Like his desire lift upward and divine,

So large of limbs, his joints so strongly knit,

Such breadth of зhoulders as might mainly bear

Old Atlas' burthen ;-'twixt his manly pitch,

A pearl, more worth than all the world, is placed,

Wherein by curious sovereignty of art
Are fixed his piercing instruments of sight,
Whose fiery circles bear encompassèd
A heaven of heavenly bodies in their spheres,
That guides his steps and actions to the
throne,

Where honour sits invested royally:
Pale of complexion, wrought in him with
passion,

Thirsting with sovereignty and love of arms; His lofty brows in folds do figure death, And in their smoothness amity and life; About them hangs a knot of amber hair, Wrapped in curls, as fierce Achilles' was, On which the breath of Heaven delights to play,

Making it dance with wanton majesty.— His arms and fingers, long, and sinewy, Betokening valour and excess of strength ;In every part proportioned like the man Should make the world subdued to Tamburlaine.

Cos. Well hast thou pourtrayed in thy

To make him famous in accomplished worth ;

And well his merits shew him to be made
His fortune's master and the king of men,
That could persuade at such a sudden pinch,
With reasons of his valour and his life,
A thousand sworn and overmatching foes.
Then, when our powers in points of swords
are joined

And closed in compass of the killing bullet, Though strait the passage and the port be made

That leads to palace of my brother's life,
Proud is his fortune if we pierce it not.
And when the princely Persian diadem
Shall overweigh his weary witless head,
And fall like mellowed fruit with shakes of
death,

In fair Persia, noble Tamburlaine
Shall be my regent and remain as king.
Orty. In happy hour we have set the

crown

Upon your kingly head that seeks our honour,

In joining with the man ordained by Heaven, To further every action to the best.

Cen. He that with shepherds and a little spoil

Durst in disdain of wrong and tyranny, Defend his freedom 'gainst a monarchy, What will he do supported by a king, Leading a troop of gentlemen and lords, And stuffed with treasure for his highest thoughts!

Cos. And such shall wait on worthy Tamburlaine.

Our army will be forty thousand strong,
When Tamburlaine and brave Theridamas
Have met us by the river Araris ;
And all conjoined to meet the witless king,
That now is marching near to Parthia,
And with unwilling soldiers faintly armed,
To seek revenge on me and Tamburlaine,
To whom, sweet Menaphon, direct me
straight,

Men. I will, my lord.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

They gather strength by power of fresh supplies.

This country swarms with vile outrageous

men

That live by rapine and by lawless spoil,
Fit soldiers for the wicked Tamburlaine ;
And he that could with gifts and promises
Inveigle him that led a thousand horse,
And make him false his faith unto his king,
Will quickly win such as be like himself.
Therefore cheer up your minds; prepare to
fight;

He that can take or slaughter Tamburlaine,
Shall rule the province of Albania:
Who brings that traitor's head, Theridamas,
Shall have a government in Med'a,
Beside the spoil of him and all his train:
But if Cosroe, (as our spials say,
And as we know) remains with Tambur-
laine,

His Highness' pleasure is that he should live,
And be reclaimed with princely lenity.

A Spy. A hundred horsemen of my company

Scouting abroad upon these champion plains Have viewed the army of the Scythians, Which make report it far exceeds the king's.

Meand. Suppose they be in number in-
finite,

Yet being void of martial discipline,
All running headlong after greedy spoils,
And more regarding gain than victory,
Like to the cruel brothers of the earth,
Sprung of the teeth of dragons venomous,
Their careless swords shall lance their
fellows' throats,

And make us triumph in their overthrow.
Myc. Was there such brethren, sweet
Meander, say,

That sprung of teeth of dragons venomous? Meand. So poets say, my lord.

Myc. And 'tis a pretty toy to be a poet. Well, well, Meander, thou art deeply read, And having thee, I have a jewel sure. Go on, my Lord, and give your charge, I say;

Thy wit will make us conquerors to-day. Meand. Then, noble soldiers, to entrap these thieves,

That live confounded in disordered troops,
If wealth or riches may prevail with them,
We have our camels laden all with gold,
Which you that be but common soldiers
Shall fling in every corner of the field;
And while the base-born Tartars take it up,
You, fighting more for honour than for gold,
Shall massacre those greedy-minded slaves;
And when their scattered army is subdued,

casses,

SCENE III.

Sworn

To royalize the deeds of Tamburlaine,

And make them blest that share in his attempts.

And doubt you not but, if you favour me,
And let my fortunes and my valour sway
To some direction in your martial deeds,
The world will strive with hosts of men at
arms,

To swarm unto the ensign I support:
The host of Xerxes, which by fame is said
To have drank the mighty Parthian Araris,
Was but a handful to that we will have.
Our quivering lances, shaking in the air,
And bullets, like Jove's dreadful thunder-
bolts,

Enrolled in flames and fiery smouldering mists,

Shall threat the gods more than Cyclopian

For turning my poor charge to his direction. And these his two renownèd friends, my lord,

Would make one thirst and strive to be retained

In such a great degree of amity.

SCENE IV.

Enter Mycetes, with his Crown in his hand, offering to hide it.

Myc. Accursed be he that first invented war!.

Our utmost service to the fair Cosroe.

men,

leaf

Fearing the force of Boreas' boisterous blasts.
In what a lamentable case were I
If Nature had not given me wisdom's lore,
For kings are clouts that every man shoots at,
Our crown the pin that thousands seek to
cleave;

Therefore in policy I think it good
To hide it close; a goodly stratagem,
And far from any man that is a fool:
So shall I not be known; or if I be,
They cannot take away my crown from me.
Here will I hide it in this simple hole.

Thou break'st the law of arms, unless thou kneel

And cry me "mercy, noble king."

Tamb. Are you the witty king of Persia? Myc. Aye, marry am I: have you any suit to me?

Tamb. I would entreat you speak but three wise words.

Myc. So I can when I see my time.
Tamb. Is this your crown?

Myc. Aye, didst thou ever see a fairer?
Tamb. You will not sell it, will you?

Myc. Such another word and I will have
thee executed. Come, give it me!
Tamb. No; I took it prisoner.
Myc. You lie; I gave it you.

Tamb. Then 'tis mine.

Myc. No; I mean I let you keep it. Tamb. Well; I mean you shall have it again.

Here; take it for awhile: I lend it thee, "Till I may see thee hemmed with armèd men; Then shalt thou see me pull it from thy head! Thou art no match for mighty Tamburlaine. [Exit Tamb.

Media;

And, if I prosper, all shall be as sure

As if the Turk, the Pope, Afric, and Greece, Came creeping to us with their crowns apiece. Tech. Then shall we send to this triumphing king,

And bid him battle for his novel crown? Usum. Nay, quickly then, before his room be hot.

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 quit. 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?

Enter Cosroe, Meander, Ortygius, Menaphon, with other Soldiers.

Cos. What means this devilish shepherd to aspire

With such a giantly presumption
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 pressed out fire from their burning jaws,
So will I send this monstrous slave to hell,
Where flames shall ever feed upon his soul.
Meand. Some powers divine, or else in-
fernal, mixed

Their angry seeds at his conception;
For he was never sprung of human race,
Since with the spirit of his fearful pride,
He dare so doubtlessly resolve of rule,
And by profession be ambitious.

Be armed against the hate of such a foe, Whether from earth, or hell, or heaven, he

grow.

Cos. Nobly resolved, my good Ortygius; And since we all have sucked one whole. some air,

And with the same proportion of elements
Resolve, I hope we are resembled
Vowing our loves to equal death and life.
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. Martial music.

SCENE VII.

Alarums.-A battle; enter Cosroe, wounded, Theridamas, Tamburlaine, 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 grieved soul, And death arrests the organ of my voice, Who, entering at the breach thy sword hath made,

Sacks every vein and artier of my heart.— Bloody and insatiate Tamburlaine !

Tamb. The thirst of reign and sweetness of a crown

That caused the eldest son of heavenly Ops, To thrust his doting father from his chair, And place himself in the empyreal heaven, Moved me to manage arms against thy

state.

earth,

Or monster turned to a manly shape,
Or of what mould or mettle he be made,
What star or state soever govern him,
Let us put on our meet encountering minds;
And in detesting such a devilish chief,

Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds: Our souls, whose facultics can comprehend The wondrous architecture of the world, And measure every wandering planet's

course,

Still climbing after knowledge infinite,