Doth prey upon my flocks of passengers; And, as I hear, doth mean to pull my plumes :

Therefore 'tis good and meet for to be wise. Meand. Oft have I heard your Majesty complain

Of Tamburlaine, that sturdy Scythian thief,
That robs your merchants of Persepolis
Trading by land unto the Western Isles,
And in your confines with his lawless train
Daily commits uncivil outrages,

Hoping (misled by dreaming prophecies)
To reign in Asia, and with barbarous arms
To make himself the monarch of the East;
But ere he march in Asia, or display
His vagrant ensign in the Persian fields,
Your Grace hath taken order by Theridamas,
Charged with a thousand horse, to appre-
hend

And bring him captive to your Highness' throne.

Myc. Full true thou speak'st, and like thyself, my Lord,

Whom I may term a Damon for thy love:
Therefore 'tis best, if so it like you all,
To send my thousand horse incontinent
To apprehend that paltry Scythian.
How like you this, my honourable Lords?
Is 't not a kingly resolution?

Cos. It cannot choose because it comes
from you.

Myc. Then hear thy charge, valiant
ridamas,

I long to see thee back return from thence, That I may view these milk-white steeds of mine

All loaden with the heads of killed men, And from their knees e'en to their hoofs below

Besmeared with blood that makes a dainty show.

Ther. Then now, my Lord, I humbly take my leave.

Myc. Theridamas, farewell! ten thousand times. [Exit Theridamas. Ah, Menaphon, why stay'st thou thus behind,

When other men press forward for renown?

Go, Menaphon, go into Scythia;
And foot by foot follow Theridamas.

Cos. Nay, pray you let him stay; a
greater [task]

Fits Menaphon than warring with a thief: Create him Prorex of all Africa,

That he may win the Babylonians' hearts Which will revolt from Persian government,

Unless they have a wiser king than you.

Myc. "Unless they have a wiser king

than you."

The chiefest captain of Mycetes' host,
The hope of Persia, and the very legs
Whereon our State doth lean as on a staff,
That holds us up, and foils our neighbour
foes:

Thou shalt be leader of this thousand horse, Whose foaming gall with rage and high disdain

Have sworn the death of wicked Tamburlaine.

Go frowning forth; but come thou smiling home,

As did sir Paris with the Grecian dame; Return with speed-time passeth swift away;

Our life is frail, and we may die to-day.

Ther. Before the moon renew her bor-
rowed light,

Doubt not, my Lord and gracious Sovereign,
But 'Tamburlaine and that Tartarian rout,
Shall either perish by our warlike hands,
Or plead for mercy at your Highness' feet.
My. Go, stout Theridamas, thy words
are swords,

And with thy looks thou conquerest all thy foes;

Cos. You may do well to kiss it then. Myc. Embossed with silk as best beseems my state,

To be revenged for these contemptuous words.

O, where is duty and allegiance now?
Fled to the Caspian or the Ocean main?
What shall I call thee? brother? — no,
a foe;

-

To see our neighbours that were wont to quake

And tremble at the Persian monarch's name,
Now sit and laugh our regiment to scorn;
And that, which might resolve me into
tears-

Men from the farthest equinoctial line
Have swarmed in troops into the Eastern
India,

Lading their ships with gold and precious stones,

And made their spoils from all our provinces.

Men. This should entreat your highness to rejoice,

Since Fortune gives you opportunity
To gain the title of a conqueror
By curing of this maimèd empery.
Afric and Europe bordering on your land,
And continent to your dominions,
How easily may you, with a mighty host,
Pass into Græcia, as did Cyrus once,
And cause them to withdraw their forces
home,

Lest you subdue the pride of Christendom. Cos. But, Menaphon, what means this trumpet's sound?

Men. Behold, my lord, Ortygius and the

rest

Bringing the crown to make you emperor !

Enter Ortygius and Cencus, with others, bearing a Crown.

Orty. Magnificent and mighty Prince
Cosroe,

We, in the name of other Persian states
And Commons of the mighty monarchy,
Present thee with the imperial diadem.

Cen. The warlike soldiers and the gentle

men,

That heretofore have filled Persepolis
With Afric captains taken in the field,
Whose ransom made them march in coats

of gold,

With costly jewels hanging at their ears,
And shining stones upon their lofty crests,
Now living idle in the walled towns,
Wanting both pay and martial discipline,
Begin in troops to threaten civil war,
And openly exclaim against their king:
Therefore, to stop all sudden mutinies,
We will invest your highness emperor,
Whereat the soldiers will conceive more joy,
Than did the Macedonians at the spoil
Of great Darius and his wealthy host.

Cos. Well, since I see the state of Persia
droop

And languish in my brother's government, I willingly receive the imperial crown,

And vow to wear it for my country's good, In spite of them shall malice my estate.

Orty. And in assurance of desired success, We here do crown thee monarch of the East, Emperor of Asia and of Persia ; Great Lord of Media and Armenia; Duke of Africa and Albania, Mesopotamia and of Parthia, East India and the late discovered isles; Chief lord of all the wide, vast Euxine Sea, And of the ever-raging Caspian Lake.

All. Long live Cosroe, mighty emperor! Cos. And Jove may never let me longer

live

Than I may seek to gratify your love,
And cause the soldiers that thus honour me
To triumph over many provinces !
By whose desire of discipline in arms
I doubt not shortly but to reign sole king,
And with the army of Theridamas,
(Whither we presently will fly, my lords)
To rest secure against my brother's force.
Orty. We knew, my lord, before we
brought the crown,

Intending your investion so near
The residence of your despised brother,
The lords would not be too exasperate
To injury or suppress your worthy title;
Or, if they would, there are in readiness
Ten thousand horse to carry you from hence,
In spite of all suspected enemies.

Cos. I know well, my lord, and thank you all.

Orty. Sound up the trumpets then[Trumpets sound,

All. God save the king!

SCENE II.

[Exeunt omnes.

Enter Tamburlaine, leading Zenocrate, followed by Techelles, Usumcasane, Agydas, Magnetes, Lords, and Soldiers, loaded with Treasure.

Tamb. Come, lady, let not this appal your thoughts;

The jewels and the treasure we have ta'en
Shall be reserved, and you in better state,
Than if you were arrived in Syria,
Even in the circle of your father's arms,
The mighty soldan of Ægyptia.

Zeno. Ah, shepherd! pity my distressed plight,

(If, as thou seem'st, thou art so mean a man,)
And seek not to enrich thy followers
By lawless rapine from a silly maid,
Who travelling with these, my uncle's, lords
To Memphis, from his country of Media,
Where, all my youth, I have been governed,

Have past the army of the mighty Turk,
Bearing his privy signet and his hand
To safe conduct us thorough Africa.

Mag. And since we have arrived in
Scythia,

Besides rich presents from the puissant Cham,
We have his highness' letters to command
Aid and assistance, if we stand in need.
Tamb. But now you see these letters and
commands

Are countermanded by a greater man;
And through my provinces you must expect
Letters of conduct from my mightiness,
If you intend to keep your treasure safe.
But since I love to live at liberty,
As easily may you get the soldan's crown
As any prizes out of my precinct ;

For they are friends that heip to wean my

state

'Till men and kingdoms help to strengthen it,

And must maintain my life exempt from servitude

But, tell me, madam, is your grace betrothed?

Zeno. I am-my lord--for so you do import.

Tamb. I am a lord, for so my deeds shall
prove;

And yet a shepherd by my parentage.
But, lady, this fair face and heavenly hue
Must grace his bed that conquers Asia,
And means to be a terror to the world,
Measuring the limits of his empery

By east and west, as Phoebus doth his

course.

Lie here ye weeds that I disdain to wear!
This complete armour and this curtle axe
Are adjuncts more beseeming Tamburlaine.
And, madam, whatsoever you esteem
Of this success and loss unvalued,
Both may invest you empress of the East;
And these that seem but silly country swains
May have the leading of so great an host,
As with their weight shall make the moun-
tains quake,

Even as when windy exhalations
Fighting for passage, tilt within the earth.
Tech. As princely lions, when they rouse
themselves,

Stretching their paws, and threatening herds of beasts,

So in his armour looketh Tamburlaine. Methinks I see kings kneeling at his feet, And he with frowning brows and fiery looks, Spurning their crowns from off their captive heads.

Usum. And making thee and me, Techelles, kings,

That even to death will follow Tamburlaine. Tamb. Nobly resolved, sweet friends and followers!

These Lords, perhaps do scorn our estimates,

And think we prattle with distempered spirits;

But since they measure our deserts so mean,
That in conceit bear empires on our spears,
Affecting thoughts coequal with the clouds,
They shall be kept our forced followers,
Till with their eyes they view us emperors.
Zeno. The Gods, defenders of the inno-
cent,

Will never prosper your intended drifts,
That thus oppress poor friendless passengers.
Therefore at least admit us liberty,
Even as thou hopest to be eternized,
By living Asia's mighty emperor.

Agyd. I hope our ladies' treasures and

our own,

May serve for ransom to our liberties: Return our mules and empty camels back, That we may travel into Syria,

Where her betrothed lord Alcidamas, Expects th' arrival of her highness' person. Mag. And wheresoever we repose ourselves,

We will report but well of Tamburlaine.

Tamb. Disdains Zenocrate to live with me?

Or you, my lords, to be my followers? Think you I weigh this treasure more than you?

Not all the gold in India's wealthy arms
Shall buy the meanest soldier in my train.
Zenocrate, lovelier than the love of Jove,
Brighter than is the silver Rhodope,
Fairer than whitest snow on Scythian hills,-
Thy person is more worth to Tamburlaine,
Than the possession of the Persian crown,
Which gracious stars have promised at my
birth.

A hundred Tartars shall attend on thee,
Mounted on steeds swifter than Pegasus;
Thy garments shall be made of Median
silk,
Enchased with precious jewels of mine own,
More rich and valurous than Zenocrate's.
With milk-white harts upon an ivory sled,
Thou shalt be drawn amidst the frozen
pools,

And scale the icy mountains' lofty tops,
Which with thy beauty will be soon resolved.
My martial prizes with five hundred men,
Won on the fifty-headed Wolga's waves,
Shall we all offer to Zenocrate,-
And then myself to fair Zenocrate.
Tech. What now!-in love?

To be my queen and portly emperess.
If thou wilt stay with me, renowned man,
And lead thy thousand horse with my con-
dùct,

Besides thy share of this Egyptian prize, Those thousand horse shall sweat with martial spoil

Of conquered kingdoms and of cities sacked;
Both we will walk upon the lofty cliffs,
And Christian merchants that with Russian

stems

Plough up huge furrows in the Caspian sea, Shall vail to us, as lords of all the lake. Both we will reign as consuls of the earth, And mighty kings shall be our senators. Jove sometimes masked in a shepherd's weed,

And by those steps that he hath scaled the heavens

May we become immortal like the gods.
Join with me now in this my mean estate,
(I call it mean because being yet obscure,
The nations far removed admire me not,)
And when my name and honour shall be
spread

As far as Boreas claps his brazen wings,
Or fair Böötes sends his cheerful light,
Then shalt thou be competitor with me,
And sit with Tamburlaine in all his majesty.
Ther. Not Hermes, prolocutor to the
gods,

Could use persuasions more pathetical. Tamb. Nor are Apollo's oracles more true,

Than thou shalt find my vaunts substantial. Tech. We are his friends, and if the Persian king

Should offer present dukedoms to our state, We think it loss to make exchange for that We are assured of by our friend's success.

Usum. And kingdoms at the least we all expect,

Besides the honour in assurèd conquests, When kings shall crouch unto our conquering swords

And hosts of soldiers stand amazed at us; When with their fearful tongues they shall

confess,

These are the men that all the world admires.

Ther. What strong enchantments tice my yielding soul

To these resolvèd, noble Scythians?
But shall I prove a traitor to my king?
Tamb. No, but the trusty friend of Tam-
burlaine.

Ther. Won with thy words, and conquered with thy looks,

I yield myself, my men, and horse to thee,

To be partaker of thy good or ill,
As long as life maintains Theridamas.
Tamb. Theridamas, my friend, take here
my hand,

Which is as much as if I swore by Heaven,
And call'd the gods to witness of my vow.
Thus shall my heart be still combined with
thine

Until our bodies turn to elements,
And both our souls aspire celestial thrones.
Techelles and Casane, welcome him!

Tech. Welcome, renownèd Persian to us all!

Usum. Long may Theridamas remain with us!

Tamb. These are my friends, in whom I more rejoice

Than doth the king of Persia in his crown,
And by the love of Pylades and Orestes,
Whose statues we adore in Scythia,
Thyself and them shall never part from me
Before I crown you kings in Asia.
Make much of them, gentle Theridamas,
And they will never leave thee till the death.
Ther. Nor thee nor them, thrice noble
Tamburlaine,

Shall want my heart to be with gladness pierced,

To do you honour and security.

Tamb. A thousand thanks, worthy Theridamas.

And now fair madam, and my noble lords,
If you will willingly remain with me
You shall have honours as your merits be;
Or else you shall be forced with slavery.

Agvd. We yield unto thee, happy Tamburlaine.

Tamb. For you then, madam, I am out of doubt.

Zeno. I must be pleased perforce. Wretched Zenocrate ! [Exeunt.

ACT THE SECOND.

SCENE I.

Enter Cosroe, Menaphon, Ortygius,
Ceneus, with other soldiers.

Cos. Thus far are we towards Therida

mas,

And valiant Tamburlaine, the man of fame,
The man that in the forehead of his fortune
Bears figures of renown and miracle.
But tell me, that hast seen him, Menaphon,
What stature wields he, and what person-
age?

Men. Of stature tall, and straightly fashioned,