Tamburlaine the Great, Part 1
by
Christopher Marlowe
Part 3 out of 3
<254> tents] So the 8vo.--The 4to "tent."
<255> submission] Old eds. "submissions."
<256> of ruth and] So the 8vo.--The 4to "AND ruth OF."
<257> conceit] i.e. fancy, imagination.
<258> Hath] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Haue."
<259> nourish'd] So the 8vo.--The 4to "nourish."
<260> wish'd] So the 8vo.--The 4to "wish."
<261> imperious] So the 8vo.--The 4to "imprecious."
<262> passion] i.e. sorrow.
<263> resolved] i.e. dissolved.
<264> Eyes, when that Ebena steps to heaven, &c.] Either the
transcriber or the printer has made sad work with this
passage; nor am I able to suggest any probable emendation.
<265> fight] So the 8vo.--The 4to "fights."
<266> Persia's] Old eds. "Perseans," and "Persians."
<267> still] i.e. distil.
<268> I thus conceiving, and subduing both,
That which hath stoop'd the chiefest of the gods,
Even from the fiery-spangled veil of heaven,
To feel the lovely warmth of shepherds' flames,
And mask in cottages of strowed reeds, &c.]
i.e. I thus feeling, and also subduing, the power of Beauty,
which has drawn down the chiefest of the gods even from, &c.
The 8vo has,
"I thus conceiuing and subduing both.
That which hath STOPT the TEMPEST of the Gods,
Euen from the fiery spangled vaile of heauen,
To feele the louely warmth of shepheards flames,
And MARTCH in cottages of strowed WEEDS," &c.
The 4to has,
"I thus concieuing and subduing both,
That which hath STOPT the TEMPEST of the Gods,
Euen from the SPANGLED FIRIE vaile of heauen,
To feele the louely warmth of Shepheardes flames,
And MARCH in COATCHES of strowed WEEDES," &c.
The alterations which I have made in this corrupted passage are
supported by the following lines of the play;
"See now, ye slaves, my children STOOP YOUR PRIDE [i.e. make
your pride to stoop],
And lead your bodies sheep-like to the sword."
Part Second,--act iv. sc. 1.
"The chiefest god, FIRST MOVER OF THAT SPHERE", &c.
Part First,--act iv. sc. 2.
"Jove SOMETIME masked IN A SHEPHERD'S WEED", &c.
Part First,--act i. sc. 2.
Perhaps in the third line of the present passage "fiery-spangled"
should be "FIRE-YSPANGLED."
<269> Attend.] Old eds. "An." (a misprint probably), which the
modern editors understand as "Anippe" (the waiting-maid of
Zenocrate).
<270> March on us with] So the 4to.--The 8vo "MARTCHT on WITH
vs with."
<271> As if there were no way but one with us] i.e. as if we
were to lose our lives. This phrase, which is common in our
early writers, was not obsolete in Dryden's time: "for, if he
heard the malicious trumpeter proclaiming his name before his
betters, he knew THERE WAS BUT ONE WAY WITH HIM." Preface to
ALL FOR LOVE.
<272> pore] So the 8vo.--The 4to "dore."
<273> in] i.e. on.
<274> stay] Old eds. "aie" and "aye."
<275> retorqued] i.e. bent back in reflections on our former
happiness. So the 8vo.--The 4to "retortued."
<276> A] Old eds. "As."
<277> Elysium] Old eds. "Elisian."
<278> thoughts] So the 8vo.--The 4to "thought."
<279> parbreak] i.e. vomit.
<280> abjection] Old eds. "obiection."
<281> villainess] i.e. servant, slave,
<282> ruth] So the 8vo.--The 4to "truth."
<283> resolve] i.e. dissolve.
<284> bann'd] i.e. cursed.
<285> the] So the 4to.--The 8vo "thy."
<286> ever-living] So the 8vo.--The 4to. "euerlasting."
<287> give] So the 4to.--The 8vo "AND giue."
<288> her] Must mean Zenocrate, whom Zabina fancies herself to
be addressing.
<289> Let the soldiers be buried.--Hell, death, Tamburlaine]
So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to. (Where the modern editors got
their reading, "Let the soldiers be CURSED," I know not.)
<290> Make ready my coach] Shakespeare seems to have remembered
this passage when he made Ophelia say, "Come, my coach," &c.
HAMLET, act iv. sc. 5.
<291> I come, I come, I come] So the 8vo.--The 4to "I come, I
come."
<292> Egyptians'] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Egiptian.'
<293> The] Old eds. "Thy."
<294> thy] So the 8vo.--The 4to "thine."
<295> war] So the 8vo.--The 4to "warres."
<296> Come] Old eds. "Comes" and "Comep."
<297> Armed] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Armes."
<298> final] So the 4to.--The 8vo "small."
<299> King of Arabia] i.e. Alcidamus; see p. 10, l. 9, sec. col.
"Where her betrothed lord, Alcidamus,">
<300> thy] So the 4to.--The 8vo "my."
<301> conceit] i.e. fancy, imagination.
<302> have] So the 8vo.--The 4to "hath."
<303> Euphrates] So our old poets invariably, I believe,
accentuate this word.
accented characters at all.>
<304> should] So the 8vo.--The 4to "shall."
<305> sweat] So the 8vo.--The 4to "sweare."
<306> wide-gaping] Old eds. "wide GASPING."
<307> resolv'd] i.e. dissolved.
<308> Millions] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Million."
<309> Elysium] Old eds. "Elisian."
<310> Renowmed] See note ||, p. 11. So the 8vo.
--The 4to "Renowned."
<311> record] i.e. take to witness.
<312> no further time] i.e. no more distant time.
<313> the] So the 8vo.--The 4to "my."
<314> I not] So the 8vo.--The 4to "not I."
<315> Else] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Then."
<316> on] So the 4to.--Omitted in the 8vo.
<317> as beseems] So the 4to.--The 8vo "as BEST beseemes."
<318> We will our rites, &c.] Old eds. "We will our CELEBRATED
rites," &c.--"The word 'CELEBRATED' occurs in both the old
editions, but may well be dispensed with as regards both the
sense and measure." Ed. 1826. "I think this word got into the
text from either the author or printer, who was perhaps the
editor, doubting whether to use 'SOLEMNIZE' or 'CELEBRATE;'
and it slipt from the margin, where it was probably placed,
into the verse itself." J. M. in GENT. MAG. for Jan. 1841.
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