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The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Egregious Viceroyes of these Eastern parts

Plac'd by the issue of great Bajazeth ,

And sacred Lord, the mighty Calapine:

Who lives in Egypt, prisoner to that slave,

Which kept his father in an yron cage:

Now have we martcht from faire Natolia

Two hundred leagues, and on Danubius banks,

Our warlike hoste in compleat armour rest,

Where Sigismond the king of Hungary

Should meet our person to conclude a truce.

What? Shall we parle with the Christian,

Or crosse the streame, and meet him in the field?

Though from the shortest Northren Paralell,

Vast Gruntland compass with the frozen sea,

Inhabited with tall and sturdy men,

Gyants as big as hugie Polypheme:

Millions of Souldiers cut the Artick line,

Bringing the strength of Europe to these Armes:

Our Turky blades shal glide through al their throats,

And make this champion mead a bloody Fen.

Danubius stream that runs toTrebizon,

Shall carte wrapt within his scarlet waves,

As martiall presents to our friends at home,

The slaughtered bodies of these Christians.

The Terrene main wherin Danubius fals,

Shall by this battell be the bloody Sea.

The wandring Sailers of proud Italy,

Shall meet those Christians fleeting with the tyde,

Beating in heaps against their Argoses,

And make faire Europe mounted on her bull,

Trapt with the wealth and riches of the world,

Alight and weare a woful mourning weed.

Viceroy of Byron, wisely hast thou said:

My realme, the Center of our Empery

Once lost, All Turkie would be overthrowne:

And for that cause the Christians shall have peace

Slavonians, Almains, Rutters, Muffes, and Danes

Feare not Orcanes, but great Tamburlaine :

Nor he but Fortune that hath made him great.

We have revolted Grecians, Albanees,

Cicilians, Jewes, Arabians, Turks, and Moors,

Natolians, Sorians, blacke Egyptians,

Illirians, Thracians, and Bythinians,

Enough to swallow forcelesse Sigismond,

Yet scarse enough t'encounter Tamburlaine.

He brings a world of people to the field,

From Scythia to the Orientall Plage

Of India, wher raging Lantchidol

Beates on the regions with his boysterous blowes,

That never sea-man yet discovered:

All Asia is in Armes with Tamburlaine.

Even from the midst of fiery Cancers Tropick,

To Amazonia under Capricorne,

And thence as far as Archipellago:

All Affrike is in Armes with Tamburlaine.

Therefore Viceroies the Christians must have peace.

Stay Sigismond, forgetst thou I am he

That with the Cannon shooke Vienna walles,

And made it dance upon the Continent:

As when the messy substance of the earth,

Quiver about the Axeltree of heaven.

Forgetst thou that I sent a shower of cartes

Mingled with powdered shot and fethered steele

So thick upon the blink-ei'd Burghers heads,

That thou thy self, then County-Pallatine,

The king of Boheme, and the Austrich Duke,

Sent Herralds out, which basely on their knees

In all your names desirde a truce of me?

Forgetst thou, that to have me raise my siege,

Wagons of gold were set before my tent:

Stampt with the princely Foule that in her wings

Caries the fearfull thunderbolts of Jove .

How canst thou think of this and offer war?

So press are we, but yet if Sigismond

Speake as a friend, and stand not upon tearmes,

Here is his sword, let peace be ratified

On these conditions specified before,

Drawen with advise of our Ambassadors.

But confirme it with an oath,

And sweare in sight of heaven and by thy Christ.

By sacred Mahomet, the friend of God,

Whose holy Alcaron remaines with us,

Whose glorious body when he left the world,

Closde in a coffyn mounted up the aire,

And hung on stately Mecas Temple roofe,

I sweare to keepe this truce inviolable:

Of whose conditions, and our solemne othes

Sign'd with our handes, each shal retaine a scrowle:

As memorable witnesse of our league.

Now Sigismond, if any Christian King

Encroche upon the confines of thy realme,

Send woord, Orcanes of Natolia

Confirm'd this league beyond Danubius streame,

And they will (trembling) sound a quicke retreat,

So am I fear'd among all Nations.

I thank thee Sigismond, but when I war

All Asia Minor, Affrica, and Greece

Follow my Standard and my thundring Drums:

Come let us goe and banquet in our tents:

I will dispatch chiefe of my army hence

To faire Natolie, and to Trebizon,

To stay my comming gainst proud Tamburlaine.

Freend Sigismond, and peeres of Hungary,

Come banquet and carouse with us a while,

And then depart we to our territories.

Tamburlaine Part 2