Upon his brows was pourtray'd ugly death;
And in his eyes the fury of his heart
That shine as comets, menacing revenge,
And casts a pale complexion on his cheeks.
As when the sea-man sees the Hyades
Gather an army of Cimmerian clouds,
(Auster and Aquilon with winged steeds,
All sweating, tilt about the wat'ry heavens,
With shiv'ring spears enforcing thunder claps,
And from their shields strike flames of lightning,)
All-fearful folds his sails and sounds the main,
Lifting his prayers to the Heavens for aid
Against the terror of the winds and waves,
So fares Agydas for the late-felt frowns,
That sent a tempest to my daunted thoughts,
And make my soul divine her overthrow.

Enter USUMCASANE, and TECHELLES with a naked dagger.

TECH. See you, Agydas, how the king salutes you?

He bids you prophesy what it imports.

AGYD. I prophesy'd before, and now I prove

The killing frowns of jealousy and love.

He needed not with words confirm my fear,

For words are vain where working tools present
The naked action of my threat'ned end:

It says, Agydas, thou shalt surely die,

And of extremities elect the least;

More honour and less pain it may procure

To die by this resolved hand of thine,

Than stay the torments he and Heaven have sworn.

Then haste, Agydas, and prevent the plagues
Which thy prolonged fates may draw on thee.
Go, wander, free from fear of tyrant's rage,
Removed from the torments and the hell,
Wherewith he may excruciate thy soul,
And let Agydas by Agydas die,

And with this stab slumber eternally. [Stabs himself.
TECH. Usumcasane, see, how right the man
Hath hit the meaning of my lord, the king.

USUM. 'Faith, and Techelles, it was manly done; And since he was so wise and honourable,

Let us afford him now the bearing hence,

And crave his triple-worthy burial.

TECH. Agreed, Casane; we will honour him.

[Exeunt, bearing out the body.

SCENE III.

Enter TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, USU MCASANE,
THERIDAMAS, BASSA, ZENOCRATE, with others.
TAMB. Bassa, by this thy lord and master knows
I mean to meet him in Bithynia:

See, how he comes! Tush! Turks are full of brags,
And menace more than they can well perform.
He meet me in the field, and fetch thee hence!
Alas, poor Turk! his fortune is too weak
T'encounter with the strength of Tamburlaine.
View well my camp, and speak indifferently;
Do not my captains and my soldiers look
As if they meant to conquer Africa.

BAS. Your men are valiant, but their number few,

And can not terrify his mighty host.

My lord, the great commander of the world,
Besides fifteen contributory kings,

Hath now in arms ten thousand Janisaries,
Mounted on lusty Mauritanian steeds,
Brought to the war by men of Tripoli;
Two hundred thousand footmen that have serv'd
In two set battles fought in Grecia;
And for the expedition of this war,

If he think good, can from his garrisons
Withdraw as many more to follow him.

TECH. The more he brings, the greater is the spoil,
For when they perish by our warlike hands,
We mean to seat our footmen on their steeds,
And rifle all those stately Janisars.

TAMB. But will those kings accompany your lord? BAS. Such as his highness please; but some must

stay

To rule the provinces he late subdu’d.

TAMB. [To his Officers.] Then fight courageously: Their crowns are yours:

This hand shall set them on your conq'ring heads, That made me emperor of Asia.

USUM. Let him bring millions infinite of men, Unpeopling Western Africa and Greece,

Yet we assure us of the victory.

THER. Ev'n he that in a trice vanquish'd two kings,

More mighty than the Turkish emperor,
Shall rouse him out of Europe, and pursue

His scatter'd army till they yield or die.

TAMB. Well said, Theridamas; speak in that

mood;

For will and shall best fitteth Tamburlaine,
Whose smiling stars give him assured hope
Of martial triumph ere he meet his foes.

I that am term'd the scourge and wrath of God,
The only fear and terror of the world,

Will first subdue the Turk, and then enlarge
Those Christian captives, which you keep as slaves,
Burth'ning their bodies with your heavy chains,
And feeding them with thin and slender fare,
That naked row about the Tyrrhene sea,

And when they chance to rest or breathe a space,
Are punish'd with bastones* so grievously,

That they lie panting on the gallies' side,
And strive for life at ev'ry stroke they give.
These are the cruel pirates of Argier,

That damned train, the scum of Africa,
Inhabited with straggling runagates,

That make quick havock of the Christian blood;
But as I live that town shall curse the time

That Tamburlaine set foot in Africa.

Enter BAJAZET with his Bassas and contributory Kings.

BAJ. Bassas and Janisaries of my guard,

Attend upon the person of your lord,

The greatest potentate of Africa.

TAMB. Techelles, and the rest, prepare your swords;

I mean t' encounter with that Bajazet.

• Bastinado.

BAJ. Kings of Fez, Morocco, and Argier, He calls me Bajazet, whom you call lord! Note the presumption of this Scythian slave! I tell thee, villain; those that lead my horse, Have to their names title of dignity,

And dar'st thou bluntly call me Bajazet?

TAMB. And know, thou Turk, that those which
lead my horse,

Shall lead thee captive thorough Africa;
And dar'st thou bluntly call me Tamburlaine?
BAJ. By Mahomet, my kinsman's sepulchre,
And by the holy Alcoran I swear,

He shall be made a chaste and lustless eunuch,
And in my serail tend my concubines;
And all his captains that thus stoutly stand,
Shall draw the chariot of my emperess,
Whom I have brought to see their overthrow:
TAMB. By this my sword, that conquer'd Persia,
Thy fall shall make me famous through the world.
I will not tell thee how I'll handle thee,
But every common soldier of my camp
Shall smile to see thy miserable state.

K. OF FEZ. What means the mighty Turkish

emperor,

To talk with one so base as Tamburlaine?

K. OF MOR. Ye Moors and valiant men of Barbary} How can ye suffer these indignities?

K. OF ARG. Leave words, and let them feel your