And cleave his pericranium with thy sword.

CAL. If any man will hold him, I will strike And cleave him to the channel with my sword. TAMB. Hold him, and cleave him too, or I'll cleave

thee,

For we will march against them presently.

Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane

Promis'd to meet me on Larissa's plains

With hosts a-piece against this Turkish crew;
For I have sworn by sacred Mahomet

To make it parcel of my empery;

The trumpets sound, Zenocrate; they come.

Enter THERIDAMAS, and his train, with Drums and Trumpets.

TAMB. Welcome, Theridamas, king of Argier. THER.My lord, the great and mighty Tamburlaine,— Arch-monarch of the world, I offer here

My crown, myself, and all the power I have,

In all affection at thy kingly feet.

TAMB. Thanks, good Theridamas.

THER. Under my colours march ten thousand

Greeks;

And of Argier's and Afric's frontier towns

Twice twenty thousand valiant men at arms,
All which have sworn to sack Natolia.
Five hundred brigantines are under sail,
Meet for your service on the sea, my lord,
That launching from Argier to Tripoli,

The breast-bone.

Will quickly ride before Natolia.

And batter down the castles on the shore.

TAMB. Well said, Argier; receive thy crown again. Enter TECHELLES and USUMCASANE, together. TAMB. Kings of Morocco and of Fez, welcome. USUM. Magnificent and peerless Tamburlaine ! I and my neighbour king of Fez have brought To aid thee in this Turkish expedition, A hundred thousand expert soldiers; From Azamor to Tunis near the sea Is Barbary unpeopled for thy sake, And all the men in armour under me, Which with my crown I gladly offer thee.

TAMB. Thanks, king of Morocco, take your crown again.

TECH. And, mighty Tamburlaine, our earthly god,
Whose looks make this inferior world to quake,
I here present thee with the crown of Fez,
And with an host of Moors train'd to the war,
Whose coal-black faces make their foes retire,
And quake for fear, as if infernal Jove
Meaning to aid thee in these Turkish arms,
Should pierce the black circumference of hell
With ugly Furies bearing fiery flags,

And millions of his strong tormenting spirits:
From strong Tesella unto Biledule

All Barbary is unpeopled for thy sake.

TAMB. Thanks, king of Fez; take here thy crown again.

Your presence, loving friends and fellow kings,
Makes me to surfeit in conceiving joy.

If all the chrystal gates of Jove's high court
Were open'd wide, and I might enter in
To see the state and majesty of Heaven,
It could not more delight me than your sight.
Now will we banquet on these plains awhile,
And after march to Turkey with our camp,
In number more than are the drops that fall,
When Boreas rents a thousand swelling clouds;
And proud Orcanes of Natolia

With all his viceroys shall be so afraid,

That though the stones, as at Deucalion's flood,
Were turn'd to men, he should be overcome.
Such lavish will I make of Turkish blood,
That Jove shall send his winged messenger

To bid me sheathe the sword and leave the field;
The sun unable to sustain the sight,

Shall hide his head in Thetis' wat'ry lap,

And leave his steeds to fair Bootes' charge;
For half the world shall perish in this fight.
But now, my friends, let me examine ye;
How have ye spent your absent time from me?
USUм. My lord, our men of Barbary have march
Four hundred miles with armour on their backs,
And lain in leager fifteen months and more;
For since we left you at the Soldan's court,
We have subdu'd the southern Galatia,
And all the land unto the coasts of Spain,

We kept the narrow strajts of Gibraltar,
And made Canaria call us kings and lords;
Yet never did they recreate themselves,

Or cease one day from war and hot alarms,
And therefore let them rest awhile, my lord.

TAMB. They shall, Casane, and 'tis time i'faith.
TECH. And I have march'd along the river Nile
To Machda, where the mighty Christian Priest,
Call'd John the Great, sits in a milk-white robe,
Whose triple mitre I did take by force,
And made him swear obedience to my crown.
From thence unto Cafates did I march,
Where Amazonians met me in the field,
With whom, being women, I vouchsaf'd a league,
And with my power did march to Zanzibar,
The western part of Afric, where I view'd
The Ethiopian sea, rivers and lakes,
But neither man nor child in all the land;
Therefore I took my course to Manico,
Where unresisted, I removed my camp;
And by the coast of Biafar, at last
I came to Guber, where the Negroes dwell,
And conquering that, made haste to Nubia.
There, having sack'd Borno the kingly seat,
I took the king and led him bound in chains
Unto Damascus, where I staid before.

TAMB. Well done, Techelles. What saith Theridamas?

THER. I left the confines and the bounds of Afric,

And made a voyage into Europe,

Where by the river, Tyras, I subdu'd

Stoka, Podolia, and Codemia;

Thence cross'd the sea and came to Oblia,
And Nigra Sylva, where the devils dance,
Which in despite of them, I set on fire.

From thence I cross'd the gulf call'd by the name
Mare Majore, of the inhabitants.

Yet shall my soldiers make no period,

Until Natolia kneel before your

feet.

TAMB. Then will we triumph, banquet and carous Cooks shall have pensions to provide us cates, And glut us with the dainties of the world; Lachryma Christi and Calabrian wines Shall common soldiers drink in quaffing bowls, Age, liquid gold, (when we have conquer'd him) Mingl'd with coral and with orient pearl. Come, let us banquet and carouse the while. [Exeu

ACT THE SECOND.

SCENE I.

Enter SIGISMUND, FREDERICK, BALDWIN, and their Train.

SIG. Now say, my lords of Buda and Bohemia, What motion is it that inflames your thoughts, And stirs your valours to such sudden arms?