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SCENE III.

Enter COSROE, TAMBURLAINE, THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE, and ORTYGIUS, with others.

Cos. Now, worthy Tamburlaine, have I repos'd In thy approved fortunes all my hope.

What think'st thou, man, shall come of our attempts!

For, even as from assured oracle,

I take thy doom for satisfaction.

Tamb. And so mistake you not a whit, my lord; For fates and oracles [of] heaven have 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

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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 drink 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 thunderbolts,
Enroll'd in flames and fiery smouldering mists,
Shall threat the gods more than Cyclopian wars;
And with our sun-bright armour, as we march,
We'll chase the stars from heaven, and dim their
eyes

That stand and muse at our admirèd arms.

Ther. You see, my lord, what working words
he hath ;

But, when you see his actions top + his speech,
Your speech will stay, or so extol his worth
As I shall be commended and excus'd
For turning my poor charge to his direction:
And these his two renowmèd § friends, my lord,
Would make one thirst || and strive to be retain'd
In such a great degree of amity.

Tech. With duty and ¶ with amity we yield Our utmost service to the fair ** Cosroe.

Cos. Which I esteem as portion of my crown. Usumcasane and Techelles both,

And makes a passage for all prosperous arms,
Shall make me solely emperor of Asia,
Then shall your meeds* and valours be advanc'd
To rooms of honour and nobility.

Tamb. Then haste, Cosroe, to be king alone,
That I with these my friends and all my men
May triumph in our long-expected fate.
The king, your brother, is now hard at hand:
Meet with the fool, and rid your royal shoulders
Of such a burden as outweighs the sands
And all the craggy rocks of Caspia.

Mes. My lord,

Enter a Messenger.

We have discovered the enemy

Ready to charge you with a mighty army.

Cos. Come, Tamburlaine; now whet thy winged sword,

And lift thy lofty arm into + the clouds,
That it may reach the king of Persia's crown,
And set it safe on my victorious head.

Tamb. See where it is, the keenest curtle

axe

That e'er made passage thorough Persian arms!
These are the wings shall make it fly as swift
As doth the lightning or the breath of heaven,
And kill as sure as it swiftly flies.

Cos. Thy words assure me of kind success:
Go, valiant soldier, go before, and charge
The fainting army of that foolish king.

Tamb. Usumcasane and Techelles, come:
We are enow to scare the enemy,
And more than needs to make an emperor.
[Exeunt to the battle.

SCENE IV.

Enter MYCETES with his crown in his hand.§ Myc. 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

When she++ that rules in Rhamnus' ‡‡ golden Stand staggering ¶ like a quivering aspen-leaf

gates,

⚫ some] So the 4to.-The 8vo "scorne."

+ will] So the 8vo.-The 4to "shall."

t top] i. e. rise above, surpass.-Old eds. "stop." renowmed] See note 1, p. 11. So the 8vo.-The 4to "renowned."

thirst] The 8vo "thrust" the 4to "thrist." Tand] So the 4to.-The 8vo "not."

**the fair] So the 8vo. -The 4to "thee faire."

tt she i. e. Nemesis.

11 Rhamnus'] Old eds. "Rhamnis."

Fearing the force of Boreas' boisterous blasts!

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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.

Tamb. What, fearful coward, straggling from the camp,

SCENE V.

Enter COSROE, TAMBURLAINE, MENAPHON, MEANDER, ORTYGIUS, THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, USUMOASANE, with others.

Tamb. Hold thee, Cosroe; wear two imperial

crowns;

Think thee invested now as royally,

Even by the mighty hand of Tamburlaine,
As if as many kings as could encompass thee
With greatest pomp had crown'd thee emperor.
Cos. So do I, thrice-renowmèd man-at-arms;"
And none shall keep the crown but Tamburlaine:
Thee do I make my regent of Persia,
And general-lieutenant of my armies.—

When kings themselves are present in the field? | Meander, you, that were our brother's guide,
Myc. Thou liest.
And chiefest + counsellor in all his acts,

Tamb. Base villain, darest thou give me + the Since he is yielded to the stroke of war,

lie?

Myc. Away! I am the king; go; touch me

not.

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. Ay, marry,‡ am I: have you any suit to me?

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

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

Myc. Ay: 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 a while: I lend it thee,
Till I may see thee hemm'd with armed men;
Then shalt thou see me pull it from thy head:
Thou art no match for mighty Tamburlaine.

[Brit.

Myc. O gods, is this Tamburlaine the thief? I marvel much he stole it not away.

[Trumpets within sound to the battle: he runs out.

For kings are clouts that every man shoots at, Our crown the pin, &c.] Clout means the white mark in the butts; pin, the peg in the centre, which fastened it. + me] So the 4to.-Omitted in the 8vo.

Myc. Ay, marry, &c.] From this to "Tamb. Well, I mean you shall have it again" inclusive, the dialogue is prose: compare act iv. sc. 4, p. 29.

On your submission we with thanks excuse,
And give you equal place in our affairs.
Mean. Most happy emperor, in humblest

terms

I vow my service to your majesty,
With utmost virtue of my faith and duty.
Cos. Thanks, good Meander.-Then, Cosroe,
reign,

And govern Persia in her former pomp.
Now send embassage to thy neighbour kings,
And let them know the Persian king is chang'd,
From one that knew not what a king should do,
To one that can command what 'longs thereto.
And now we will to fair Persepolis
With twenty thousand expert soldiers.
The lords and captains of my brother's camp
With little slaughter take Meander's course,
And gladly yield them to my gracious rule.—
Ortygius and Menaphon, my trusty friends,
Now will I gratify your former good,

And grace your calling with a greater sway.

Orty. And as we ever aim'd § at your behoof,
And sought your state all honour it || deserv'd,
So will we with our powers and our¶ lives
Endeavour to preserve and prosper it.

Cos. I will not thank thee, sweet Ortygius;
Better replies shall prove my purposes.—
And now, Lord Tamburlaine, my brother's camp
I leave to thee and to Theridamas,
To follow me to fair Persepolis;

renowmed man-at-arms] See note I, p. 11. So the 8vo.-The 4to "renowned men at armes."

t chiefest] So the 4to.-The 8vo "chiefe."
happy] So the 8vo.-The 4to "happiest."

§ aim'd] So the 4to.-The 8vo "and."
it] So the 4to.-The 8vo "is."
Tour] So the 4to.-Omitted in the 8vo.

Then will we* march to all those Indian mines
My witless brother to the Christians lost,
And ransom them with fame and usury:
And, till thou overtake me, Tamburlaine,
(Staying to order all the scatter'd troops,)
Farewell, lord regent and his happy friends.
I long to sit upon my brother's throne.

Mean. Your majesty shall shortly have your wish,

And ride in triumph through Persepolis.

[Exeunt all except TAMB., THER., TECH., and USUM. Tamb. And ride in triumph through Perse

polis!

Is it not brave to be a king, Techelles?—
Usumcasane and Theridamas,

Is it not passing brave to be a king,

And ride in triumph through Persepolis?

Tech. O, my lord, it is sweet and full of pomp! Usum. To be a king is half to be a god. Ther. A god is not so glorious as a king: I think the pleasure they enjoy in heaven, Cannot compare with kingly joys in † earth;— To wear a crown enchas'd with pearl and gold, Whose virtues carry with it life and death; To ask and have, command and be obey'd; When looks breed love, with looks to gain the prize,

Such power attractive shines in princes' eyes. Tamb. Why, say, Theridamas, wilt thou be a king?

Ther. Nay, though I praise it, I can live without it.

Tamb. What say my other friends? will you

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Tamb. Why, then, Theridamas, I'll first assay To get the Persian kingdom to myself;

Then thou for Parthia; they for Scythia and 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 a-piece.* 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 quite :+
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.

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Mean. Some powers divine, or else infernal, mix'd

Their angry seeds at his conception;

.

For he was never sprung of human race,
Since with the spirit of his fearful pride,
He darest so doubtlessly resolve of rule,
And by profession be ambitious.

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,

Orty. What god, or fiend, or spirit of the earth, Sacks every vein and artier* of my heart.—

Or monster turned to a manly shape,

Or of what mould or mettle he be made,
What star or fate‡ soever govern him,
Let us put on our meet encountering minds;
And, in detesting such a devilish thief,
In love of honour and defence of right,

Be arm'd against the hate of such a foe,
Whether from earth, or hell, or heaven he grow.

Bloody and insatiate Tamburlaine !

Tamb. The thirst of reign and sweetness of a

crown,

That caus'd the eldest son of heavenly Ops
To thrust his doting father from his chair,
And place himself in the empyreal heaven,
Mov'd me to manage arms against thy state.
What better precedent than mighty Jove?
Nature, that fram'd us of four elements

Cos. Nobly resolv'd, my good Ortygius;
And, since we all have suck'd one wholesome air, Warring within our breasts for regiment,t
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
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, drums sounding.

Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds:
Our souls, whose faculties can comprehend
The wondrous architecture of the world,
And measure every wandering planet's course,
Still climbing after knowledge infinite,
And always moving as the restless spheres,
Will us to wear ourselves, and never rest,
Until we reach the ripest fruit of all,
That perfect bliss and sole felicity,
The sweet fruition of an earthly crown.

SCENE VII.

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Alarms of battle within. Then enter COSROE wounded, TAMBURLAINE, THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, USUI CASANE, with others.

Cos. Barbarous and bloody Tamburlaine, Thus to deprive me of my crown and life!— Treacherous and false Theridamas,

sprung] See note 1, p. 14.

dares] So the 8vo.-The 4to "dare." fate] Old eds. "state."

our

§ Resolve] Seems to mean-dissolve (compare bodies turn to elements," p. 12, sec. col.): but I suspect some corruption here.

Barbarous] Qy. “O barbarous"? in the next line but one, "O treacherous"? and in the last line of the speech, "O bloody"? But we occasionally find in our early dramatists lines which are defective in the first syllable; and in some of these instances at least it would almost seem that nothing has been omitted by the transcriber or printer.

Ther. And that made me to join with Tambur-
laine;

For he is gross and like the massy earth
That moves not upwards, nor by princely deeds
Doth mean to soar above the highest sort.

Tech. And that made us, the friends of Tam-
burlaine,

To lift our swords against the Persian king.

Usum. For as, when Jove did thrust old Saturn

down,

Neptune and Dis gain'd each of them a crown,

*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'urters 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. 36.

↑ regiment] i. e. rule.
fruit] So the 4to.-The 8vo "fruites."

So do we hope to reign in Asia,
If Tamburlaine be plac'd in Persia.

Cos. The strangest men that ever nature made!
I know not how to take their tyrannies.
My bloodless body waxeth chill and cold,

And with my blood my life slides through my wound;

My soul begins to take her flight to hell,
And summons all my senses to depart :

The heat and moisture, which did feed each other,
For want of nourishment to feed them both,
Are* dry and cold; and now doth ghastly Death
With greedy talents+ gripe my bleeding heart,
And like a harpy ‡ tires on my life.-
Theridamas and Tamburlaine, I die :
And fearful vengeance light upon you both!
[Dies.-TAMBURLAINE takes COSROE's crown, and puts
it on his own head.

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SCENE I.

ACT III.

Bnter BAJAZETH, the KINGS OF FEZ, MOROCCO, and ARGIER,

with others, in great pomp.

As hath the ocean or the Terrene † sea Small drops of water when the moon begins To join in one her semicircled horns :

Baj. Great kings of Barbary, and my portly Yet would we not be brav'd with foreign power,

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Nor raise our siege before the Grecians yield,
Or breathless lie before the city-walls.

K. of Fez. Renowmèd ‡ emperor and mighty general,

What, if you sent the bassoes of your guard
To charge him to remain in Asia,

Or else to threaten death and deadly arms
As from the mouth of mighty Bajazeth?

Baj. Hie thee, my basso, § fast to Persia;
Tell him thy lord, the Turkish emperor,
Dread lord of Afric, Europe, and Asia,
Great king and conqueror of Græcia,
The ocean, Terrene, and the Coal-black sea,
The high and highest monarch of the world,
Wills and commands, (for say not I entreat,)

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