The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Tamburlaine Part 1

Act: 1 Scene: 2
Souldier
Newes, newes.
Souldier
A thousand Persean horsmen are at hand,
Sent from the King to overcome us all.
Souldier
Their plumed helmes are wrought with beaten golde.
Their swords enameld, and about their neckes
Hangs massie chaines of golde downe to the waste,
In every part exceeding brave and rich.
Act: 4 Scene: 1
Souldan
Awake ye men of Memphis, heare the clange
Of Scythian trumpets, heare the Basiliskes,
That roaring, shake Damascus turrets downe.
The rogue of Volge holds Zenocrate,
The Souldans daughter for his Concubine,
And with a troope of theeves and vagabondes,
Hath spread his collours to our high disgrace:
While you faint-hearted base Egyptians,
Lie slumbering on the flowrie bankes of Nile,
As Crocodiles that unaffrighted rest,
While thundring Cannons rattle on their Skins.
Souldan
Villain, I tell thee, were that Tamburlaine
As monstrous as Gorgon , prince of Hell,
The Souldane would not start a foot from him.
But speake, what power hath he?
Souldan
Nay could their numbers countervail the stars,
Or ever drilling drops of Aprill showers,
Or withered leaves that Autume shaketh downe:
Yet would the Souldane by his conquering power,
So scatter and consume them in his rage,
That not a man should live to rue their fall.
Souldan
Let him take all th'advantages he can,
Were all the world conspird to fight for him,
Nay, were he Devill, as he is no man,
Yet in revenge of faire Zenocrate,
Whom he detaineth in despight of us,
This arme should send him downe to Erebus ,
To shroud his shame in darknes of the night.
Souldan
Mercilesse villaine, Pesant ignorant,
Of lawfull armes, or martiall discipline:
Pillage and murder are his usuall trades.
The slave usurps the glorious name of war.
See Capolin , the faire Arabian king
That hath bene disapointed by this slave,
Of my faire daughter, and his princely Love:
May have fresh warning to go war with us,
And be reveng'd for her disparadgement.
Act: 4 Scene: 3
Souldan
Me thinks we martch as Meliager did,
Environed with brave Argolian knightes,
To chace the savage Calidonian Boare:
Or Cephalus with lustie Thebane youths,
Against the Woolfe that angrie Themis sent,
To waste and spoile the sweet Aonian fieldes.
A monster of five hundred thousand heades,
Compact of Rapine, Pyracie, and spoile,
The Scum of men, the hate and Scourge of God,
Raves in Egyptia, and annoyeth us.
My Lord it is the bloody Tamburlaine ,
A sturdy Felon and a base-bred Thiefe,
By murder raised to the Persean Crowne,
That dares controll us in our Territories.
To tame the pride of this presumptuous Beast,
Joine your Arabians with the Souldans power:
Let us unite our royall bandes in one,
And hasten to remoove Damascus siege.
It is a blemish to the Majestie
And high estate of mightie Emperours,
That such a base usurping vagabond
Should brave a king, or weare a princely crowne.
Souldan
I have, and sorrow for his bad successe:
But noble Lord of great Arabia,
Be so perswaded, that the Souldan is
No more dismaide with tidings of his fall,
Than in the haven when the Pilot stands
And viewes a strangers ship rent in the winds,
And shivered against a craggie rocke.
Yet in compassion of his wretched state,
A sacred vow to heaven and him I make,
Confirming it with Ibis holy name,
That Tamburlaine shall rue the day, the hower,
Wherein he wrought such ignominious wrong,
Unto the hallowed person of a prince,
Or kept the faire Zenocrate so long,
As Concubine I feare to feed his lust.
Souldan
Capolin, hast thou survaid our powers?
Souldan
Then reare your standardes, let your sounding Drummes
Direct our Souldiers to Damascus walles.
Now Tamburlaine, the mightie Souldane comes,
And leads with him the great Arabian King ,
To dim thy basenesse and obscurity,
Famous for nothing but for theft and spoile,
To race and scatter thy inglorious crue,
Of Scythians and slavish Persians.
Act: 5 Scene: 1
Souldan
Wel met my only deare Zenocrate,
Though with the losse of Egypt and my Crown.
Souldan
Mighty hath God and Mahomet made thy hand
(Renowmed Tamburlain) to whom all kings
Of force must yeeld their crownes and Emperies:
And I am pleasde with this my overthrow,
If as beseemes a person of thy state,
Thou hast with honor usde Zenocrate.
Souldan
I yeeld with thanks and protestations
Of endlesse honor to thee for her love.