Waiting the back-return of Charon's boat;
Hell and Elysium swarm with ghosts of men,
That I have sent from sundry foughten fields,
To spread my fame through hell and up to heaven.
And see, my lord, a sight of strange import;
Emp'rors and kings lie breathless at my feet:
The Turk and his great Emp'ress, as it seems,
Left to themselves while we were at the fight,
Have desp'rately despatch'd their slavish lives:
With them Arabia, too, has left his life:
All sights of pow'r to grace my victory;
And such are objects fit for Tamburlaine;
Wherein, as in a mirror, may be seen
His honour, that consists in shedding blood,
When men presume to manage arms with him.
SOLD. Mighty hath God and Mah'met made thy
Renowned Tamburlaine! to whom all kings
Of force must yield their crowns and emperies;
And I am pleas'd with this my overthrow,
If, as beseems a person of thy state,
Thou hast with honour us'd Zenocrate.
TAMB. Her state and person want no pomp, you
And for all blot of foul inchastity
I record Heaven her heavenly self is clear:
Then let me find no farther time to grace
Her princely temples with the Persian crown.
But here these kings that on my fortunes wait,
And have been crown'd for proved worthiness,
Even by this hand that shall establish them,
Shall now, adjoining all their hands with mine,
Invest her here the Queen of Persia.
the noble Soldan and Zenocrate?
SOLD. I yield with thanks and protestations Of endless honour to thee for her love.
TAMB. Then doubt I not but fair Zenocrate Will soon consent to satisfy us both.
ZENO. Else should I much forget myself, my lord. THER. Then let us set the crown upon her head, That long has linger'd for so high a seat.
TECH. My hand is ready to perform the deed; For now her marriage-time shall work us rest. USUM. And here's the crown, my lord; help set
TAMB. Then sit thou down, divine Zenocrate;
And here we crown thee Queen of Persia,
And all the kingdoms and dominions
That late the power of Tamburlaine subdu❜d.
As Juno, when the giants were suppress'd,
That darted mountains at her brother Jove,
So looks my love, shadowing in her brows
Triumphs and trophies for my victories;
Or, as Latona's daughters, bent to arms,
Adding more courage to my conquʼring mind.
To gratify the sweet Zenocrate,
Egyptians, Moors, and men of Asia,
From Barbary unto the western India,
Shall pay a yearly tribute to thy sire:
And from the bounds of Afric to the banks
Of Ganges shall his mighty hand extend.
And now, my lords and loving followers,
That purchas'd kingdoms by your martial deeds,
Cast off your armour, put on scarlet robes,
Mount up your royal places of estate,
Environed with troops of noblemen:
And there make laws to rule your provinces.
Hang up your weapons on Alcides' post;
For Tamburlaine takes truce with all the world.
Thy first-betrothed love, Arabia,
Shall be with honour, as beseems, entomb'd
With this great Turk and his fair Emperess.
Then, after all these solemn exequies,
We will our rites of marriage solemnize.*
• The word celebrated occurs in both the old editions before "rites," but may well be dispensed with as regards both the sense and measure.
The second part of the bloody conquests of Mightie Tamburlaine with his impassioned fury for the death of his ladie and love the faire Zenocrate: his form of exhortation and discipline to his three Sons, and the manner of his own death.
[No date to the 12mo edition, but published, as appears from the printer's preface, at the same time as the first part.]
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