Tamburlaine the Great, Part 1 by Christopher Marlowe (free ebook reader for iphone TXT) 📕

TAMBURLAINE. Not all the curses which the<129> Furies breathe Shall make me leave so rich a prize as this. Theridamas, Techelles, and the rest, Who think you now is king of Persia?

ALL. Tamburlaine! Tamburlaine!

TAMBURLAINE. Though Mars himself, the angry god of arms, And all the earthly potentates conspire To dispossess me of this diadem, Yet will I wear it in despite of them, As great commander of this eastern world, If you but say that Tamburlaine shall reign.

ALL. Long live Tamburlaine, and reign in Asia!

TAMBURLAINE. So; now it is more surer on my head Than if the gods had held a parliament, And all pronounc’d me king of Persia. [Exeunt.]

ACT III.

SCENE I.

Enter BAJAZETH, the KINGS OF FEZ, MOROCCO, and ARGIER, with others, in great pomp.

BAJAZETH. Great kings of Barbary, and my portly bassoes,<130> We hear the Tartars and the eastern thieves, Under the conduct of one Tamburlaine, Presume a bickering with your emperor, And think to rouse us from our dreadful siege Of the famous Grecian Constantinople. You know our army is invincible; As many circumcised Turks we have, And warlike bands of Christians renied,<131> As hath the ocean or the Terrene<132> sea Small drops of water when the moon begins To join in one her semicircled horns: Yet would we not be brav’d with foreign power, Nor raise our siege before the Grecians yield, Or breathless lie before the city-walls.

KING OF FEZ. Renowmed<133> 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?

BAJAZETH. Hie thee, my basso,<134> fast to Persia; Tell him thy lord, the Turkish emperor, Dread lord of Afric, Europe, and Asia, Great king and conqueror of Graecia, The ocean, Terrene, and the Coal-black sea, The high and highest monarch of the world, Wills and commands, (for say not I entreat,) Not<135> once to set his foot in<136> Africa, Or spread<137> his colours in Graecia, Lest he incur the fury of my wrath: Tell him I am content to take a truce, Because I hear he bears a valiant mind: But if, presuming on his silly power, He be so mad to manage arms with me, Then stay thou with him,—say, I bid thee so; And if, before the sun have measur’d heaven<138> With triple circuit, thou regreet us not, We mean to take his morning’s next arise For messenger he will not be reclaim’d, And mean to fetch thee in despite of him.

BASSO. Most great and puissant monarch of the earth, Your basso will accomplish your behest, And shew your pleasure to the Persian, As fits the legate of the stately Turk. [Exit.]

KING OF ARGIER. They say he is the king of Persia; But, if he dare attempt to stir your siege, ‘Twere requisite he should be ten times more, For all flesh quakes at your magnificence.

BAJAZETH. True, Argier; and tremble[s] at my looks.

KING OF MOROCCO. The spring is hinder’d by your smothering host; For neither rain can fall upon the earth, Nor sun reflex his virtuous beams thereon, The ground is mantled with such multitudes.

BAJAZETH. All this is true as holy Mahomet; And all the trees are blasted with our breaths.

KING OF FEZ. What thinks your greatness best to be achiev’d In pursuit of the city’s overthrow?

BAJAZETH. I will the captive pioners<139> of Argier Cut off the water that by leaden pipes Runs to the city from the mountain Carnon; Two thousand horse shall forage up and down, That no relief or succour come by land; And all the sea my galleys countermand: Then shall our footmen lie within the trench, And with their cannons, mouth’d like Orcus’ gulf, Batter the walls, and we will enter in; And thus the Grecians shall be conquered. [Exeunt.]

SCENE II.

Enter ZENOCRATE, AGYDAS, ANIPPE, with others.

AGYDAS. Madam Zenocrate, may I presume To know the cause of these unquiet fits That work such trouble to your wonted rest? ‘Tis more than pity such a heavenly face Should by heart’s sorrow wax so wan and pale, When your offensive rape by Tamburlaine (Which of your whole displeasures should be most) Hath seem’d to be digested long ago.

ZENOCRATE. Although it be digested long ago, As his exceeding favours have deserv’d, And might content the Queen of Heaven, as well As it hath chang’d my first-conceiv’d disdain; Yet since a farther passion feeds my thoughts With ceaseless<140> and disconsolate conceits,<141> Which dye my looks so lifeless as they are, And might, if my extremes had full events, Make me the ghastly counterfeit<142> of death.

AGYDAS. Eternal heaven sooner be dissolv’d, And all that pierceth Phoebus’ silver eye, Before such hap fall to Zenocrate!

ZENOCRATE. Ah, life and soul, still hover in his<143> breast, And leave my body senseless as the earth, Or else unite you<144> to his life and soul, That I may live and die with Tamburlaine!

Enter, behind, TAMBURLAINE, with TECHELLES, and others.

AGYDAS. With Tamburlaine! Ah, fair Zenocrate, Let not a man so vile and barbarous, That holds you from your father in despite, And keeps you from the honours of a queen, (Being suppos’d his worthless concubine,) Be honour’d with your love but for necessity! So, now the mighty Soldan hears of you, Your highness needs not doubt but in short time He will, with Tamburlaine’s destruction, Redeem you from this deadly servitude.

ZENOCRATE. Leave<145> to wound me with these words, And speak of Tamburlaine as he deserves: The entertainment we have had of him Is far from villany or servitude, And might in noble minds be counted princely.

AGYDAS. How can you fancy one that looks so fierce, Only dispos’d to martial stratagems? Who, when he shall embrace you in his arms, Will tell how many thousand men he slew; And, when you look for amorous discourse, Will rattle forth his facts<146> of war and blood, Too harsh a subject for your dainty ears.

ZENOCRATE. 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<147> sweeter than the Muses’ song They sung for honour ‘gainst Pierides,<148> 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.

AGYDAS. Yet be not so inconstant in your love, But let the young Arabian<149> 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.

ZENOCRATE. Thence rise the tears that so distain my cheeks, Fearing his love<150> 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.]

AGYDAS. Betray’d by fortune and suspicious love, Threaten’d with frowning wrath and jealousy, Surpris’d with fear of<151> hideous revenge, I stand aghast; but most astonied 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<152> of his heart, That shone<153> 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 winged 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 Against the terror of the winds and waves; So fares Agydas for the late-felt frowns, That send<154> a tempest to my daunted thoughts, And make my soul divine her overthrow.

Re-enter TECHELLES with a naked dagger, and USUMCASANE.

TECHELLES. See you, Agydas, how the king salutes you! He bids you prophesy what it imports.

AGYDAS. 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 resolved hand of thine Than stay the torments he and heaven have sworn. Then haste, Agydas, and prevent the plagues Which thy prolonged 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.]

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

USUMCASANE. 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.

TECHELLES. Agreed, Casane; we will honour him. [Exeunt, bearing out the body.]

SCENE III.

Enter TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE, THERIDAMAS, a BASSO, ZENOCRATE, ANIPPE, with others.

TAMBURLAINE. 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<155> more than they can well perform. He meet me in the field, and fetch<156> 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?

BASSO. 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; Two hundred thousand footmen that have serv’d In two set battles fought in Graecia; And for the expedition of this war, If he think good, can from his garrisons Withdraw as many more to follow him.

TECHELLES. The more he brings, the greater is the spoil; For, when they perish by our warlike hands, We mean to set<157> our footmen on their steeds, And rifle all those stately janizars.

TAMBURLAINE. But will those kings accompany your lord?

BASSO. Such as his highness please; but some must stay To rule the provinces he late subdu’d.

TAMBURLAINE. [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.

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

THERIDAMAS. 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.

TAMBURLAINE. 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. I that am term’d the scourge and wrath of God, The only fear and terror of the world, Will first subdue the Turk, and then enlarge Those Christian captives which you