Fame hovereth, sounding of her golden trump,
That to the adverse poles of that straight line,
Which measureth the glorious frame of heaven,
The name of mighty Tamburlaine is spread,
And him, fair lady, shall thy eyes behold.
Come !

Olymp. Take pity of a lady's ruthful tears,
That humbly craves upon her knees to stay
And cast her body in the burning flame,
That feeds upon her son's and husband's flesh.
Tech. Madam, sooner shall fire consume us both,
Than scorch a face so beautiful as this,

In frame of which Nature hath showed more skill
Than when she gave eternal chaos form,

Drawing from it the shining lamps of heaven.

Ther. Madam, I am so far in love with you,

That you must go with us-no remedy.

70

Olymp. Then carry me, I care not, where you will, 80 And let the end of this my fatal journey

Be likewise end to my accursed life.

Tech. No, madam, but beginning of your joy:

Come willingly therefore.

Ther. Soldiers, now let us meet the general,

Who by this time is at Natolia,

Ready to charge the army of the Turk.
The gold and silver, and the pearl, we got,
Rifling this fort, divide in equal shares:
This lady shall have twice as much again
Out of the coffers of our treasury.

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[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Enter CALLAPINE, Orcanes, ALMEDA, and the Kings of
Jerusalem, Trebizond, and Soria, with their trains.—
To them enter a Messenger.

Mes. Renowmèd emperor, mighty Callapine,
God's great lieutenant over all the world!
Here at Aleppo, with a host of men,

Lies Tamburlaine, this king of Persia,

(In numbers more than are the 1 quivering leaves
Of Ida's forest, where your highness' hounds,
With open cry, pursue the wounded stag,)
Who means to girt Natolia's walls with siege,
Fire the town, and overrun the land.

Call. My royal army is as great as his,
That, from the bounds of Phrygia to the sea
Which washeth Cyprus with his brinish waves,
Covers the hills, the valleys, and the plains.
Viceroys and peers of Turkey, play the men! 2
Whet all your swords, to mangle Tamburlaine,
His sons, his captains, and his followers;
By Mahomet! not one of them shall live;
The field wherein this battle shall be fought
For ever term the Persian's sepulchre,
In memory of this our victory!

1 So 4to.-8vo. "this."

ΙΟ

20

2 We have had this expression already (in sc. 3, 1. 63). Cf. 1 Henry VI., i. 6, l. 63,—-"When they shall hear how we have played the

men.

Orc. Now, he that calls himself the scourge of Jove, The emperor of the world, and earthly god, Shall end the warlike progress he intends, And travel headlong to the lake of hell, Where legions of devils, (knowing he must die Here, in Natolia, by your highness' hands,)

1

All brandishing their brands 1 of quenchless fire,

Stretching their monstrous paws, grin with 2 their teeth, And guard the gates to entertain his soul.

Call. Tell me, viceroys, the number of your men,
And what our army royal is esteemed.

Jer. From Palestina and Jerusalem,
Of Hebrews threescore thousand fighting men
Are come since last we showed your majesty.

Orc. So from Arabia Desert, and the bounds
Of that sweet land, whose brave metropolis
Re-edified the fair Semiramis,
Came forty thousand warlike foot and horse,
Since last we numbered to your majesty.

Treb. From Trebizond, in Asia the Less,
Naturalised Turks and stout Bithynians
Came to my bands, full fifty thousand more
(That, fighting, know not what retreat doth mean,
Nor e'er return but with the victory,)

Since last we numbered to your majesty.

Sor. Of Sorians from Halla is repaired,

And neighbour cities of your highness' land,

1 So 4to.-8vo. "in their brands."

2 So 4to.-omitted in 8vo.

Ten thousand horse, and thirty thousand foot,
Since last we numbered to your majesty ;

So that the royal army is esteemed

Six hundred thousand valiant fighting men.

Call. Then welcome, Tamburlaine, unto thy death.
Come, puissant viceroys, let us to the field,
(The Persians' sepulchre,) and sacrifice
Mountains of breathless men to Mahomet,
Who now, with Jove, opens the firmament
To see the slaughter of our enemies.

Enter TAMBURLAINE and his three Sons,
USUMCASANE, &c.

Tamb. How now, Casane? See a knot of kings,
Sitting as if they were a telling riddles.

Usum. My lord, your presence makes them pale

and wan:

Poor souls! they look as if their deaths were

near.

Tamb. And so he is, Casane; I am here;

But yet I'll save their lives, and make them slaves.

Ye petty kings of Turkey, I am come,
As Hector did into the Grecian camp,
To overdare the pride of Græcia,
And set his warlike person to the view
Of fierce Achilles, rival of his fame:

I do you honour in the simile;

50

60

For if I should, as Hector did Achilles,

70

(The worthiest knight that ever brandished sword),

Challenge in combat any of you all,

L

I see how fearfully ye would refuse,

And fly my glove as from a scorpion.

Orc. Now thou art fearful of thy army's strength,
Thou would'st with overmatch of person fight;
But, shepherd's issue, base-born Tamburlaine,

Think of thy end! this sword shall lance thy throat.
Tamb. Villain! the shepherd's issue (at whose

birth

Heaven did afford a gracious aspèct,

And joined those stars that shall be opposite

Even till the dissolution of the world,

And never meant to make a conqueror
So famous as is mighty Tamburlaine,)
Shall so torment thee and that Callapine,
That, like a roguish runaway, suborned

That villain there, that slave, that Turkish dog,
To false his service to his sovereign,

As

ye shall curse the birth of Tamburlaine.
Call. Rail not, vile Scythian! I shall now

revenge

My father's vile abuses, and mine own.

Jer. By Mahomet! he shall be tied in chains,
Rowing with Christians in a brigandine
About the Grecian isles to rob and spoil,

And turn him to his ancient trade again :

Methinks the slave should make a lusty thief.

Call. Nay, when the battle ends, all we will

meet,

And sit in council to invent some pain

That most may vex his body and his soul.

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90