Will rattle forth his facts of war and blood,
Too harsh a subject for your dainty ears.

Zeno. As looks the sun through Nilus' flowing

stream,

Or when the Morning holds him in her arms,
So looks my lordly love, fair Tamburlaine;
His talk much † sweeter than the Muses' song
They sung for honour 'gainst Pierides ‡,
Or when Minerva did with Neptune strive:
And higher would I rear my estimate
Than Juno, sister to the highest god,
If I were match'd with mighty Tamburlaine.
Agyd. Yet be not so inconstant in your love,
But let the young Arabian § live in hope,
After your rescue to enjoy his choice.
You see, though first the king of Persia,
Being a shepherd, seem'd to love you much,
Now, in his majesty, he leaves those looks,
Those words of favour, and those comfortings,
And gives no more than common courtesies.
Zeno. Thence rise the tears that so distain my
cheeks,

Fearing his love || through my unworthiness.

(TAMBURLAINE goes to her, and takes her away lovingly by the hand, looking wrathfully on AGYDAS, and says nothing. Exeunt all except AGYDAS.

Agyd. Betray'd by fortune and suspicious love, Threaten'd with frowning wrath and jealousy, Surpris'd with fear of ¶ hideous revenge,

I stand aghast; but most astonièd
To see his choler shut in secret thoughts,
And wrapt in silence of his angry soul:
Upon his brows was pourtray'd ugly death;
And in his eyes the fury ** of his heart,
That shone ++ as comets, menacing revenge,
And cast a pale complexion on his cheeks.
As when the seaman sees the Hyades
Gather an army of Cimmerian clouds,
(Auster and Aquilon with wingèd steeds,
All sweating, tilt about the watery heavens,
With shivering spears enforcing thunder-claps,
And from their shields strike flames of lightning,)
All-fearful folds his sails, and sounds the main,
Lifting his prayers to the heavens for aid

facts] i. e. deeds.

much] So the 8vo.-The 4to "more."

1 Pierides] i. e. The daughters of Pierus, who, having challenged the Muses to a trial of song, were overcome, and changed into magpies.

the young Arabian] Scil. Alcidamus; see p. 10, 1. 9,

sec. col.

Fearing his love] i. e. Fearing with respect to his love. of So the 4to.-The 8vo "and.”

fury] So the 4to.-The 8vo "furies."

tt shone] Old cds. "shine."

Against the terror of the winds and waves; So fares Agydas for the late-felt frowns,

That send a tempest to my daunted thoughts, And make my soul divine her overthrow.

Re-enter TECHELLES with a naked dagger, and USUMCASANE. Tech. See you, Agydas, how the king salutes you!

He bids you prophesy what it imports.

Agyd. I prophesied before, and now I prove The killing frowns of jealousy and love. He needed not with words confirm my fear, For words are vain where working tools present The naked action of my threaten'd end: It says, Agydas, thou shalt surely die, And of extremities elect the least; More honour and less pain it may procure, To die by this resolvèd hand of thine Than stay the torments he and heaven have sworn. Then haste, Agydas, and prevent the plagues Which thy prolongèd fates may draw on thee: Go wander free from fear of tyrant's rage, Removed from the torments and the hell Wherewith he may excruciate thy soul; And let Agydas by Agydas die, And with this stab slumber eternally.

[Stabs himself.

Tech. Usumcasane, see, how right the man Hath hit the meaning of my lord the king!

Usum. Faith, and, Techelles, it was manly done; And, since he was so wise and honourable, Let us afford him now the bearing hence, And crave his triple-worthy burial. Tech. Agreed, Casane; we will honour him. [Exeunt, bearing out the body.

SCENE III.

Enter TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE, THERIDAMAS, a Basso, ZENOCRATE, ANIPPE, with others. Tamb. Basso, by this thy lord and master knows I mean to meet him in Bithynia:

See, how he comes! tush, Turks are full of brags,
And menace + more than they can well perform,
He meet me in the field, and fetch thee hence!
Alas, poor Turk! his fortune is too weak
T'encounter with the strength of Tamburlaine;
View well my camp, and speak indifferently;
Do not my captains and my soldiers look
As if they meant to conquer Africa?

* send] Old eds. "sent."

† menace] So the 8vo. -The 4to "meane." fetch] So the 8vo.-The 4to "fetcht."

Bas. Your men are valiant, but their number few,

And cannot terrify his mighty host:

My lord, the great commander of the world,
Besides fifteen contributory kings,

Hath now in arms ten thousand janizaries,
Mounted on lusty Mauritanian steeds,
Brought to the war by men of Tripoly;

In two set battles fought in Græcia ;

And for the expedition of this war,

If he think good, can from his garrisons
Withdraw as many more to follow him.

Tech. The more he brings, the greater is the
spoil;

For, when they perish by our warlike hands,
We mean to set* our footmen on their steeds,
And rifle all those stately janizars.

Tamb. But will those kings accompany your
lord?

Bas. Such as his highness please; but some must stay

To rule the provinces he late subdu'd. Tamb. [To his Officers] Then fight courageously their crowns are yours;

This hand shall set them on your conquering heads,

That made me emperor of Asia.

Usum. Let him bring millions infinite of men, Unpeopling Western Africa and Greece, Yet we assure us of the victory.

Ther. Even he, that in a trice vanquish'd two
kings

More mighty than the Turkish emperor,
Shall rouse him out of Europe, and pursue
His scatter'd army till they yield or die.

Tamb. Well said, Theridamas ! speak in that

mood;

For will and shall best fitteth Tamburlaine, Whose smiling stars give him assured hope Of martial triumph ere he meet his foes.

Enter BAJAZETH, Bassoes, the KINGS OF FEZ, MOROCCO, and ARGIER; ZABINA and EBEA.

Baj. Bassoes and janizaries of my guard, Attend upon the person of your lord,

The greatest potentate of Africa.

Tamb. Techelles and the rest, prepare your swords;

I mean t' encounter with that Bajazeth.
Baj. Kings of Fez, Morocco,‡ and Argier,
He calls me Bajazeth, whom you call lord!
Note the presumption of this Scythian slave !—
I tell thee, villain, those that lead my horse
Have to their names titles § of dignity;
And dar'st thou bluntly call me Bajazeth?
Tamb. And know, thou Turk, that those which
lead my horse

Shall lead thee captive thorough Africa;
And dar'st thou bluntly call me Tamburlaine?
Baj. By Mahomet my kinsman's sepulchre,
And by the holy Alcoran I swear,
He shall be made a chaste and lustless eunuch,
And in my sarell || tend my concubines;
And all his captains, that thus stoutly stand,
Shall draw the chariot of my emperess,
Whom I have brought to see their overthrow!
Tamb. By this my sword that conquer'd
Persia,

Thy fall shall make me famous through the world!

I will not tell thee how I'll ¶ handle thee,
But every common soldier of my camp

K. of Fez. What means the ** mighty Turkish

emperor,

space,

* set] So the Svo.-The 4to "seate." Terrene] i. e. Mediterranean.

t to rest or breathe] So the 8vo.-The 4to "to breath and rest.'

bastones] i. e. bastinadoes.

they] So the 8vo.-Omitted in the 4to.

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

§ titles] So the Svo.-The 4to "title."

|| sarell] i.e. seraglio.

ru So the 8vo.-The 4to "I will." ** the] So the Svo.-The 4to “this."

K. of Mor. Ye Moors and valiant men of Barbary.

How can ye suffer these indignities?

K. of Arg. Leave words, and let them feel your lances' points,

Which glided through the bowels of the Greeks.
Baj. Well said, my stout contributory kings!
Your threefold army and my hugy* host
Shall swallow up these base-born Persians,

Tech. Puissant, renowm'd,t and mighty Tamburlaine,

Why stay we thus prolonging of ‡ their lives? Ther. I long to see those crowns won by our swords,

That we may rule § as kings of Africa.

Usum. What coward would not fight for such

a prize?

Tamb. Fight all courageously, and be you kings:

I speak it, and my words are oracles.

Baj. Zabina, mother of three braver || boys Than Hercules, that in his infancy Did pash the jaws of serpents venomous; Whose hands are made to gripe a warlike lance, Their shoulders broad for complete armour fit, Their limbs more large and of a bigger size Than all the brats y-sprung** from Typhon's loins; Who, when they come unto their father's age, Will batter turrets with their manly fists;Sit here upon this royal chair of state, And on thy head wear my imperial crown, Until I bring this sturdy Tamburlaine And all his captains bound in captive chains. Zab. Such good success happen to Bajazeth! Tamb. Zenocrate, the loveliest maid alive, Fairer than rocks of pearl and precious stone, The only paragon of Tamburlaine; Whose eyes are brighter than the lamps of heaven, And speech more pleasant than sweet harmony; That with thy looks canst clear the darken'd sky, And calm the rage of thundering Jupiter; Sit down by her, adorned with my crown, As if thou wert the empress of the world. Stir not, Zenocrate, until thou see Me march victoriously with all my men, Triumphing over him and these his kings,

Which I will bring as vassals to thy feet; Till then, take thou my crown, vaunt of my worth,

And manage words with her, as we will arms.

Zeno. And may my love, the king of Persia, Return with victory and free from wound!

Baj. Now shalt thou feel the force of Turkish

arms,

Which lately made all Europe quake for fear.
I have of Turks, Arabians, Moors, and Jews,
Enough to cover all Bithynia:

Let thousands die; their slaughter'd carcasses
Shall serve for walls and bulwarks to the rest;
And as the heads of Hydra, so my power,
Subdu'd, shall stand as mighty as before:
If they should yield their necks unto the sword,
Thy soldiers' arms could not endure to strike
So many blows as I have heads for them.*
Thou know'st not, foolish-hardy Tamburlaine,
What 'tis to meet me in the open field,
That leave no ground for thee to march upon.
Tamb. Our conquering swords shall marshal us
the way

We use to march upon the slaughter'd foe,
Trampling their bowels with our horses' hoofs,
Brave horses bred on the † white Tartarian hills
My camp is like to Julius Cæsar's host,
That never fought but had the victory;
Nor in Pharsalia was there such hot war
As these, my followers, willingly would have.
Legions of spirits, fleeting in the air,
Direct our bullets and our weapons' points,
And make your strokes to wound the senseless
light; +

And when she sees our bloody colours spread,
Then Victory begins to take her flight,
Resting herself upon my milk-white tent.-
But come, my lords, to weapons let us fall;
The field is ours, the Turk, his wife, and all.
[Exit with his followers.
Baj. Come, kings and bassoes, let us glut our
swords,

That thirst to drink the feeble Persians' blood.
[Exit with his followers.
must thou be plac'd

Zab. Base concubine,

Zeno. Disdainful Turkess, and unreverend boss,*

Call'st thou me concubine, that am betroth'd
Unto the great and mighty Tamburlaine ?

Zab. To Tamburlaine, the great Tartarian thief! Zeno. Thou wilt repent these lavish words of thine

When thy great basso-master and thyself
Must plead for mercy at his kingly feet,
And sue to me to be your advocate.+

Zab. And sue to thee! I tell thee, shameless girl,

Thou shalt be laundress to my waiting-maid.— How lik'st thou her, Ebea? will she serve?

Ebea. Madam, she thinks perhaps she is too

fine;

But I shall turn her into other weeds,
And make her dainty fingers fall to work.
Zeno. Hear'st thou, Anippe, how thy drudge
doth talk?

And how my slave, her mistress, menaceth?
Both for their sauciness shall be employ'd
To dress the common soldiers' meat and drink;
For we will scorn they should come near ourselves.
Anip. Yet sometimes let your highness send
for them

To do the work my chambermaid disdains.
[They sound to the battle within.
Zeno. Ye gods and powers that govern Persia,
And made my lordly love her worthy king,
Now strengthen him against the Turkish Bajazeth,
And let his foes, like flocks of fearful roes
Pursu'd by hunters, fly his angry looks,
That I may see him issue conqueror !

Zab. Now, Mahomet, solicit God himself, And make him rain down murdering shot from heaven,

To dash the Scythians' brains, and strike them dead,

That dare to manage arms with him

That offer'd jewels to thy sacred shrine

When first he warr'd against the Christians!

[They sound again to the battle within.

Zeno. By this the Turks lie weltering in their

blood,

And Tamburlaine is lord of Africa.

As when my emperor overthrew the Greeks,
And led them captive into Africa.
Straight will I use thee as thy pride deserves;
Prepare thyself to live and die my slave.

Zeno. If Mahomet should come from heaven
and swear

My royal lord is slain or conquerèd,
Yet should he not persuade me otherwise
But that he lives and will be conqueror.

Re-enter BAJAZETH, pursued by TAMBURLAINE.* Tamb. Now, king of bassoes, who is conqueror? Baj. Thou, by the fortune of this damnèd foil.+ Tamb. Where are your stout contributory kings?

Re-enter TECHELLES, THERIDAMAS, and USUMCASANE. Tech. We have their crowns; their bodies strow the field.

Tamb. Each man a crown! why, kingly fought, i'faith.

Deliver them into my treasury.

Zeno. Now let me offer to my gracious lord His royal crown again so highly won. Tamb. Nay, take the Turkish crown from her, Zenocrate,

And crown me emperor of Africa.

Zab. No, Tamburlaine; though now thou gat‡ the best,

Thou shalt not yet be lord of Africa. Ther. Give her the crown, Turkess, you were best. [Takes it from her. Zab. Injurious villains, thieves, runagates, How dare you thus abuse my majesty? Ther. Here, madam, you are empress; she is [Gives it to ZENOCRATE. Tamb. Not now, Theridamas; her time is past: The pillars, that have bolster'd up those terms, Are faln in clusters at my conquering feet.

none.

Zab. Though he be prisoner, he may be ransom'd.

Tamb. Not all the world shall ransom Bajazeth. Baj. Ah, fair Zabina! we have lost the field; And never had the Turkish emperor

So great a foil by any foreign foe.
Now will the Christian miscreants be glad,

sound

boss] In the Gent. Mag. for Jan. 1841, J. M. proposed to alter "boss" to "Bassa." But Cotgrave, in his Dict., has; "A fat bosse. Femme bien grasse et grosse; une

coche."

tadvocate] So the 4to.-The 8vo "aduocates."

That dare, &c.] Something dropt out from this line.

*Re-enter Bajazeth, pursued by Tamburlaine] The old eds. have," Bajazeth flies, and he pursues him. The battell short [Qto. is short], and they enter, Bajazeth is overcome." This not very intelligible stage-direction means perhaps that, after Bajazeth and Tamburlaine had entered, a short combat was to take place between them. tfoil] The old eds. "soil."

gat] So the Svo.-The 4to "got."