While they walke quiuering on their citie walles,
Halfe dead for feare before they feele my wrath :
Then let vs freely banquet and carouse
Full bowles of wine vnto the God of war,
That meanes to fill your helmets full of golde :
And make Damascus spoiles as rich to you,
As was to Iason Colchos golden fleece.

And now Baiazeth, hast thou any stomacke?

1645

Bai. I, such a stomacke (cruel Tamburlane) as I could willingly feed vpon thy blood-raw hart.

1650

Tam. Nay, thine owne is easier to come by, plucke out that, and twil serue thee and thy wife: Wel Zenocrate, Techelles, and the rest, fall to your victuals.

Bai. Fall to, and neuer may your meat digest. Ye Furies that can maske inuisible,

1655

Diue to the bottome of Auernas poole,
And in your hands bring hellish poison vp,
And squease it in the cup of Tamburlain.
Or winged snakes of Lerna cast your stings,
And leaue your venoms in this Tyrants dish.

1660

Zab. And may this banquet prooue as omenous,
As Prognes to th' adulterous Thracian King,
That fed vpon the substance of his child.

Zen. My Lord, how can you suffer these
Outragious curses by these slaues of yours
Tam. To let them see (diuine Zenocrate)

I glorie in the curses of my foes,

?

Hauing the power from the Emperiall heauen,
To turne them al vpon their proper heades.

1665

1669

Tech. I pray you give them leaue Madam, this speech is a goodly refreshing to them.

Ther. But if his highnesse would let them be fed, it would doe them more good.

Tam. Sirra, why fall you not too, are you so daintily brought vp, you cannot eat your owne flesh?

1675 Bai. First legions of deuils shall teare thee in peeces. Vsum. Villain, knowest thou to whom thou speakest ? Tam. O let him alone: here, eat sir, take it from my swords point, or Ile thrust it to thy heart.

He takes it and stamps vpon it.

1655 maske] walke 1605

1664 My Lord] My lord, my lord Bull. My gracious Lord conj. Wag. suffer] tamely suffer conj. Dyce, Ellis 1671 goodly] good 1605 to] for 1592, Dyce 1674 1678 here] there 1605 from] vp from 1605

you not] ye not 1605

Ther. He stamps it vnder his feet my Lord.

1680

Tam. Take it vp Villaine, and eat it, or I will make thee slice the brawnes of thy armes into carbonadoes, and eat them.

Vsu. Nay, twere better he kild his wife, & then she shall be sure not to be staru'd, & he be prouided for a moneths victuall before hand.

1686

Tam. Here is my dagger, dispatch her while she is fat, for if she liue but a while longer, shee will fall into a consumption with freatting, and then she will not bee woorth the eating.

1690

Ther. Doost thou think that Mahomet wil suffer this? Tech. Tis like he wil, when he cannot let it.

Tam. Go to, fal to your meat: what not a bit ? belike he hath not bene watered to day, giue him some drinke. They give him water to drinke, and he flings it on the ground.

Faste and welcome sir, while hunger make you eat. How now Zenocrate, dooth not the Turke and his wife make a goodly showe at a banquet? 1697

Zen. Yes, my Lord.

Ther. Me thinks, tis a great deale better than a consort of musicke.

1700

Tam. Yet musicke woulde doe well to cheare vp Zenocrate pray thee tel, why art thou so sad? If thou wilt haue a song, the Turke shall straine his voice: but why is it ?

Zen. My lord, to see my fathers towne besieg'd,
The countrie wasted where my selfe was borne,
How can it but afflict my verie soule ?
If any loue remaine in you my Lord,

1705

Or if my loue vnto your maiesty

May merit fauour at your highnesse handes,

1710

Then raise your siege from faire Damascus walles,
And with my father take a frindly truce.
Tamb. Zenocrate, were Egypt Ioues owne land,

Yet would I with my sword make Ioue to stoope.

I will confute those blind Geographers

1715

That make a triple region in the world,

Excluding Regions which I meane to trace,
And with this pen reduce them to a Map,
Calling the Prouinces, Citties and townes
After my name and thine Zenocrate :

1720

1682 slice] fleece 1605 1688 fall] not fall 1605

Here at Damascus will I make the Point
That shall begin the Perpendicular.

And wouldst thou haue me buy thy Fathers loue
With such a losse ? Tell me Zenocrate?

Zen. Honor still waight on happy Tamburlaine :
Yet giue me leaue to plead for him my Lord.

Tam. Content thy selfe, his person shall be safe,
And all the friendes of faire Zenocrate,

If with their liues they will be pleasde to yeeld,
Or may be forc'd to make me Emperour.

For Egypt and Arabia must be mine.

1725

1730

Feed you slaue, thou maist thinke thy selfe happie to be fed from my trencher.

Bai. My empty stomacke ful of idle heat,

Drawes bloody humours from my feeble partes,
Preseruing life, by hasting cruell death.

1735

My vaines are pale, my sinowes hard and drie,
My iointes benumb'd, vnlesse I eat, I die.

Zab. Eat Baiazeth. Let vs liue in spite of them, looking some happie power will pitie and inlarge vs.

1740

Tam. Here Turk, wilt thou haue a cleane trencher? Bai. I Tyrant, and more meat.

Tam. Soft sir, you must be dieted, too much eating will make you surfeit.

Ther. So it would my lord, specially hauing so smal a walke, and so litle exercise.

Enter a second course of Crownes.

1746

Tam. Theridamas, Techelles and Casane, here are the cates you desire to finger, are they not?

Ther. I(my Lord) but none saue kinges must feede with these.

1750

Tech. Tis enough for vs to see them, and for Tamburlaine onely to enioy them.

Tam. Wel, here is now to the Souldane of Egypt, the King of Arabia, and the Gouernour of Damascus. Now take these three crownes, and pledge me, my contributorie Kings. I crowne you here (Theridamas) King of Argier : Techelles King of Fesse, and Vsumcasane, King of Morocus. How say you to this (Turke) these are not your contributorie kings.

Bai. Nor shall they long be thine, I warrant them. 1760

1723 thy] my 1605

1736 hastening 1605, Dyce, Cunn. 1745 specially] especially 1605, Rob., Cunn.

Tam. Kings of Argier, Morocus, and of Fesse:
You that haue martcht with happy Tamburlaine,
As far as from the frozen place of heauen,
Vnto the watry mornings ruddy bower,

And thence by land vnto the Torrid Zone,
Deserue these tytles I endow you with
By valour and by magnanimity.

1765

Your byrthes shall be no blemish to your fame,

For vertue is the fount whence honor springs,

And they are worthy she inuesteth kings.

1770

Ther. And since your highnesse hath so well vouchsaft,

If we deserue them not with higher meeds

Then erst our states and actions haue retain'd,
Take them away againe and make vs slaues.
Tam. Wel said Theridamas, when holy Fates
Shall stablish me in strong Egyptia,
We meane to traueile to th'Anta(r)tique Pole,
Conquering the people vnderneath our feet,
And be renowm'd, as neuer Emperours were.
Zenocrate, I will not crowne thee yet,
Vntil with greater honors I be grac'd.
Finis Actus quarti.

Actus 5. Scæna 1.

1775

1780

The Gouernour of Damasco, with three or foure Citizens, and foure Virgins with branches of Laurell in their hands.

Gouernour. Stil dooth this man or rather God of war, Batter our walles, and beat our Turrets downe.

And to resist with longer stubbornesse,

Or hope of rescue from the Souldans power,
Were but to bring our wilfull ouerthrow,

1785

And make vs desperate of our threatned liues :

We see his tents haue now bene altered,

With terrours to the last and cruelst hew:

His cole-blacke collours euery where aduaunst,

1790

Threaten our citie with a generall spoile :

And if we should with common rites of Armes,
Offer our safeties to his clemencie,

1592

1763 place] plage Dyce to Bull. 1764 bower 1605: hower 1590, 1767 valour Rob. etc.: value 1590-1605 1769 whence] 1774 againe om. 1605 1777 th'] the 1605

where 1605

I feare the custome proper to his sword,
Which he obserues as parcell of his fame,
Intending so to terrifie the world,

By any innouation or remorse,

Will neuer be dispenc'd with til our deaths.
Therfore, for these our harmlesse virgines sakes,
Whose honors and whose liues relie on him:
Let vs haue hope that their vnspotted praiers
Their blubbered cheekes and hartie humble mones
Will melt his furie into some remorse:
And vse vs like a louing Conquerour.

Virg. If humble suites or imprecations,
(Vttered with teares of wretchednesse and blood,
Shead from the heads and hearts of all our Sex,
Some made your wiues, and some your children)
Might haue intreated your obdurate breasts,
To entertaine some care of our securities,
Whiles only danger beat vpon our walles,

These more than dangerous warrants of our death
Had neuer bene erected as they bee,
Nor you depend on such weake helps as we.

1795

1800

1805

1810

Go. Wel, louely Virgins, think our countries care,

1815

Our loue of honor loth to be enthral'd

To forraine powers, and rough imperious yokes :.
Would not with too much cowardize or feare,
Before all hope of rescue were denied,
Submit your selues and vs to seruitude.
Therefore in that your safeties and our owne,
Your honors, liberties and liues were weigh'd
In equall care and ballance with our owne,
Endure as we the malice of our stars,
The wrath of Tamburlain, and power of warres,

1820

1825

Or be the means the ouerweighing heauens

Haue kept to quallifie these hot extreames.

And bring vs pardon in your chearfull lookes.

2. Virg. Then here before the maiesty of heauen,

And holy Patrones of Egyptia,

1830

With knees and hearts submissiue we intreate

Grace to our words and pitie to our lookes
That this deuise may prooue propitious,

And through the eies and eares of Tamburlaine,

Conuey euents of mercie to his heart :

1835