Christopher Marlowe

“ What better precedent than mighty Jove? Nature, that fram'd us of four elements Warring within our breasts for regiment, [124] 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 [125] of all, That perfect bliss and sole felicity, The sweet fruition of an earthly crown. Template:Personnage. ”

“ But how unseemly is it for my sex, My discipline of arms and chivalry, My nature, and the terror of my name, To harbour thoughts effeminate and faint! Save only that in beauty's just applause, With whose instinct the soul of man is touch'd ”

“ For virtue is the fount whence honour springs, And they are worthy she investeth kings. ”

“ 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 admired arms. Template:Personnage. You see, my lord, what working words he hath ”

“ Unhappy Persia,--that in former age Hast been the seat of mighty conquerors, That, in their prowess and their policies, Have triumph'd over Afric, [5] and the bounds Of Europe where the sun dares scarce appear For freezing meteors and congealed cold,-- Now to be rul'd and govern'd by a man At whose birth-day Cynthia with Saturn join'd, And Jove, the Sun, and Mercury denied To shed their [6] influence in his fickle brain! ”

“ And, as a sure and grounded argument That I shall be the monarch of the East, He sends this Soldan's daughter rich and brave, [51] To be my queen and portly emperess. If thou wilt stay with me, renowmed [52] man, And lead thy thousand horse with my conduct, Besides thy share of this Egyptian prize, Those thousand horse shall sweat with martial spoil Of conquer'd kingdoms and of cities sack'd: Both we will walk upon the lofty cliffs ”

“ And every warrior that is rapt with love Of fame, of valour, and of victory, Must needs have beauty beat on his conceits: I thus conceiving, [268] and subduing both, That which hath stoop'd the chiefest of the gods, Even from the fiery-spangled veil of heaven, To feel the lovely warmth of shepherds' flames, And mask in cottages of strowed reeds, Shall give the world to note, for all my birth, That virtue solely is the sum of glory, And fashions men with true nobility.-- Who's within there? Template:Didascalie Hath Template:Personnage been fed to-day? ”

“ Theban youths, Against the wolf that angry Themis sent To waste and spoil the sweet Aonian fields. A monster of five hundred thousand heads, Compact of rapine, piracy, and spoil, The scum of men, the hate and scourge of God, Raves in Aegyptia, and annoyeth us: My lord, it is the bloody Template:Personnage, A sturdy felon, and [217] a base-bred thief, By murder raised to the Persian crown, That dare control us in our territories. To tame the pride of this presumptuous beast, Join your Arabians with the Soldan's power; Let us unite our royal bands in one, And hasten to remove Damascus' siege. ”

“ time passeth swift away; Our life is frail, and we may die to-day. ”

“ Nay, could their numbers countervail the stars, Or ever-drizzling [189] drops of April showers, Or wither'd leaves that autumn shaketh down, Yet would the Soldan by his conquering power So scatter and consume them in his rage, That not a man should [190] live to rue their fall. ”

“ Then must his kindled wrath be quench'd with blood, Not sparing any that can manage arms: But, if these threats move not submission, Black are his colours, black pavilion; His spear, his shield, his horse, his armour, plumes, And jetty feathers, menace death and hell; Without respect of sex, degree, or age, He razeth all his foes with fire and sword. Template:Personnage. Merciless villain, peasant, ignorant Of lawful arms or martial discipline! Pillage and murder are his usual trades: The slave usurps the glorious name of war. ”

“ 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. Template:Personnage. And that made us, the friends of Template:Personnage, To lift our swords against the Persian king. Template:Personnage. 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 Template:Personnage be plac'd in Persia. Template:Personnage. The strangest men that ever nature made! ”

“ Template:Personnage. Then here, before the Majesty of Heaven And holy patrons of Aegyptia, With knees and hearts submissive we entreat Grace to our words and pity to our looks, That this device may prove propitious, And through the eyes and ears of Template:Personnage Convey events of mercy to his heart; Grant that these signs of victory we yield May bind the temples of his conquering head, To hide the folded furrows of his brows, And shadow his displeased countenance With happy looks of ruth and lenity. Leave us, my lord, and loving countrymen: What simple virgins may persuade, we will. ”

“ Not all the gold in India's wealthy arms Shall buy the meanest soldier in my train. Template:Personnage, lovelier than the love of Jove, Brighter than is the silver Rhodope, [37] Fairer than whitest snow on Scythian hills, Thy person is more worth to Template:Personnage Than the possession of the Persian crown, Which gracious stars have promis'd at my birth. A hundred Tartars shall attend on thee, Mounted on steeds swifter than Pegasus ”

“ Betokening valour and excess of strength;-- In every part proportion'd like the man Should make the world subdu'd [68] to Template:Personnage. Template:Personnage. Well hast thou pourtray'd in thy terms of life The face and personage of a wondrous man: Nature doth strive with Fortune [69] and his stars To make him famous in accomplish'd worth; And well his merits shew him to be made His fortune's master and the king of men, That could persuade, at such a sudden pinch, With reasons of his valour and his life, A thousand sworn and overmatching foes. ”

“ And ride in triumph through Persepolis!-- Is it not brave to be a king, Template:Personnage?-- Template:Personnage and Template:Personnage, Is it not passing brave to be a king, And ride in triumph through Persepolis? ”

“ Why should we live?--O, wretches, beggars, slaves!-- Why live we, Template:Personnage, and build up nests So high within the region of the air, By living long in this oppression, That all the world will see and laugh to scorn The former triumphs of our mightiness In this obscure infernal servitude? ”

“ The gods, defenders of the innocent. Will never prosper your intended drifts, That thus oppress poor friendless passengers. Therefore at least admit us liberty, Even as thou hop'st to be eternized By living Asia's mighty emperor. Template:Personnage. I hope our lady's treasure and our own May serve for ransom to our liberties: Return our mules and empty camels back, That we may travel into Syria, Where her betrothed lord, Alcidamus, Expects the arrival of her highness' person. Template:Personnage. And wheresoever we repose ourselves, We will report but well of Template:Personnage. ”

“ But most accurs'd, to see the sun-bright troop Of heavenly virgins and unspotted maids (Whose looks might make the angry god of arms To break his sword and mildly treat of love) On horsemen's lances to be hoisted up, And guiltlessly endure a cruel death; For every fell and stout Tartarian steed, That stamp'd on others with their thundering hoofs, When all their riders charg'd their quivering spears, Began to check the ground and rein themselves, Gazing upon the beauty of their looks. Ah, Template:Personnage, wert thou the cause of this, That term'st Template:Personnage thy dearest love? ”

“ Ah, mighty Jove and holy Mahomet, Pardon my love! O, pardon his contempt Of earthly fortune and respect of pity; And let not conquest, ruthlessly pursu'd, Be equally against his life incens'd In this great Turk and hapless emperess! And pardon me that was not mov'd with ruth To see them live so long in misery!-- Ah, what may chance to thee, Template:Personnage? Template:Personnage. Madam, content yourself, and be resolv'd Your love hath Fortune so at his command, That she shall stay, and turn her wheel no more, As long as life maintains his mighty arm That fights for honour to adorn your head. ”

“ Alas, poor Turk! his fortune is too weak T' encounter with the strength of Template:Personnage: View well my camp, and speak indifferently; Do not my captains and my soldiers look As if they meant to conquer Africa? Template:Personnage. 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 ”

“ I am, my lord,--for so you do import. Template:Personnage. I am a lord, for so my deeds shall prove; And yet a shepherd by my parentage. But, lady, this fair face and heavenly hue Must grace his bed that conquers Asia, And means to be a terror to the world, Measuring the limits of his empery By east and west, as Phoebus doth his course.-- Lie here, ye weeds, that I disdain to wear! This complete armour and this curtle-axe Are adjuncts more beseeming Template:Personnage.-- And, madam, whatsoever you esteem Of this success, and loss unvalued, [35] Both may invest you empress of the East ”

“ For kings are clouts that every man shoots at, Our crown the pin [100] 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. Template:Didascalie Template:Personnage. What, fearful coward, straggling from the camp, When kings themselves are present in the field? Template:Personnage. Thou liest. Template:Personnage. Base villain, darest thou give me [101] the lie? Template:Personnage. ”

“ Shake with their weight in sign of fear and grief! Blush, heaven, that gave them honour at their birth, And let them die a death so barbarous! Those that are proud of fickle empery And place their chiefest good in earthly pomp, Behold the Turk and his great emperess! Ah, Template:Personnage my love, sweet Template:Personnage, That fight'st for sceptres and for slippery crowns, Behold the Turk and his great emperess! ”

“ And 'tis a pretty toy to be a poet. ”

“ We hear the Tartars and the eastern thieves, Under the conduct of one Template:Personnage, 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 ”

“ 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. Template:Personnage. Nobly resolv'd, my good Template:Personnage; And, since we all have suck'd one wholesome air, And with the same proportion of elements Resolve, [121] I hope we are resembled, Vowing our loves to equal death and life. ”

“ 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! ”

“ Let him take all th' advantages he can: Were all the world conspir'd to fight for him, Nay, were he devil, [191] as he is no man, Yet in revenge of fair ZENOCRATE, Whom he detaineth in despite of us, This arm should send him down to Erebus, To shroud his shame in darkness of the night. Template:Personnage. Pleaseth your mightiness to understand, His resolution far exceedeth all. ”

“ Our swords shall play the orators for us. ”

“ too much eating will make you surfeit. ”

“ Thou know'st not, foolish-hardy Template:Personnage, What 'tis to meet me in the open field, That leave no ground for thee to march upon. Template:Personnage. 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 [175] white Tartarian hills My camp is like to Julius Caesar's host, That never fought but had the victory ”

“ View but his picture in this tragic glass, And then applaud his fortunes as you please. ”

“ Come, my Template:Personnage, let us to this gear. I tell you true, my heart is swoln with wrath On this same thievish villain Template:Personnage, And of [73] that false Template:Personnage, my traitorous brother. Would it not grieve a king to be so abus'd, And have a thousand horsemen ta'en away? And, which is worse, [74] to have his diadem Sought for by such scald knaves as love him not? I think it would: well, then, by heavens I swear, Aurora shall not peep out of her doors, But I will have Template:Personnage by the head, And kill proud Template:Personnage with point of sword. ”

“ Template:Personnage. True, Argier; and tremble [s] at my looks. Template:Personnage. 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. Template:Personnage. All this is true as holy Mahomet; And all the trees are blasted with our breaths. Template:Personnage. What thinks your greatness best to be achiev'd In pursuit of the city's overthrow? Template:Personnage. ”

“ And take in sign thereof this gilded wreath, Whereto each man of rule hath given his hand, And wish'd, [260] as worthy subjects, happy means To be investers of thy royal brows Even with the true Egyptian diadem! Template:Personnage. Virgins, in vain you labour to prevent That which mine honour swears shall be perform'd. Behold my sword; what see you at the point? Template:Personnage. Nothing but fear and fatal steel, my lord. Template:Personnage. Your fearful minds are thick and misty, then, For there sits Death; there sits imperious [261] Death, Keeping his circuit by the slicing edge. ”

“ Tell you the rest, Template:Personnage: I have said. Template:Personnage. Then, having pass'd Armenian deserts now, And pitch'd our tents under the Georgian hills, Whose tops are cover'd with Tartarian thieves, That lie in ambush, waiting for a prey, What should we do but bid them battle straight, And rid the world of those detested troops? Lest, if we let them linger here a while, They gather strength by power of fresh supplies. This country swarms with vile outragious men That live by rapine and by lawless spoil, Fit soldiers for the [75] wicked Template:Personnage ”