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I judge the purchase more important far。
TAMBURLAINE。 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。
'Exit TECHELLES。'
What saith Theridamas?
THERIDAMAS。 Go on; for me。
'Exeunt。'
SCENE VI。
Enter COSROE; MEANDER; ORTYGIUS; and MENAPHON; with
SOLDIERS。
COSROE。 What means this devilish shepherd; to aspire
With such a giantly presumption;
To cast up hills against the face of heaven;
And dare the force of angry Jupiter?
But; as he thrust them underneath the hills;
And press'd out fire from their burning jaws;
So will I send this monstrous slave to hell;
Where flames shall ever feed upon his soul。
MEANDER。 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 dares so doubtlessly resolve of rule;
And by profession be ambitious。
ORTYGIUS。 What god; or fiend; or spirit of the earth;
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。
COSROE。 Nobly resolv'd; my good Ortygius;
And; since we all have suck'd one wholesome air;
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 make
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。'
SCENE VII。
Alarms of battle within。 Then enter COSROE wounded;
TAMBURLAINE; THERIDAMAS; TECHELLES; USUMCASANE; with others。
COSROE。 Barbarous and bloody Tamburlaine;
Thus to deprive me of my crown and life!
Treacherous and false Theridamas;
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;
Sacks every vein and artier of my heart。
Bloody and insatiate Tamburlaine!
TAMBURLAINE。 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
Warring within our breasts for regiment;
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。
THERIDAMAS。 And that made me to join with Tamburlaine;
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。
TECHELLES。 And that made us; the friends of Tamburlaine;
To lift our swords against the Persian king。
USUMCASANE。 For as; when Jove did thrust old Saturn down;
Neptune and Dis gain'd each of them a crown;
So do we hope to reign in Asia;
If Tamburlaine be plac'd in Persia。
COSROE。 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。'
TAMBURLAINE。 Not all the curses which the 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;
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;
As hath the ocean or the Terrene 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 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; 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 once to set his foot in Africa;
Or spread 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
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 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 wit