Were wont to guide the seaman in the deep,
Being carried thither by the cannon's force,
Now fill the mouth of Limnasphaltis' lake,
And make a bridge unto the batter'd walls.
Where Belus, Ninus, and great Alexander
Have rode in triumph, triumphs Tamburlaine,
Whose chariot-wheels have burst* th' Assyrians'
bones,
Drawn with these kings on heaps of carcasses.
Now in the place, where fair Semiramis,
Courted by kings and peers of Asia,
Hath trod the measures,† do my soldiers march;
And in the streets, where brave Assyrian dames
Have rid in pomp like rich Saturnia,
With furious words and frowning visages
My horsemen brandish their unruly blades.
Re-enter THERIDAMAS and TECHELLES, bringing in the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON.
Who have ye there, my lords?
Ther. The sturdy governor of Babylon, That made us all the labour for the town, And us'd such slender reckoning off your majesty. Tumb. Go, bind the villain; he shall hang in chains
Upon the ruins of this conquer'd town.Sirrah, the view of our vermilion tents (Which threaten'd more than if the region Next underneath the element of fire Were full of comets and of blazing stars, Whose flaming trains should reach down to the earth)
Could not affright you; no, nor I myself,
The wrathful messenger of mighty Jove,
That with his sword hath quail'd all earthly
kings,
Could not persuade you to submission,
But still the ports§ were shut: villain, I say,
Should I but touch the rusty gates of hell,
The triple-headed Cerberus would howl,
And make|| black Jove to crouch and kneel to me;
But I have sent volleys of shot to you,
Yet could not enter till the breach was made.
Gov. Nor, if my body could have stopt the breach, Shouldst thou have enter'd, cruel Tamburlaine. 'Tis not thy bloody tents can make me yield,
stage-direction) "the two spare kings ",-"spare" meaning-not then wanted to draw the chariot of Tamburlaine. * burst] i.e. broken, bruised.
the measures] i.e. the dance (properly, - solemn, stately dances, with slow and measured steps). tof] So the 8vo.-The 4to "for." Sports] i.e. gates.
make] So the 4to.-The 8vo "wake."
Gov. Under a hollow bank, right opposite Against the western gate of Babylon.
Tamb. Go thither, some of you, and take his gold:[Exeunt some Attendants. The rest forward with execution. Away with him hence, let him speak no more.— I think I make your courage something quail.— [Exeunt Attendants with the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON, When this is done, we'll march from Babylon, And make our greatest haste to Persia. These jades are broken-winded and half-tir'd; Unharness them, and let me have fresh horse. [Attendants unharness the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA So; now their best is done to honour me, Take them and hang them both up presently.
K. of Treb. Vile | tyrant! barbarous bloody Tamburlaine !
Tamb. Take them away, Theridamas; see them despatch'd.
Ther. I will, my lord.
[Exit with the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA.
*the city-walls] So the Svo.-The 4to "the walles." thim] So the 4to.-The 8vo "it."
tin] Old eds. "vp in,-the "vp" having been repeated by mistake from the preceding line.
§ scar'd] So the 8vo; and, it would seem, rightly; Tamburlaine making an attempt at a bitter jest, in reply to what the Governor has just said.-The 4to "sear'd."
Vile] The 8vo "Vild"; the 4to "Wild" (Both eds., a little before, have " Vile monster, born of some infernal hag", and, a few lines after, "To vile and ignominious servitude":-the fact is, our early writers (or rather, transcribers), with their usual inconsistency of spelling, give now the one form, and now the other: compare the folio Shakespeare, 1628, where we sometimes find "vild" and sometimes "vile.")
Tamb. Come, Asian viceroys; to your tasks a
while,
And take such fortune as your fellows felt.
Orc. First let thy Scythian horse tear both our
limbs,
Rather than we should draw thy chariot,
And, like base slaves, abject our princely minds
To vile and ignominious servitude.
K. of Jer. Rather lend me thy weapon, Tam-
burlaine,
That I may sheathe it in this breast of mine.
A thousand deaths could not torment our hearts
More than the thought of this doth vex our souls.
Amy. They will talk still, my lord, if you do
not bridle them.
Tamb. Bridle them, and let me to my coach.
[Attendants bridle ORCANES king of Natolia, and
the KING OF JERUSALEM, and harness them to
the chariot.-The GOVERNOR OF BABYLON
appears hanging in chains on the walls.-Re-
enter THERIDAMAS.
hangs!
Tamb. 'Tis brave indeed, my boy:-well done!
Shoot first, my lord, and then the rest shall follow.
Ther. Then have at him, to begin withal.
[THERIDAMAS shoots at the GOVERNOR.
Gov. Yet save my life, and let this wound ap
Amy. See, now, my lord, how brave the captain Thou art not worthy to be worshippèd
gold,
And offer'd me as ransom for thy life,
Yet shouldst thou die.-Shoot at him all at once.
[They shoot.
So, now he hangs like Bagdet's* governor,
Having as many bullets in his flesh
As there be breaches in her batter'd wall.
Go now, and bind the burghers hand and foot,
And cast them headlong in the city's lake.
Tartars and Persians shall inhabit there;
And, to command the city, I will build
A citadel,t that all Africa,
Which hath been subject to the Persian king,
Shall pay me tribute for in Babylon.
Tech. What shall be done with their wives and children, my lord?
Tamb. Techelles, drown them all, man, woman, and child;
Leave not a Babylonian in the town.
Tech. I will about it straight.-Come, soldiers. [Exit with Soldiers.
Tamb. Now, Casane, where's the Turkish Al-
coran,
And all the heaps of superstitious books
Found in the temples of that Mahomet
Whom I have thought a god? they shall be
burnt.
* Bagdet's] So the 8vo.-The 4to "Badgets."
+ A citadel, &c.] Something has dropt out from this
line.
Usum. Here they are, my lord.
Tamb. Well said!* let there be a fire presently. [They light a fire.
In vain, I see, men worship Mahomet:
My sword hath sent millions of Turks to hell,
Slew all his priests, his kinsmen, and his friends,
And yet I live untouch'd by Mahomet.
There is a God, full of revenging wrath,
From whom the thunder and the lightning breaks,
Whose scourge I am, and him will It obey.
So, Casane; fling them in the fire.-
[They burn the books.
Now, Mahomet, if thou have any power,
Come down thyself and work a miracle:
pease
The mortal fury of great Tamburlaine !
Or vengeance on the head ¶ of Tamburlaine Tamb. No, though Asphaltis' lake were liquid That shakes his sword against thy majesty,
And spurns the abstracts of thy foolish laws?
Well, soldiers, Mahomet remains in hell;
He cannot hear the voice of Tamburlaine:
Seek out another godhead to adore;
The God that sits in heaven, if any god,
For he is God alone, and none but he.
That suffer'st ‡ flames of fire to burn the writ
Wherein the sum of thy religion rests:
Why send'st § thou not a furious whirlwind
down,
To blow thy Alcoran up to thy throne,
Where men report thou sitt'st || by God himself?
Re-enter TECHELLES.
Tech. I have fulfill'd your highness' will, my
lord:
Thousands of men, drown'd in Asphaltis' lake,
Have made the water swell above the banks,
And fishes, fed ** by human carcasses,
Amaz'd, swim up and down upon ++ the waves,
* Well said] Equivalent to-Well done! as appears from innumerable passages of our early writers: see, for instances, my ed. of Beaumont and Fletcher's Works, vol. i. 328, vol. ii. 445, vol. viii. 254.
twill So the 8vo.-The 4to "I will."
suffer'st] Old eds. "suffers": but see the two following notes.
§ send'st] So the 8vo.-The 4to "sends."
sit'st] So the Svo.-The 4to "sits."
head] So the 8vo.-The 4to "blood."
** fed] Old eds. "feede."
tt upon] So the 8vo.-Omitted in the 4to.
As when they swallow assafoetida,
The fowls shall eat; for never sepulchre
Which makes them fleet* aloft and gapet for Shall grace this* base-born tyrant Tamburlaine. Call. When I record† my parents' slavish life,
air.
Their cruel death, mine own captivity,
My viceroys' bondage under Tamburlaine,
Methinks I could sustain a thousand deaths,
To be reveng'd of all his villany.-
Ah, sacred Mahomet, thou that hast seen
Millions of Turks perish by Tamburlaine,
Kingdoms made waste, brave cities sack'd and
burnt,
And but one host is left to honour thee,
Aid thy obedient servant Callapine,
And make him, after all these overthrows,
To triumph over cursed Tamburlaine !
K. of Ama. Fear not, my lord: I see great
Mahomet,
Tamb. Well, then, my friendly lords, what now
remains,
But that we leave sufficient garrison,
And presently depart to Persia,
To triumph after all our victories?
Ther. Ay, good my lord, let us in haste to
Persia;
And let this captain be remov'd the walls
To some high hill about the city here.
Tamb. Let it be so ;-about it, soldiers;-
But stay; I feel myself distemper'd suddenly.
Tech. What is it dares distemper Tamburlaine?
Tamb. Something, Techelles; but I know not
what.-
But, forth, ye vassals§! whatsoe'er || it be,
Sickness or death can never conquer me.
Clothed in purple clouds, and on his head
A chaplet brighter than Apollo's crown,
Marching about the air with armèd men,
To join with you against this Tamburlaine.
Capt. Renowmèd § general, mighty Callapine,
Though God himself and holy Mahomet
Should come in person to resist your power,
Yet might your mighty host encounter all,
And pull proud Tamburlaine upon his knees
To sue for mercy at your highness' feet.
Call. Captain, the force of Tamburlaine is
great,
His fortune greater, and the victories
Wherewith he hath so sore dismay'd the world
Are greatest to discourage all our drifts;
Yet, when the pride of Cynthia is at full,
She wanes again; and so shall his, I hope;
For we have here the chief selected men
SCENE III.
Enter THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, and USUMCASANE. Ther. Weep, heavens, and vanish into liquid tears!
Fall, stars that govern his nativity,
And summon all the shining lamps of heaven
To cast their bootless fires to the earth,
And shed their feeble influence in the air;
Muffle your beauties with eternal clouds;
For Hell and Darkness pitch their pitchy tents,
And Death, with armies of Cimmerian spirits,
Gives battle 'gainst the heart of Tamburlaine !
Now, in defiance of that wonted love
Your sacred virtues pour'd upon his throne,
And made his state an honour to the heavens,
These cowards invisibly* assail his soul,
And threaten conquest on our sovereign;
But, if he die, your glories are disgrac'd,
Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is
plac'd!
Tech. O, then, ye powers that sway eternal seats,
And guide this massy substance of the earth,
If you retain desert of holiness,
As your supreme estates instruct our thoughts,
Be not inconstant, careless of your fame,
Bear not the burden of your enemies' joys,
Triumphing in his fall whom you advanc'd;
But, as his birth, life, health, and majesty
Were strangely blest and governed by heaven,
So honour, heaven, (till heaven dissolved be,)
His birth, his life, his health, and majesty!
Usum. Blush, heaven, to lose the honour of
thy name,
To see thy footstool set upon thy head;
And let no baseness in thy haughty breast
Sustain a shame of such inexcellence +,
To see the devils mount in angels' thrones,
And angels dive into the pools of hell!
And, though they think their painful date is
out,
And that their power is puissant as Jove's, Which makes them manage arms against thy state,
Yet make them feel the strength of Tamburlaine
(Thy instrument and note of majesty)
Is greater far than they can thus subdue;
For, if he die, thy glory is disgrac'd,
Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is
plac'd!
invisibly] So the 4to.-The Svo "inuincible."
+ inexcellence] So the 4to.-The Svo "inexcellencie."
Enter TAMBURLAINE *, drawn in his chariot (as before) by ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, AMYRAS, CELEBINUS, and Physicians.
Tamb. What daring god torments my body thus,
And seeks to conquer mighty Tamburlaine ?
Shall sickness prove me now to be a man,
That have been term'd the terror of the world?
Techelles and the rest, come, take your swords,
And threaten him whose hand afflicts my soul:
Come, let us march against the powers of heaven,
And set black streamers in the firmament,
To signify the slaughter of the gods.
Ah, friends, what shall I do? I cannot stand.
Come, carry me to war against the gods,
That thus envy the health of Tamburlaine.
Ther. Ah, good my lord, leave these impatient words,
Which add much danger to your malady!
Tamb. Why, shall I sit and languish in this pain?
No, strike the drums, and, in revenge of this, Come, let us charge our spears, and pierce his breast
Whose shoulders bear the axis of the world,
That, if I perish, heaven and earth may fade.
Theridamas, haste to the court of Jove;
Will him to send Apollo hither straight,
To cure me, or I'll fetch him down myself.
Tech. Sit still, my gracious lord; this grief will
cease +,
And cannot last, it is so violent.
Tamb. Not last, Techelles! no, for I shall die.
See, where my slave, the ugly monster Death,
Shaking and quivering, pale and wan for fear,
Stands aiming at me with his murdering dart,
Who flies away at every glance I give,
And, when I look away, comes stealing on !—
Villain, away, and hie thee to the field!
I and mine army come to load thy back
With souls of thousand mangled carcasses.-
Look, where he goes! but, see, he comes again,
Because I stay! Techelles, let us march,
And weary Death with bearing souls to hell.
First Phy. Pleaseth your majesty to drink this
potion,
Which will abate the fury of your fit,
And cause some milder spirits govern you.
* Enter Tamburlaine, &c.] Here the old eds. have no stage-direction; and perhaps the poet intended that Tamburlaine should enter at the commencement of this scene. That he is drawn in his chariot by the two captive kings, appears from his exclamation at p. 72, first col. "Draw, you slaves!"
† cease] So the 8vo.-The 4to "case."
now?
Tamb. Tell me what think you of my sickness Like summer's vapours vanish'd by the sun; And, could I but a while pursue the field, First Phy. I view'd your urine, and the hypos- That Callapine should be my slave again. But I perceive my martial strength is spent:
tasis, *
Thick and obscure, doth make your danger great: In vain I strive and rail against those powers
Your veins are full of accidental heat,
That mean t' invest me in a higher throne,
Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried: As much too high for this disdainful earth.
The humidum and calor, which some hold
Give me a map; then let me see how much
Is not a parcel of the elements,
Is left for me to conquer all the world,
That these, my boys, may finish all my wants.
[One brings a map.
But of a substance more divine and pure,
Is almost clean extinguished and spent;
Which, being the cause of life, imports your
death:
Besides, my lord, this day is critical,
Dangerous to those whose crisis is as yours:
Your artierst, which alongst the veins convey
The lively spirits which the heart engenders,
Are parch'd and void of spirit, that the soul,
Wanting those organons by which it moves,
Cannot endure, by argument of art.
Yet, if your majesty may escape this day,
No doubt but you shall soon recover all.
Tamb. Then will I comfort all my vital parts,
And live, in spite of death, above a day.
[Alarms within.
Enter a Messenger.
Mes. My lord, young Callapine, that lately fled from your majesty, hath now gathered a fresh army, and, hearing your absence in the field, offers to set upon ‡ us presently.
Tamb. See, my physicians, now, how Jove hath
sent
A present medicine to recure my pain!
My looks shall make them fly; and, might I
follow,
There should not one of all the villain's power
Live to give offer of another fight.
Usum. I joy, my lord, your highness is so
strong,
leagues.
Look here, my boys; see, what a world of ground
Lies westward from the midst of Cancer's line
Unto the rising of this earthly globe,
Whereas the sun, declining from our sight,
Begins the day with our Antipodes !
And shall I die, and this unconquered?
Lo, here, my sons, are all the golden mines,
Inestimable drugs and precious stones,
More worth than Asia and the world beside;
And from th' Antarctic Pole eastward behold
As much more land, which never was descried,
Wherein are rocks of pearl that shine as bright
As all the lamps that beautify the sky!
And shall I die, and this unconquerèd?
Here, lovely boys; what death forbids my life,
Tamb. Thus are the villain cowards § fled for That let your lives command in spite of death.
fear,
Amy. Alas, my lord, how should our bleeding hearts,
* hypostasis] Old eds. "Hipostates."
tartiers] See note*, p. 18.
tupon] So the 4to.-The 8vo "
"on."
§ villain cowards] Old eds. " villaines, cowards" (which is not to be defended by "Villains, cowards, traitors to our state", p. 67, sec, col.). Compare "But where's this coward villain," &c., p. 61 sec. co..
That can endure so well your royal presence,
Which only will dismay the enemy.
Tamb. I know it will, Casane.-Draw, you
slaves!
In spite of death, I will go shew my face.
[Alarms. Exit TAMBURLAINE with all the rest (except
the Physicians), and re-enter presently.
Here I began to march towards Persia,
Along Armenia and the Caspian Sea,
And thence unto * Bithynia, where I took
The Turk and his great empress prisoners.
Then march'd I into Egypt and Arabia ;
And here, not far from Alexandria,
Whereast the Terrene‡ and the Red Sea meet,
Being distant less than full a hundred leagues,
I meant to cut a channel to them both,
That men might quickly sail to India.
From thence to Nubia near Borno-lake,
And so along the Ethiopian sea,
Cutting the tropic line of Capricorn,
I conquer'd all as far as Zanzibar.
Then, by the northern part of Africa,
I came at last to Græcia, and from thence
To Asia, where I stay against my will;
Which is from Scythia, where I first began,§
Backward[s] and forwards near five thousand
*unto] So the Svo.-The 4to "to."
+ Whereas] i.e. Where.
Terrene] i.e. Mediterranean.
§ began] So the 8vo.-The 4to "begun."
this] So the 8vo.-The 4to "the."
|
