SCENE ONE
Enter the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON , MAXIMUS , and others, upon the walls . GOVERNOR :
What saith Maximus? MAXIMUS :
My lord, the breach the enemy hath made
Gives such assurance of our overthrow
That little hope is left to save our lives,
Or hold our city from the conqueror's hands.
Then hang out flags, my lord, of humble truce,
And satisfy the people's general prayers,
That Tamburlaine's intolerable wrath
May be suppressed by our submission. GOVERNOR :
Villain, respect'st thou more thy slavish life
Than honour of thy country or thy name?
Is not my life and state as dear to me,
The city and my native country's weal,
As any thing of price with thy conceit?
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 afresh 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?
Enter another, kneeling to the GOVERNOR . CITIZEN :
My lord, if ever you did deed of ruth,
And now will work a refuge to our lives,
Offer submission, hang up flags of truce,
That Tamburlaine may pity our distress,
And use us like a loving conqueror.
Though this be held his last day's dreadful siege,
Wherein he spareth neither man nor child,
Yet are there Christians of Georgia here,
Whose state he ever pitied and reliev'd,
Will get his pardon, if your grace would send. GOVERNOR :
How is my soul environed!
And this eternis'd city Babylon
Fill'd with a pack of faint-heart fugitives
That thus entreat their shame and servitude!
Enter, above, a SECOND CITIZEN . SECOND CITIZEN :
My lord, if ever you will win our hearts,
Yield up the town, and save our wives and children;
For I will cast myself from off these walls,
Or die some death of quickest violence,
Before I bide the wrath of Tamburlaine. GOVERNOR :
Villains, cowards, traitors to our state!
Fall to the earth, and pierce the pit of hell,
That legions of tormenting spirits may vex
Your slavish bosoms with continual pains!
I care not, nor the town will never yield
As long as any life is in my breast.
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 then 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.
Thou seest us prest to give the last assault,
And that shall bide no more regard of parley. GOVERNOR :
Assault and spare not; we will never yield.
Alarms: and they scale the walls .
Enter TAMBURLAINE , drawn in his chariot (as before) by the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA ; AMYRAS , CELEBINUS , USUMCASANE ; ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM , led by SOLDIERS ; and others . TAMBURLAINE :
The stately buildings of fair Babylon,
Whose lofty pillars, higher than the clouds,
Were wont to guide the seaman in the deep,
Being carried thither by the cannon's force,
Now fill the mouth of Limnasphaltis' lake,
And make a bridge unto the batter'd walls.
Where Belus, Ninus, and great Alexander
Have rode in triumph, triumphs Tamburlaine,
Whose chariot wheels have burst th' Assyrians' bones,
Drawn with these kings on heaps of carcasses.
Now in the place, where fair Semiramis,
Courted by kings and peers of Asia,
Hath trod the measures, do my soldiers march,
And in the streets, where brave Assyrian dames
Have rid in pomp like rich Saturnia,
With furious words and frowning visages
My horsemen brandish their unruly blades.
Re-enter THERIDAMAS and TECHELLES , bringing in the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON .
Who have ye there, my lord? THERIDAMAS :
The sturdy governor of Babylon,
That made us all the labour for the town,
And us'd such slender reckoning of your majesty. TAMBURLAINE :
Go, bind the villain. He shall hang in chains
Upon the ruins of this conquer'd town.
Sirrah, the view of our vermilion tents
Which threaten'd more than if the region
Next underneath the element of fire
Were full of comets and of blazing stars,
Whose flaming trains should reach down to the earth,
Could not affright you; no, nor I myself,
The wrathful messenger of mighty Jove,
That with his sword hath quail'd all earthly kings,
Could not persuade you to submission,
But still the ports were shut. Villain, I say,
Should I but touch the rusty gates of hell,
The triple-headed Cerberus would howl,
And wake black Jove to crouch and kneel to me;
But I have sent volleys of shot to you,
Yet could not enter till the breach was made. GOVERNOR :
Nor, if my body could have stopt the breach,
Shouldst thou have enter'd, cruel Tamburlaine.
'Tis not thy bloody tents can make me yield,
Nor yet thyself, the anger of the Highest;
For, though thy cannon shook the city-walls,
My heart did never quake, or courage faint. TAMBURLAINE :
Well, now I'll make it quake. Go draw him up,
Hang him in chains upon the city walls,
And let my soldiers shoot the slave to death. GOVERNOR :
Vile monster, born of some infernal hag,
And sent from hell to tyrannise on earth,
Do all thy worst. Nor death, nor Tamburlaine,
Torture, or pain, can daunt my dreadless mind. TAMBURLAINE :
Up with him, then! His body shall be scarr'd. GOVERNOR :
But, Tamburlaine, in Limnasphaltis' lake
There lies more gold than Babylon is worth,
Which, when the city was besieg'd, I hid:
Save but my life, and I will give it thee. TAMBURLAINE :
Then, for all your valour, you would save your life?
Whereabout lies it? GOVERNOR :
Under a hollow bank, right opposite
Against the western gate of Babylon. TAMBURLAINE :
Go thither, some of you, and take his gold:
Exeunt some ATTENDANTS .
The rest forward with execution.
Away with him hence, let him speak no more.
I think I make your courage something quail.
Exeunt ATTENDANTS with the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON .
When this is done, we'll march from Babylon,
And make our greatest haste to Persia.
These jades are broken winded and half-tir'd;
Unharness them, and let me have fresh horse.
ATTENDANTS unharness the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA .
So, now their best is done to honour me,
Take them and hang them both up presently. KING OF TREBIZON :
Vile tyrant! Barbarous bloody Tamburlaine! TAMBURLAINE :
Take them away, Theridamas; see them despatch'd. THERIDAMAS :
I will, my lord.
Exit with the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA . TAMBURLAINE :
Come, Asian viceroys; to your tasks a while,
And take such fortune as your fellows felt. ORCANES :
First let thy Scythian horse tear both our limbs,
Rather than we should draw thy chariot,
And like base slaves abject our princely minds
To vile and ignominious servitude. KING OF JERUSALEM :
Rather lend me thy weapon, Tamburlaine,
That I may sheathe it in this breast of mine.
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 barness them to the chariot. The GOVERNOR OF BABYLON appears banging 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. THERIDAMAS :
Then have at him, to begin withal.
THERIDAMAS shoots at the GOVERNOR . GOVERNOR :
Yet save my life, and let this wound appease The mortal fury of great Tamburlaine! TAMBURLAINE :
No, though Asphaltis' lake were liquid gold,
And offer'd me as ransom for thy life,
Yet shouldst thou die. Shoot at him all at once.
They shoot .
So, now he hangs like Bagdet's governor,
Having as many bullets in his flesh
As there be breaches in her batter'd wall.
Go now, and bind the burghers hand and foot,
And cast them headlong in the city's lake.
Tartars and Persians shall inhabit there;
And, to command the city, I will build
A citadel, that all Africa,
Which hath been subject to the Persian king,
Shall pay me tribute for in Babylon. TECHELLES :
What shall be done with their wives and children, my lord? TAMBURLAINE :
Techelles, drown them all, man, woman, and child;
Leave not a Babylonian in the town. TECHELLES :
I will about it straight. Come soldiers.
Exit with SOLDIERS . 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! 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.
There is a God, full of revenging wrath,
From whom the thunder and the lightning breaks,
Whose scourge I am, and him will I obey.
So Casane; fling them in the fire.
They burn the books .
Now, Mahomet, if thou have any power,
Come down thyself and work a miracle.
Thou art not worthy to be worshipped
That suffers flames of fire to burn the writ
Wherein the sum of thy religion rests.
Why send'st thou not a furious whirlwind down,
To blow thy Alcoran up to thy throne,
Where men report thou sitt'st by God himself?
Or vengeance on the head of Tamburlaine
That shakes his sword against thy majesty,
And spurns the abstracts of thy foolish laws?
Well, soldiers, Mahomet remains in hell;
He cannot hear the voice of Tamburlaine.
Seek out another godhead to adore:
The God that sits in heaven, if any god,
For he is God alone, and none but he.
Re-enter TECHELLES . TECHELLES :
I have fulfill'd your highness' will, my lord.
Thousands of men, drown'd in Asphaltis' lake,
Have made the water swell above the banks,
And fishes, fed by human carcasses,
Amaz'd, swim up and down upon the waves,
As when they swallow assafoetida,
Which makes them fleet aloft and gasp for air. TAMBURLAINE :
Well, then, my friendly lords, what now remains,
But that we leave sufficient garrison,
And presently depart to Persia,
To triumph after all our victories? THERIDAMAS :
Ay, good my lord, let us in haste to Persia;
And let this captain be remov'd the walls
To some high hill about the city here. TAMBURLAINE :
Let it be so; about it, soldiers.
But stay: I feel myself distemper'd suddenly. TECHELLES :
What is it dares distemper Tamburlaine? TAMBURLAINE :
Something, Techelles; but I know not what.
But, forth, ye vassals! Whatsoe'er it be,
Sickness or death can never conquer me.
Exeunt .
SCENE TWO
Enter CALLAPINE , KING OF AMASIA , a CAPTAIN , and TRAIN , with drums and trumpets . CALLAPINE :
King of Amasia, now our mighty host
Marcheth in Asia Major, where the streams
Of Euphrates and Tigris swiftly runs;
And here may we behold great Babylon,
Circled about with Limnasphaltis' lake,
Where Tamburlaine with all his army lies,
Which being faint and weary with the siege,
We may lie ready to encounter him
Before his host be full from Babylon,
And so revenge our latest grievous loss,
If God or Mahomet send any aid. KING OF AMASIA :
Doubt not, my lord, but we shall conquer him.
The monster that hath drunk a sea of blood,
And yet gapes still for more to quench his thirst,
Our Turkish swords shall headlong send to hell;
And that vile carcass, drawn by warlike kings,
The fowls shall eat; for never sepulchre
Shall grace this base-born tyrant Tamburlaine. CALLAPINE :
When I record my parents' slavish life,
Their cruel death, mine own captivity,
My viceroys' bondage under Tamburlaine,
Methinks I could sustain a thousand deaths,
To be reveng'd of all his villany.
Ah, sacred Mahomet, thou that hast seen
Millions of Turks perish by Tamburlaine,
Kingdoms made waste, brave cities sack'd and burnt,
And but one host is left to honour thee,
Aid thy obedient servant Callapine,
And make him, after all these overthrows,
To triumph over cursed Tamburlaine! KING OF AMASIA :
Fear not, my lord: I see great Mahomet,
Clothed in purple clouds and on his head
A chaplet brighter than Apollo's crown,
Marching about the air with armed men,
To join with you against this Tamburlaine. CAPTAIN :
Renowmed general, mighty Callapine,
Though God himself and holy Mahomet
Should come in person to resist your power,
Yet might your mighty host encounter all,
And pull proud Tamburlaine upon his knees
To sue for mercy at your highness' feet. CALLAPINE :
Captain, the force of Tamburlaine is great,
His fortune greater, and the victories
Wherewith he hath so sore dismay'd the world
Are greatest to discourage all our drifts.
Yet, when the pride of Cynthia is at full,
She wanes again; and so shall his, I hope;
For we have here the chief selected men
Of twenty several kingdoms at the least.
Nor ploughman, priest, nor merchant, stays at home;
All Turkey is in arms with Callapine;
And never will we sunder camps and arms
Before himself or his be conquered.
This is the time that must eternise me
For conquering the tyrant of the world.
Come, soldiers, let us lie in wait for him,
And, if we find him absent from his camp,
Or that it be rejoin'd again at full,
Assail it, and be sure of victory.
Exeunt .
SCENE THREE
Enter THERIDAMAS , TECHELLES , and USUMCASANE . THERIDAMAS :
Weep, heavens, and vanish into liquid tears!
Fall, stars that govern his nativity,
And summon all the shining lamps of heaven
To cast their bootless fires to the earth,
And shed their feeble influence in the air;
Muffle your beauties with eternal clouds,
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 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. TECHELLES :
O, then, ye powers that sway eternal seats,
And guide this massy substance of the earth,
If you retain desert of holiness,
As your supreme estates instruct our thoughts,
Be not inconstant, careless of your fame,
Bear not the burden of your enemies' joys,
Triumphing in his fall whom you advanc'd;
But, as his birth, life, health, and majesty
Were strangely blest and governed by heaven,
So honour, heaven (till heaven dissolved be,)
His birth, his life, his health, and majesty! USUMCASANE :
Blush, heaven, to lose the honour of thy name,
To see thy footstool set upon thy head;
And let no baseness in thy haughty breast
Sustain a shame of such inexcellence,
To see the devils mount in angels' thrones,
And angels dive into the pools of hell!
And, though they think their painful date is out,
And that their power is puissant as Jove's,
Which makes them manage arms against thy state,
Yet make them feel the strength of Tamburlaine,
Thy instrument and note of majesty,
Is greater far than they can thus subdue;
For, if he die, thy glory is disgrac'd,
Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is plac'd!
Enter TAMBURLAINE , drawn in his chariot by ORCANES king of Natolia and the KING OF JERUSALEM , with AMYRAS , CELEBINUS , and PHYSICIANS . TAMBURLAINE :
What daring god torments my body thus,
And seeks to conquer mighty Tamburlaine?
Shall sickness prove me now to be a man,
That have been term'd the terror of the world?
Techelles and the rest, come, take your swords,
And threaten him whose hand afflicts my soul.
Come, let us march against the powers of heaven,
And set black streamers in the firmament,
To signify the slaughter of the gods.
Ah, friends, what shall I do? I cannot stand.
Come, carry me to war against the gods,
That thus envy the health of Tamburlaine. THERIDAMAS :
Ah, good my lord, leave these impatient words,
Which add much danger to your malady! TAMBURLAINE :
Why, shall I sit and languish in this pain?
No, strike the drums, and, in revenge of this,
Come, let us charge our spears, and pierce his breast
Whose shoulders bear the axis of the world,
That, if I perish, heaven and earth may fade.
Theridamas, haste to the court of Jove;
Will him to send Apollo hither straight,
To cure me, or I'll fetch him down myself. TECHELLES :
Sit still, my gracious lord; this grief will cease,
And cannot last, it is so violent. TAMBURLAINE :
Not last, Techelles! No, for I shall die.
See, where my slave, the ugly monster Death,
Shaking and quivering, pale and wan for fear,
Stands aiming at me with his murdering dart,
Who flies away at every glance I give,
And, when I look away, comes stealing on!
Villain, away, and hie thee to the field!
I and mine army come to load thy bark
With souls of thousand mangled carcasses.
Look, where he goes! But, see, he comes again,
Because I stay! Techelles, let us march,
And weary Death with bearing souls to hell. FIRST PHYSICIAN :
Pleaseth your majesty to drink this potion,
Which will abate the fury of your fit,
And cause some milder spirits govern you. TAMBURLAINE :
Tell me what think you of my sickness now? FIRST PHYSICIAN :
I view'd your urine, and the hypostasis,
Thick and obscure, doth make your danger great.
Your veins are full of accidental heat,
Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried.
The humidum and calor, which some hold
Is not a parcel of the elements,
But of a substance more divine and pure,
Is almost clean extinguished and spent;
Which, being the cause of life, imports your death.
Besides, my lord, this day is critical,
Dangerous to those whose crisis is as yours:
Your artiers, which alongst the veins convey
The lively spirits which the heart engenders,
Are parch'd and void of spirit, that the soul,
Wanting those organons by which it moves,
Cannot endure, by argument of art.
Yet, if your majesty may escape this day,
No doubt but you shall soon recover all. TAMBURLAINE :
Then will I comfort all my vital parts,
And live, in spite of death, above a day.
Alarms within .
Enter a MESSENGER . MESSENGER :
My lord, young Callapine, that lately fled from your majesty, hath now gathered a fresh army, and, hearing your absence in the field, offers to set upon us presently. TAMBURLAINE :
See, my physicians, now, how Jove hath sent
A present medicine to recure my pain!
My looks shall make them fly; and, might I follow,
There should not one of all the villain's power
Live to give offer of another fight. USUMCASANE :
I joy, my lord, your highness is so strong,
That can endure so well your royal presence,
Which only will dismay the enemy. TAMBURLAINE :
I know it will, Casane. Draw, you slaves!
In spite of death, I will go show my face.
Alarms. Exit TAMBURLAINE with all the rest, and re-enter presently . TAMBURLAINE :
Thus are the villains, cowards fled for fear,
Like summer's vapours vanish'd by the sun;
And, could I but a while pursue the field,
That Callapine should be my slave again.
But I perceive my martial strength is spent:
In vain I strive and rail against those powers
That mean t'invest me in a higher throne,
As much too high for this disdainful earth.
Give me a map; then let me see how much
Is left for me to conquer all the world,
That these, my boys, may finish all my wants.
One brings a map .
Here I began to march towards Persia,
Along Armenia and the Caspian Sea,
And thence unto Bithynia, where I took
The Turk and his great empress prisoners.
Then march'd I into Egypt and Arabia;
And here, not far from Alexandria,
Whereas the Terrene and the Red Sea meet,
Being distant less than full a hundred leagues,
I meant to cut a channel to them both,
That men might quickly sail to India.
From thence to Nubia near Borno lake,
And so along the Æthiopian sea,
Cutting the Tropic line of Capricorn,
I conquer'd all as far as Zanzibar.
Then, by the northern part of Africa,
I came at last to Graecia, and from thence
To Asia, where I stay against my will;
Which is from Scythia, where I first began,
Backward and forwards near five thousand leagues.
Look here, my boys; see, what a world of ground
Lies westward from the midst of Cancer's line
Unto the rising of this earthly globe,
Whereas the sun, declining from our sight,
Begins the day with our Antipodes!
And shall I die, and this unconquered?
Lo, here, my sons, are all the golden mines,
Inestimable drugs and precious stones,
More worth than Asia and the world beside;
And from th'Antarctic Pole eastward behold
As much more land, which never was descried,
Wherein are rocks of pearl that shine as bright
As all the lamps that beautify the sky!
And shall I die, and this unconquered?
Here, lovely boys; what death forbids my life,
That let your lives command in spite of death. AMYRAS :
Alas, my lord, how should our bleeding hearts,
Wounded and broken with your highness' grief,
Retain a thought of joy or spark of life?
Your soul gives essence to our wretched subjects,
Whose matter is incorporate in your flesh. CELEBINUS :
Your pains do pierce our souls; no hope survives,
For by your life we entertain our lives. TAMBURLAINE :
But, sons, this subject, not of force enough
To hold the fiery spirit it contains,
Must part, imparting his impressions
By equal portions into both your breasts;
My flesh, divided in your precious shapes,
Shall still retain my spirit, though I die,
And live in all your seeds 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 woeful change, my lord, that daunts our thoughts
More than the ruin of our proper souls! TAMBURLAINE :
Sit up, my son, let me see how well
Thou wilt become thy father's majesty.
They crown him . AMYRAS :
With what a flinty bosom should I joy
The breath of life and burden of my soul,
If not resolv'd into resolved pains,
My body's mortified lineaments
Should exercise the motions of my heart,
Pierc'd with the joy of any dignity!
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? 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 silken reins
Bridle the steeled stomachs of these 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 spirit I ascend this seat,
And send my soul, before my father die,
His anguish and his burning agony! TAMBURLAINE :
Now fetch the hearse of fair Zenocrate;
Let it be plac'd by this my fatal chair,
And serve as parcel of my funeral, USUMCASANE :
Then feels your majesty no sovereign ease,
Nor may our hearts, all drown'd in tears of blood,
Joy any hope of your recovery? TAMBURLAINE :
Casane, no; the monarch of the earth,
And eyeless monster that torments my soul,
Cannot behold the tears ye shed for me,
And therefore still augments his cruelty. TECHELLES :
Then let some god oppose his holy power
Against the wrath and tyranny of Death,
That his tear-thirsty and unquenched hate
May be upon himself reverberate!
They bring in the bearse of Zenocrate . 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 brain-sick son did guide,
When wandering Phœbe's ivory cheeks were scorch'd,
And all the earth, like Ætna, breathing fire.
Be warn'd by him, then; learn with awful eye
To sway a throne as dangerous as his;
For, if thy body thrive not full of thoughts
As pure and fiery as Phyteus' beams,
The nature of these proud rebelling jades
Will take occasion by the slenderest hair,
And draw thee piecemeal, like Hippolytus,
Through rocks more steep and sharp than Caspian cliffs.
The nature of thy chariot will not bear
A guide of baser temper than myself,
More than heaven's coach the pride of Phaeton.
Farewell, my boys! my dearest friends, farewell!
My body feels, my soul doth weep to see
Your sweet desires depriv'd my company,
For Tamburlaine, the scourge of God, must die.
Dies . AMYRAS :
Meet heaven and earth, and here let all things end,
For earth hath spent the pride of all her fruit,
And heaven consum'd his choicest living fire!
Let earth and heaven his timeless death deplore,
For both their worths will equal him no more!
Exeunt .
Enter the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON , MAXIMUS , and others, upon the walls . GOVERNOR :
What saith Maximus? MAXIMUS :
My lord, the breach the enemy hath made
Gives such assurance of our overthrow
That little hope is left to save our lives,
Or hold our city from the conqueror's hands.
Then hang out flags, my lord, of humble truce,
And satisfy the people's general prayers,
That Tamburlaine's intolerable wrath
May be suppressed by our submission. GOVERNOR :
Villain, respect'st thou more thy slavish life
Than honour of thy country or thy name?
Is not my life and state as dear to me,
The city and my native country's weal,
As any thing of price with thy conceit?
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 afresh 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?
Enter another, kneeling to the GOVERNOR . CITIZEN :
My lord, if ever you did deed of ruth,
And now will work a refuge to our lives,
Offer submission, hang up flags of truce,
That Tamburlaine may pity our distress,
And use us like a loving conqueror.
Though this be held his last day's dreadful siege,
Wherein he spareth neither man nor child,
Yet are there Christians of Georgia here,
Whose state he ever pitied and reliev'd,
Will get his pardon, if your grace would send. GOVERNOR :
How is my soul environed!
And this eternis'd city Babylon
Fill'd with a pack of faint-heart fugitives
That thus entreat their shame and servitude!
Enter, above, a SECOND CITIZEN . SECOND CITIZEN :
My lord, if ever you will win our hearts,
Yield up the town, and save our wives and children;
For I will cast myself from off these walls,
Or die some death of quickest violence,
Before I bide the wrath of Tamburlaine. GOVERNOR :
Villains, cowards, traitors to our state!
Fall to the earth, and pierce the pit of hell,
That legions of tormenting spirits may vex
Your slavish bosoms with continual pains!
I care not, nor the town will never yield
As long as any life is in my breast.
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 then 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.
Thou seest us prest to give the last assault,
And that shall bide no more regard of parley. GOVERNOR :
Assault and spare not; we will never yield.
Alarms: and they scale the walls .
Enter TAMBURLAINE , drawn in his chariot (as before) by the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA ; AMYRAS , CELEBINUS , USUMCASANE ; ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM , led by SOLDIERS ; and others . TAMBURLAINE :
The stately buildings of fair Babylon,
Whose lofty pillars, higher than the clouds,
Were wont to guide the seaman in the deep,
Being carried thither by the cannon's force,
Now fill the mouth of Limnasphaltis' lake,
And make a bridge unto the batter'd walls.
Where Belus, Ninus, and great Alexander
Have rode in triumph, triumphs Tamburlaine,
Whose chariot wheels have burst th' Assyrians' bones,
Drawn with these kings on heaps of carcasses.
Now in the place, where fair Semiramis,
Courted by kings and peers of Asia,
Hath trod the measures, do my soldiers march,
And in the streets, where brave Assyrian dames
Have rid in pomp like rich Saturnia,
With furious words and frowning visages
My horsemen brandish their unruly blades.
Re-enter THERIDAMAS and TECHELLES , bringing in the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON .
Who have ye there, my lord? THERIDAMAS :
The sturdy governor of Babylon,
That made us all the labour for the town,
And us'd such slender reckoning of your majesty. TAMBURLAINE :
Go, bind the villain. He shall hang in chains
Upon the ruins of this conquer'd town.
Sirrah, the view of our vermilion tents
Which threaten'd more than if the region
Next underneath the element of fire
Were full of comets and of blazing stars,
Whose flaming trains should reach down to the earth,
Could not affright you; no, nor I myself,
The wrathful messenger of mighty Jove,
That with his sword hath quail'd all earthly kings,
Could not persuade you to submission,
But still the ports were shut. Villain, I say,
Should I but touch the rusty gates of hell,
The triple-headed Cerberus would howl,
And wake black Jove to crouch and kneel to me;
But I have sent volleys of shot to you,
Yet could not enter till the breach was made. GOVERNOR :
Nor, if my body could have stopt the breach,
Shouldst thou have enter'd, cruel Tamburlaine.
'Tis not thy bloody tents can make me yield,
Nor yet thyself, the anger of the Highest;
For, though thy cannon shook the city-walls,
My heart did never quake, or courage faint. TAMBURLAINE :
Well, now I'll make it quake. Go draw him up,
Hang him in chains upon the city walls,
And let my soldiers shoot the slave to death. GOVERNOR :
Vile monster, born of some infernal hag,
And sent from hell to tyrannise on earth,
Do all thy worst. Nor death, nor Tamburlaine,
Torture, or pain, can daunt my dreadless mind. TAMBURLAINE :
Up with him, then! His body shall be scarr'd. GOVERNOR :
But, Tamburlaine, in Limnasphaltis' lake
There lies more gold than Babylon is worth,
Which, when the city was besieg'd, I hid:
Save but my life, and I will give it thee. TAMBURLAINE :
Then, for all your valour, you would save your life?
Whereabout lies it? GOVERNOR :
Under a hollow bank, right opposite
Against the western gate of Babylon. TAMBURLAINE :
Go thither, some of you, and take his gold:
Exeunt some ATTENDANTS .
The rest forward with execution.
Away with him hence, let him speak no more.
I think I make your courage something quail.
Exeunt ATTENDANTS with the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON .
When this is done, we'll march from Babylon,
And make our greatest haste to Persia.
These jades are broken winded and half-tir'd;
Unharness them, and let me have fresh horse.
ATTENDANTS unharness the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA .
So, now their best is done to honour me,
Take them and hang them both up presently. KING OF TREBIZON :
Vile tyrant! Barbarous bloody Tamburlaine! TAMBURLAINE :
Take them away, Theridamas; see them despatch'd. THERIDAMAS :
I will, my lord.
Exit with the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA . TAMBURLAINE :
Come, Asian viceroys; to your tasks a while,
And take such fortune as your fellows felt. ORCANES :
First let thy Scythian horse tear both our limbs,
Rather than we should draw thy chariot,
And like base slaves abject our princely minds
To vile and ignominious servitude. KING OF JERUSALEM :
Rather lend me thy weapon, Tamburlaine,
That I may sheathe it in this breast of mine.
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 barness them to the chariot. The GOVERNOR OF BABYLON appears banging 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. THERIDAMAS :
Then have at him, to begin withal.
THERIDAMAS shoots at the GOVERNOR . GOVERNOR :
Yet save my life, and let this wound appease The mortal fury of great Tamburlaine! TAMBURLAINE :
No, though Asphaltis' lake were liquid gold,
And offer'd me as ransom for thy life,
Yet shouldst thou die. Shoot at him all at once.
They shoot .
So, now he hangs like Bagdet's governor,
Having as many bullets in his flesh
As there be breaches in her batter'd wall.
Go now, and bind the burghers hand and foot,
And cast them headlong in the city's lake.
Tartars and Persians shall inhabit there;
And, to command the city, I will build
A citadel, that all Africa,
Which hath been subject to the Persian king,
Shall pay me tribute for in Babylon. TECHELLES :
What shall be done with their wives and children, my lord? TAMBURLAINE :
Techelles, drown them all, man, woman, and child;
Leave not a Babylonian in the town. TECHELLES :
I will about it straight. Come soldiers.
Exit with SOLDIERS . 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! 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.
There is a God, full of revenging wrath,
From whom the thunder and the lightning breaks,
Whose scourge I am, and him will I obey.
So Casane; fling them in the fire.
They burn the books .
Now, Mahomet, if thou have any power,
Come down thyself and work a miracle.
Thou art not worthy to be worshipped
That suffers flames of fire to burn the writ
Wherein the sum of thy religion rests.
Why send'st thou not a furious whirlwind down,
To blow thy Alcoran up to thy throne,
Where men report thou sitt'st by God himself?
Or vengeance on the head of Tamburlaine
That shakes his sword against thy majesty,
And spurns the abstracts of thy foolish laws?
Well, soldiers, Mahomet remains in hell;
He cannot hear the voice of Tamburlaine.
Seek out another godhead to adore:
The God that sits in heaven, if any god,
For he is God alone, and none but he.
Re-enter TECHELLES . TECHELLES :
I have fulfill'd your highness' will, my lord.
Thousands of men, drown'd in Asphaltis' lake,
Have made the water swell above the banks,
And fishes, fed by human carcasses,
Amaz'd, swim up and down upon the waves,
As when they swallow assafoetida,
Which makes them fleet aloft and gasp for air. TAMBURLAINE :
Well, then, my friendly lords, what now remains,
But that we leave sufficient garrison,
And presently depart to Persia,
To triumph after all our victories? THERIDAMAS :
Ay, good my lord, let us in haste to Persia;
And let this captain be remov'd the walls
To some high hill about the city here. TAMBURLAINE :
Let it be so; about it, soldiers.
But stay: I feel myself distemper'd suddenly. TECHELLES :
What is it dares distemper Tamburlaine? TAMBURLAINE :
Something, Techelles; but I know not what.
But, forth, ye vassals! Whatsoe'er it be,
Sickness or death can never conquer me.
Exeunt .
SCENE TWO
Enter CALLAPINE , KING OF AMASIA , a CAPTAIN , and TRAIN , with drums and trumpets . CALLAPINE :
King of Amasia, now our mighty host
Marcheth in Asia Major, where the streams
Of Euphrates and Tigris swiftly runs;
And here may we behold great Babylon,
Circled about with Limnasphaltis' lake,
Where Tamburlaine with all his army lies,
Which being faint and weary with the siege,
We may lie ready to encounter him
Before his host be full from Babylon,
And so revenge our latest grievous loss,
If God or Mahomet send any aid. KING OF AMASIA :
Doubt not, my lord, but we shall conquer him.
The monster that hath drunk a sea of blood,
And yet gapes still for more to quench his thirst,
Our Turkish swords shall headlong send to hell;
And that vile carcass, drawn by warlike kings,
The fowls shall eat; for never sepulchre
Shall grace this base-born tyrant Tamburlaine. CALLAPINE :
When I record my parents' slavish life,
Their cruel death, mine own captivity,
My viceroys' bondage under Tamburlaine,
Methinks I could sustain a thousand deaths,
To be reveng'd of all his villany.
Ah, sacred Mahomet, thou that hast seen
Millions of Turks perish by Tamburlaine,
Kingdoms made waste, brave cities sack'd and burnt,
And but one host is left to honour thee,
Aid thy obedient servant Callapine,
And make him, after all these overthrows,
To triumph over cursed Tamburlaine! KING OF AMASIA :
Fear not, my lord: I see great Mahomet,
Clothed in purple clouds and on his head
A chaplet brighter than Apollo's crown,
Marching about the air with armed men,
To join with you against this Tamburlaine. CAPTAIN :
Renowmed general, mighty Callapine,
Though God himself and holy Mahomet
Should come in person to resist your power,
Yet might your mighty host encounter all,
And pull proud Tamburlaine upon his knees
To sue for mercy at your highness' feet. CALLAPINE :
Captain, the force of Tamburlaine is great,
His fortune greater, and the victories
Wherewith he hath so sore dismay'd the world
Are greatest to discourage all our drifts.
Yet, when the pride of Cynthia is at full,
She wanes again; and so shall his, I hope;
For we have here the chief selected men
Of twenty several kingdoms at the least.
Nor ploughman, priest, nor merchant, stays at home;
All Turkey is in arms with Callapine;
And never will we sunder camps and arms
Before himself or his be conquered.
This is the time that must eternise me
For conquering the tyrant of the world.
Come, soldiers, let us lie in wait for him,
And, if we find him absent from his camp,
Or that it be rejoin'd again at full,
Assail it, and be sure of victory.
Exeunt .
SCENE THREE
Enter THERIDAMAS , TECHELLES , and USUMCASANE . THERIDAMAS :
Weep, heavens, and vanish into liquid tears!
Fall, stars that govern his nativity,
And summon all the shining lamps of heaven
To cast their bootless fires to the earth,
And shed their feeble influence in the air;
Muffle your beauties with eternal clouds,
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 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. TECHELLES :
O, then, ye powers that sway eternal seats,
And guide this massy substance of the earth,
If you retain desert of holiness,
As your supreme estates instruct our thoughts,
Be not inconstant, careless of your fame,
Bear not the burden of your enemies' joys,
Triumphing in his fall whom you advanc'd;
But, as his birth, life, health, and majesty
Were strangely blest and governed by heaven,
So honour, heaven (till heaven dissolved be,)
His birth, his life, his health, and majesty! USUMCASANE :
Blush, heaven, to lose the honour of thy name,
To see thy footstool set upon thy head;
And let no baseness in thy haughty breast
Sustain a shame of such inexcellence,
To see the devils mount in angels' thrones,
And angels dive into the pools of hell!
And, though they think their painful date is out,
And that their power is puissant as Jove's,
Which makes them manage arms against thy state,
Yet make them feel the strength of Tamburlaine,
Thy instrument and note of majesty,
Is greater far than they can thus subdue;
For, if he die, thy glory is disgrac'd,
Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is plac'd!
Enter TAMBURLAINE , drawn in his chariot by ORCANES king of Natolia and the KING OF JERUSALEM , with AMYRAS , CELEBINUS , and PHYSICIANS . TAMBURLAINE :
What daring god torments my body thus,
And seeks to conquer mighty Tamburlaine?
Shall sickness prove me now to be a man,
That have been term'd the terror of the world?
Techelles and the rest, come, take your swords,
And threaten him whose hand afflicts my soul.
Come, let us march against the powers of heaven,
And set black streamers in the firmament,
To signify the slaughter of the gods.
Ah, friends, what shall I do? I cannot stand.
Come, carry me to war against the gods,
That thus envy the health of Tamburlaine. THERIDAMAS :
Ah, good my lord, leave these impatient words,
Which add much danger to your malady! TAMBURLAINE :
Why, shall I sit and languish in this pain?
No, strike the drums, and, in revenge of this,
Come, let us charge our spears, and pierce his breast
Whose shoulders bear the axis of the world,
That, if I perish, heaven and earth may fade.
Theridamas, haste to the court of Jove;
Will him to send Apollo hither straight,
To cure me, or I'll fetch him down myself. TECHELLES :
Sit still, my gracious lord; this grief will cease,
And cannot last, it is so violent. TAMBURLAINE :
Not last, Techelles! No, for I shall die.
See, where my slave, the ugly monster Death,
Shaking and quivering, pale and wan for fear,
Stands aiming at me with his murdering dart,
Who flies away at every glance I give,
And, when I look away, comes stealing on!
Villain, away, and hie thee to the field!
I and mine army come to load thy bark
With souls of thousand mangled carcasses.
Look, where he goes! But, see, he comes again,
Because I stay! Techelles, let us march,
And weary Death with bearing souls to hell. FIRST PHYSICIAN :
Pleaseth your majesty to drink this potion,
Which will abate the fury of your fit,
And cause some milder spirits govern you. TAMBURLAINE :
Tell me what think you of my sickness now? FIRST PHYSICIAN :
I view'd your urine, and the hypostasis,
Thick and obscure, doth make your danger great.
Your veins are full of accidental heat,
Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried.
The humidum and calor, which some hold
Is not a parcel of the elements,
But of a substance more divine and pure,
Is almost clean extinguished and spent;
Which, being the cause of life, imports your death.
Besides, my lord, this day is critical,
Dangerous to those whose crisis is as yours:
Your artiers, which alongst the veins convey
The lively spirits which the heart engenders,
Are parch'd and void of spirit, that the soul,
Wanting those organons by which it moves,
Cannot endure, by argument of art.
Yet, if your majesty may escape this day,
No doubt but you shall soon recover all. TAMBURLAINE :
Then will I comfort all my vital parts,
And live, in spite of death, above a day.
Alarms within .
Enter a MESSENGER . MESSENGER :
My lord, young Callapine, that lately fled from your majesty, hath now gathered a fresh army, and, hearing your absence in the field, offers to set upon us presently. TAMBURLAINE :
See, my physicians, now, how Jove hath sent
A present medicine to recure my pain!
My looks shall make them fly; and, might I follow,
There should not one of all the villain's power
Live to give offer of another fight. USUMCASANE :
I joy, my lord, your highness is so strong,
That can endure so well your royal presence,
Which only will dismay the enemy. TAMBURLAINE :
I know it will, Casane. Draw, you slaves!
In spite of death, I will go show my face.
Alarms. Exit TAMBURLAINE with all the rest, and re-enter presently . TAMBURLAINE :
Thus are the villains, cowards fled for fear,
Like summer's vapours vanish'd by the sun;
And, could I but a while pursue the field,
That Callapine should be my slave again.
But I perceive my martial strength is spent:
In vain I strive and rail against those powers
That mean t'invest me in a higher throne,
As much too high for this disdainful earth.
Give me a map; then let me see how much
Is left for me to conquer all the world,
That these, my boys, may finish all my wants.
One brings a map .
Here I began to march towards Persia,
Along Armenia and the Caspian Sea,
And thence unto Bithynia, where I took
The Turk and his great empress prisoners.
Then march'd I into Egypt and Arabia;
And here, not far from Alexandria,
Whereas the Terrene and the Red Sea meet,
Being distant less than full a hundred leagues,
I meant to cut a channel to them both,
That men might quickly sail to India.
From thence to Nubia near Borno lake,
And so along the Æthiopian sea,
Cutting the Tropic line of Capricorn,
I conquer'd all as far as Zanzibar.
Then, by the northern part of Africa,
I came at last to Graecia, and from thence
To Asia, where I stay against my will;
Which is from Scythia, where I first began,
Backward and forwards near five thousand leagues.
Look here, my boys; see, what a world of ground
Lies westward from the midst of Cancer's line
Unto the rising of this earthly globe,
Whereas the sun, declining from our sight,
Begins the day with our Antipodes!
And shall I die, and this unconquered?
Lo, here, my sons, are all the golden mines,
Inestimable drugs and precious stones,
More worth than Asia and the world beside;
And from th'Antarctic Pole eastward behold
As much more land, which never was descried,
Wherein are rocks of pearl that shine as bright
As all the lamps that beautify the sky!
And shall I die, and this unconquered?
Here, lovely boys; what death forbids my life,
That let your lives command in spite of death. AMYRAS :
Alas, my lord, how should our bleeding hearts,
Wounded and broken with your highness' grief,
Retain a thought of joy or spark of life?
Your soul gives essence to our wretched subjects,
Whose matter is incorporate in your flesh. CELEBINUS :
Your pains do pierce our souls; no hope survives,
For by your life we entertain our lives. TAMBURLAINE :
But, sons, this subject, not of force enough
To hold the fiery spirit it contains,
Must part, imparting his impressions
By equal portions into both your breasts;
My flesh, divided in your precious shapes,
Shall still retain my spirit, though I die,
And live in all your seeds 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 woeful change, my lord, that daunts our thoughts
More than the ruin of our proper souls! TAMBURLAINE :
Sit up, my son, let me see how well
Thou wilt become thy father's majesty.
They crown him . AMYRAS :
With what a flinty bosom should I joy
The breath of life and burden of my soul,
If not resolv'd into resolved pains,
My body's mortified lineaments
Should exercise the motions of my heart,
Pierc'd with the joy of any dignity!
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? 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 silken reins
Bridle the steeled stomachs of these 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 spirit I ascend this seat,
And send my soul, before my father die,
His anguish and his burning agony! TAMBURLAINE :
Now fetch the hearse of fair Zenocrate;
Let it be plac'd by this my fatal chair,
And serve as parcel of my funeral, USUMCASANE :
Then feels your majesty no sovereign ease,
Nor may our hearts, all drown'd in tears of blood,
Joy any hope of your recovery? TAMBURLAINE :
Casane, no; the monarch of the earth,
And eyeless monster that torments my soul,
Cannot behold the tears ye shed for me,
And therefore still augments his cruelty. TECHELLES :
Then let some god oppose his holy power
Against the wrath and tyranny of Death,
That his tear-thirsty and unquenched hate
May be upon himself reverberate!
They bring in the bearse of Zenocrate . 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 brain-sick son did guide,
When wandering Phœbe's ivory cheeks were scorch'd,
And all the earth, like Ætna, breathing fire.
Be warn'd by him, then; learn with awful eye
To sway a throne as dangerous as his;
For, if thy body thrive not full of thoughts
As pure and fiery as Phyteus' beams,
The nature of these proud rebelling jades
Will take occasion by the slenderest hair,
And draw thee piecemeal, like Hippolytus,
Through rocks more steep and sharp than Caspian cliffs.
The nature of thy chariot will not bear
A guide of baser temper than myself,
More than heaven's coach the pride of Phaeton.
Farewell, my boys! my dearest friends, farewell!
My body feels, my soul doth weep to see
Your sweet desires depriv'd my company,
For Tamburlaine, the scourge of God, must die.
Dies . AMYRAS :
Meet heaven and earth, and here let all things end,
For earth hath spent the pride of all her fruit,
And heaven consum'd his choicest living fire!
Let earth and heaven his timeless death deplore,
For both their worths will equal him no more!
Exeunt .
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