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Then shalt thou see this Scythian Tamburlaine,
Make but a jest to win the Persian crown.
Techelles, take a thousand horse with thee,
And bid him turn him 1 back to war with us,
That only made him king to make us sport.
We will not steal upon him cowardly,
But give him warning and more warriors.
Haste, thee, Techelles, we will follow thee.

100

What saith Theridamas ?

Ther. Go on for me.

SCENE VI.

[Exeunt.

Enter COSROE, Meander, Ortygius, Menaphon, with

other Soldiers.

Cos. What means this devilish shepherd to aspire

With such a giantly presumption

To cast up hills against the face of heaven,
And dare the force of angry Jupiter?
But as he thrust them underneath the hills,
And pressed out fire from their burning jaws,
So will I send this monstrous slave to hell,
Where flames shall ever feed upon his soul.

Meand. Some powers divine, or else infernal, mixed Their angry seeds at his conception;

For he was never sprong of human race,
Since with the spirit of his fearful pride,
He dare so doubtlessly resolve of rule,
And by profession be ambitious.

1 Old copies "his."

10

Orgy. What god or fent or spo
Or monster met a many me
Or of what mould or mettere se made
What star or state never goven

Let us put on our meet encountering i
And in detesting suci a tevim mel
In love of honour and defence of magn
Be armed agams. the mae of sun aiz
Whether from ease

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Con. Konly respived my goot Cana
And since we al have sucat DIE WILSONE ar
And with the same proportion of semena

Ressive, I hope we are rembet

Vowing our owes it equal seat and le.

Let's coeer our siden i encome an
That grievous image of grate
That fery those ate sovereignty.
And bun in the fry of the fame.
That none can quench but wout and entery.
Resolve, my lords and loving suiden tow
To save your king and county from day.
Then strike up, frum; aut al te san ta nate
The loathsome true of my talet lte,
Direct my weapon the tartaros uz”,
That thus opposeti nim agans he guts.
And scorns the powers that govern Fersa!

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SCENE VII.

Alarms. A battle; enter COSROE, wounded, TheRIDAMAS, TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE, with others.

Cos. Barbarous and bloody Tamburlaine,
Thus to deprive me of my crown and life!
Treacherous and false Theridamas,
Even at the morning of my happy state,
Scarce being seated in my royal throne,
To work my downfall and untimely end!
An uncouth pain torments my grievèd soul,
And death arrests the organ of my voice,
Who, entering at the breach thy sword hath made,
Sacks every vein and artier1 of my heart.

Bloody and insatiate Tamburlaine !

Tamb. The thirst of reign and sweetness of a crown That caused the eldest son of heavenly Ops, To thrust his doting father from his chair, And place himself in the empyreal heaven, Moved me to manage arms against thy state. What better precedent than mighty Jove? Nature that framed us of four elements, Warring within our breasts for regiment, Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds: Our souls, whose faculties can comprehend The wondrous architecture of the world,

1 Dyce quotes several instances of this form of the word "artery."

ΤΟ

20

And measure every wandering planet's course,
Still climbing after knowledge infinite,
And always moving as the restless spheres,
Wills us to wear ourselves, and never rest,
Until we reach the ripest fruit of all,
That perfect bliss and sole felicity,

The sweet fruition of an earthly crown.

Ther. And that made me to join with Tamburlaine: 30 For he is gross and like the massy earth,

That moves not upwards, nor by princely deeds

Doth mean to soar above the highest sort.

Tech. And that made us the friends of Tamburlaine,

To lift our swords against the Persian king.

Usum. For as when Jove did thrust old Saturn down, Neptune and Dis gained each of them a crown, So do we hope to reign in Asia,

-If Tamburlaine be placed in Persia.

Cos. The strangest men that ever nature made!

I know not how to take their tyrannies.

My bloodless body waxeth chill and cold,

And with my blood my life slides through my wound; My soul begins to take her flight to hell,

And summons all my senses to depart.

The heat and moisture, which did feed each other,
For want of nourishment to feed them both,
Is dry and cold; and now doth ghastly death,
With greedy talents1 gripe my bleeding heart,

40

1 "Talon" was not unfrequently spelt "talent." Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, iv, a :-"If a talent be a claw."-Pistol's "Let vultures gripe thy guts," may be, as Steevens suggested, a parody of this passage.

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