The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Tamburlaine Part 2

Act: 4 Scene: 1
Tamburlaine
See now ye slaves, my children stoops your pride
And leads your glories sheep-like to the sword.
Bring them my boyes, and tel me if the warres
Be not a life that may illustrate Gods,
And tickle not your Spirits with desire
Stil to be train'd in armes and chivalry?
Tamburlaine
No, no Amyras, tempt not Fortune so,
Cherish thy valour stil with fresh supplies:
And glut it not with stale and daunted foes.
But wher's this coward, villaine, not my sonne,
But traitor to my name and majesty.
He goes in and brings him out.
Image of sloth, and picture of a slave,
The obloquie and skorne of my renowne,
How may my hart, thus fired with mine eies,
Wounded with shame, and kill'd with discontent,
Shrowd any thought may horde my striving hands
From martiall justice on thy wretched soule.
Tamburlaine
Stand up, ye base unworthy souldiers,
Know ye not yet the argument of Armes?
Tamburlaine
Stand up my boyes, and I wil teach ye arms,
And what the jealousie of warres must doe.
O Samarcanda, where I breathed first,
And joy'd the fire of this martiall flesh,
Blush, blush faire citie, at thine honors foile,
And shame of nature which Jaertis streame,
Embracing thee with deepest of his love,
Can never wash from thy distained browes.
Here Jove, receive his fainting soule againe,
A Forme not meet to give that subject essence,
Whose matter is the flesh of Tamburlaine,
Wherein an incorporeall spirit mooves,
Made of the mould whereof thy selfe consists,
Which makes me valiant, proud, ambitious,
Ready to levie power against thy throne,
That I might moove the turning Spheares of heaven,
For earth and al this aery region
Cannot containe the state of Tamburlaine.
[Stabs Calyphas.]
By Mahomet, thy mighty friend I sweare,
In sending to my issue such a soule,
Created of the messy dregges of earth,
The scum and tartar of the Elements,
Wherein was neither corrage, strength or wit,
But follie, sloth, and damned idlenesse:
Thou hast procur'd a greater enemie,
Than he that darted mountaines at thy head,
Shaking the burthen mighty Atlas beares:
Whereat thou trembling hid'st thee in the aire,
Cloth'd with a pitchy cloud for being seene.
And now ye cankred curres of Asia,
That will not see the strength of Tamburlaine,
Although it shine as brightly as the Sun.
Now you shal feele the strength of Tamburlain,
And by the state of his supremacie,
Approove the difference twixt himself and you.
Tamburlaine
Villaines, these terrours and these tyrannies
(If tyrannies wars justice ye repute)
I execute, enjoin'd me from above,
To scourge the pride of such as heaven abhors:
Nor am I made Arch-monark of the world,
Crown'd and invested by the hand of Jove,
For deeds of bounty or nobility:
But since I exercise a greater name,
The Scourge of God and terrour of the world,
I must apply my selfe to fit those tearmes,
In war, in blood, in death, in crueltie,
And plague such Pesants as resist in me
The power of heavens eternall majesty.
Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane ,
Ransacke the tents and the pavilions
Of these proud Turks, and take their Concubines,
Making them burie this effeminate brat,
For not a common Souldier shall defile
His manly fingers with so faint a boy.
Then bring those Turkish harlots to my tent,
And Ile dispose them as it likes me best,
Meane while take him in.
Tamburlaine
Wel, bark ye dogs. Ile bridle al your tongues
And bind them close with bits of burnisht steele,
Downe to the channels of your hatefull throats,
And with the paines my rigour shall inflict,
Ile make ye roare, that earth may eccho foorth
The far resounding torments ye sustaine,
As when an heard of lusty Cymbrian Buls,
Run mourning round about the Femals misse,
And stung with furie of their following,
Fill all the aire with troublous bellowing:
I will with Engines, never exercisde,
Conquer, sacke, and utterly consume
Your cities and your golden pallaces,
And with the flames that beat against the clowdes
Incense the heavens, and make the starres to melt,
As if they were the teares of Mahomet
For hot consumption of his countries pride:
And til by vision, or by speech I heare
Immortall Jove say, Cease my Tamburlaine,
I will persist a terrour to the world,
Making the Meteors, that like armed men
Are seene to march upon the towers of heaven,
Run tilting round about the firmament,
And breake their burning Lances in the aire,
For honor of my woondrous victories.
Come bring them in to our Pavilion.
Act: 4 Scene: 3
Tamburlaine
Holla, ye pampered Jades of Asia:
What, can ye draw but twenty miles a day,
And have so proud a chariot at your heeles,
And such a Coachman as great Tamburlaine?
But from Asphaltis, where I conquer'd you,
To Byron here where thus I honor you?
The horse that guide the golden eie of heaven,
And blow the morning from their nosterils,
Making their fiery gate above the cloudes,
Are not so honoured in their Governour,
As you (ye slaves) in mighty Tamburlain.
The headstrong Jades of Thrace, Alcides tam'd,
That King Egeus fed with humaine flesh,
And made so wanton that they knew their strengths,
Were not subdew'd with valour more divine,
Than you by this unconquered arme of mine.
To make you fierce, and fit my appetite,
You shal be fed with flesh as raw as blood,
And drinke in pailes the strongest Muscadell:
If you can live with it, then live, and draw
My chariot swifter than the racking cloudes:
If not, then dy like beasts, and fit for nought
But perches for the black and fatall Ravens.
Thus arn I right the Scourge of highest Jove
And see the figure of my dignitie,
By which I hold my name and majesty.
Tamburlaine
Thy youth forbids such ease my kingly boy,
They shall to morrow draw my chariot,
While these their fellow kings may be refresht.
Tamburlaine
I Turke, I tel thee, this same Boy is he,
That must (advaunst in higher pompe than this)
Rifle the kingdomes I shall leave unsackt,
If Jove esteeming me too good for earth,
Raise me to match the faire Aldeboran,
Above the threefold Astracisme of heaven,
Before I conquere all the triple world.
Now fetch me out the Turkish Concubines,
I will prefer them for the funerall
They have bestowed on my abortive sonnet
The Concubines are brought in.
Where are my common souldiers now that fought
So Lion-like upon Asphaltis plaines?
Tamburlaine
Hold ye tal souldiers, take ye Queens apeece
(I meane such Queens as were kings Concubines)
Take them, devide them and their jewels too,
And let them equally serve all your turnes.
Tambulaine
Brawle not (I warne you) for your lechery,
For every man that so offends shall die.
Tamburlaine
Live continent then (ye slaves) and meet not me
With troopes of harlots at your sloothful heeles.
Tamburlaine
Are ye not gone ye villaines with your spoiles?
Tamburlaine
Save your honours? twere but time indeed,
Lost long before you knew what honour meant.
Tamburlaine
And now themselves shal make our Pageant,
And common souldiers jest with all their Truls.
Let them take pleasure soundly in their spoiles,
Till we prepare our martch to Babylon,
Whether we next make expedition.
Tamburlaine
We wil Techelles, forward then ye Jades:
Now crowch ye kings of greatest Asia,
And tremble when ye heare this Scourge wil come,
That whips downe cities, and controwleth crownes,
Adding their wealth and treasure to my store.
The Euxine sea North to Natolia,
The Terrene west, the Caspian north north-east,
And on the south Senus Arabicus ,
Shal al be loden with the martiall spoiles
We will convey with us to Persea.
Then shal my native city Samarcanda
And christall waves of fresh Jaertis streame,
The pride and beautie of her princely seat,
Be famous through the furthest continents,
For there my Pallace royal shal be plac'd:
Whose shyning Turrets shal dismay the heavens,
And cast the fame of Ilions Tower to hell.
Thorow the streets with troops of conquered kings,
Ile ride in golden armour like the Sun,
And in my helme a triple plume shal spring,
Spangled with Diamonds dancing in the aire,
To note me Emperour of the three fold world:
Like to an almond tree ymounted high,
Upon the lofty and celestiall mount,
Of ever greene Selinus queintly dect
With bloomes more white than Hericinas browes,
Whose tender blossoms tremble every one,
At every little breath that thorow heaven is blowen:
Then in my coach like Saturnes royal son,
Mounted his shining chariot, gilt with fire,
And drawen with princely Eagles through the path,
Pav'd with bright Christall, and enchac'd with starres,
When all the Gods stand gazing at his pomp:
So will I ride through Samarcanda streets,
Until my soule dissevered from this flesh,
Shall mount the milk-white way and meet him there.
To Babylon my Lords, to Babylon.