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The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Tamburlaine Part 2

Act: 1 Scene: 1

Orcanes (as our Legates promist thee)

Wee with our Peeres have cross Danubius stream

To treat of friendly peace or deadly war:

Take which thou wilt, for as the Romans usde

I here present thee with a naked sword.

Wilt thou have war, then shake this blade at me,

If peace, restore it to my hands againe:

And I wil sheath it to confirme the same.

Vienna was besieg'd, and I was there,

Then County-Pallatine,but now a king:

And what we did, was in extremity:

But now Orcanes, view my royall hoste,

That hides these plaines, and seems as vast and wide,

As dooth the Desart of Arabia

To those that stand on Badgeths lofty Tower,

Or as the Ocean to the Traveiler

That restes upon the snowy Appenines:

And tell me whether I should stoope so low,

Or treat of peace with the Natolian king?

Then here I sheath it, and give thee my hand,

Never to draw it out, or manage armes

Against thy selfe or thy confederates:

But whilst I live will be at truce with thee.

By him that made the world and sav'd my soule,

The sonne of God and issue of a Mayd,

Sweet Jesus Christ, I sollemnly protest,

And vow to keepe this peace inviolable.

If any heathen potentate or king

Invade Natolia, Sigismond will send

A hundred thousand horse train'd to the war,

And backs by stout Lanceres of Germany ,

The strength and sinewes of the imperiall seat.

Act: 2 Scene: 1

Now say my Lords of Buda and Bohemia,

What motion is it that inflames your thoughts,

And stirs your velures to such soddaine armes?

But cals not then your Grace to memorie

The league we lately made with king Orcanes,

Confirm'd by oth and Articles of peace,

And calling Christ for record of our trueths?

This should be treacherie and violence,

Against the grace of our profession.

Though I confesse the othes they undertake,

Breed litle strength to our securitie,

Yet those infirmities that thus defame

Their faiths, their honors, and their religion,

Should not give us presumption to the like.

Our faiths are sound, and must be consumate,

Religious, righteous, and inviolate.

Then arme my Lords, and issue sodainly,

Giving commandement to our generall hoste,

With expedition to assaile the Pagan,

And take the victorie our God hath given.

Act: 2 Scene: 3

Discomfited is all the Christian hoste,

And God hath thundered vengeance from on high,

For my accurst and hatefull perjurie.

O just and dreadfull punisher of sinne,

Let the dishonor of the paines I feele,

In this my mortall well deserved wound,

End all my penance in my sodaine death,

And let this death wherein to sinne I die,

Conceive a second life in endlesse mercie.