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

1976

1965-8 Insert these lines between 1965 stoopt Dyce2 etc.: stopt 15901605 tempest 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. 1967 louely lowly conj. Coll., Cunn., Bull., Brereton 1968 martch 15901605: 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 :

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,

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

1990

Exeunt.

1995

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,

2005

2010

1976 S.D. & 1590: and 1592: with 1605 1981 vs] with vs 1592 1985 reuerent 1605 1994 S.D. Exeunt all except Bajazeth and Zabina Dyce 1999 Furies] May Furies conj. Broughton

pore] dore 1605

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 line 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?

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

2035

2040

боло

2045

2050

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

Sharp hunger bites vpon and gripes the root :

From whence the issues of my thoughts doe breake. 2055
O poore Zabina, O my Queen, my Queen,

Fetch me some water for my burning breast,
To coole and comfort me with longer date,
That in the shortned sequel of my life,

I may poure foorth my soule into thine armes,
With words of loue: whose moaning entercourse
Hath hetherto bin staid, with wrath and hate
Of our expreslesse band inflictions.

Zab. Sweet Baiazeth, I will prolong thy life,
As long as any blood or sparke of breath
Can quench or coole the torments of my griefe.

She goes out.

Bai. Now Baiazeth, abridge thy banefull daies,
And beat thy braines out of thy conquer'd head:
Since other meanes are all forbidden me,
That may be ministers of my decay.

2060

2065

2070

O highest Lamp of euerliuing Ioue,

Accursed day infected with my griefs,

Hide now thy stained face in endles night,

And shut the windowes of the lightsome heauens.
Let vgly darknesse with her rusty coach
Engyrt with tempests wrapt in pitchy clouds,
Smother the earth with neuer fading mistes :
And let her horses from their nostrels breathe
Rebellious winds and dreadfull thunderclaps :
That in this terrour Tamburlaine may liue,
And my pin'd soule resolu'd in liquid ay(re),
May styl excruciat his tormented thoughts.
Then let the stony dart of sencelesse colde,
Pierce through the center of my withered heart,
And make a passage for my loathed life.

2075

2080

2085

He brains himself against the cage.
Enter Zabina.

Zab. What do mine eies behold, my husband dead?
His Skul al riuin in twain, his braines dasht out ?
The braines of Baiazeth, my Lord and Soueraigne ?
O Baiazeth, my husband and my Lord,

2089

2068 thy braines 1590, 1592, Cunn. to Wag.: the braines 1605, Rob., Dyce 1590, 1592

2071 cuerlasting 1605

2081 ayre 1605 etc.: ay

O Baiazet, O Turk, O Emperor, giue him his liquor? Not I, bring milk and fire, and my blood I bring him againe, teare me in peeces, giue me the sworde with a ball of wildefire vpon it. Downe with him, downe with him. Goe to my child, away, away, away. Ah, saue that Infant, saue him, saue him. I, euen I speake to her, the Sun was downe. Streamers white, Red, Blacke, here, here, here. Fling the meat in his face. Tamburlaine, Tamburlaine, Let the souldiers be buried. Hel, death, Tamburlain, Hell, make ready my Coch, my chaire, my iewels, I come, I come, I come.

She runs against the Cage and braines her selfe.

(Enter) Zenocrate wyth Anippe.

(Zen.) Wretched Zenocrate, that liuest to see,
Damascus walles di'd with Egyptian blood,
Thy Fathers subiects and thy countrimen :

Thy streetes strowed with disseuered iointes of men,
And wounded bodies gasping yet for life.

But most accurst, to see the Sun-bright troope
Of heauenly vyrgins and vnspotted maides,

Whose lookes might make the angry God of armes,
To breake his sword, and mildly treat of loue,
On horsmens Lances to be hoisted vp,
And guiltlesly endure a cruell death.
For euery fell and stout Tartarian Stead,
That stampt on others with their thundring hooues
When al their riders chardg'd their quiuering speares
Began to checke the ground, and rain themselues:
Gazing vpon the beautie of their lookes :

Ah Tamburlaine, wert thou the cause of this
That tearm'st Zenocrate thy dearest loue?
Whose liues were dearer to Zenocrate

Than her owne life, or ought saue thine owne loue.
But see another bloody spectacle.

Ah wretched eies, the enemies of my hart,

How are ye glutted with these grieuous obiects,

2100

2105

2110

2115

2120

And tell my soule mor tales of bleeding ruth ?

See, se Anippe if they breathe or no.

2125

Anip. No breath nor sence, nor motion in them both.

2092 giue] & giue 1592, Rob.

2097-8 Let.. Tamburlain om.

1605 2098 buried] cursed Rob. : burned Cunn.

от. 1605 S.D. Enter add. 1605

2104 Thy] The Dyce etc.

2100 I come 2101 Prefix Zen. add. 1605