Christopher Marlowe

“ A thousand deaths could not torment our hearts More than the thought of this doth vex our souls. AMYRAS. They will talk still, my lord, if you do not bridle them. TAMBURLAINE. Bridle them, and let me to my coach. [ATTENDANTS bridle ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, and harness them to the chariot.— The GOVERNOR OF BABYLON appears hanging in chains on the walls.—Re-enter THERIDAMAS.] AMYRAS. See, now, my lord, how brave the captain hangs! TAMBURLAINE. 'Tis brave indeed, my boy:—well done!— Shoot first, my lord, and then the rest shall follow. ”

“ By whose proud side the ugly Furies run, Hearkening when he shall bid them plague the world; Over whose zenith, cloth'd in windy air, And eagle's wings join'd 151 to her feather'd breast, Fame hovereth, sounding of 152 her golden trump, That to the adverse poles of that straight line Which measureth the glorious frame of heaven The name of mighty Tamburlaine is spread; And him, fair lady, shall thy eyes behold. Come. OLYMPIA. Take pity of a lady's ruthful tears, That humbly craves upon her knees to stay, And cast her body in the burning flame That feeds upon her son's and husband's flesh. ”

“ TAMBURLAINE. Let not thy love exceed thine honour, son, Nor bar thy mind that magnanimity That nobly must admit necessity. Sit up, my boy, and with these 316 silken reins Bridle the steeled stomachs of these 317 jades. THERIDAMAS. My lord, you must obey his majesty, Since fate commands and proud necessity. AMYRAS. Heavens witness me with what a broken heart [Mounting the chariot.] And damned 318 spirit I ascend this seat, And send my soul, before my father die, His anguish and his burning agony! [They crown AMYRAS.] TAMBURLAINE. Now fetch the hearse of fair Zenocrate ”

“ CALYPHAS. My lord, but this is dangerous to be done; We may be slain or wounded ere we learn. TAMBURLAINE. Villain, art thou the son of Tamburlaine, And fear'st to die, or with a 121 curtle-axe To hew thy flesh, and make a gaping wound? Hast thou beheld a peal of ordnance strike A ring of pikes, mingled with shot and horse, 122 Whose shatter'd limbs, being toss'd as high as heaven, Hang in the air as thick as sunny motes, And canst thou, coward, stand in fear of death? ”

“ Your grief and fury hurts my second life. Yet let me kiss my lord before I die, And let me die with kissing of my lord. But, since my life is lengthen'd yet a while, Let me take leave of these my loving sons, And of my lords, whose true nobility Have merited my latest memory. Sweet sons, farewell! in death resemble me, And in your lives your father's excellence. 90 Some music, and my fit will cease, my lord. [They call for music.] TAMBURLAINE. Proud fury, and intolerable fit, That dares torment the body of my love, And scourge the scourge of the immortal God! ”

“ Thou shalt with us to Tamburlaine the Great, Who, when he hears how resolute thou wert, 150 Will match thee with a viceroy or a king. OLYMPIA. My lord deceas'd was dearer unto me Than any viceroy, king, or emperor; And for his sake here will I end my days. THERIDAMAS. But, lady, go with us to Tamburlaine, And thou shalt see a man greater than Mahomet, In whose high looks is much more majesty, Than from the concave superficies Of Jove's vast palace, the empyreal orb, Unto the shining bower where Cynthia sits, Like lovely Thetis, in a crystal robe ”

“ CALYPHAS. If any man will hold him, I will strike, And cleave him to the channel 46 with my sword. TAMBURLAINE. Hold him, and cleave him too, or I'll cleave thee; For we will march against them presently. Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane Promis'd to meet me on Larissa-plains, With hosts a-piece against this Turkish crew; For I have sworn by sacred Mahomet To make it parcel of my empery. The trumpets sound; Zenocrate, they come. Enter THERIDAMAS, and his train, with drums and trumpets. Welcome, Theridamas, king of Argier. ”

“ Enter THERIDAMAS and TECHELLES, with SOLDIERS. THERIDAMAS. Thou desperate governor of Babylon, To save thy life, and us a little labour, Yield speedily the city to our hands, Or else be sure thou shalt be forc'd with pains More exquisite than ever traitor felt. GOVERNOR. Tyrant, I turn the traitor in thy throat, And will defend it in despite of thee.— Call up the soldiers to defend these walls. TECHELLES. Yield, foolish governor; we offer more Than ever yet we did to such proud slaves As durst resist us till our third day's siege. ”

“ And not before, my sweet Zenocrate. Sit up, and rest thee like a lovely queen. So; now she sits in pomp and majesty, When these, my sons, more precious in mine eyes Than all the wealthy kingdoms I subdu'd, Plac'd by her side, look on their mother's face. But yet methinks their looks are amorous, Not martial as the sons of Tamburlaine: Water and air, being symboliz'd in one, Argue their want of courage and of wit; Their hair as white as milk, and soft as down, (Which should be like the quills of porcupines, As black as jet, and hard as iron or steel,) Bewrays they are too dainty for the wars ”

“ GAZELLUS. King of Natolia, let us treat of peace: We all are glutted with the Christians' blood, And have a greater foe to fight against,— Proud Tamburlaine, that now in Asia, Near Guyron's head, doth set his conquering feet, And means to fire Turkey as he goes: 'Gainst him, my lord, you must address your power. URIBASSA. Besides, King Sigismund hath brought from Christendom More than his camp of stout Hungarians,— Sclavonians, Almains, Rutters, 5 Muffs, and Danes, That with the halberd, lance, and murdering axe, Will hazard that we might with surety hold. ”

“ TAMBURLAINE. Now, Casane, where's the Turkish Alcoran, And all the heaps of superstitious books Found in the temples of that Mahomet Whom I have thought a god? they shall be burnt. USUMCASANE. Here they are, my lord. TAMBURLAINE. Well said! 280 let there be a fire presently. [They light a fire.] In vain, I see, men worship Mahomet: My sword hath sent millions of Turks to hell, Slew all his priests, his kinsmen, and his friends, And yet I live untouch'd by Mahomet. ”

“ Now, Sigismund, if any Christian king Encroach upon the confines of thy realm, Send word, Orcanes of Natolia Confirm'd 26 this league beyond Danubius' stream, And they will, trembling, sound a quick retreat; So am I fear'd among all nations. SIGISMUND. If any heathen potentate or king Invade Natolia, Sigismund will send A hundred thousand horse train'd to the war, And back'd by 27 stout lanciers of Germany, The strength and sinews of the imperial seat. ORCANES. I thank thee, Sigismund; but, when I war, All Asia Minor, Africa, and Greece, Follow my standard and my thundering drums. ”

“ What god soever holds thee in his arms, Giving thee nectar and ambrosia, Behold me here, divine Zenocrate, Raving, impatient, desperate, and mad, Breaking my steeled lance, with which I burst The rusty beams of Janus' temple-doors, Letting out Death and tyrannizing War, To march with me under this bloody flag! And, if thou pitiest Tamburlaine the Great, Come down from heaven, and live with me again! THERIDAMAS. Ah, good my lord, be patient! she is dead, And all this raging cannot make her live. If words might serve, our voice hath rent the air; If tears, our eyes have water'd all the earth ”

“ For Hell and Darkness pitch their pitchy tents, And Death, with armies of Cimmerian spirits, Gives battle 'gainst the heart of Tamburlaine! Now, in defiance of that wonted love Your sacred virtues pour'd upon his throne, And made his state an honour to the heavens, These cowards invisibly 299 assail his soul, And threaten conquest on our sovereign; But, if he die, your glories are disgrac'd, Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is plac'd! ”

“ This lovely boy, the youngest of the three, Not long ago bestrid a Scythian steed, Trotting the ring, and tilting at a glove, Which when he tainted 37 with his slender rod, He rein'd him straight, and made him so curvet As I cried out for fear he should have faln. TAMBURLAINE. Well done, my boy! thou shalt have shield and lance, Armour of proof, horse, helm, and curtle-axe, And I will teach thee how to charge thy foe, And harmless run among the deadly pikes. If thou wilt love the wars and follow me, Thou shalt be made a king and reign with me, Keeping in iron cages emperors. ”

“ TECHELLES. Nay, captain, thou art weary of thy life, If thou withstand the friends of Tamburlaine. THERIDAMAS. These pioners 138 of Argier in Africa, Even in 139 the cannon's face, shall raise a hill Of earth and faggots higher than thy fort, And, over thy argins 140 and cover'd ways, Shall play upon the bulwarks of thy hold Volleys of ordnance, till the breach be made That with his ruin fills up all the trench; And, when we enter in, not heaven itself Shall ransom thee, thy wife, and family. ”

“ Have we not hope, for all our batter'd walls, To live secure and keep his forces out, When this our famous lake of Limnasphaltis Makes walls a-fresh with every thing that falls Into the liquid substance of his stream, More strong than are the gates of death or hell? What faintness should dismay our courages, When we are thus defenc'd against our foe, And have no terror but his threatening looks? ”

“ From all the cruelty my soul sustain'd, By this my friendly keeper's happy means, That Jove, surcharg'd with pity of our wrongs, Will pour it down in showers on our heads, Scourging the pride of cursed Tamburlaine. ORCANES. I have a hundred thousand men in arms; Some that, in conquest 101 of the perjur'd Christian, Being a handful to a mighty host, Think them in number yet sufficient To drink the river Nile or Euphrates, And for their power enow to win the world. ”

“ A wound is nothing, be it ne'er so deep; Blood is the god of war's rich livery. Now look I like a soldier, and this wound As great a grace and majesty to me, As if a chair of gold enamelled, Enchas'd with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, And fairest pearl of wealthy India, Were mounted here under a canopy, And I sat down, cloth'd with a massy robe That late adorn'd the Afric potentate, Whom I brought bound unto Damascus' walls. ”

“ TAMBURLAINE. Villain, traitor, damned fugitive, I'll make thee wish the earth had swallow'd thee! See'st thou not death within my wrathful looks? Go, villain, cast thee headlong from a rock, Or rip thy bowels, and rent 174 out thy heart, T' appease my wrath; or else I'll torture thee, Searing thy hateful flesh with burning irons And drops of scalding lead, while all thy joints Be rack'd and beat asunder with the wheel; For, if thou liv'st, not any element Shall shroud thee from the wrath of Tamburlaine. CALLAPINE. Well, in despite of thee, he shall be king.— Come, Almeda ”

“ KING OF JERUSALEM. Thy victories are grown so violent, That shortly heaven, fill'd with the meteors Of blood and fire thy tyrannies have made, Will pour down blood and fire on thy head, Whose scalding drops will pierce thy seething brains, And, with our bloods, revenge our bloods 203 on thee. TAMBURLAINE. Villains, these terrors, and these tyrannies (If tyrannies war's justice ye repute) , I execute, enjoin'd me from above, To scourge the pride of such as Heaven abhors; Nor am I made arch-monarch of the world, Crown'd and invested by the hand of Jove, For deeds of bounty or nobility ”

“ SOLDIERS. We thank your majesty. TAMBURLAINE. Brawl not, I warn you, for your lechery; For every man that so offends shall die. ORCANES. Injurious tyrant, wilt thou so defame The hateful fortunes of thy victory, To exercise upon such guiltless dames The violence of thy common soldiers' lust? TAMBURLAINE. Live continent, 243 then, ye slaves, and meet not me With troops of harlots at your slothful heels. CONCUBINES. O, pity us, my lord, and save our honours! TAMBURLAINE. Are ye not gone, ye villains, with your spoils? ”

“ TAMBURLAINE. Now, eyes, enjoy your latest benefit, And, when my soul hath virtue of your sight, Pierce through the coffin and the sheet of gold, And glut your longings with a heaven of joy. So, reign, my son; scourge and control those slaves, Guiding thy chariot with thy father's hand. As precious is the charge thou undertak'st As that which Clymene's 319 brain-sick son did guide, When wandering Phoebe's 320 ivory cheeks were scorch'd, And all the earth, like Aetna, breathing fire: Be warn'd by him, then; learn with awful eye To sway a throne as dangerous as his ”

“ Open, thou shining veil of Cynthia, And make a passage from th' empyreal heaven, That he that sits on high and never sleeps, Nor in one place is circumscriptible, But every where fills every continent With strange infusion of his sacred vigour, May, in his endless power and purity, Behold and venge this traitor's perjury! ”

“ If thou exceed thy elder brothers' worth, And shine in complete virtue more than they, Thou shalt be king before them, and thy seed Shall issue crowned from their mother's womb. CELEBINUS. Yes, father; you shall see me, if I live, Have under me as many kings as you, And march with such a multitude of men As all the world shall 38 tremble at their view. TAMBURLAINE. These words assure me, boy, thou art my son. When I am old and cannot manage arms, Be thou the scourge and terror of the world. AMYRAS. Why may not I, my lord, as well as he, Be term'd the scourge and terror of 39 the world? ”

“ My flesh, divided in your precious shapes, Shall still retain my spirit, though I die, And live in all your seeds 314 immortally.— Then now remove me, that I may resign My place and proper title to my son.— First, take my scourge and my imperial crown, And mount my royal chariot of estate, That I may see thee crown'd before I die.— Help me, my lords, to make my last remove. [They assist TAMBURLAINE to descend from the chariot.] THERIDAMAS. A woful change, my lord, that daunts our thoughts More than the ruin of our proper souls! ”

“ O father, if the unrelenting ears Of Death and Hell be shut against my prayers, And that the spiteful influence of Heaven Deny my soul fruition of her joy, How should I step, or stir my hateful feet Against the inward powers of my heart, Leading a life that only strives to die, And plead in vain unpleasing sovereignty! ”