As easily may you get the Soldan's crown For they are friends that help to wean my state But, tell me, madam, is your grace betroth'd? 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. By east and west, as Phoebus doth his course.— As with their weight shall make the mountains quake, Even as when windy exhalations, Tech. As princely lions, when they rouse themselves, Stretching their paws, and threatening herds of beasts, So in his armour looketh Tamburlaine. Usum. And making thee and me, Techelles, kings, That even to death will follow Tamburlaine. Tamb. Nobly resolv'd, sweet friends and fol lowers! These lords perhaps do scorn our estimates, * unvalued] i. e. not to be valued, or estimated. t conceit] i. e. fancy, imagination. That thus oppress poor friendless passengers. Agyd. I hope our lady's treasure and our own 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 promis'd at my birth. A hundred Tartars shall attend on thee, Mounted on steeds swifter than Pegasus; Thy garments shall be made of Median silk, Enchas'd 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 resolv'd: § My martial prizes, with five hundred men, Won on the fifty-headed Volga's waves, Shall we all offer|| to Zenocrate, And then myself to fair Zenocrate. Tech. What now! in love? Tamb. Techelles, women must be flattered: But this is she with whom I am in love. Enter a Soldier. Sold. News, news! Tamb. How now! what's the matter? Sold. A thousand Persian horsemen are at hand, Sent from the king to overcome us all. * Rhodope] Old eds. "Rhodolfe." t valurous] i. e. valuable. pools] So the 8vo.-The 4to "Poles." § resolv'd] i. e. dissolved. So the 8vo.-The 4to "desolu'd." Shall we all offer] The 8vo “Shall we offer" (the word "all" having dropt out)-The 4to "We all shall offer. in] The 8vo "it."-Omitted in the 4to. Tamb. How now, my lords of Egypt, and Now must your jewels be restor❜d again, Agyd. We hope yourself will willingly restore them. Enter THERIDAMAS with others. Ther. Where is this* Scythian Tamburlaine? Tamb. Whom seek'st thou, Persian? I am Tamburlaine. Ther. Tamburlaine ! A Scythian shepherd so embellished With nature's pride and richest furniture ! Tamb. Such hope, such fortune, have the His looks do menace heaven and dare the gods; thousand horse. Soft ye, my lords, and sweet Zenocrate ! Their swords enamell'd, and about their necks His fiery eyes are fix'd upon the earth, Or meant to pierce Avernus' darksome vaults + If outward habit judge the inward man. Tech. His deep affections make him passionate. Tamb. With what a majesty he rears his looks! In thee, thou valiant man of Persia, Tamb. Then shall we fight courageously with I see the folly of thy emperor. them? Or look you I should play the orator? Tech. No; cowards and faint-hearted runaways Look for orations when the foe is near: Our swords shall play the orators for us. Usum. Come, let us meet them at the moun tain-top,+ And with a sudden and an hot alarum Tamb. Stay, Techelles; ask a parle first. The Soldiers enter. Open the mails,§ yet guard the treasure sure: And 'gainst the general we will lift our swords, Tech. I hear them come: shall we encounter them? Tamb. Keep all your standings, and not stir a foot: Myself will bide the danger of the brunt. Art thou but captain of a thousand horse, heaven To ward the blow, and shield me safe from harm. See, how he rains down heaps of gold in showers, If thou wilt stay with me, renowmèd || man, this] So the 8vo.-The 4to "the."-Qy. "Where is this Scythian shepherd Tamburlaine"? Compare the next words of Theridamas. + vaults] Here the 8vo has "vauts,"-"which," says one of the modern editors, "was common in Marlowe's time:" and so it was; but in the Sec. Part of this play, act ii. sc. 4, the same 8vo gives, — "As we descend into the infernal vaults.' thy] So the 8vo.-The 4to "the." § brave] See note † in preceding column. renowmed] i. e. renowned.-So the 8vo.-The 4to "renowned."-The form "renowmed" (Fr. renommé) occurs repeatedly afterwards in this play, according to the And lead thy thousand horse with my conduct, Of conquer'd kingdoms and of cities sack'd: Both we will walk upon the lofty cliffs *; And Christian merchants, † that with Russian stems + Plough up huge furrows in the Caspian Sea, May we become immortal like the gods. Tamb. Nor are Apollo's oracles more true Should offer present dukedoms to our state, Usum. And kingdoms at the least we all expect, And hosts of soldiers stand amaz'd at us, 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. cliffs] So the 8vo.-The 4to "cliftes." § vail] i. e. lower their flags. Bootes] The Svo "Botees."-The 4to "Boetes." ¶ competitor] i. e. associate, partner (a sense in which the word is used by Shakespeare). Than doth the king of Persia in his crown; Shall want my heart to be with gladness pierc'd, Tamb. A thousand thanks, worthy Theridamas. And now, fair madam, and my noble lords, Agyd. We yield unto thee, happy Tamburlaine Tamb. For you, then, madam, I am out of doubt. Zeno. I must be pleas'd perforce,-wretched Zenocrate! [Exeunt. * To these] Old eds. "Are these." + renowmed] See note, p. 11.-So the 8vo.-The 4to renowned." " statues] So the 4to.-"The first edition reads 'statutes,' but, as the Scythians worshipped Pylades and Orestes in temples, we have adopted the reading of the quarto as being most probably the correct one." Ed. 1826. § kings] So the 8vo.-The 4to "king." Nor thee nor them] The modern editors silently print "Nor they nor theirs." ¶ will] So the 8vo.-Omitted in the 4to. SCENE I. Enter COSROR, Menaphon, OrTYGIUS, and CENEUS, with Soldiers. ACT II. Cos. Thus far are we towards Theridamas, 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 personage? Men. Of stature tall, and straightly fashioned, Like his desire, lift upwards and divine; So large of limbs, his joints so strongly knit, Such breadth of shoulders as might mainly bear Old Atlas' burden; 'twixt his manly pitch,* A pearl more worth than all the world is plac'd, Wherein by curious sovereignty of art Are fix'd his piercing instruments of sight, Whose fiery circles bear encompassed A heaven of heavenly bodies in their spheres, Pale of complexion, wrought in him with passion, On which the breath of heaven delights to play, The face and personage of a wondrous man : And clos'd in compass of the killing bullet, And fall, like mellow'd fruit, with shakes of death, In fair § Persia noble Tamburlaine Orty. In happy hour we have set the crown Upon your kingly head, that seeks our honour In joining with the man ordain'd by heaven To further every action to the best. Cen. He that with shepherds and a little spoil Our army will be forty thousand strong, And all conjoin'd to meet the witless king, * Nature doth strive with Fortune, &c.] Qy did Shakespeare recollect this passage when he wrote,"Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great ”? King John, act iii. sc. 1. t port] i. e. gate. tis] So the 8vo.-The 4to "in." § In fair, &c.] Here "fair" is to be considered as a dissyllable: com pare, in the Fourth Act of our author's Jew of Malta, "I'll feast you, lodge you, give you fair words, Enter MYCETES, MEANDER, with other Lords ; Myc. Come, my Meander, let us to this gear. I think it would: well, then, by heavens I swear, Mean. Then, having pass'd Armenian deserts now, And pitch'd our tents under the Georgian hills, Beside the spoil of him and all his train : And as we know) remains with Tamburlaine, His highness' pleasure is that he should live, And be reclaim'd with princely lenity. Enter a Spy. Spy. An hundred horsemen of my company, Scouting abroad upon these champion* plains, Have view'd the army of the Scythians; Which make report it far exceeds the king's. Mean. Suppose they be in number infinite, Yet being void of martial discipline, All running headlong, greedy after + 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? Myc. And 'tis a pretty toy to be a poet. Mean. Then, noble soldiers, to entrap these thieves That live confounded in disorder'd troops, Myc. He tells you true, my masters; so he does. Drums, why sound ye not when Meander speaks! [Exeunt, drums sounding. * champion] i. e. champaign. † greedy after] Old eds. "after greedie." 1 Sprung] Here, and in the next speech, both the old eds. "Sprong" but in p. 18, 1. 3, first col., the 4to as sprung", and in the Sec. Part of the play, act iv. sc. they both give "sprung from a tyrants loynes." § teeth of] So the 8vo.-Omitted in the 4to. lance] Here both the old eds. "lanch": but see note II, p. 11. the] So the 8vo.-Omitted in the 4to. |