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The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Come lady, let not this appal your thoughts.

The jewels and the treasure we have tane

Shall be reserv'd, and you in better state,

Than if you were arriv'd in Siria ,

Even in the circle of your Fathers armes:

The mightie Souldan of Egyptia.

But now you see these letters and commandes,

Are countermanded by a greater man:

And through my provinces you must expect

Letters of conduct from my mightinesse,

If you intend to keep your treasure safe.

But since I love to live at liberty,

As Basely may you get the Souldans crowne,

As any prizes out of my precinct.

For they are friends that help to weane my state,

Till men and kingdomes help to strengthen it:

And must maintaine my life exempt from servitude.

But tell me Maddam, is your grace betroth'd?

I am a Lord, for so my deeds shall proove,

And yet a shepheard by my Parentage:

But Lady, this faire face and heavenly hew,

Must grace his bed that conquers Asia:

And meanes to be a terrour to the world,

Measuring the limits of his Emperie

By East and west, as Phoebus doth his course:

Lie here ye weedes that I disdaine to weare,

[Takes off shepheards cloak.]

This compleat armor, and this curtle-axe

Are adjuncts more beseeming Tamburlaine.

And Maddam, whatsoever you esteeme

Of this successe, and losse unvallued,

Both may invest you Empresse of the East:

And these that seeme but silly country Swaines,

May have the leading of so great an host,

As with their weight shall make the mountains quake,

Even as when windy exhalations,

Fighting for passage, tilt within the earth.

Nobly resolv'd, sweet friends and followers.

These Lords (perhaps) do scorne our estimates,

And thinke we prattle with distempered spirits:

But since they measure our deserts so meane,

That in conceit bear Empires on our speares,

Affecting thoughts coequall with the cloudes,

They shall be kept our forced followers,

Till with their eies they view us Emperours.

Disdaines Zenocrate to live with me?

Or you my Lordes to be my followers?

Thinke you I way this treasure more than you?

Not all the Gold in lndias welthy armes,

Shall buy the meanest souldier in my traine.

Zenocrate, lovelier than the Love of Jove,

Brighter than is the silver Rhodope.

Fairer than whitest snow on Scythian tails,

Thy person is more woorth to Tamburlaine,

Than the possession of the Persean Crowne,

Which gratious starres have promist at my birth.

A hundreth Tartars shall attend on thee,

Mounted on Steeds, swifter than Pegasus.

Thy Garments shall be made of Medean silke,

Enchast with precious juelles of mine owne:

More rich and valurous than Zenocrates.

With milke-white Hartes upon an Ivorie sled,

Thou shalt be drawen amidst the frosen Pooles,

And scale the ysie mountaines lofty tops:

Which with thy beautie will be soone resolv'd.

My martiall prises with five hundred men,

Wun on the fiftie headed Vuolgas waves,

Shall all we offer to Zenocrate,

And then my selfe to faire Zenocrate.

Techelles, women must be flatered.[Aside.]

But this is she with whom I am in love.

How now, what's the matter?

How now my Lords of Egypt and Zenocrate?

Nowmust your jewels be restor'd againe:

And I that triumpht so be overcome.

How say you Lordings, Is not this your hope?

Such hope, such fortune have the thousand horse.

Soft ye my Lords and sweet Zenocrate.

You must be forced from me ere you goe:

A thousand horsmen? We five hundred foote?

An oafs too great, for us to stand against:

But are they rich? And is their armour good?

Then shall we fight couragiously with them.

Or looke you, I should play the Orator?

Stay Techelles , aske a parlee first.

The Souldiers enter.

Open the Males, yet guard the treasure sure,

Lay out our golden wedges to the view,

That their reflexions may amaze the Perseans.

And looke we friendly on them when they come:

But if they offer word or violence,

Weele fight five hundred men at armes to one,

Before we part with our possession.

And gainst the Generall we will lift our swords,

And either ranch his greedy thirsting throat,

Or take him prisoner, and his chaine shall serve

For Manackles, till he be ransom'd home.

Keep all your standings, and not stir a foote,

My selfe will bide the danger of the brunt.

Enter Theridamas with others.

Whom seekst thou Persean? I am Tamburlain.

Noble and milde this Persean seemes to be,

[To Techelles.]

If outward habit judge the inward man.

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.

Nor are Apollos Oracles more true,

Then thou shalt find my vaunts substantiall.

No, but the trustie friend of Tamburlaine.

Theridamas my friend, take here my hand,

Which is as much as if I swore by heaven,

And call'd the Gods to witnesse of my vow,

Thus shall my heart be still combinde with thine,

Untill our bodies turne toElements:

And both our soules aspire celestiall thrones.

Techelles, and Casane, welcome him.

These are my friends in whom I more rejoice,

Than dooth the King of Persea in his Crowne:

And by the love of Pyllades and Orestes,

Whose statutes we adore in Scythia ,

Thy selfe and them shall never part from me,

Before I crowne you kings in Asia.

Make much of them gentle Theridamas,

And they will never leave thee till the death.

A thousand thankes worthy Theridamas:

And now faire Madam, and my noble Lords,

If you will willingly remaine with me,

You shall have honors, as your merits be:

Or els you shall be forc'd with slaverie.

For you then Maddam, I am out of doubt.

Tamburlaine Part 1