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.

1225

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

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 Iewes 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

Si

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

1250

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

Must plead for mercie at his kingly feet,

And sue to me to be your Aduocates.

Zab. And sue to thee? I tell thee shamelesse girle, Thou shalt be Landresse to my waiting maid.

How lik'st thou her Ebea, will she serue?

Ebea. Madame, she thinks perhaps she is too fine.

But I shall turne her into other weedes,

And make her daintie fingers fall to woorke.

1275

Zen. Hearst thou Anippe, how thy drudge doth talk,
And how my slaue, her mistresse menaceth.
Both for their sausinesse shall be employed,

1281

To dresse the common souldiers meat and drink.
For we will scorne they should come nere our selues.
Anip. Yet somtimes let your highnesse send for them
To do the work my chamber maid disdaines.

They sound the battell within, and stay.

Zen. Ye Gods and powers that gouerne Persea :
And made my lordly Loue her worthy King:
Now strengthen him against the Turkish Baiazeth,
And let his foes like flockes of fearfull Roes,
Pursude by hunters, flie his angrie lookes,

1286

1290

That I may see him issue Conquerour.
Zab. Now Mahomet, solicit God himselfe,

And make him raine down murthering shot from heauen

To dash the Scythians braines, and strike them dead,
That dare to manage armes with him,

1296

That offered iewels to thy sacred shrine,

When first he war'd against the Christians.

To the battell againe.

Zen. By this the Turks lie weltring in their blood And Tamburlaine is Lord of Africa.

1300

Zab. Thou art deceiu'd, I heard the Trumpets sound,

As when my Emperour ouerthrew the Greeks :
And led them Captiue into Affrica.

Straight will I vse thee as thy pride deserues :

Prepare thy selfe to liue and die my slaue.

1305

Zen. If Mahomet should come from heauen and sweare,

My royall Lord is slaine or conquered,

Yet should he not perswade me otherwise,

But that he liues and will be Conquerour.

1273 aduocate 1605, Dyce to Bull. 1300 And] as 1605

1302 As] and 1605

1296 him] Baiazeth Wag.

ワ

Baiazeth flies, and he pursues him. The battell short, and
they enter, Baiazeth is ouercome.

Tam. Now king of Bassoes, who is Conqueror ?
Bai. Thou, by the fortune of this damned foile,
Tam. Where are your stout contributorie kings?

Enter Techelles, Theridamas, Vsumcasane.

1310

Tech. We haue their crownes their bodies strowe the fielde.

Tam. Each man a crown? why kingly fought ifaith. Deliuer them into my treasurie.

1315

Zen. Now let me offer to my gracious Lord

His royall Crowne againe, so highly won.

Tam. Nay take the Turkish Crown from her, Zen(ocrate) And crowne me Emperour of Affrica.

1319

Zab. No Tamburlain, though now thou gat the best

Thou shalt not yet be Lord of Affrica.

Ther. Giue her the Crowne Turkesse you wer best.
He takes it from her, and giues it Zenocrate.
Zab. Iniurious villaines, thieues, runnagates,

How dare you thus abuse my Maiesty?

Ther. Here Madam, you are Empresse, she is none. 1325
Tam. Not now Theridamas, her time is past :
The pillers that haue bolstered vp those tearmes,
Are falne in clusters at my conquering feet.

Zab. Though he be prisoner, he may be ransomed.
Tamb. Not all the world shall ransom Baiazeth.
Bai. Ah faire Zabina, we haue lost the field.
And neuer had the Turkish Emperour

1330

So great a foile by any forraine foe.

Now will the Christian miscreants be glad,

Ringing with ioy their superstitious belles :
And making bonfires for my ouerthrow.
But ere I die those foule Idolaters

1335

Shall make me bonfires with their filthy bones,
For though the glorie of this day be lost,
Affrik and Greece haue garrisons enough
To make me Soueraigne of the earth againe.
Tam. Those walled garrisons wil I subdue,
And write my selfe great Lord of Affrica:
So from the East vnto the furthest West,

1340

1311 foil conj. Dyce1, Dyce2 etc.:

1309 S.D. short] is short 1605
soile 1590-1605 1344 farthest 1605

Shall Tamburlain extend his puisant arme.
The Galles and those pilling Briggandines,
That yeerely saile to the Venetian gulfe,

And houer in the straightes for Christians wracke,

Shall lie at anchor in the Isle Asant,

Vntill the Persean Fleete and men of war,

Sailing along the Orientall sea,

Haue fetcht about the Indian continent :

1345

1350

Euen from Persepolis to Mexico,

And thence vnto the straightes of Iubalter:

Where they shall meete, and ioine their force in one, 1355
Keeping in aw the Bay of Portingale,

And all the Ocean by the British shore :

And by this meanes Ile win the world at last.

Bai. Yet set a ransome on me Tamburlaine.

Tam. What, thinkst thou Tamburlain esteems thy gold?

Ile make the kings of India ere I die,

1361

Offer their mines (to sew for peace) to me,

And dig for treasure to appease my wrath:

Come bind them both and one lead in the Turke.

The Turkesse let my Loues maid lead away.

1365

They bind them.

Bai. Ah villaines, dare ye touch my sacred armes.

O Mahomet, Oh sleepie Mahomet.

Zab. O cursed Mahomet that makest vs thus

The slaues to Scythians rude and barbarous.

Tam. Come bring them in, & for this happy conquest Triumph, and solemnize a martial feast.

Exeunt. Finis Actus tertii.

Actus 4. Scana I.

Souldan of Egipt with three or four Lords, Capolin
(a Messenger.)

1371

Souldan. Awake ye men of Memphis, heare the clange.
Of Scythian trumpets, heare the Basiliskes,
That roaring, shake Damascus turrets downe.
The rogue of Volga holds Zenocrate,

The Souldans daughter for his Concubine,

And with a troope of theeues and vagabondes,

1357 British] brightest 1592 1368 makes 1605

senger add. Dyce etc.

1375

1366 ye] you 1592, Dyce, Wag.
S.D. a Mes-

1371 martiall] materiall 1605