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TAMB. 'Twill prove a pretty jest, in faith, my

friends.

THER. A jest to charge on twenty thousand men !
I judge the purchase* more important far.
TAMB. Judge by thyself, Theridamas, not me;
For presently Techelles here shall haste
To bid him battle ere he pass too far,

And lose more labour than the gain will quite + :
Then shalt thou see this‡ Scythian Tamburlaine
Make but a jest to win the Persian crown.—
Techelles, take a thousand horse with thee,
And bid him turn him§ back to war with us,
That only made him king to make us sport:
We will not steal upon him cowardly,

But give him warning and || more warriors:
Haste thee, Techelles; we will follow thee.

What saith Theridamas?

THER. Go on, for me.

SCENE VI.

[Exit Techelles.

[Exeunt.

Enter COSROE, MEANDER, ORTYGIUS, and
MENAPHON, with Soldiers.

Cos. What means this devilish shepherd, to aspire With such a giantly presumption,

*purchase] i. e. booty-gain.

this] So the 8vo.-The 4to "the." Shim] Old eds. "his."

and] So the 8vo.-The 4to " with."

+ quite] i. e. requite.

To cast up hills against the face of heaven,
And dare the force of angry Jupiter?

But, as he thrust them underneath the hills,
And press'd out fire from their burning jaws,
So will I send this monstrous slave to hell,
Where flames shall ever feed upon his soul.
MEAN. Some powers divine, or else infernal, mix'd
Their angry seeds at his conception;

For he was never sprung* of human race,
Since with the spirit of his fearful pride,
He dares + so doubtlessly resolve of rule,
And by profession be ambitious.

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ORTY. What god, or fiend, or spirit of the earth,

Or monster turnèd to a manly shape,

Or of what mould or mettle he be made,
What star or fate † soever govern him,
Let us put on our meet encountering minds;
And, in detesting such a devilish thief,
In love of honour and defence of right,
Be arm'd against the hate of such a foe,
Whether from earth, or hell, or heaven he grow.
Cos. Nobly resolv'd, my good Ortygius;
And, since we all have suck'd one wholesome air,
And with the same proportion of elements
Resolve§, I hope we are resembled
Vowing our loves to equal death and life.

* sprung] See note, p. 36.

+dures] So the 8vo.-The 4to "dare." fate] Old eds. "state."

§ Resolve] Seems to mean-dissolve (compare "our bodies turn to elements." p. 29): but I suspect some corruption here. 6th him in wet fo

Same is

Keep state

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And of. Last

1. If the speech

Let's cheer our soldiers to encounter him,
That grievous image of ingratitude,

That fiery thirster after sovereignty,
And burn him in the fury of that flame,
That none can quench but blood and empery.
Resolve, my lords and loving soldiers, now
To save your king and country from decay.
Then strike up, drum ;
and all the stars that make
The loathsome circle of my dated life,
Direct my weapon to his barbarous heart,
That thus opposeth him against the gods,
And scorns the powers that govern Persia!

[Exeunt, drums sounding.

SCENE VII.

Alarms of battle within. Then enter COSROE wounded, TAMBURLAINE, THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE, with others.

Cos. Barbarous* and bloody Tamburlaine,
Thus to deprive me of my crown and life !—
Treacherous and false Theridamas,

Even at the morning of my happy state,
Scarce being seated in my royal throne,
To work my downfall and untimely end!
An uncouth pain torments my grievèd soul;
And death arrests the organ of my voice,
Who, entering at the breach thy sword hath made,

* Barbarous] Qy. "Oh, larbarous "? in the next line but "Oh, treacherous"? and in the last line of the speech, "Oh, bloody"?

one,

Sacks every vein and artier* of my heart.

Bloody and insatiate Tamburlaine !

TAMB. The thirst of reign and sweetness of a crown, That caus'd the eldest son of heavenly Ops

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2.4. ELEMENTS

To thrust his doting father from his chair, Avg dil
And place himself in the empyreal heaven,
Mov'd me to manage arms against thy state.
What better precedent than mighty Jove?
Nature, that fram'd us of four elements
Warring within our breasts for regiment +,
Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds:
Our souls, whose faculties can comprehend
The wondrous architecture of the world,
And measure every wandering planet's course,
Still climbing after knowledge infinite,

artier] i. e. artery.

3. Sp

This form occurs again in the Sec.

Part of the present play: so too in a copy of verses by Day;

"Hid in the vaines and artiers of the earthe."

Shakespeare Soc. Papers, vol. i. 19.

The word indeed was variously written of old:

"The arter strynge is the conduyt of the lyfe spiryte." Hormanni Vulgaria, sig. G iii. ed. 1530.

66

"Riche treasures serue for th'arters of the war."

Lord Stirling's Darius, act ii. sig. C 2. ed. 1604.
Onelye the extrauagant artire of my arme is brused."
Everie Woman in her Humor, 1609, sig. D 4.

"And from the veines some bloud each artire draines."
Davies's Microcosmos, 1611, p. 56.

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4. HEAVENS

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And always moving as the restless spheres,
Will* us to wear ourselves, and never rest,
Until we reach the ripest fruit + of all,
That perfect bliss and sole felicity,
The sweet fruition of an earthly crown.

THER. And that made me to join with Tambur-
laine;

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 Tambur

laine,

To lift our swords against the Persian king.

USUм. For as, when Jove did thrust old Saturn
down,

Neptune and Dis gain'd each of them a crown,
So do we hope to reign in Asia,

If Tamburlaine be plac'd in Persia.

Cos. The strangest men that ever Nature made! 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,
For want of nourishment to feed them both,
Are‡ dry and cold; and now doth ghastly Death

* Will] Old eds. "Wils."

† fruit] So the 4to.-The 8vo "fruites."
Are] Old eds. " Is."

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