SCENE VII. Alarms. A battle; enter COSROE, wounded, THERIDAMAS, TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE, with others. Cos. Barbarous and bloody Tamburlaine, Bloody and insatiate Tamburlaine ! Tamb. The thirst of reign and sweetness of a crown That caused the eldest son of heavenly Ops, To thrust his doting father from his chair, 1 Dyce quotes several instances of this form of the word "artery." 20 And measure every wandering planet's course, That perfect bliss and sole felicity, The sweet fruition of an earthly crown. Ther. And that made me to join with Tamburlaine: 30 For he is gross and like the massy earth, That moves not upwards, nor by princely deeds Doth mean to soar above the highest sort. Tech. And that made us the friends of Tamburlaine, To lift our swords against the Persian king. Usum. For as when Jove did thrust old Saturn down, Neptune and Dis gained each of them a crown, So do we hope to reign in Asia, If Tamburlaine be placed in Persia. Cos. The strangest men that ever nature made! 40 I know not how to take their tyrannies. My bloodless body waxeth chill and cold, And with my blood my life slides through my wound; My soul begins to take her flight to hell, And summons all my senses to depart.— The heat and moisture, which did feed each other, Is dry and cold; and now doth ghastly death, 1 "Talon" was not unfrequently spelt "talent." Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, iv. 2:—" If a talent be a claw."-Pistol's "Let vultures gripe thy guts," may be, as Steevens suggested, a parody of this passage. And like a harpy tires1 on my life. 50 Theridamas and Tamburlaine, I die : And fearful vengeance light upon you both! [COSROE dies.-TAMBURLAINE takes the crown and puts it on. Tamb. Not all the curses which the2 furies breathe, Shall make me leave so rich a prize as this. Theridamas, Techelles, and the rest, Who think you now is king of Persia ? All. Tamburlaine! Tamburlaine ! Tamb. Though Mars himself, the angry god of arms, And all the earthly potentates conspire To dispossess me of this diadem, Yet will I wear it in despite of them, As great commander of this eastern world, If you but say that Tamburlaine shall reign. All. Long live Tamburlaine and reign in Asia ! 60 1 Preys. So 4to.-8vo. "thy." [Exeunt. Enter BAJAZETH, the Kings of FEZ, MOROCCO, and ARGIER, with others in great pomp. Baj. Great kings of Barbary and my portly bassoes,1 As many circumcised Turks we have, Yet would we not be braved with foreign power, Or breathless lie before the city walls. 1 The old form of Pashas. 2 I.e. Christians who have abjured their faith. ΙΟ Dyce compares a passage of Sir John Maundevile (p. 209, ed. 1725):-"And that Ydole is the God of false Christen that han reneyed hire feythe." K. of Fez. Renowmèd emperor, and mighty general, What, if you sent the bassoes of your guard To charge him to remain in Asia, Or else to threaten death and deadly arms As from the mouth of mighty Bajazeth. sea, Baj. Hie thee, my basso, fast to Persia, But if, presuming on his silly power, And mean to fetch thee in despite of him. Bas. Most great and puissant monarch of the earth, Your basso will accomplish your behest, And show your pleasure to the Persian, VOL. I. 20 30 40 [Exit BAS. D |