With what a majesty he rears his looks:—
In thee (thou valiant man of
Persea
) [To Theridamas.]
I see the folly of thy Emperour:
Art thou but Captaine of a thousand horse,
That by Characters graven in thy browes,
And by thy martiall face and stout aspect,
Deserv'st to have the leading of an hoste?
Forsake thy king and do but joine with me
And we will triumph over all the world.
I hold the Fates bound fast in yron chaines,
And with my hand turne Fortunes wheel about,
And sooner shall the Sun fall from his Spheare,
Than Tamburlaine be slaine or overcome.
Draw foorth thy sword, thou mighty man at Armes,
Intending but to rase my charmed skin:
And Jove himselfe will stretch his hand from heaven,
To ward the blow, and shield me safe from harme.
See how he raines down heaps of gold in showers,
As if he meant to give my Souldiers pay,
And as a sure and grounded argument,
That I shall be the Monark of the East,
He sends this Souldans daughter rich and brave,
To be my Queen and portly Emperesse.
If thou wilt stay with me, renowmed man,
And lead thy thousand horse with my conduct,
Besides thy share of this Egyptian prise,
Those thousand horse shall sweat with martiall spoile
Of conquered kingdomes, and of Cities sackt.
Both we wil walke upon the lofty cliffs,
And Christian Merchants that with Russian stems
Plow up huge furrowes in the Caspian sea,
Shall vaile to us, as Lords of all the Lake.
Both we will raigne as Consuls of the earth,
And mightie kings shall be our Senators.
Jove
sometime masked in a Shepheards weed,
And by those steps that he hath scal'd the heavens,
May we become immortall like the Gods.
Joine with me now in this my meane estate,
(I cal it meane, because being yet obscure,
The Nations far remoov'd admyre me not)
And when my name and honor shall be spread,
As far as Boreas claps his brazen wings,
Or faire
Boötes
sends his cheerefull light,
Then shalt thou be Competitor with me,
And sit with Tamburlaine in all his majestie.
