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Scene II.
TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT.
11
Tamb. How now, my lords of Egypt, and Zenocrate!
Now must your jewels be restor'd again,
And I, that triumph'd[1] so, be overcome?
How say you, lordings ? is not this your hope?
Now must your jewels be restor'd again,
And I, that triumph'd[1] so, be overcome?
How say you, lordings ? is not this your hope?
Agyd. We hope yourself will willingly restore them.
Tamb. Such hope, such fortune, have the thousand horse.
Soft ye, my lords, and sweet Zenocrate!
You must be forced from me ere you go.
A thousand horsemen! we five hundred foot!
An odds too great for us to stand against.
But are they rich? and is their armour good?
Soft ye, my lords, and sweet Zenocrate!
You must be forced from me ere you go.
A thousand horsemen! we five hundred foot!
An odds too great for us to stand against.
But are they rich? and is their armour good?
Sold. Their plumed helms are wrought with beaten gold,
Their swords enamell'd, and about their necks
Hang massy chains of gold down to the waist;
In every part exceeding brave[2] and rich.
Their swords enamell'd, and about their necks
Hang massy chains of gold down to the waist;
In every part exceeding brave[2] and rich.
Tamb. Then shall we fight courageously with them?
Or look you I should play the orator?
Or look you I should play the orator?
Tech. No ; cowards and faint-hearted runaways
Look for orations when the foe is near :
Our swords shall play the orators for us.
Look for orations when the foe is near :
Our swords shall play the orators for us.
Usum. Come, let us meet them at the mountain-top[3],
And with a sudden and an hot alarum
Drive all their horses headlong down the hill.
And with a sudden and an hot alarum
Drive all their horses headlong down the hill.
Tech. Come, let us march.
Tamb. Stay, Techelles ; ask a parle first.
The Soldiers enter.
Open the mails[4] , yet guard the treasure sure :
Lay out our golden wedges to the view,
That their reflections may amaze the Persians;
And look we friendly on them when, they come:
But, if they offer word or violence,
We'll fight, five hundred men-at-arms to one,
Before we part with our possession;
And 'gainst the general we will lift our swords,
And either lance[5] his greedy thirsting throat,
Or take him prisoner, and his chain shall serve
For manacles till he be ransom'd home.
Tech. I hear them come : shall we encounter them ?
Lay out our golden wedges to the view,
That their reflections may amaze the Persians;
And look we friendly on them when, they come:
But, if they offer word or violence,
We'll fight, five hundred men-at-arms to one,
Before we part with our possession;
And 'gainst the general we will lift our swords,
And either lance[5] his greedy thirsting throat,
Or take him prisoner, and his chain shall serve
For manacles till he be ransom'd home.
Tech. I hear them come : shall we encounter them ?
Tamb. Keep all your standings, and not stir a foot:
Myself will bide the danger of the brant.
Myself will bide the danger of the brant.
Enter Theridamas with others.
Ther. Where is this[6] Scythian Tamburlaine?
Tamb. Whom seek'st thou, Persian? I am Tamburlaine.
Ther. Tamburlaine!
A Scythian shepherd so embellished
With nature's pride and richest furniture!
His looks do menace heaven and dare the gods;
His fiery eyes are fix'd upon the earth,
As if he now devis'd some stratagem,
Or meant to pierce Avernus' darksome vaults[7]
To pull the triple-headed dog from hell.
A Scythian shepherd so embellished
With nature's pride and richest furniture!
His looks do menace heaven and dare the gods;
His fiery eyes are fix'd upon the earth,
As if he now devis'd some stratagem,
Or meant to pierce Avernus' darksome vaults[7]
To pull the triple-headed dog from hell.
Tamb. Noble and mild this Persian seems to be,
If outward habit judge the inward man.
If outward habit judge the inward man.
Tech. His deep affections make him passionate.
Tamb. With what a majesty he rears his looks!
In thee, thou valiant man of Persia,
I see the folly of thy[8] emperor.
Art thou but captain of a thousand horse,
That by characters graven in thy brows,
And by thy martial face and stout aspect,
Deserv'st to have the leading of an host?
Forsake thy king, and do but join with me,
And we will triumph over all the world :
I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains,
And with my hand turn Fortune's wheel about ;
And sooner shall the sun fall from his sphere
Than Tamburlaine bs slain or overcome.
Draw forth thy sword, thou mighty man-at-arms,
Intending but to raze my charmed skin,
And Jove himself will stretch his hand from heaven
To ward the blow, and shield me safe from harm.
See, how he rains down heaps of gold in showers,
As if he meant to give my soldiers pay!
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[9] ,
To be my queen and portly emperess.
If thou wilt stay with me, renowme'd [10] man,
In thee, thou valiant man of Persia,
I see the folly of thy[8] emperor.
Art thou but captain of a thousand horse,
That by characters graven in thy brows,
And by thy martial face and stout aspect,
Deserv'st to have the leading of an host?
Forsake thy king, and do but join with me,
And we will triumph over all the world :
I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains,
And with my hand turn Fortune's wheel about ;
And sooner shall the sun fall from his sphere
Than Tamburlaine bs slain or overcome.
Draw forth thy sword, thou mighty man-at-arms,
Intending but to raze my charmed skin,
And Jove himself will stretch his hand from heaven
To ward the blow, and shield me safe from harm.
See, how he rains down heaps of gold in showers,
As if he meant to give my soldiers pay!
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[9] ,
To be my queen and portly emperess.
If thou wilt stay with me, renowme'd [10] man,
- ↑ triumph'd] So the 8vo. The 4to "tryumph."
- ↑ brave] i. e. splendidly clad.
- ↑ top] So the 4to. The 8vo "foot."
- ↑ mails] i. e. bags, budgets.
- ↑ lance] So the 4to. Herw the 8vo has "lance ;" but more than once in the Sec. Part of the play it has "lance."
- ↑ this] So the 8vo. The 4to "the." Qy. "Where is this Scythian shepherd Tamburlaine"? Compare the next words of Theridamas.
- ↑ vaults] Here the Svo has "vauts," "which," says one of the modern editors, " was common in Marlowe's time : " and so it was ; but in the Sec. Part of this play, act ii. sc. 4, the same Svo gives,—"As we descend into the infernal vaults."
- ↑ thy] So the 8vo. The 4to "the."
- ↑ brave] See note † in preceding column.
- ↑ renowme'd]i. e. renowned. So the 8vo. The 4to "renowned." The form "renowmed" (Fr. renornmmé) occurs repeatedly afterwards in this play, according to the
