The slave usurps the glorious name of war. 70 [Exeunt. SCENE II. Enter TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, THERIDAMAS, USUMCASANE, ZENOCRATE, ANIPPE, two Moors drawing BAJAZETH in a cage, and his Wife following him. Tamb. Bring out my footstool. [BAJAZETH is taken out of the cage. Baj. Ye holy priests of heavenly Mahomet, That, sacrificing, slice and cut your flesh, Staining his altars with your purple blood; Make Heaven to frown and every fixèd star To suck up poison from the moorish fens, And pour it in this glorious 2 tyrant's throat! Tamb. The chiefest god, first mover of that sphere, Enchased with thousands ever-shining lamps, Will sooner burn the glorious frame of Heaven, Than it should so conspire my overthrow But, villain! thou that wishest this to me, Fall prostrate on the low disdainful earth, 1 So 4to.-Omitted in 8vo. So 4to.-8vo. "should it." 10 And be the footstool of great Tamburlaine, That I may rise into my royal throne. Baj. First shalt thou rip my bowels with thy sword, And sacrifice my soul to death and hell, Before I yield to such a slavery. Tamb. Base villain, vassal, slave to Tamburlaine ! Struck with the voice of thundering Jupiter. Baj. Then, as I look down to the damnèd fiends, 20 [TAMBURLAINE gets up on him to his chair. Tamb. Now clear the triple region of the air, 1 And dim the brightness of your 1 neighbour lamps! 1 Old copies "their." 30 40 My sword struck fire from his coat of steel, Wrapt in the bowels of a freezing cloud To make me think of nought but blood and war. 50 60 Tech. You must devise some torment worse, my lord, To make these captives rein their lavish tongues. Tamb. Zenocrate, look better to your slave. Zeno. She is my handmaid's slave, and she shall look That these abuses flow not from1 her tongue : 70 Anip. Let these be warnings for you then, my slave, How you abuse the person of the king; Or else I swear to have you whipt, stark-naked. Tamb. Thy names, and titles, and thy dignities [They put him into the cage. Baj. Is this a place for mighty Bajazeth? Confusion light on him that helps thee thus ! Tamb. There, whiles he lives, shall Bajazeth be kept; And, where I go, be thus in triumph drawn ; And thou, his wife, shalt 2 feed him with the scraps My servitors shall bring thee from my board; 1 So 4to.-8vo. "in." 90 Even from this day to Plato's wondrous year,1 That with their beauties grace 2 the Memphian fields: That spreads her wings upon the city's walls The men, the treasure, and the town is ours. 100 110 Ther. Your tents of white now pitched before the gates, And gentle flags of amity displayed, I doubt not but the governor will yield, Offering Damascus to your majesty. Tamb. So shall he have his life and all the rest: But if he stay until the bloody flag Be once advanced on my vermilion tent, He dies, and those that kept us out so long. And when they see us march in black array, With mournful streamers hanging down their heads, 120 1 See Plato's Timaeus, p. 39. 2 Old copies, "grac'd." $ The word 66 " statue is often written "stature." See Nares' Glossary. |