Tamburlaine the Great Volume I Part 7

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 n.o.ble 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 G.o.d, 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 TECh.e.l.lES with a naked dagger, and USUMCASANE.

TECh.e.l.lES. 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 h.e.l.l Wherewith he may excruciate thy soul; And let Agydas by Agydas die, And with this stab slumber eternally.

[Stabs himself.]

TECh.e.l.lES. Usumcasane, see, how right the man Hath hit the meaning of my lord the king!

USUMCASANE. Faith, and, Tech.e.l.les, 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.

TECh.e.l.lES. Agreed, Casane; we will honour him.

[Exeunt, bearing out the body.]

SCENE III.

Enter TAMBURLAINE, TECh.e.l.lES, USUMCASANE, THERIDAMAS, a Ba.s.sO, ZENOCRATE, ANIPPE, with others.

TAMBURLAINE. Ba.s.so, 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?

Ba.s.sO. 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 l.u.s.ty 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.

TECh.e.l.lES. 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?

Ba.s.sO. 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 a.s.sure 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 a.s.sured hope Of martial triumph ere he meet his foes.

I that am term'd the scourge and wrath of G.o.d, The only fear and terror of the world, Will first subdue the Turk, and then enlarge Those Christian captives which you keep as slaves, Burdening their bodies with your heavy chains, And feeding them with thin and slender fare; That naked row about the Terrene [158] sea, And, when they chance to rest or breathe [159] a s.p.a.ce, Are punish'd with bastones [160] so grievously That they [161] lie panting on the galleys' side, And strive for life at every stroke they give.

These are the cruel pirates of Argier, That d.a.m.ned train, the sc.u.m of Africa, Inhabited with straggling runagates, That make quick havoc of the Christian blood: But, as I live, that town shall curse the time That Tamburlaine set foot in Africa.

Enter BAJAZETH, Ba.s.sOES, the KINGS OF FEZ, MOROCCO, and ARGIER; ZABINA and EBEA.

BAJAZETH. Ba.s.soes and janizaries of my guard, Attend upon the person of your lord, The greatest potentate of Africa.

TAMBURLAINE. Tech.e.l.les and the rest, prepare your swords; I mean t' encounter with that Bajazeth.

BAJAZETH. Kings of Fez, Morocco, [162] and Argier, He calls me Bajazeth, whom you call lord!

Note the presumption of this Scythian slave!-- I tell thee, villain, those that lead my horse Have to their names t.i.tles [163] of dignity; And dar'st thou bluntly call me Bajazeth?

TAMBURLAINE. And know, thou Turk, that those which lead my horse Shall lead thee captive thorough Africa; And dar'st thou bluntly call me Tamburlaine?

BAJAZETH. By Mahomet my kinsman's sepulchre, And by the holy Alcoran I swear, He shall be made a chaste and l.u.s.tless eunuch, And in my sarell [164] tend my concubines; And all his captains, that thus stoutly stand, Shall draw the chariot of my emperess, Whom I have brought to see their overthrow!

TAMBURLAINE. By this my sword that conquer'd Persia, Thy fall shall make me famous through the world!

I will not tell thee how I'll [165] handle thee, But every common soldier of my camp Shall smile to see thy miserable state.

KING OF FEZ. What means the [166] mighty Turkish emperor, To talk with one so base as Tamburlaine?

KING OF MOROCCO. Ye Moors and valiant men of Barbary.

How can ye suffer these indignities?

KING OF ARGIER. Leave words, and let them feel your lances'

points, Which glided through the bowels of the Greeks.

BAJAZETH. Well said, my stout contributory kings!

Your threefold army and my hugy [167] host Shall swallow up these base-born Persians.

TECh.e.l.lES. Puissant, renowm'd, [168] and mighty Tamburlaine, Why stay we thus prolonging of [169] their lives?