Tamburlaine the Great, Part 2
by
Christopher Marlowe

Part 2 out of 3



The scourge of God and terror of the world,
I must apply myself to fit those terms,
In war, in blood, in death, in cruelty,
And plague such peasants<204> as resist in<205> me
The power of Heaven's eternal majesty.--
Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane,<206>
Ransack the tents and the pavilions
Of these proud Turks, and take their concubines,
Making them bury this effeminate brat;
For not a common soldier shall defile
His manly fingers with so faint a boy:
Then bring those Turkish harlots to my tent,
And I'll dispose them as it likes me best.--
Meanwhile, take him in.

SOLDIERS. We will, my lord.
[Exeunt with the body of CALYPHAS.]

KING OF JERUSALEM. O damned monster! nay, a fiend of hell,
Whose cruelties are not so harsh as thine,
Nor yet impos'd with such a bitter hate!

ORCANES. Revenge it,<207> Rhadamanth and Aeacus,
And let your hates, extended in his pains,
Excel<208> the hate wherewith he pains our souls!

KING OF TREBIZON. May never day give virtue to his eyes,
Whose sight, compos'd of fury and of fire,
Doth send such stern affections to his heart!

KING OF SORIA. May never spirit, vein, or artier,<209> feed
The cursed substance of that cruel heart;
But, wanting moisture and remorseful<210> blood,
Dry up with anger, and consume with heat!

TAMBURLAINE. Well, bark, ye dogs: I'll bridle all your tongues,
And bind them close with bits of burnish'd steel,
Down to the channels of your hateful throats;
And, with the pains my rigour shall inflict,
I'll make ye roar, that earth may echo forth
The far-resounding torments ye sustain;
As when an herd of lusty Cimbrian bulls
Run mourning round about the females' miss,<211>
And, stung with fury of their following,
Fill all the air with troublous bellowing.
I will, with engines never exercis'd,
Conquer, sack, and utterly consume
Your cities and your golden palaces,
And, with the flames that beat against the clouds,
Incense the heavens, and make the stars to melt,
As if they were the tears of Mahomet
For hot consumption of his country's pride;
And, till by vision or by speech I hear
Immortal Jove say "Cease, my Tamburlaine,"
I will persist a terror to the world,
Making the meteors (that, like armed men,
Are seen to march upon the towers of heaven)
Run tilting round about the firmament,
And break their burning lances in the air,
For honour of my wondrous victories.--
Come, bring them in to our pavilion.
[Exeunt.]


SCENE II.

Enter OLYMPIA.

OLYMPIA. Distress'd Olympia, whose weeping eyes,
Since thy arrival here, behold<212> no sun,
But, clos'd within the compass of a<213> tent,
Have<214> stain'd thy cheeks, and made thee look like death,
Devise some means to rid thee of thy life,
Rather than yield to his detested suit,
Whose drift is only to dishonour thee;
And, since this earth, dew'd with thy brinish tears,
Affords no herbs whose taste may poison thee,
Nor yet this air, beat often with thy sighs,
Contagious smells and vapours to infect thee,
Nor thy close cave a sword to murder thee,
Let this invention be the instrument.

Enter THERIDAMAS.

THERIDAMAS. Well met, Olympia: I sought thee in my tent,
But, when I saw the place obscure and dark,
Which with thy beauty thou wast wont to light,
Enrag'd, I ran about the fields for thee,
Supposing amorous Jove had sent his son,
The winged Hermes, to convey thee hence;
But now I find thee, and that fear is past,
Tell me, Olympia, wilt thou grant my suit?

OLYMPIA. My lord and husband's death, with my sweet son's,
(With whom I buried all affections
Save grief and sorrow, which torment my heart,)
Forbids my mind to entertain a thought
That tends to love, but meditate on death,
A fitter subject for a pensive soul.

THERIDAMAS. Olympia, pity him in whom thy looks
Have greater operation and more force
Than Cynthia's in the watery wilderness;
For with thy view my joys are at the full,
And ebb again as thou depart'st from me.

OLYMPIA. Ah, pity me, my lord, and draw your sword,
Making a passage for my troubled soul,
Which beats against this prison to get out,
And meet my husband and my loving son!

THERIDAMAS. Nothing but still thy husband and thy son?
Leave this, my love, and listen more to me:
Thou shalt be stately queen of fair Argier;
And, cloth'd in costly cloth of massy gold,
Upon the marble turrets of my court
Sit like to Venus in her chair of state,
Commanding all thy princely eye desires;
And I will cast off arms to<215> sit with thee,
Spending my life in sweet discourse of love.

OLYMPIA. No such discourse is pleasant in<216> mine ears,
But that where every period ends with death,
And every line begins with death again:
I cannot love, to be an emperess.

THERIDAMAS. Nay, lady, then, if nothing will prevail,
I'll use some other means to make you yield:
Such is the sudden fury of my love,
I must and will be pleas'd, and you shall yield:
Come to the tent again.

OLYMPIA. Stay now, my lord; and, will you<217> save my honour,
I'll give your grace a present of such price
As all the world can not afford the like.

THERIDAMAS. What is it?

OLYMPIA. An ointment which a cunning alchymist
Distilled from the purest balsamum
And simplest extracts of all minerals,
In which the essential form of marble stone,
Temper'd by science metaphysical,
And spells of magic from the mouths<218> of spirits,
With which if you but 'noint your tender skin,
Nor pistol, sword, nor lance, can pierce your flesh.

THERIDAMAS. Why, madam, think you to mock me thus palpably?

OLYMPIA. To prove it, I will 'noint my naked throat,
Which when you stab, look on your weapon's point,
And you shall see't rebated<219> with the blow.

THERIDAMAS. Why gave you not your husband some of it,
If you lov'd him, and it so precious?

OLYMPIA. My purpose was, my lord, to spend it so,
But was prevented by his sudden end;
And for a present easy proof thereof,<220>
That I dissemble not, try it on me.

THERIDAMAS. I will, Olympia, and will<221> keep it for
The richest present of this eastern world.
[She anoints her throat.<222>]

OLYMPIA. Now stab, my lord, and mark your weapon's point,
That will be blunted if the blow be great.

THERIDAMAS. Here, then, Olympia.--
[Stabs her.]
What, have I slain her? Villain, stab thyself!
Cut off this arm that at murdered my<223> love,
In whom the learned Rabbis of this age
Might find as many wondrous miracles
As in the theoria of the world!
Now hell is fairer than Elysium;<224>
A greater lamp than that bright eye of heaven,
>From whence the stars do borrow<225> all their light,
Wanders about the black circumference;
And now the damned souls are free from pain,
For every Fury gazeth on her looks;
Infernal Dis is courting of my love,
Inventing masks and stately shows for her,
Opening the doors of his rich treasury
To entertain this queen of chastity;
Whose body shall be tomb'd with all the pomp
The treasure of my<226> kingdom may afford.
[Exit with the body.]


SCENE III.

Enter TAMBURLAINE, drawn in his chariot by the KINGS OF
TREBIZON and SORIA,<227> with bits in their mouths,
reins in his<228> left hand, and in his right hand a whip
with which he scourgeth them; AMYRAS, CELEBINUS, TECHELLES,
THERIDAMAS, USUMCASANE; ORCANES king of Natolia, and the
KING OF JERUSALEM, led by five<229> or six common SOLDIERS;
and other SOLDIERS.

TAMBURLAINE. Holla, ye pamper'd jades of Asia!<230>
What, can ye draw but twenty miles a-day,
And have so proud a chariot at your heels,
And such a coachman as great Tamburlaine,
But from Asphaltis, where I conquer'd you,
To Byron here, where thus I honour you?
The horse that guide the golden eye of heaven,
And blow the morning from their nostrils,<231>
Making their fiery gait above the clouds,
Are not so honour'd in<232> their governor
As you, ye slaves, in mighty Tamburlaine.
The headstrong jades of Thrace Alcides tam'd,
That King Aegeus fed with human flesh,
And made so wanton that they knew their strengths,
Were not subdu'd with valour more divine
Than you by this unconquer'd arm of mine.
To make you fierce, and fit my appetite,
You shall be fed with flesh as raw as blood,
And drink in pails the strongest muscadel:
If you can live with it, then live, and draw
My chariot swifter than the racking<233> clouds;
If not, then die like beasts, and fit for naught
But perches for the black and fatal ravens.
Thus am I right the scourge of highest Jove;
And see the figure of my dignity,
By which I hold my name and majesty!

AMYRAS. Let me have coach,<234> my lord, that I may ride,
And thus be drawn by<235> these two idle kings.

TAMBURLAINE. Thy youth forbids such ease, my kingly boy:
They shall to-morrow draw my chariot,
While these their fellow-kings may be refresh'd.

ORCANES. O thou that sway'st the region under earth,
And art a king as absolute as Jove,
Come as thou didst in fruitful Sicily,
Surveying all the glories of the land,
And as thou took'st the fair Proserpina,
Joying the fruit of Ceres' garden-plot,<236>
For love, for honour, and to make her queen,
So, for just hate, for shame, and to subdue
This proud contemner of thy dreadful power,
Come once in fury, and survey his pride,
Haling him headlong to the lowest hell!

THERIDAMAS. Your majesty must get some bits for these,
To bridle their contemptuous cursing tongues,
That, like unruly never-broken jades,
Break through the hedges of their hateful mouths,
And pass their fixed bounds exceedingly.

TECHELLES. Nay, we will break the hedges of their mouths,
And pull their kicking colts<237> out of their pastures.

USUMCASANE. Your majesty already hath devis'd
A mean, as fit as may be, to restrain
These coltish coach-horse tongues from blasphemy.

CELEBINUS. How like you that, sir king? why speak you not?

KING OF JERUSALEM. Ah, cruel brat, sprung from a tyrant's loins!
How like his cursed father he begins
To practice taunts and bitter tyrannies!

TAMBURLAINE. Ay, Turk, I tell thee, this same<238> boy is he
That must (advanc'd in higher pomp than this)
Rifle the kingdoms I shall leave unsack'd,
If Jove, esteeming me too good for earth,
Raise me, to match<239> the fair Aldeboran,
Above<240> the threefold astracism of heaven,
Before I conquer all the triple world.--
Now fetch me out the Turkish concubines:
I will prefer them for the funeral
They have bestow'd on my abortive son.
[The CONCUBINES are brought in.]
Where are my common soldiers now, that fought
So lion-like upon Asphaltis' plains?

SOLDIERS. Here, my lord.

TAMBURLAINE.
Hold ye, tall<241> soldiers, take ye queens a-piece,--
I mean such queens as were kings' concubines;
Take them; divide them, and their<242> jewels too,
And let them equally serve all your turns.

SOLDIERS. We thank your majesty.

TAMBURLAINE. Brawl not, I warn you, for your lechery;
For every man that so offends shall die.

ORCANES. Injurious tyrant, wilt thou so defame
The hateful fortunes of thy victory,
To exercise upon such guiltless dames
The violence of thy common soldiers' lust?

TAMBURLAINE.
Live continent,<243> then, ye slaves, and meet not me
With troops of harlots at your slothful heels.

CONCUBINES. O, pity us, my lord, and save our honours!

TAMBURLAINE. Are ye not gone, ye villains, with your spoils?
[The SOLDIERS run away with the CONCUBINES.]

KING OF JERUSALEM. O, merciless, infernal cruelty!

TAMBURLAINE. Save your honours! 'twere but time indeed,
Lost long before ye knew what honour meant.

THERIDAMAS. It seems they meant to conquer us, my lord,
And make us jesting pageants for their trulls.

TAMBURLAINE. And now themselves shall make our pageant,
And common soldiers jest<244> with all their trulls.
Let them take pleasure soundly in their spoils,
Till we prepare our march to Babylon,
Whither we next make expedition.

TECHELLES. Let us not be idle, then, my lord,
But presently be prest<245> to conquer it.

TAMBURLAINE. We will, Techelles.--Forward, then, ye jades!
Now crouch, ye kings of greatest Asia,
And tremble, when ye hear this scourge will come
That whips down cities and controlleth crowns,
Adding their wealth and treasure to my store.
The Euxine sea, north to Natolia;
The Terrene,<246> west; the Caspian, north northeast;
And on the south, Sinus Arabicus;
Shall all<247> be loaden with the martial spoils
We will convey with us to Persia.
Then shall my native city Samarcanda,
And crystal waves of fresh Jaertis'<248> stream,
The pride and beauty of her princely seat,
Be famous through the furthest<249> continents;
For there my palace royal shall be plac'd,
Whose shining turrets shall dismay the heavens,
And cast the fame of Ilion's tower to hell:
Thorough<250> the streets, with troops of conquer'd kings,
I'll ride in golden armour like the sun;
And in my helm a triple plume shall spring,
Spangled with diamonds, dancing in the air,
To note me emperor of the three-fold world;
Like to an almond-tree<251> y-mounted<252> high
Upon the lofty and celestial mount
Of ever-green Selinus,<253> quaintly deck'd
With blooms more white than Erycina's<254> brows,<255>
Whose tender blossoms tremble every one
At every little breath that thorough heaven<256> is blown.
Then in my coach, like Saturn's royal son
Mounted his shining chariot<257> gilt with fire,
And drawn with princely eagles through the path
Pav'd with bright crystal and enchas'd with stars,
When all the gods stand gazing at his pomp,
So will I ride through Samarcanda-streets,
Until my soul, dissever'd from this flesh,
Shall mount the milk-white way, and meet him there.
To Babylon, my lords, to Babylon!
[Exeunt.]



ACT V.


SCENE I.

Enter the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON, MAXIMUS, and others, upon
the walls.

GOVERNOR. What saith Maximus?

MAXIMUS. My lord, the breach the enemy hath made
Gives such assurance of our overthrow,
That little hope is left to save our lives,
Or hold our city from the conqueror's hands.
Then hang out<258> flags, my lord, of humble truce,
And satisfy the people's general prayers,
That Tamburlaine's intolerable wrath
May be suppress'd by our submission.

GOVERNOR. Villain, respect'st thou<259> more thy slavish life
Than honour of thy country or thy name?
Is not my life and state as dear to me,
The city and my native country's weal,
As any thing of<260> price with thy conceit?
Have we not hope, for all our batter'd walls,
To live secure and keep his forces out,
When this our famous lake of Limnasphaltis
Makes walls a-fresh with every thing that falls
Into the liquid substance of his stream,
More strong than are the gates of death or hell?
What faintness should dismay our courages,
When we are thus defenc'd against our foe,
And have no terror but his threatening looks?

Enter, above, a CITIZEN, who kneels to the GOVERNOR.

CITIZEN. My lord, if ever you did deed of ruth,
And now will work a refuge to our lives,
Offer submission, hang up flags of truce,
That Tamburlaine may pity our distress,
And use us like a loving conqueror.
Though this be held his last day's dreadful siege,
Wherein he spareth neither man nor child,
Yet are there Christians of Georgia here,
Whose state he<261> ever pitied and reliev'd,
Will get his pardon, if your grace would send.

GOVERNOR. How<262> is my soul environed!
And this eterniz'd<263> city Babylon
Fill'd with a pack of faint-heart fugitives
That thus entreat their shame and servitude!

Enter, above, a SECOND CITIZEN.

SECOND CITIZEN. My lord, if ever you will win our hearts,
Yield up the town, and<264> save our wives and children;
For I will cast myself from off these walls,
Or die some death of quickest violence,
Before I bide the wrath of Tamburlaine.

GOVERNOR. Villains, cowards, traitors to our state!
Fall to the earth, and pierce the pit of hell,
That legions of tormenting spirits may vex
Your slavish bosoms with continual pains!
I care not, nor the town will never yield
As long as any life is in my breast.

Enter THERIDAMAS and TECHELLES, with SOLDIERS.

THERIDAMAS. Thou desperate governor of Babylon,
To save thy life, and us a little labour,
Yield speedily the city to our hands,
Or else be sure thou shalt be forc'd with pains
More exquisite than ever traitor felt.

GOVERNOR. Tyrant, I turn the traitor in thy throat,
And will defend it in despite of thee.--
Call up the soldiers to defend these walls.

TECHELLES. Yield, foolish governor; we offer more
Than ever yet we did to such proud slaves
As durst resist us till our third day's siege.
Thou seest us prest<265> to give the last assault,
And that shall bide no more regard of parle.<266>

GOVERNOR. Assault and spare not; we will never yield.
[Alarms: and they scale the walls.]

Enter TAMBURLAINE, drawn in his chariot (as before) by the
KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA; AMYRAS, CELEBINUS, USUMCASANE;
ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, led by
SOLDIERS;<267> and others.

TAMBURLAINE. The stately buildings of fair Babylon,
Whose lofty pillars, higher than the clouds,
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<268> 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,<269> 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?

THERIDAMAS. The sturdy governor of Babylon,
That made us all the labour for the town,
And us'd such slender reckoning of<270> your majesty.

TAMBURLAINE. 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<271> were shut: villain, I say,
Should I but touch the rusty gates of hell,
The triple-headed Cerberus would howl,
And make<272> 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.

GOVERNOR. 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,
Nor yet thyself, the anger of the Highest;
For, though thy cannon shook the city-walls,<273>
My heart did never quake, or courage faint.

TAMBURLAINE. Well, now I'll make it quake.--Go draw him<274> up,
Hang him in<275> chains upon the city-walls,
And let my soldiers shoot the slave to death.

GOVERNOR. Vile monster, born of some infernal hag,
And sent from hell to tyrannize on earth,
Do all thy worst; nor death, nor Tamburlaine,
Torture, or pain, can daunt my dreadless mind.

TAMBURLAINE. Up with him, then! his body shall be scar'd.<276>

GOVERNOR. But, Tamburlaine, in Limnasphaltis' lake
There lies more gold than Babylon is worth,
Which, when the city was besieg'd, I hid:
Save but my life, and I will give it thee.

TAMBURLAINE.
Then, for all your valour, you would save your life?
Whereabout lies it?

GOVERNOR. Under a hollow bank, right opposite
Against the western gate of Babylon.

TAMBURLAINE. 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 or 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 or TREBIZON and SORIA]
So; now their best is done to honour me,
Take them and hang them both up presently.

KING OF TREBIZON.
Vile<277> tyrant! barbarous bloody Tamburlaine!

TAMBURLAINE. Take them away, Theridamas; see them despatch'd.

THERIDAMAS. I will, my lord.
[Exit with the KINGS or TREBIZON and SORIA.]

TAMBURLAINE. Come, Asian viceroys; to your tasks a while,
And take such fortune as your fellows felt.

ORCANES. 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.

KING OF JERUSALEM. Rather lend me thy weapon, Tamburlaine,
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.

AMYRAS.
They will talk still, my lord, if you do not bridle them.

TAMBURLAINE. 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.]

AMYRAS. See, now, my lord, how brave the captain hangs!

TAMBURLAINE. 'Tis brave indeed, my boy:--well done!--
Shoot first, my lord, and then the rest shall follow.

THERIDAMAS. Then have at him, to begin withal.
[THERIDAMAS shoots at the GOVERNOR.]

GOVERNOR. Yet save my life, and let this wound appease
The mortal fury of great Tamburlaine!

TAMBURLAINE. No, though Asphaltis' lake were liquid 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<278> 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,<279> that all Africa,
Which hath been subject to the Persian king,
Shall pay me tribute for in Babylon.

TECHELLES.
What shall be done with their wives and children, my lord?

TAMBURLAINE. Techelles, drown them all, man, woman, and child;
Leave not a Babylonian in the town.

TECHELLES. I will about it straight.--Come, soldiers.
[Exit with SOLDIERS.]

TAMBURLAINE. Now, Casane, where's the Turkish Alcoran,
And all the heaps of superstitious books
Found in the temples of that Mahomet
Whom I have thought a god? they shall be burnt.

USUMCASANE. Here they are, my lord.

TAMBURLAINE. Well said!<280> 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 I<281> 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:
Thou art not worthy to be worshipped
That suffer'st<282> flames of fire to burn the writ
Wherein the sum of thy religion rests:
Why send'st<283> thou not a furious whirlwind down,
To blow thy Alcoran up to thy throne,
Where men report thou sitt'st<284> by God himself?
Or vengeance on the head<285> of Tamburlaine
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.

Re-enter TECHELLES.

TECHELLES. 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<286> by human carcasses,
Amaz'd, swim up and down upon<287> the waves,
As when they swallow assafoetida,
Which makes them fleet<288> aloft and gape<289> for air.

TAMBURLAINE. 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?

THERIDAMAS. Ay, good my lord, let us in<290> haste to Persia;
And let this captain be remov'd the walls
To some high hill about the city here.

TAMBURLAINE. Let it be so;--about it, soldiers;--
But stay; I feel myself distemper'd suddenly.

TECHELLES. What is it dares distemper Tamburlaine?

TAMBURLAINE. Something, Techelles; but I know not what.--
But, forth, ye vassals!<291> whatsoe'er<292> it be,
Sickness or death can never conquer me.
[Exeunt.]


SCENE II.

Enter CALLAPINE, KING OF AMASIA, a CAPTAIN, and train,
with drums and trumpets.

CALLAPINE. King of Amasia, now our mighty host
Marcheth in Asia Major, where the streams
Of Euphrates<293> and Tigris swiftly run;
And here may we<294> behold great Babylon,
Circled about with Limnasphaltis' lake,
Where Tamburlaine with all his army lies,
Which being faint and weary with the siege,
We may lie ready to encounter him
Before his host be full from Babylon,
And so revenge our latest grievous loss,
If God or Mahomet send any aid.

KING OF AMASIA. Doubt not, my lord, but we shall conquer him:
The monster that hath drunk a sea of blood,
And yet gapes still for more to quench his thirst,
Our Turkish swords shall headlong send to hell;
And that vile carcass, drawn by warlike kings,
The fowls shall eat; for never sepulchre
Shall grace this<295> base-born tyrant Tamburlaine.

CALLAPINE. When I record<296> my parents' slavish life,
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<297> thy obedient servant Callapine,
And make him, after all these overthrows,
To triumph over cursed Tamburlaine!

KING OF AMASIA. Fear not, my lord: I see great Mahomet,
Clothed in purple clouds, and on his head
A chaplet brighter than Apollo's crown,
Marching about the air with armed men,
To join with you against this Tamburlaine.

CAPTAIN. Renowmed<298> 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.

CALLAPINE. 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
Of twenty several kingdoms at the least;
Nor ploughman, priest, nor merchant, stays at home;
All Turkey is in arms with Callapine;
And never will we sunder camps and arms
Before himself or his be conquered:
This is the time that must eternize me
For conquering the tyrant of the world.
Come, soldiers, let us lie in wait for him,
And, if we find him absent from his camp,
Or that it be rejoin'd again at full,
Assail it, and be sure of victory.
[Exeunt.]


SCENE III.

Enter THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, and USUMCASANE.

THERIDAMAS. 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<299> 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!

TECHELLES. 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!

USUMCASANE. 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,<300>
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!

Enter TAMBURLAINE,<301> drawn in his chariot (as before)
by ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM,
AMYRAS, CELEBINUS, and Physicians.

TAMBURLAINE. 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.

THERIDAMAS. Ah, good my lord, leave these impatient words,
Which add much danger to your malady!

TAMBURLAINE. 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.

TECHELLES.
Sit still, my gracious lord; this grief will cease,<302>
And cannot last, it is so violent.

TAMBURLAINE. 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 PHYSICIAN. Pleaseth your majesty to drink this potion,
Which will abate the fury of your fit,
And cause some milder spirits govern you.

TAMBURLAINE. Tell me what think you of my sickness now?

FIRST PHYSICIAN. I view'd your urine, and the hypostasis,<303>
Thick and obscure, doth make your danger great:
Your veins are full of accidental heat,
Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried:
The humidum and calor, which some hold
Is not a parcel of the elements,
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 artiers,<304> 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.

TAMBURLAINE. Then will I comfort all my vital parts,
And live, in spite of death, above a day.
[Alarms within.]

Enter a Messenger.

MESSENGER. 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<305> us
presently.

TAMBURLAINE. 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.

USUMCASANE. I joy, my lord, your highness is so strong,
That can endure so well your royal presence,
Which only will dismay the enemy.

TAMBURLAINE. 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.]

TAMBURLAINE. Thus are the villain cowards<306> fled for fear,
Like summer's vapours vanish'd by the sun;
And, could I but a while pursue the field,
That Callapine should be my slave again.
But I perceive my martial strength is spent:
In vain I strive and rail against those powers
That mean t' invest me in a higher throne,
As much too high for this disdainful earth.
Give me a map; then let me see how much
Is left for me to conquer all the world,
That these, my boys, may finish all my wants.
[One brings a map.]
Here I began to march towards Persia,
Along Armenia and the Caspian Sea,
And thence unto<307> 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,
Whereas<308> the Terrene<309> 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 Aethiopian 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 Graecia, and from thence
To Asia, where I stay against my will;
Which is from Scythia, where I first began,<310>
Backward[s] and forwards near five thousand 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<311> 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 unconquered?
Here, lovely boys; what death forbids my life,
That let your lives command in spite of death.

AMYRAS. Alas, my lord, how should our bleeding hearts,
Wounded and broken with your highness' grief,
Retain a thought of joy or spark of life?
Your soul gives essence to our wretched subjects,<312>
Whose matter is incorporate in your flesh.

CELEBINUS. Your pains do pierce our souls; no hope survives,
For by your life we entertain our lives.

TAMBURLAINE. But, sons, this subject, not of force enough
To hold the fiery spirit it contains,
Must part, imparting his impressions
By equal portions into<313> both your breasts;
My flesh, divided in your precious shapes,
Shall still retain my spirit, though I die,
And live in all your seeds<314> immortally.--
Then now remove me, that I may resign
My place and proper title to my son.--
First, take my scourge and my imperial crown,
And mount my royal chariot of estate,
That I may see thee crown'd before I die.--
Help me, my lords, to make my last remove.
[They assist TAMBURLAINE to descend from the chariot.]

THERIDAMAS. A woful change, my lord, that daunts our thoughts
More than the ruin of our proper souls!

TAMBURLAINE. Sit up, my son, [and] let me see how well
Thou wilt become thy father's majesty.

AMYRAS. With what a flinty bosom should I joy
The breath of life and burden of my soul,
If not resolv'd into resolved pains,
My body's mortified lineaments<315>
Should exercise the motions of my heart,
Pierc'd with the joy of any dignity!
O father, if the unrelenting ears
Of Death and Hell be shut against my prayers,
And that the spiteful influence of Heaven
Deny my soul fruition of her joy,
How should I step, or stir my hateful feet
Against the inward powers of my heart,
Leading a life that only strives to die,
And plead in vain unpleasing sovereignty!

TAMBURLAINE. Let not thy love exceed thine honour, son,
Nor bar thy mind that magnanimity
That nobly must admit necessity.
Sit up, my boy, and with these<316> silken reins
Bridle the steeled stomachs of these<317> jades.

THERIDAMAS. My lord, you must obey his majesty,
Since fate commands and proud necessity.

AMYRAS. Heavens witness me with what a broken heart
[Mounting the chariot.]
And damned<318> spirit I ascend this seat,
And send my soul, before my father die,
His anguish and his burning agony!
[They crown AMYRAS.]

TAMBURLAINE. Now fetch the hearse of fair Zenocrate;
Let it be plac'd by this my fatal chair,
And serve as parcel of my funeral.

USUMCASANE. Then feels your majesty no sovereign ease,
Nor may our hearts, all drown'd in tears of blood,
Joy any hope of your recovery?

TAMBURLAINE. Casane, no; the monarch of the earth,
And eyeless monster that torments my soul,
Cannot behold the tears ye shed for me,
And therefore still augments his cruelty.

TECHELLES. Then let some god oppose his holy power
Against the wrath and tyranny of Death,
That his tear-thirsty and unquenched hate
May be upon himself reverberate!
[They bring in the hearse of ZENOCRATE.]

TAMBURLAINE. Now, eyes, enjoy your latest benefit,
And, when my soul hath virtue of your sight,
Pierce through the coffin and the sheet of gold,
And glut your longings with a heaven of joy.
So, reign, my son; scourge and control those slaves,
Guiding thy chariot with thy father's hand.
As precious is the charge thou undertak'st
As that which Clymene's<319> brain-sick son did guide,
When wandering Phoebe's<320> ivory cheeks were scorch'd,
And all the earth, like Aetna, breathing fire:
Be warn'd by him, then; learn with awful eye
To sway a throne as dangerous as his;
For, if thy body thrive not full of thoughts
As pure and fiery as Phyteus'<321> beams,
The nature of these proud rebelling jades
Will take occasion by the slenderest hair,
And draw thee<322> piecemeal, like Hippolytus,
Through rocks more steep and sharp than Caspian cliffs:<323>
The nature of thy chariot will not bear
A guide of baser temper than myself,
More than heaven's coach the pride of Phaeton.
Farewell, my boys! my dearest friends, farewell!
My body feels, my soul doth weep to see
Your sweet desires depriv'd my company,
For Tamburlaine, the scourge of God, must die.
[Dies.]

AMYRAS. Meet heaven and earth, and here let all things end,
For earth hath spent the pride of all her fruit,
And heaven consum'd his choicest living fire!
Let earth and heaven his timeless death deplore,
For both their worths will equal him no more!
[Exeunt.]


<>

< Tamburlaine the Great. Who, from a Scythian Shephearde
by his rare and woonderfull Conquests, became a most
puissant and mightye Monarque. And (for his tyranny,
and terrour in Warre) was tearmed, The Scourge of God.
Deuided into two Tragicall Discourses, as they were
sundrie times shewed vpon Stages in the Citie of London.
By the right honorable the Lord Admyrall, his seruauntes.
Now first, and newlie published. London. Printed by
Richard Ihones: at the signe of the Rose and Crowne
neere Holborne Bridge. 1590. 4to.

The above title-page is pasted into a copy of the FIRST PART OF
TAMBURLAINE in the Library at Bridge-water House; which copy,
excepting that title-page and the Address to the Readers, is the
impression of 1605. I once supposed that the title-pages which
bear the dates 1605 and 1606 (see below) had been added to the
4tos of the TWO PARTS of the play originally printed in 1590;
but I am now convinced that both PARTS were really reprinted,
THE FIRST PART in 1605, and THE SECOND PART in 1606, and that
nothing remains of the earlier 4tos, except the title-page and
the Address to the Readers, which are preserved in the Bridge-
water collection.

In the Bodleian Library, Oxford, is an 8vo edition of both PARTS
OF TAMBURLAINE, dated 1590: the title-page of THE FIRST PART
agrees verbatim with that given above; the half-title-page of
THE SECOND PART is as follows;

The Second Part of The bloody Conquests of mighty
Tamburlaine. With his impassionate fury, for the death
of his Lady and loue faire Zenocrate; his fourme of
exhortacion and discipline to his three sons, and the
maner of his own death.

In the Garrick Collection, British Museum, is an 8vo edition of
both PARTS dated 1592: the title-page of THE FIRST PART runs thus;

Tamburlaine the Great. Who, from a Scythian Shepheard,
by his rare and wonderfull Conquestes, became a most
puissant and mightie Mornarch [sic]: And (for his
tyrannie, and terrour in warre) was tearmed, The Scourge
of God. The first part of the two Tragicall discourses,
as they were sundrie times most stately shewed vpon
Stages in the Citie of London. By the right honorable
the Lord Admirall, his seruauntes. Now newly published.
Printed by Richard Iones, dwelling at the signe of the
Rose and Crowne neere Holborne Bridge.

The half-title-page of THE SECOND PART agrees exactly with that
already given. Perhaps the 8vo at Oxford and that in the British
Museum (for I have not had an opportunity of comparing them) are
the same impression, differing only in the title-pages.

Langbaine (ACCOUNT OF ENGL. DRAM. POETS, p. 344) mentions an 8vo
dated 1593.

The title-pages of the latest impressions of THE TWO PARTS are
as follows;

Tamburlaine the Greate. Who, from the state of a
Shepheard in Scythia, by his rare and wonderfull
Conquests, became a most puissant and mighty Monarque.
London Printed for Edward White, and are to be solde
at the little North doore of Saint Paules-Church, at
the signe of the Gunne, 1605. 4to.

Tamburlaine the Greate. With his impassionate furie,
for the death of his Lady and Loue fair Zenocrate: his
forme of exhortation and discipline to his three Sonnes,
and the manner of his owne death. The second part.
London Printed by E. A. for Ed. White, and are to be
solde at his Shop neere the little North doore of Saint
Paules Church at the Signe of the Gun. 1606. 4to.

The text of the present edition is given from the 8vo of 1592,
collated with the 4tos of 1605-6.>

<1> the] So the 4to.--The 8vo "our."

<2> triumphs] So the 8vo.--The 4to "triumph."

<3> sad] Old eds. "said."

<4> Uribassa] In this scene, but only here, the old eds. have
"Upibassa."

<5> Almains, Rutters] RUTTERS are properly--German troopers,
(REITER, REUTER). In the third speech after the present one
this line is repeated VERBATIM: but in the first scene of
our author's FAUSTUS we have,--

"Like ALMAIN RUTTERS with their horsemen's staves."

<6> ORCANES.] Omitted in the old eds.

<7> hugy] i.e. huge.

<8> cut the] So the 8vo.--The 4to "out of."

<9> champion] i.e. champaign.

<10> Terrene] i.e. Mediterranean (but the Danube falls into the
Black Sea.)

<11> Cairo] Old eds. "Cairon:" but they are not consistent in
the spelling of this name; afterwards (p. 45, sec. col.) note 29.> they have "Cario."

<12> Fear] i.e. frighten.

<13> Sorians] So the 4to.--Here the 8vo has "Syrians"; but
elsewhere in this SEC. PART of the play it agrees with the 4to
in having "Sorians," and "Soria" (which occurs repeatedly,--the
King of SORIA being one of the characters).--Compare Jonson's
FOX, act iv. sc. 1;

"whether a ship,
Newly arriv'd from SORIA, or from
Any suspected part of all the Levant,
Be guilty of the plague," &c.

On which passage Whalley remarks; "The city Tyre, from whence
the whole country had its name, was anciently called ZUR or ZOR;
since the Arabs erected their empire in the East, it has been
again called SOR, and is at this day known by no other name in
those parts. Hence the Italians formed their SORIA."

<14> black] So the 8vo.--The 4to "AND black."

<15> Egyptians,
Illyrians, Thracians, and Bithynians]
So the 8vo (except that by a misprint it gives "Illicians").--
The 4to has,--

"Egyptians,

FREDERICK. And we from Europe to the same intent
Illirians, Thracians, and Bithynians";

a line which belongs to a later part of the scene (see next
col.) being unaccountably inserted here.

<16> plage] i.e. region. So the 8vo.--The 4to "Place."

<17> viceroy] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Vice-royes."

<18> Boheme] i.e. Bohemia.

<19> Bagdet's] So the 8vo in act v. sc. 1. Here it has
"Badgeths": the 4to "Baieths."

<20> parle] So the 8vo.--Here the 4to "parley," but before,
repeatedly, "parle."

<21> FREDERICK. And we from Europe, to the same intent]
So the 8vo.--The 4to, which gives this line in an earlier part
of the scene (see note §, preceding col.),
omits it here.

<22> stand] So the 8vo.--The 4to "are."

<23> prest] i.e. ready.

<24> or] So the 8vo.--The 4to "and."

<25> conditions] So the 4to.--The 8vo "condition."

<26> Confirm'd] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Confirme."

<27> by] So the 8vo.--The 4to "with."

<28> renowmed] See note ||, p. 11. (Here the old eds. agree.)

Great):

"renowmed] i.e. renowned.--So the 8vo.--The 4to
"renowned."--The form "RENOWMED" (Fr. renomme) occurs
repeatedly afterwards in this play, according to the 8vo.
It is occasionally found in writers posterior to Marlowe's
time. e.g.

"Of Constantines great towne RENOUM'D in vaine."
Verses to King James, prefixed to Lord Stirling's
MONARCHICKE TRAGEDIES, ed. 1607.>

<29> Cairo] Old eds. "Cario." See note ¶, p. 43. 11.>

<30> stream] Old eds. "streames."

<31> at] So the 4to.--The 8vo "an."

<32> Terrene] i.e. Mediterranean.

<33> Where] Altered by the modern editors to "Whence,"--an
alteration made by one of them also in a speech at p. 48, sec.
col., which may be compared with the present
one,--

"Therefore I took my course to Manico,
WHERE, unresisted, I remov'd my camp;
And, by the coast," &c.

<34> from] So the 4to.--The 8vo "to."

<35> need] i.e. must.

<36> let] i.e. hinder.

<37> tainted] i.e. touched, struck lightly; see Richardson's
DICT. in v.

<38> shall] So the 8vo.--The 4to "should."

<39> of] So the 8vo.--The 4to "to."

<40> to] So the 8vo.--The 4to "of."

<41> sprung] So the 8vo.--The 4to "sprong".--See note ?,
d. 14.

Great):

"Sprung] Here, and in the next speech, both the old eds.
"SPRONG": but in p. 18, l. 3, first col., the 4to has
"SPRUNG", and in the SEC. PART of the play, act iv. sc. 4,
they both give "SPRUNG from a tyrants loynes.">

Tamburlaine the Great,
"For he was never sprung of human race,">

<42> superficies] Old eds. "superfluities."--(In act iii. sc. 4,
we have,

"the concave SUPERFICIES
Of Jove's vast palace.")

<43> through] So the 4to.--The 8vo "thorow."

<44> carcasses] So the 8vo.--The 4to "carkasse."

<45> we] So the 8vo.--The 4to "yon (you)."

<46> channel] i.e. collar, neck,--collar-bone.

<47> Morocco] The old eds. here, and in the next speech,
"Morocus"; but see note ?, p. 22.

Great):

"Morocco] Here the old eds. "Moroccus,"--a barbarism which
I have not retained, because previously, in the stage-
direction at the commencement of this act, p. 19, they
agree in reading "Morocco.">

<48> war] So the 8vo.--The 4to "warres."

<49> if infernal] So the 8vo.--The 4to "if THE infernall."

<50> thee] Old eds. "them."

<51> these] So the 4to.--The 8vo "this."

<52> strong] A mistake,--occasioned by the word "strong"
in the next line.

<53> Bootes'] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Boetes."

<54> leaguer] i.e. camp.

<55> Jubalter] Here the old eds. have "Gibralter"; but in the
First Part of this play they have "JUBALTER": see p. 25,
first col.

Great):

"And thence unto the Straits of Jubalter;">

<56> The mighty Christian Priest,
Call'd John the Great] Concerning the fabulous personage,
PRESTER JOHN, see Nares's GLOSS. in v.

<57> Where] See note ¶, p. 45.

<58> Byather] The editor of 1826 printed "Biafar": but it is
very doubtful if Marlowe wrote the names of places correctly.

<59> Damascus] Here the old eds. "Damasco." See note *, p. 31.

Great):

"Damascus] Both the old eds. here "Damasco:" but in many
other places they agree in reading "Damascus.">

<60> And made, &c.] A word dropt out from this line.

<61> him] i.e. the king of Natolia.

<62> orient] Old eds. "orientall" and "oriental."--Both in our
author's FAUSTUS and in his JEW OF MALTA we have "ORIENT pearl."

<63> Soria] See note ?, p. 44.

<64> thereof] So the 8vo.--The 4to "heereof."

<65> that we vow] i.e. that which we vow. So the 8vo.--The 4to
"WHAT we vow." Neither of the modern editors understanding the
passage, they printed "WE THAT vow."

<66> faiths] So the 8vo.--The 4to "fame."

<67> and religion] Old eds. "and THEIR religion."

<68> consummate] Old eds. "consinuate." The modern editors
print "continuate," a word which occurs in Shakespeare's
TIMON OF ATHENS, act i. sc. 1., but which the metre determines
to be inadmissible in the present passage.--The Revd. J. Mitford
proposes "continent," in the sense of--restraining from
violence.

<69> this] So the 8vo.--The 4to "the."

<70> martial] So the 4to.--The 8vo "materiall."

<71> our] So the 4to.--The 8vo "your."

<72> With] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Which."

<73> thy servant's] He means Sigismund. So a few lines after,
"this traitor's perjury."

<74> discomfit] Old eds. "discomfort." (Compare the first line
of the next scene.)

<75> lords] So the 8vo.--The 4to "lord."

<76> Christian] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Christians."

<77> Zoacum] "Or ZAKKUM.--The description of this tree is taken
from a fable in the Koran, chap. 37." Ed. 1826.

<78> an] So the 8vo.--The 4to "any."

<79> We will both watch and ward shall keep his trunk]
i.e. We will that both watch, &c. So the 4to.--The 8vo has
"AND keepe."

<80> Uribassa, give] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Vribassa, AND giue."

<81> Soria] See note ?, p. 44.

<82> their] So the 4to.--Not in the 8vo.

<83> brows] Old eds. "bowers."

<84> this] So the 8vo.--The 4to "the."

<85> no] So the 4to.--The 8vo "not."

<86> and] So the 4to.--The 8vo "a."

<87> makes] So the 4to.--The 8vo "make."

<88> author] So the 4to.--The 8vo "anchor."

<89> yes] Old eds. "yet."

<90> excellence] So the 4to.--The 8vo "excellency."

<91> cavalieros] i.e. mounds, or elevations of earth, to
lodge cannon.

<92> prevails] i.e. avails.

<93> Mausolus'] Wrong quantity.

<94> one] So the 8vo ("on").--The 4to "our."

<95> stature] See note §, p. 27.--So the 8vo.--The 4to "statue."
Here the metre would be assisted by reading "statua," which is
frequently found in our early writers: see my REMARKS ON
MR. COLLIER'S AND MR. KNIGHT'S EDITIONS OF SHAKESPEARE, p. 186.

Great):

"stature] So the 8vo.--The 4to "statue:" but again, in the
SECOND PART of this play, act ii. sc. 4, we have, according
to the 8vo--

"And here will I set up her STATURE."

and, among many passages that might be cited from our
early authors, compare the following;

"The STATURES huge, of Porphyrie and costlier matters
made."
Warner's ALBIONS ENGLAND, p. 303. ed. 1596.

"By them shal Isis STATURE gently stand."
Chapman's BLIND BEGGER OF ALEXANDRIA, 1598, sig. A 3.

"Was not Anubis with his long nose of gold preferred
before Neptune, whose STATURE was but brasse?"
Lyly's MIDAS, sig. A 2. ed. 1592.">

<96> Soria] See note ?, p. 44.

<97> fate] So the 8vo.--The 4to "fates."

<98> his] Old eds. "our."

<99> all] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.

<100> honours] So the 8vo.--The 4to "honour."

<101> in conquest] So the 4to.--The 8vo "in THE conquest."

<102> Judaea] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Juda."

<103> Sclavonia's] Old eds. "Scalonians" and "Sclauonians."

<104> Soria] See note ?, p. 44.

<105> Damascus] Here the old eds. "Damasco." See note *,
p. 31.

Great):

"Damascus] Both the old eds. here "Damasco:" but in many
other places they agree in reading "Damascus."">

<106> That's no matter, &c.] So previously (p. 46, first col.)
Almeda speaks in prose, "I like that well," &c.


"ALMEDA. I like that well: but, tell me, my lord,
if I should let you go, would you be as good as
your word? shall I be made a king for my labour?">


<107> dearth] Old eds. "death."

<108> th'] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.

<109> Those] Old eds. "Whose."

<110> sorrows] So the 8vo.--The 4to "sorrow."

<111> thirst] So the 4to.--The 8vo "colde."

<112> champion] i.e. champaign.

<113> which] Old eds. "with."

<114> Whereas] i.e. Where.

<115> the] So the 8vo.--The 4to "and."

<116> cavalieros] See note ?, p. 52.

<117> argins] "Argine, Ital. An embankment, a rampart.<">
Ed., 1826.

<118> great] So the 8vo.--The 4to "greatst."

<119> the] Old eds. "their."

<120> by nature] So the 8vo.--The 4to "by THE nature."

<121> a] So the 4to.--The 8vo "the."

<122> A ring of pikes, mingled with shot and horse] Qy. "foot"
instead of "shot"? (but the "ring of pikes" is "foot").--The
Revd. J. Mitford proposes to read, "A ring of pikes AND HORSE,
MANGLED with shot."

<123> his] So the 8vo--The 4to "this."

<124> march'd] So the 4to.--The 8vo "martch."

<125> drop] So the 8vo.--The 4to "dram."

<126> lance] So the 4to.--Here the 8vo "lanch": but afterwards
more than once it has "lance."

<127> I know not, &c.] This and the next four speeches are
evidently prose, as are several other portions of the play.

<128> 'Tis] So the 4to.--The 8vo "This."

<129> accursed] So the 4to.--The 8vo "cursed."

<130> his] So the 4to.--The 8vo "the."

<131> point] So the 8vo.--The 4to "port."

<132> Soria] See note ?, p. 44.

<133> Minions, falc'nets, and sakers] "All small pieces of
ordnance." Ed. 1826.

<134> hold] Old eds. "gold" and "golde."

<135> quietly] So the 8vo.--The 4to "quickely."

<136> friends] So the 4to.--The 8vo "friend."

<137> you] So the 4to.--The 8vo "thou."

<138> pioners] See note ||, p. 20.

Great):

"pioners] The usual spelling of the word in our early
writers (in Shakespeare, for instance).">

<139> in] So the 8vo.--The 4to "to."

<140> argins] See note ?, p. 55. i.e. note 117.>

<141> quietly] So the 8vo.--The 4to "quickely."

<142> Were you, that are the friends of Tamburlaine] So the 8vo.
--The 4to "Were ALL you that are friends of Tamburlaine."

<143> of] So the 8vo.--The 4to "to."

<144> all convoys that can] i.e. (I believe) all convoys
(conveyances) that can be cut off. The modern editors alter
"can" to "come."

<145> I am] So the 8vo.--The 4to "am I."

<146> into] So the 8vo.--The 4to "vnto."

<147> hold] So the 4to.--The 8vo "holdS."

<148> straineth] So the 4to.--The 8vo "staineth."

<149> home] So the 8vo.--The 4to "haue."

<150> wert] So the 8vo.--The 4to "art."

<151> join'd] So the 4to.--The 8vo "inioin'd."

<152> of] So the 8vo.--The 4to "in."

<153> the] Added perhaps by a mistake of the transcriber
or printer.

<154> and] So the 8vo.--The 4to "the."

<155> Renowmed] See note ||, p. 11. So the 8vo.--The 4to
"Renowned."

Great).

"renowmed] i.e. renowned.--So the 8vo.--The 4to "renowned."
--The form "RENOWMED" (Fr. renomme) occurs repeatedly
afterwards in this play, according to the 8vo. It is
occasionally found in writers posterior to Marlowe's time.
e.g.

"Of Constantines great towne RENOUM'D in vaine."
Verses to King James, prefixed to Lord Stirling's
MONARCHICKE TRAGEDIES, ed. 1607.">

<156> emperor, mighty] So the 8vo.--The 4to "emperour,
AND mightie."

<157> the] So the 4to.--The 8vo "this."

<158> your] So the 8vo.--The 4to "our."

<159> term'd] Old eds. "terme."

<160> the] So the 4to.--Omitted in the 8vo.

<161> your] So the 8vo.--The 4to "our."

<162> brandishing their] So the 4to.--The 8vo "brandishing
IN their."

<163> with] So the 4to.--Omitted in the 8vo.

<164> shew'd your] So the 8vo.--The 4to "shewed TO your."

<165> Sorians] See note ?, p. 44.

<166> repair'd] So the 8vo.--The 4to "prepar'd."

<167> And neighbour cities of your highness' land] So the 8vo.--
Omitted in the 4to.

<168> he] i.e. Death. So the 8vo.--The 4to "it."

<169> is] So the 8vo.--The 4to "the."

<170> harness'd] So the 8vo.--The 4to "harnesse."

<171> on] So the 4to.--The 8vo "with" (the compositor having
caught the word from the preceding line).

<172> thou shalt] So the 8vo.--The 4to "shalt thou."

<173> the] So the 8vo.--The 4to "our."

<174> and rent] So the 8vo.--The 4to "or rend."

<175> Go to, sirrah] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Goe sirrha."

<176> give arms] An heraldic expression, meaning--shew armorial
bearings (used, of course, with a quibble).

<177> No] So the 4to.--The 8vo "Go."

<178> bugs] i.e. bugbears, objects to strike you with terror.

<179> rout] i.e. crew, rabble.

<180> as the foolish king of Persia did] See p. 16, first col.

Great, ACT II, Scene IV):

" SCENE IV.

Enter MYCETES with his crown in his hand.

MYCETES. Accurs'd be he that first invented war!
They knew not, ah, they knew not, simple men,
How those were hit by pelting cannon-shot
Stand staggering like a quivering aspen-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 not I be known; or if I be,
They cannot take away my crown from me.
Here will I hide it in this simple hole.

Enter TAMBURLAINE.

TAMBURLAINE.
What, fearful coward, straggling from the camp,
When kings themselves are present in the field?">

<181> aspect] So the 8vo.--The 4to "aspects."

<182> sits asleep] At the back of the stage, which was supposed
to represent the interior of the tent.

<183> You cannot] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Can you not."

<184> scare] So the 8vo.--The 4to "scarce."

<185> tall] i.e. bold, brave.

<186> both you] So the 8vo.--The 4to "you both."

<187> should I] So the 8vo.--The 4to "I should."

<188> ye] So the 8vo.--The 4to "my."

<189> stoop your pride] i.e. make your pride to stoop.

<190> bodies] So the 8vo.--The 4to "glories."

<191> mine] So the 4to.--The 8vo "my."

<192> may] So the 4to.--The 8vo "nay."

<193> up] The modern editors alter this word to "by," not
understanding the passage. Tamburlaine means--Do not KNEEL
to me for his pardon.

<194> once] So the 4to.--The 8vo "one."

<195> martial] So the 8vo.--The 4to "materiall." (In this
line "fire" is a dissyllable")

<196> thine] So the 8vo.--The 4to "thy."

<197> which] Old eds. "with."

<198> Jaertis'] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Laertis." By "Jaertis'"
must be meant--Jaxartes'.

<199> incorporeal] So the 8vo.--The 4to "incorporall."

<200> for being seen] i.e. "that thou mayest not be seen."
Ed. 1826. See Richardson's DICT. in v. FOR.

<201> you shall] So the 8vo.--The 4to "shall ye."

<202> Approve] i.e. prove, experience.

<203> bloods] So the 4to.--The 8vo "blood."

<204> peasants] So the 8vo.--The 4to "parsants."

<205> resist in] Old eds "resisting."

<206> Casane] So the 4to.--The 8vo "VSUM Casane."

<207> it] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.

<208> Excel] Old eds. "Expell" and "Expel."


<209> artier] See note *, p. 18.

Great):

"Artier] i.e. artery. 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.

"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.">

<210> remorseful] i.e. compassionate.

<211> miss] i.e. loss, want. The construction is--Run round
about, mourning the miss of the females.

<212> behold] Qy "beheld"?

<213> a] So the 4to.--The 8vo "the."

<214> Have] Old eds. "Hath."

<215> to] So the 8vo.--The 4to "and."

<216> in] So the 8vo.--The 4to "to."

<217> now, my lord; and, will you] So the 8vo.--The 4to
"GOOD my Lord, IF YOU WILL."

<218> mouths] So the 4to.--The 8vo "mother."

<219> rebated] i.e. blunted.

<220> thereof] So the 8vo.--The 4to "heereof."

<221> and will] So the 4to.--The 8vo "and I wil."

<222> She anoints her throat] This incident, as Mr. Collier
observes (HIST. OF ENG. DRAM. POET., iii. 119) is borrowed
from Ariosto's ORLANDO FURIOSO, B. xxix, "where Isabella,
to save herself from the lawless passion of Rodomont, anoints
her neck with a decoction of herbs, which she pretends will
render it invulnerable: she then presents her throat to the
Pagan, who, believing her assertion, aims a blow and strikes
off her head."

<223> my] Altered by the modern editors to "thy,"--unnecessarily.

<224> Elysium] Old eds. "Elisian" and "Elizian."

<225> do borrow] So the 4to.--The 8vo "borow doo."

<226> my] So the 4to (Theridamas is King of Argier).--The 8vo
"thy."

<227> Soria] See note ?, p. 44.

<228> his] So the 4to.--The 8vo "their."

<229> led by five] So the 4to.--The 8vo "led by WITH fiue."

<230> Holla, ye pamper'd jades of Asia, &c.] The ridicule
showered on this passage by a long series of poets, will
be found noticed in the ACCOUNT OF MARLOWE AND HIS WRITINGS.

introduction to this book of "The Works of Christopher
Marlowe." That is, the book from which this play has been
transcribed. The following is a footnote from page xvii
of that introduction.>

<"Tamb. Holla, ye pamper'd jades of Asia!" &c.
p. 64, sec. col.

This has been quoted or alluded to, generally with ridicule,
by a whole host of writers. Pistol's "hollow pamper'd jades
of Asia" in Shakespeare's HENRY IV. P. II. Act ii. sc. 4,
is known to most readers: see also Beaumont and Fletcher's
COXCOMB, act ii. sc. 2; Fletcher's WOMEN PLEASED, act iv.
sc. 1; Chapman's, Jonson's, and Marston's EASTWARD HO,
act ii. sig. B 3, ed. 1605; Brathwait's STRAPPADO FOR THE
DIUELL, 1615, p. 159; Taylor the water-poet's THIEFE and
his WORLD RUNNES ON WHEELES,--WORKES, pp. 111 [121], 239,
ed. 1630; A BROWN DOZEN OF DRUNKARDS, &c. 1648, sig. A 3;
the Duke of Newcastle's VARIETIE, A COMEDY, 1649, p. 72;
--but I cannot afford room for more references.--In 1566
a similar spectacle had been exhibited at Gray's Inn:
there the Dumb Show before the first act of Gascoigne and
Kinwelmersh's JOCASTA introduced "a king with an imperiall
crowne vpon hys head," &c. "sitting in a chariote very
richly furnished, drawen in by iiii kings in their dublets
and hosen, with crownes also vpon theyr heads, representing
vnto vs ambition by the historie of Sesostres," &c.

<231> And blow the morning from their nostrils] Here "nostrils"
is to be read as a trisyllable,--and indeed is spelt in the 4to
"nosterils."--Mr. Collier (HIST. OF ENG. DRAM. POET., iii. 124)
remarks that this has been borrowed from Marlowe by the anonymous
author of the tragedy of CAESAR AND POMPEY, 1607 (and he might
have compared also Chapman's HYMNUS IN CYNTHIAM,--THE SHADOW
OF NIGHT, &c. 1594, sig. D 3): but, after all, it is only
a translation;

"cum primum alto se gurgite tollunt
Solis equi, LUCEMQUE ELATIS NARIBUS EFFLANT."
AEN. xii. 114

(Virgil being indebted to Ennius and Lucilius).

<232> in] So the 8vo.--The 4to "as."

<233> racking] i.e. moving like smoke or vapour: see
Richardson's DICT. in v.

<234> have coach] So the 8vo.--The 4to "haue A coach."

<235> by] So the 4to.--The 8vo "with."

<236> garden-plot] So the 4to.--The 8vo "GARDED plot."

<237> colts] i.e. (with a quibble) colts'-teeth.

<238> same] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.

<239> match] So the 8vo.--The 4to "march."

<240> Above] So the 8vo.--The 4to "About."

<241> tall] i.e. bold, brave.

<242> their] So the 4to.--Omitted in the 8vo.

<243> continent] Old eds. "content."

<244> jest] A quibble--which will be understood by those
readers who recollect the double sense of JAPE (jest) in our
earliest writers.

<245> prest] i.e. ready.

<246> Terrene] i.e. Mediterranean.

<247> all] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.

<248> Jaertis'] See note **, p. 62. So the
8vo.--The 4to "Laertes."

<249> furthest] So the 4to.--The 8vo "furthiest."

<250> Thorough] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Through."

<251> Like to an almond-tree, &c.] This simile in borrowed
from Spenser's FAERIE QUEENE, B. i. C. vii. st. 32;

"Upon the top of all his loftie crest,
A bounch of heares discolourd diversly,
With sprincled pearle and gold full richly drest,
Did shake, and seemd to daunce for iollity;
Like to an almond tree ymounted hye
On top of greene Selinis all alone,
With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;
Whose tender locks do tremble every one
At everie little breath that under heaven is blowne."

The first three books of THE FAERIE QUEENE were originally
printed in 1590, the year in which the present play was first
given to the press: but Spenser's poem, according to the
fashion of the times, had doubtless been circulated in
manuscript, and had obtained many readers, before its
publication. In Abraham Fraunce's ARCADIAN RHETORIKE, 1588,
some lines of the Second Book of THE FAERIE QUEENE are
accurately cited. And see my Acc. of Peele and his Writings,
p. xxxiv, WORKS, ed. 1829.

<252> y-mounted] So both the old eds.--The modern editors print
"mounted"; and the Editor of 1826 even remarks in a note, that
the dramatist, "finding in the fifth line of Spenser's stanza
the word 'y-mounted,' and, probably considering it to be too
obsolete for the stage, dropped the initial letter, leaving only
nine syllables and an unrythmical line"! ! ! In the FIRST PART
of this play (p. 23, first col.) we have,--

"Their limbs more large and of a bigger size
Than all the brats Y-SPRUNG from Typhon's loins:"

but we need not wonder that the Editor just cited did not
recollect the passage, for he had printed, like his predecessor,
"ERE sprung."

<253> ever-green Selinus] Old eds. "EUERY greene Selinus"
and "EUERIE greene," &c.--I may notice that one of the modern
editors silently alters "Selinus" to (Spenser's) "Selinis;"
but, in fact, the former is the correct spelling.

<254> Erycina's] Old eds. "Hericinas."

<255> brows] So the 4to.--The 8vo "bowes."

<256> breath that thorough heaven] So the 8vo.--The 4to "breath


 


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