Arg. They say he is the king of Persia ;
But, if he dare attempt to stir your siege,
'Twere requisite he should be ten times more,
For all flesh quakes at your magnificence.

Baj. True, Argier; and tremble[s] at my looks.

K. of Mor. The spring is hindered by your smother

ing host,

For neither rain can fall upon the earth,

Nor sun reflex1 his virtuous beams thereon,
The ground is mantled with such multitudes.
Baj. All this is true as holy Mahomet;
And all the trees are blasted with our breaths.

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K. of Fez. What thinks your greatness best to be achieved

In pursuit of the city's overthrow?

Baj. I will the captive pioners 2 of Argier
Cut off the water that by leaden pipes
Runs to the city from the mountain Carnon.

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Two thousand horse shall forage up and down,

That no relief or succour come by land:

And all the sea my gallies countermand.

Then shall our footmen lie within the trench,

And with their cannons mouthed like Orcus' gulf,
Batter the walls, and we will enter in ;

And thus the Grecians shall be conquerèd.

[Exeunt.

1 Cf. iv. 4, l. 2, "Reflexing hues of blood upon their heads."

2 The old form (found in Shakespeare, Milton, &c.) of "pioneers."

SCENE II.

Enter ZENOCRATE, AGYDAS, ANIPPE, with others.

Agyd. Madam Zenocrate, may I presume
To know the cause of these unquiet fits,
That work such trouble to your wonted rest?
'Tis more than pity such a heavenly face
Should by heart's sorrow wax so wan and pale,
When your offensive rape by Tamburlaine,

(Which of your whole displeasures should be most,)
Hath seemed to be digested long ago.

Zeno. Although it be digested long ago,
As his exceeding favours have deserved,
And might content the Queen of Heaven, as well
As it hath changed my first conceived disdain,
Yet since a farther passion feeds my thoughts
With ceaseless and disconsolate conceits,
Which dyes my looks so lifeless as they are,
And might, if my extremes had full events,
Make me the ghastly counterfeit1 of death.
Agyd. Eternal heaven sooner be dissolved,
And all that pierceth Phoebus' silver eye,
Before such hap fall to Zenocrate !

Zeno. Ah, life and soul, still hover in his breast

And leave my body senseless as the earth.

Or else unite you to his life and soul,

That I may live and die with Tamburlaine !

1 Image, picture.

Enter, behind, TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, and others.

Agyd. With Tamburlaine! Ah, fair Zenocrate,
Let not a man so vile and barbarous,

That holds you from your father in despite,
And keeps you from the honours of a queen,
(Being supposed his worthless concubine,)
Be honoured with your love but for necessity.
So, now the mighty soldan hears of you,
Your highness needs not doubt but in short time
He will with Tamburlaine's destruction

Redeem you from this deadly servitude.

Zeno. [Agydas] leave to wound me with these words, And speak of Tamburlaine as he deserves.

The entertainment we have had of him

Is far from villany1 or servitude,

And might in noble minds be counted princely.

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Agyd. How can you fancy one that looks so fierce, 40

Only disposed to martial stratagems?

Who, when he shall embrace you in his arms,

Will tell you how many thousand men he slew ;

And when you look for amorous discourse,
Will rattle forth his facts of war and blood,

Too harsh a subject for your dainty ears.

Zeno. As looks the Sun through Nilus' flowing stream, Or when the Morning holds him in her arms, So looks my lordly love, fair Tamburlaine ; His talk much sweeter than the Muses' song

1 Subjection, slavery.

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They sung for honour 'gainst Pierides ;

Or when Minerva did with Neptune strive :
And higher would I rear my estimate

Than Juno, sister to the highest god,

If I were matched with mighty Tamburlaine.
Agyd. Yet be not so inconstant in your love;
But let the young Arabian 1 live in hope

After
your rescue to enjoy his choice.
You see though first the king of Persia,
Being a shepherd, seemed to love you much,
Now in his majesty he leaves those looks,
Those words of favour, and those comfortings,
And gives no more than common courtesies.

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Zeno. Thence rise the tears that so distain my cheeks Fearing his love through my unworthiness.

[TAMBURLAINE goes to her and takes her away
lovingly by the hand, looking wrathfully on
AGYDAS, and says nothing. Exeunt all but
AGYDAS.

Agyd. Betrayed by fortune and suspicious love,
Threatened with frowning wrath and jealousy,
Surprised with fear of 2 hideous revenge,
I stand aghast; but most astonièd

To see his choler shut in secret thoughts,
And wrapt in silence of his angry soul.
Upon his brows was pourtrayed ugly death;
And in his eyes the furies of his heart

1 Alcidamas, to whom Zenocrate had been betrothed.
2 So 4to.-8vo. "and."

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That shine as comets, menacing revenge,
And casts a pale complexion on his cheeks.
As when the seaman sees the Hyades
Gather an army of Cimmerian clouds,
(Auster and Aquilon with winged steeds,
All sweating, tilt about the watery heavens,

With shivering spears enforcing thunder claps,

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And from their shields strike flames of lightening,)

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 prophesied before, and now I prove

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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 threatened 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 resolvèd hand of thine,

Than stay the torments he and Heaven have sworn.
Then haste, Agydas, and prevent the plagues

Which thy prolongèd fates may draw on thee.

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