cleare the triple region of the aire, And let the maiestie of heauen beholde

1475

Their Scourge and Terrour treade on Emperours.

Smile Stars that raign'd at my natiuity:

And dim the brightnesse of their neighbor Lamps,

Disdaine to borrow light of Cynthia,

For I the chiefest Lamp of all the earth,

1480

First rising in the East with milde aspect,
But fixed now in the Meridian line,
Will send vp fire to your turning Spheares,
And cause the Sun to borrowe light of you.
My sword stroke fire from his coat of steele,
Euen in Bythinia, when I took this Turke:
As when a fiery exhalation

Wrapt in the bowels of a freezing cloude,
Fighting for passage, make(s) the Welkin cracke,

1455 it should] should it 1592 vnto 1592

1485

1456 this] it 1605 1459 into] 1461 heart 1590, 1605, Dyce2, Wag.: soule 1592, Rob., 1466 stoop, stoop, stoop; for conj. Dyce 1478 their] your conj.

Dyce1, Cunn., Bull.
1473 S.D. He] Tamburlaine Dyce etc.
Dyce1, Dyce etc.

1489 makes Dyce etc.: make 1590-1605

And casts a flash of lightning to the earth.
But ere I martch to wealthy Persea,

Or leaue Damascus and th' Egyptian fields,
As was the fame of Clymenes brain-sicke sonne,
That almost brent the Axeltree of heauen,
So shall our swords, our lances and our shot
Fill all the aire with fiery meteors.

1490

1495

Then when the Sky shal waxe as red as blood,
It shall be said, I made it red my selfe,

To make me think of nought but blood and war.
Zab. Vnworthy king, that by thy crueltie,

1500

Vnlawfully vsurpest the Persean seat :
Dar'st thou that neuer saw an Emperour,
Before thou met my husband in the field,
Being thy Captiue, thus abuse his state,
Keeping his kingly body in a Cage,

1505

That rooffes of golde, and sun-bright Pallaces,
Should haue prepar'd to entertaine his Grace ?
And treading him beneath thy loathsome feet,
Whose feet the kings of Affrica haue kist.

Tech. You must deuise some torment worsse, my Lord

To make these captiues reine their lauish tongues.
Tam. Zenocrate, looke better to your slaue.

1511

Zen. She is my Handmaids slaue, and she shal looke That these abuses flow not from her tongue : Chide her Anippe.

1515

Anip. Let these be warnings for you then my slaue, How you abuse the person of the king:

Or els I sweare to haue you whipt stark nak'd.
Bai. Great Tamburlaine, great in my ouerthrow,
Ambitious pride shall make thee fall as low,
For treading on the back of Baiazeth,
That should be horsed on fower mightie kings.
Tam. Thy names and tytles, and thy dignities.
Are fled from Baiazeth, and remaine with me,
That will maintaine it against a world of Kings.
Put him in againe.

1520

1525

(They put him into the cage.) Bai. Is this a place for mighty Baiazeth? Confusion light on him that helps thee thus.

Tam. There whiles he liues, shal Baiezeth be kept,

1490 to] on 1605 1493 Clymenes 1592, Dyce etc.: Clymeus 1590,

1605 1494 brent] burnt 1605 you then] then for you 1605, Dvce S.D. add. Dyce 1529 while 1655

1514 from] in 1592 1516 for 1523 dignitie 1605 1526

And where I goe be thus in triumph drawne :
And thou his wife shalt feed him with the scraps
My seruitures shall bring the from my boord.
For he that giues him other food than this:
Shall sit by him and starue to death himselfe.
This is my minde, and I will haue it so.
Not all the Kings and Emperours of the Earth:
If they would lay their crownes before my feet,
Shall ransome him, or take him from his cage.
The ages that shall talk of Tamburlain,
Euen from this day to Platoes wondrous yeare,
Shall talke how I haue handled Baiazeth.
These Mores that drew him from Bythinia,
To faire Damascus, where we now remaine,
Shall lead him with vs wheresoere we goe.
Techelles, and my louing followers,

1530

1535

1540

1545

Now may we see Damascus lofty towers,
Like to the shadowes of Pyramides,

That with their beauties grac'd the Memphion fields:
The golden stature of their feathered bird

That spreads her wings vpon the citie wals,

1550

Shall not defend it from our battering shot.

The townes-men maske in silke and cloath of gold,
And euery house is as a treasurie.

The men, the treasure, and the towne is ours.

Ther. Your tentes of white now pitch'd before the gates And gentle flags of amitie displaid,

1556

I doubt not but the Gouernour will yeeld,

Offering Damascus to your Maiesty.

Tam. So shall he haue his life, and all the rest.

But if he stay vntil the bloody flag

1560

Be once aduanc'd on my vermilion Tent,

He dies, and those that kept vs out so long.

And when they see me march in black aray,

With mournfull streamers hanging down their heads,
Were in that citie all the world contain'd,
Not one should scape: but perish by our swords.
Zen. Yet would you haue some pitie for my sake,
Because it is my countries, and my Fathers.

1565

Tam. Not for the world Zenocrate, if I haue sworn: Come bring in the Turke.

1531 shal 1592

Exeunt.

1570

stature] statue 1605, Cunn. country Rob. to Bull.

1554 is] are Rob. to Cunn.

1568

Act. 4. Scana 3.

Souldane, Arabia, Capoline, with streaming collors and
Souldiers.

Souldan. Me thinks we martch as Meliager did,
Enuironed with braue Argolian knightes:
To chace the sauage Cali)donian Boare,
Or Cephalus with lustie Thebane youths
Against the Woolfe that angrie Themis sent,
To waste and spoile the sweet Aonian fieldes.
A monster of fiue hundred thousand heades,
Compact of Rapine, Pyracie, and spoile,
The Scum of men, the hate and Scourge of God,
Raues in Egyptia, and annoyeth vs.

My Lord it is the bloody Tamburlaine,
A sturdy Felon and a base-bred Thiefe,

1575

1580

And hasten to remooue Damascus siege.
It is a blemish to the Maiestie

And high estate of mightie Emperours,

1590

That such a base vsurping vagabond

Should braue a king, or weare a princely crowne.
Ara. Renowmed Souldane, haue ye lately heard

The ouerthrow of mightie Baiazeth,

About the confines of Bythinia ?

1595

The slauerie wherewith he persecutes

The noble Turke and his great Emperesse?

Soul. I haue, and sorrow for his bad successe :

But noble Lord of great Arabia,

Be so perswaded, that the Souldan is

1600

No more dismaide with tidings of his fall,

Than in the hauen when the Pilot stands

And viewes a strangers ship rent in the winds,
And shiuered against a craggie rocke,

Yet in compassion of his wretched state,

1605

A sacred vow to heauen and him I make,

Confirming it with Ibis holy name,

1570+ S.D. streaming 1605 etc.: steaming 1590, 1592 Calcedonian 1605

1574 lustie om. 1605

1587 bandes] handes 1605

1573

1582 and om. 1592

That Tamburlaine shall rue the day, the hower,
Wherein he wrought such ignominious wrong
Vnto the hallowed person of a prince,

Or kept the faire Zenocrate so long,

As Concubine, I feare to feed his lust.

1610

Ara. Let griefe and furie hasten on reuenge,

Let Tamburlaine for his offences feele

Such plagues as heauen and we can poure on him.

1615

I long to breake my speare vpon his crest,
And prooue the waight of his victorious arme :
For Fame I feare hath bene too prodigall

In sounding through the world his partiall praise.
Soul. Capolin, hast thou suruaid our powers.
Cap. Great Emperours of Egypt and Arabia,

1620

The number of your hostes vnited is,

A hundred and fifty thousand horse,

Two hundred thousand foot, braue men at armes,
Couragious and full of hardinesse :

1625

As frolike as the hunters in the chace

Of sauage beastes amid the desart woods.

Arab. My mind presageth fortunate successe,

And Tamburlaine, my spirit doth foresee

The vtter ruine of thy men and thee.

1630

Soul. Then reare your standardes, let your sounding Drummes

Direct our Souldiers to Damascus walles.

Now Tamburlaine, the mightie Souldane comes,

And leads with him the great Arabian King,

1635

To dim thy basenesse and obscurity,

Famous for nothing but for theft and spoile,
To race and scatter thy inglorious crue,
Of Scythians and slauish Persians.

Actus 4. Scana 4.

Exeunt.

The Banquet, and to it commeth Tamburlain al in scarlet, Theridamas, Techelles, Vsumcasane, the Turke, with others.

Tamb. Now hang our bloody collours by Damascus, Reflexing hewes of blood vpon their heads,

1608 the hower] and houre 1605 thy basenesse and] the basnesse of 1605 1590, 1592