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The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Tamburlaine Part 2

Act: 1 Scene: 3

Tamburlaine

Now, bright Zenocrate, the worlds faire eie,

Whose beames illuminate the lamps of heaven,

Whose cheerful looks do cleare the clowdy aire

And cloath it in a christall liverie,

Now rest thee here on faire Larissa Plaines,

Where Egypt and the Turkish Empire parts,

Betweene thy sons that shall be Emperours,

And every one Commander of a world.

Tamburlaine

When heaven shal cease to moove on both the poles

And when the ground wheron my souldiers march

Shal rise aloft and touch the horned Moon,

And not before, my sweet Zenocrate:

Sit up and rest thee like a lovely Queene.

So, now she sits in pompe and majestie:

When these my sonnes, more precious in mine eies

Than all the wealthy kingdomes I subdewed:

Plac'd by her side, looke on their mothers face.

But yet me thks irinthe looks are amorous,

Not martiall as the sons of Tamburlaine .

Water and ayre being simbolisde in one,

Argue their want of courage and of wit:

Their haire as white as milke and soft as Downe,

Which should be like the quilles of Porcupines,

As blacke as Jeat, and hard as Iron or steel,

Bewraies they are too dainty for the wars.

Their fingers made to quaver on a Lute,

Their armes to hang about a Ladies necke:

Their legs to dance and caper in the aire:

Would make me thinke them Bastards, not my sons,

But that I know they issued from thy wombe,

That never look'd on man but Tamburlaine.

Tamburlaine

Wel done my boy, thou shalt have shield and lance,

Armour of proofe, horse, helme, and Curtle-axe,

And I will teach thee how to charge thy foe,

And harmelesse run among the deadly pikes.

If thou wilt love the warres and follow me,

Thou shalt be made a King and raigne with me,

Keeping in yron cages Emperours.

If thou exceed thy elder Brothers worth,

And shine in compleat vertue more than they,

Thou shalt be king before them, and thy seed

Shall issue crowned from their mothers wombe.

Tamburlaine

These words assure me boy, thou art my sonne,

When I am old and cannot mannage armes,

Be thou the scourge and terrour of the world.

Tamburlaine

Be al a scourge and terror to the world,

Or els you are not sons of Tamburlaine.

Tamburlaine

Bastardly boy, sprong from some cowards loins,

And not the issue of great Tamburlaine :

Of all the provinces I have subdued

Thou shalt not have a foot, unlesse thou beare

A mind corragious and invincible:

For he shall weare the crowne of Persea,

Whose head hath deepest scarres, whose breast most woundes,

Which being wroth, sends lightning from his eies,

And in the furrowes of his frowning browes,

Harbors revenge, war, death and cruelty:

For in a field whose superficies

Is covered with a liquid purple veile,

And sprinkled with the braines of slaughtered men,

My royal chaire of state shall be advanc'd:

And he that meanes to place himselfe therein

Must armed wade up to the chin in blood.

Tamburlaine

Wel lovely boies, you shal be Emperours both,

Stretching your conquering armes from east to west:

And sirha, if you meane to weare a crowne,

When we shall meet the Turkish Deputie

And all his Viceroies, snatch it from his head,

And cleave his Pericranion with thy sword.

Tamburlaine

Hold him, and cleave him too, or Ile cleave thee,

For we will martch against them presently.

Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane

Promist to meet me on Larissa plaines

With hostes apeece against this Turkish crue,

For I have sworne by sacred Mahomet,

To make it parcel of my Empery.

The trumpets sound, Zenocrate, they come.

Tamburlaine

Welcome Theridamas, king of Argier.

Tamburlaine

Thanks good Theridamas.

Tamburlaine

Wel said Argier, receive thy crowne againe.

Tamburlaine

Kings of Morocus and of Fesse, welcome.

Tamburlaine

Thanks king of Morocus, take your crown again.

Tamburlaine

Thanks king of Fesse, take here thy crowne again.

Your presence (loving friends and fellow kings)

Makes me to surfet in conceiving joy.

If all the christall gates of Joves high court

Were opened wide, and I might enter in

To see the state and majesty of heaven,

It could not more delight me than your sight.

Now will we banquet on these plaines a while,

And after martch to Turky with our Campe,

In number more than are the drops that fall

When Boreas rents a thousand swelling cloudes,

And proud Orcanes of Natolia,

With all his viceroies shall be so affraide,

That though the stones, as at Deucalions flood,

Were turnde to men, he should be overcome:

Such lavish will I make of Turkish blood,

That Jove shall send his winged Messenger

To bid me sheath my sword, and leave the field:

The Sun unable to sustaine the sight,

Shall hide his head in Thetis watery lap,

And leave his steeds to faire Boetes charge:

For halfe the world shall perish in this fight:

But now my friends, let me examine ye,

How have ye spent your absent time from me?

Tamburlaine

They shal Casane, and tis time yfaith.

Tamburlaine

Well done Techelles: what saith Theridamas?

Tamburlaine

Then wil we triumph, banquet and carouse,

Cookes shall have pensions to provide us cates,

And glut us with the dainties of the world,

Lachrima Christi and Calabrian wines

Shall common Souldiers drink in quafling boules,

I, liquid golde when we have conquer'd him,

Mingled with corrall and with orient pearle:

Come let us banquet and carrouse the whiles.