Christopher Marlowe - Tamburlaine the Great - Part 1

Enter THERIDAMAS with others.

THERIDAMAS. Where is this 48 Scythian Tamburlaine?

TAMBURLAINE. Whom seek'st thou, Persian? I am Tamburlaine.

THERIDAMAS. 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 49 To pull the triple-headed dog from hell.

TAMBURLAINE. Noble and mild this Persian seems to be,

If outward habit judge the inward man.

TECHELLES. His deep affections make him passionate.

TAMBURLAINE. With what a majesty he rears his looks!—

In thee, thou valiant man of Persia,

I see the folly of thy 50 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 be 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, 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; 53 And Christian merchants, 54 that with Russian stems 55 Plough up huge furrows in the Caspian Sea,

Shall vail 56 to us as lords of all the lake;

Both we will reign as consuls of the earth,

And mighty kings shall be our senators.

Jove sometime masked in a shepherd's weed;

And by those steps that he hath scal'd the heavens

May we become immortal like the gods.

Join with me now in this my mean estate,

(I call it mean, because, being yet obscure,

The nations far-remov'd admire me not,)

And when my name and honour shall be spread

As far as Boreas claps his brazen wings,

Or fair Bootes 57 sends his cheerful light,

Then shalt thou be competitor 58 with me,

And sit with Tamburlaine in all his majesty.

THERIDAMAS. Not Hermes, prolocutor to the gods,

Could use persuasions more pathetical.

TAMBURLAINE. Nor are Apollo's oracles more true

Than thou shalt find my vaunts substantial.

TECHELLES. We are his friends; and, if the Persian king

Should offer present dukedoms to our state,

We think it loss to make exchange for that

We are assur'd of by our friend's success.

USUMCASANE. And kingdoms at the least we all expect,

Besides the honour in assured conquests,

Where kings shall crouch unto our conquering swords,

And hosts of soldiers stand amaz'd at us,

When with their fearful tongues they shall confess,

These are the men that all the world admires.

THERIDAMAS. What strong enchantments tice my yielding soul

To these 59 resolved, noble Scythians!

But shall I prove a traitor to my king?

TAMBURLAINE. No; but the trusty friend of Tamburlaine.

THERIDAMAS. Won with thy words, and conquer'd with thy looks,

I yield myself, my men, and horse to thee,

To be partaker of thy good or ill,

As long as life maintains Theridamas.

TAMBURLAINE. Theridamas, my friend, take here my hand,

Which is as much as if I swore by heaven,

And call'd the gods to witness of my vow.

Thus shall my heart be still combin'd with thine

Until our bodies turn to elements,

And both our souls aspire celestial thrones.—

Techelles and Casane, welcome him.

TECHELLES. Welcome, renowmed 60 Persian, to us all!

USUMCASANE. Long may Theridamas remain with us!

TAMBURLAINE. These are my friends, in whom I more rejoice

Than doth the king of Persia in his crown;

And, by the love of Pylades and Orestes,

Whose statues 61 we adore in Scythia,

Thyself and them shall never part from me

Before I crown you kings 62 in Asia.

Make much of them, gentle Theridamas,

And they will never leave thee till the death.

THERIDAMAS. Nor thee nor them, 63 thrice-noble Tamburlaine,

Shall want my heart to be with gladness pierc'd,

To do you honour and security.

TAMBURLAINE. A thousand thanks, worthy Theridamas.—

And now, fair madam, and my noble lords,

If you will 64 willingly remain with me,

You shall have honours as your merits be;

Or else you shall be forc'd with slavery.

AGYDAS. We yield unto thee, happy Tamburlaine.

TAMBURLAINE. For you, then, madam, I am out of doubt.

ZENOCRATE. I must be pleas'd perforce,—wretched Zenocrate!

[Exeunt.]

Enter COSROE, MENAPHON, ORTYGIUS, and CENEUS, with SOLDIERS.

COSROE. Thus far are we towards Theridamas,

And valiant Tamburlaine, the man of fame,

The man that in the forehead of his fortune

Bears figures of renown and miracle.

But tell me, that hast seen him, Menaphon,

What stature wields he, and what personage?

MENAPHON. Of stature tall, and straightly fashioned,

Like his desire, lift upwards and divine;

So large of limbs, his joints so strongly knit,

Such breadth of shoulders as might mainly bear

Old Atlas' burden; 'twixt his manly pitch, 65 A pearl more worth than all the world is plac'd,

Wherein by curious sovereignty of art

Are fix'd his piercing instruments of sight,

Whose fiery circles bear encompassed

A heaven of heavenly bodies in their spheres,

That guides his steps and actions to the throne

Where honour sits invested royally;

Pale of complexion, wrought in him with passion,

Thirsting with sovereignty and 66 love of arms;

His lofty brows in folds do figure death,

And in their smoothness amity and life;

About them hangs a knot of amber hair,

Wrapped in curls, as fierce Achilles' was,

On which the breath of heaven delights to play,

Making it dance with wanton majesty;

His arms and fingers long and sinewy, 67 Betokening valour and excess of strength;—

In every part proportion'd like the man

Should make the world subdu'd 68 to Tamburlaine.

COSROE. 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.

Then, when our powers in points of swords are join'd,

And clos'd in compass of the killing bullet,

Though strait the passage and the port 70 be made

That leads to palace of my brother's life,

Proud is 71 his fortune if we pierce it not;

And, when the princely Persian diadem

Shall overweigh his weary witless head,

And fall, like mellow'd fruit, with shakes of death,

In fair 72 Persia noble Tamburlaine

Shall be my regent, and remain as king.