Whose cheekes and hearts so punisht with conceit,
To thinke thy puisant neuer staied arme
Will part their bodies, and preuent their soules

1870

From heauens of comfort, yet their age might beare,

Now waxe all pale and withered to the death,
As well for griefe our ruthlesse Gouernour
Haue thus refusde the mercie of thy hand,
(Whose scepter Angels kisse, and Furies dread)
As for their liberties, their loues or liues.
O then for these, and such as we our selues,
For vs, for infants, and for all our bloods,
That neuer nourisht thought against thy rule,
Pitie, O pitie, (sacred Emperour)

The prostrate seruice of this wretched towne.
And take in signe thereof this gilded wreath,
Whereto ech man of rule hath giuen his hand,
And wisht as worthy subiects happy meanes,
To be inuesters of thy royall browes,
Euen with the true Egyptian Diadem.

Tam. Virgins, in vaine ye labour to preuent
That which mine honor sweares shal be perform'd:
Behold my sword, what see you at the point?

1875

1880

1885

Virg. Nothing but feare and fatall steele my Lord. 1890 Tam. Your fearfull minds are thicke and mistie then, For there sits Death, there sits imperious Death,

Keeping his circuit by the slicing edge.

But I am pleasde you shall not see him there,
He now is seated on my horsmens speares :

And on their points his fleshlesse bodie feedes.
Techelles, straight goe charge a few of them

To chardge these Dames, and shew my seruant death,
Sitting in scarlet on their armed speares.
Omnes. O pitie vs.

1895

1900

Tam. Away with them I say and shew them death.
They take them away.

I will not spare these proud Egyptians,
Nor change my Martiall obseruations,
For all the wealth of Gehons golden waues,
Or for the loue of Venus, would she leaue
The angrie God of Armes, and lie with me.
They haue refusde the offer of their liues,

1905

1879 nourish

1874 Haue] Hath 1605, Dyce to Bull.: Has Rob. 1605 1884 wisht] wish 1605 1887 ye] you 1592, Rob. to Bull.

And know my customes are as peremptory
As wrathfull Planets, death, or destinie.

Enter Techelles.

What, haue your horsmen shewen the virgins Death? 1910 Tech. They haue my Lord, and on Damascus wals Haue hoisted vp their slaughtered carcases.

Tam. A sight as banefull to their soules I think

As are Thessalian drugs or Mithradate.

But goe my Lords, put the rest to the sword.

1915

Exeunt.

Ah faire Zenocrate, diuine Zenocrate,

Faire is too foule an Epithite for thee,

That in thy passion for thy countries loue,

And feare to see thy kingly Fathers harme,

With haire discheweld wip'st thy watery cheeks:
And like to Flora in her mornings pride,
Shaking her siluer treshes in the aire,

1920

Rain'st on the earth resolued pearle in showers,

And sprinklest Saphyrs on thy shining face,

Wher Beauty, mother to the Muses sits,

1925

And comments vollumes with her Yuory pen :
Taking instructions from thy flowing eies,
Eies when that Ebena steps to heauen,
In silence of thy solemn Euenings walk,
Making the mantle of the richest night,

The Moone, the Planets, and the Meteors light.
There Angels in their christal armours fight
A doubtfull battell with my tempted thoughtes,
For Egypts freedom and the Souldans life:
His life that so consumes Zenocrate,
Whose sorrowes lay more siege vnto my soule,
Than all my Army to Damascus walles.
And neither Perseans Soueraign, nor the Turk
Troubled my sences with conceit of foile,
So much by much, as dooth Zenocrate.
What is beauty saith my sufferings then?
If all the pens that euer poets held,

Had fed the feeling of their maisters thoughts,
And euery sweetnes that inspir'd their harts,

1930

1935

1940

1928

1932 There] These

1921 morning Cunn., Bull. 1922 tresses 1592, Rob. etc. when that] that when Ellis, Bull. which when that conj. Schipper, 1930 Making] Make in Ellis, Bull. fights 1605 1938 Persia's Rob. etc.

Wag.
Cunn., Bull.

Their minds, and muses on admyred theames:
If all the heauenly Quintessence they still
From their immortall flowers of Poesy,
Wherein as in a myrrour we perceiue
The highest reaches of a humaine wit.
If these had made one Poems period

1945

1950

And all combin'd in Beauties worthinesse,

Yet should ther houer in their restlesse heads,

One thought, one grace, one woonder at the least,

Which into words no vertue can digest:

But how vnseemly is it for my Sex

1955

My discipline of armes and Chiualrie,

My nature and the terrour of my name,
To harbour thoughts effeminate and faint?
Saue onely that in Beauties iust applause,

With whose instinct the soule of man is toucht,
And euery warriour that is rapt with loue,
Of fame, of valour, and of victory

1960

Must needs haue beauty beat on his conceites,

I thus conceiuing and subduing both

That which hath st(o)opt the tempest of the Gods,

1965

Euen from the fiery spangled vaile of heauen,

To feele the louely warmth of shepheards flames,

And martch in cottages of strowed weeds,

Shal giue the world to note for all my byrth,
That Vertue solely is the sum of glorie,
And fashions men with true nobility.

Who's within there?

Enter two or three.

Hath Baiazeth bene fed to day?

An. I, my Lord.

1970

Tamb. Bring him forth, & let vs know if the towne be ransackt.

1953 least] last conj. Broughton 1960 and 1961 conj. Mitford

1605

1976

1965-8 Insert these lines between 1965 stoopt Dyce etc.: stopt 1590tempest 1590-1605: temper conj. Coll.: tempers conj. Fraser's Mag., Brereton: chiefest Dyce to Wag.: topmost conj. Deighton 1966 fiery spangled 1590, 1592: spangled firie 1605: fire-yspangled conj. Coll., conj. Dyce vaile] vault conj. Coll. louely] lowly conj. Coll., Cunn., Bull., Brereton

1967 1968 martch 1590

1605: mask conj. Broughton, Dyce to Wag.: match conj. Fraser's Mag., Brereton cottages] coatches 1605 cottages of strowed] cottagers' off-strowed conj. Broughton of] on conj. Cook

reeds Dyce etc.

1974 Prefix An.] Attend. Dyce

weeds]

Enter Techelles, Theridamas, Vsumcasan & others. Tech. The town is ours my Lord, and fresh supply Of conquest, and of spoile is offered vs.

Tam. Thats wel Techelles, what's the newes?

Tech. The Souldan and the Arabian king together 1980

Martch on vs with such eager violence,

As if there were no way but one with vs.

Tam. No more there is not I warrant thee Techelles.

They bring in the Turke.

Ther. We know the victorie is ours my Lord,

But let vs saue the reuerend Souldans life,

1985

For faire Zenocrate, that so laments his state.

Tamb. That will we chiefly see vnto, Theridamas. For sweet Zenocrate, whose worthinesse

Deserues a conquest ouer euery hart :

And now my footstoole, if I loose the field,
You hope of libertie and restitution :

1990

Here let him stay my maysters from the tents,
Till we haue made vs ready for the field.
Pray for vs Baiazeth, we are going.

Bai. Go, neuer to returne with victorie:
Millions of men encompasse thee about,
And gore thy body with as many wounds.
Sharpe forked arrowes light vpon thy horse :
Furies from the blacke Cocitus lake,

Exeunt.

1995

Breake vp the earth, and with their firebrands,
Enforce thee run vpon the banefull pikes.

2000

Volleyes of shot pierce through thy charmed Skin,
And euery bullet dipt in poisoned drugs,

Or roaring Cannons seuer all thy ioints,
Making thee mount as high as Eagles soare.

Zab. Let all the swords and Lances in the field,
Stick in his breast, as in their proper roomes,
At euery pore let blood comme dropping foorth,
That lingring paines may massacre his heart,
And madnesse send his damned soule to hell.

Bai. Ah faire Zabina, we may curse his power,
The heauens may frowne, the earth for anger quake,
But such a Star hath influence in his sword,

1976 S.D. & 1590: and 1592: with 1605 1985 reuerent 1605 Zabina Dyce

pore] dore 1605

2005

2010

1981 vs] with vs 1592 1994 S.D. Exeunt all except Bajazeth and 1999 Furies] May Furies conj. Broughton 2008

As rules the Skies, and countermands the Gods,
More than Cymerian Stix or Distinie:
And then shall we in this detested guyse,
With shame, with hungar, and with horror aie
Griping our bowels with retorqued thoughtes,
And haue no hope to end our extasies.

Zab. Then is there left no Mahomet, no God,
No Feend, no Fortune, nor no hope of end
To our infamous monstrous slaueries?
Gape earth, and let the Feends infernall view
A hell, as hoplesse and as full of feare
As are the blasted banks of Erebus:

2015

2020

2025

Where shaking ghosts with euer howling grones,
Houer about the vgly Ferriman,

To get a passage to Elisian.

Why should we liue, O wretches, beggars, slaues,

Why liue we Baiazeth, and build vp neasts,

2030

So high within the region of the aire,

By liuing long in this oppression,

That all the world will see and laugh to scorne

The former triumphes of our mightines,

In this obscure infernall seruitude?

2035

Bai. O life more loathsome to my vexed thoughts,
Than noisome parbreak of the Stygian Snakes,
Which fils the nookes of Hell with standing aire,
Infecting all the Ghosts with curelesse griefs :
O dreary Engines of my loathed sight,
That sees my crowne, my honor and my name,
Thrust vnder yoke and thraldom of a thiefe.
Why feed ye still on daies accursed beams,
And sink not quite into my tortur'd soule?
You see my wife, my Queene and Emperesse,
Brought vp and propped by the hand of fame,
Queen of fifteene contributory Queens,
Now throwen to roomes of blacke abiection,
Smear'd with blots of basest drudgery:
And Villanesse to shame, disdaine, and misery:
Accursed Baiazeth, whose words of ruth,
That would with pity chear Zabinas heart:
And make our soules resolue in ceasles teares,

2017 aie] aye 1605: live Rob.: stay Dyce etc. As 1590-1605

2043 ye] you 1605 1592, 1605

2028 Elysium Rob. to Bull.

2048 abiection 1590,

2051 ruth] truth 1605

2040

2045

2050

2024 A Rob. etc. : 2036 thought 1605 Rob. etc.: obiection