Heark'ning when he shall bid them plague the world; Over whose zenith, cloth'd in windy air,
And eagle's wings join'd to her feather'd breast, Fame hov'reth, sounding of her golden trump, That to the adverse poles of that straight line, Which measureth the glorious frame of heaven, The name of mighty Tamburlaine is spread, And him, fair lady, shall thine eyes behold. Come! OLYM. Take pity of a lady's ruthful tears, That humbly craves upon her knees to stay And cast her body in the burning flame, That feeds upon her son's and husband's flesh.
TECH. Madam, sooner shall fire consume us both, Than scorch a face so beautiful as this,
In frame of which Nature hath show'd more skill Than when she gave eternal chaos form,
Drawing from it the shining lamps of heaven. THER. Madam, I am so far in love with you, That you must go with us no remedy.
OLYM. Then carry me, I care not, where you will, And let the end of this my fatal journey
Be likewise end to my accursed life.
TECH. No, madam, but the beginning of your joy:
Come willingly therefore.
THER. Soldiers, now let us meet the general, Who by this time is at Natolia,
Ready to charge the army of the Turk.
The gold and silver, and the pearl, ye got,
Rifling this fort, divide in equal shares : This lady shall have twice so much again Out of the coffers of our treasury.
Enter CALLAPINE, ORCANES, ALMEDA, and the KINGS of JERUSALEM, TREBI ZOND and SYRIA, with their Trains.-To them enter a MESSENGER. MES. Renowned emperor, mighty Callapine, God's great lieutenant over half the world! Here at Aleppo, with a host of men, Lies Tamburlaine, this King of Persia, (In numbers more than are the quiv'ring leaves Of Ida's forest, where your highness' hounds, With open cry, pursue the wounded stag,) Who means to girt Natolia's walls with siege, Fire the town, and overrun the land.
CALL. My royal army is as great as his, That, from the bounds of Phrygia to the sea Which washeth Cyprus with his brinish waves, Covers the hills, the vallies, and the plains. Viceroys and peers of Turkey, play the men! Whet all your swords, to mangle Tamburlaine, His sons, his captains, and his followers;
By Mahomet! not one of them shall live; The field wherein this battle shall be fought For ever term the Persians' sepulchre,
In memory of this our victory!
ORC. Now, he that calls himself the scourge of Jove,
The emp'ror of the world, and earthly god, Shall end the warlike progress he intends, And travel headlong to the lake of hell, Where legions of devils, (knowing he must die Here, in Natolia, by your highness' hands,) All brandishing their brands of quenchless fire, Stretching their monstrous paws, grin with their teeth, And guard the gates to entertain his soul.
CALL. Tell us, viceroys, the number of your men, And what our army royal is esteem'd.
JER. From Palestina and Jerusalem,
Of Hebrews three score thousand fighting men Are come since last we showed to your majesty. ORC. So from Arabia desert, and the bounds Of that sweet land, whose brave metropolis Re-edified the fair Semiramis,
Came forty thousand warlike foot and horse, Since last we number'd to your majesty.
TREB. From Trebizond, in Asia the Less, Naturaliz'd Turks and stout Bithynians Came to my band, full fifty thousand more (That fighting know not what retreat doth mean, Nor e'er return but with the victory,)
Since last we number'd to your majesty. SYR. Of Syrians from Halla is repair'd, And neighbour cities of your highness' land, Ten thousand horse, and thirty thousand foot, Since last we number'd to your majesty;
So that the royal army is esteem'd
Six hundred thousand valiant fighting men.
CALL. Then welcome, Tamburlaine, unto thy death.
Come, puissant viceroys, let us to the field, (The Persians' sepulchre) and sacrifice Mountains of breathless men to Mahomet Who now, with Jove, opens the firmament To see the slaughter of our enemies.
Enter TAMBURLAINE and his three Sons, USUMCA- SANE, &c.
TAMB. How now, Casane? See a knot of kings, Sitting as if they were a telling riddles.
Ustм. My lord, your presence makes them pale and wan:
Poor souls! they look as if their deaths were near. TAMB. And so it is, Casane; I am here;
But yet I'll save their lives, and make them slaves. Ye petty kings of Turkey, I am come, As Hector did, unto the Grecian camp, To overdare the pride of Græcia, And set his warlike person to the view Of fierce Achilles, rival of his fame: I do you honour in the simile;
For if I should, as Hector did Achilles,
(The worthiest knight that ever brandish'd sword,) Challenge in combat any of you all,
I see how fearfully ye would refuse, And fly my glove as from a scorpion.
ORC. Now thou art fearful of thy army's strength, Thou would'st with overmatch of person fight; But shepherd's issue, base-born Tamburlaine,
Think of thy end! this sword shall lance thy throat. TAMB. Villain! the shepherd's issue (at whose
Heaven did afford a gracious aspect,
And join'd those stars that shall be opposite, Even till the dissolution of the world,
And never meant to make a conqueror So famous as is mighty Tamburlaine) Shall so torment thee and that Callapine, That, like a roguish runaway, suborn'd
That villain there, that slave, that Turkish dog, To false his service to his sovereign,
ye shall curse the birth of Tamburlaine.
CALL. Rail not, vile Scythian! I shall now re
My father's vile abuses, and mine own.
JER. By Mahomet! he shall be tied in chains, Rowing with Christians in a Brigandine
About the Grecian isles to rob and spoil,
And turn him to his ancient trade again:
Methinks the slave should make a lusty thief.
CALL. Nay, when the battle ends, all we will
And sit in council to invent some pain
That most may vex his body and his soul.
TAMB. Sirrah, Callapine! I'll hang a clog about
Neck for running away; again you shall
Not trouble me thus to come and fetch you;
But as for you, viceroys, you shall have bits,
« ZurückWeiter » |