Tamburlaine the Great — Part 2

So; now their best is done to honour me, Take them and hang them both up presently. KING OF TREBIZON. Vile 277 tyrant! barbarous bloody Tamburlaine! TAMBURLAINE.  Take them away, Theridamas; see them despatch'd. THERIDAMAS.  I will, my lord.

[Exit with the KINGS or TREBIZON and SORIA.]

TAMBURLAINE.  Come, Asian viceroys; to your tasks a while, And take such fortune as your fellows felt. ORCANES.  First let thy Scythian horse tear both our limbs, Rather than we should draw thy chariot, And, like base slaves, abject our princely minds To vile and ignominious servitude. KING OF JERUSALEM.  Rather lend me thy weapon, Tamburlaine, That I may sheathe it in this breast of mine. A thousand deaths could not torment our hearts More than the thought of this doth vex our souls. AMYRAS. They will talk still, my lord, if you do not bridle them. TAMBURLAINE.  Bridle them, and let me to my coach.

[ATTENDANTS bridle ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, and harness them to the chariot.—

The GOVERNOR OF BABYLON appears hanging in chains on the walls.—Re-enter THERIDAMAS.]

AMYRAS.  See, now, my lord, how brave the captain hangs! TAMBURLAINE.  'Tis brave indeed, my boy:—well done!— Shoot first, my lord, and then the rest shall follow. THERIDAMAS.  Then have at him, to begin withal.

[THERIDAMAS shoots at the GOVERNOR.]

GOVERNOR.  Yet save my life, and let this wound appease The mortal fury of great Tamburlaine! TAMBURLAINE.  No, though Asphaltis' lake were liquid gold, And offer'd me as ransom for thy life, Yet shouldst thou die.—Shoot at him all at once.

[They shoot.]

So, now he hangs like Bagdet's 278 governor, Having as many bullets in his flesh As there be breaches in her batter'd wall. Go now, and bind the burghers hand and foot, And cast them headlong in the city's lake. Tartars and Persians shall inhabit there; And, to command the city, I will build A citadel, 279 that all Africa, Which hath been subject to the Persian king, Shall pay me tribute for in Babylon. TECHELLES. What shall be done with their wives and children, my lord? TAMBURLAINE.  Techelles, drown them all, man, woman, and child; Leave not a Babylonian in the town. TECHELLES.  I will about it straight.—Come, soldiers.

[Exit with SOLDIERS.]

TAMBURLAINE.  Now, Casane, where's the Turkish Alcoran, And all the heaps of superstitious books Found in the temples of that Mahomet Whom I have thought a god? they shall be burnt. USUMCASANE.  Here they are, my lord. TAMBURLAINE.  Well said! 280 let there be a fire presently.

[They light a fire.]

In vain, I see, men worship Mahomet: My sword hath sent millions of Turks to hell, Slew all his priests, his kinsmen, and his friends, And yet I live untouch'd by Mahomet. There is a God, full of revenging wrath, ]From whom the thunder and the lightning breaks, Whose scourge I am, and him will I 281 obey. So, Casane; fling them in the fire.—

[They burn the books.]

Now, Mahomet, if thou have any power, Come down thyself and work a miracle: Thou art not worthy to be worshipped That suffer'st 282 flames of fire to burn the writ Wherein the sum of thy religion rests: Why send'st 283 thou not a furious whirlwind down, To blow thy Alcoran up to thy throne, Where men report thou sitt'st 284 by God himself? Or vengeance on the head 285 of Tamburlaine That shakes his sword against thy majesty, And spurns the abstracts of thy foolish laws?— Well, soldiers, Mahomet remains in hell; He cannot hear the voice of Tamburlaine: Seek out another godhead to adore; The God that sits in heaven, if any god, For he is God alone, and none but he.

Re-enter TECHELLES.

TECHELLES.  I have fulfill'd your highness' will, my lord: Thousands of men, drown'd in Asphaltis' lake, Have made the water swell above the banks, And fishes, fed 286 by human carcasses, Amaz'd, swim up and down upon 287 the waves, As when they swallow assafoetida, Which makes them fleet 288 aloft and gape 289 for air. TAMBURLAINE.  Well, then, my friendly lords, what now remains, But that we leave sufficient garrison, And presently depart to Persia, To triumph after all our victories? THERIDAMAS.  Ay, good my lord, let us in 290 haste to Persia; And let this captain be remov'd the walls To some high hill about the city here. TAMBURLAINE.  Let it be so;—about it, soldiers;— But stay; I feel myself distemper'd suddenly. TECHELLES.  What is it dares distemper Tamburlaine? TAMBURLAINE.  Something, Techelles; but I know not what.— But, forth, ye vassals! 291 whatsoe'er 292 it be, Sickness or death can never conquer me. [Exeunt.]

SCENE II

Enter CALLAPINE, KING OF AMASIA, a CAPTAIN, and train, with drums and trumpets.

CALLAPINE.  King of Amasia, now our mighty host Marcheth in Asia Major, where the streams Of Euphrates 293 and Tigris swiftly run; And here may we 294 behold great Babylon, Circled about with Limnasphaltis' lake, Where Tamburlaine with all his army lies, Which being faint and weary with the siege, We may lie ready to encounter him Before his host be full from Babylon, And so revenge our latest grievous loss, If God or Mahomet send any aid. KING OF AMASIA.  Doubt not, my lord, but we shall conquer him: The monster that hath drunk a sea of blood, And yet gapes still for more to quench his thirst, Our Turkish swords shall headlong send to hell; And that vile carcass, drawn by warlike kings, The fowls shall eat; for never sepulchre Shall grace this 295 base-born tyrant Tamburlaine. CALLAPINE.  When I record 296 my parents' slavish life, Their cruel death, mine own captivity, My viceroys' bondage under Tamburlaine, Methinks I could sustain a thousand deaths, To be reveng'd of all his villany.— Ah, sacred Mahomet, thou that hast seen Millions of Turks perish by Tamburlaine, Kingdoms made waste, brave cities sack'd and burnt, And but one host is left to honour thee, Aid 297 thy obedient servant Callapine, And make him, after all these overthrows, To triumph over cursed Tamburlaine! KING OF AMASIA.  Fear not, my lord:  I see great Mahomet, Clothed in purple clouds, and on his head A chaplet brighter than Apollo's crown, Marching about the air with armed men, To join with you against this Tamburlaine. CAPTAIN.  Renowmed 298 general, mighty Callapine, Though God himself and holy Mahomet Should come in person to resist your power, Yet might your mighty host encounter all, And pull proud Tamburlaine upon his knees To sue for mercy at your highness' feet. CALLAPINE.  Captain, the force of Tamburlaine is great, His fortune greater, and the victories Wherewith he hath so sore dismay'd the world Are greatest to discourage all our drifts; Yet, when the pride of Cynthia is at full, She wanes again; and so shall his, I hope; For we have here the chief selected men Of twenty several kingdoms at the least; Nor ploughman, priest, nor merchant, stays at home; All Turkey is in arms with Callapine; And never will we sunder camps and arms Before himself or his be conquered: This is the time that must eternize me For conquering the tyrant of the world. Come, soldiers, let us lie in wait for him, And, if we find him absent from his camp, Or that it be rejoin'd again at full, Assail it, and be sure of victory. [Exeunt.]

SCENE III

Enter THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES, and USUMCASANE.

THERIDAMAS.  Weep, heavens, and vanish into liquid tears! Fall, stars that govern his nativity, And summon all the shining lamps of heaven To cast their bootless fires to the earth, And shed their feeble influence in the air; Muffle your beauties with eternal clouds; For Hell and Darkness pitch their pitchy tents, And Death, with armies of Cimmerian spirits, Gives battle 'gainst the heart of Tamburlaine! Now, in defiance of that wonted love Your sacred virtues pour'd upon his throne, And made his state an honour to the heavens, These cowards invisibly 299 assail his soul, And threaten conquest on our sovereign; But, if he die, your glories are disgrac'd, Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is plac'd! TECHELLES.  O, then, ye powers that sway eternal seats, And guide this massy substance of the earth, If you retain desert of holiness, As your supreme estates instruct our thoughts, Be not inconstant, careless of your fame, Bear not the burden of your enemies' joys, Triumphing in his fall whom you advanc'd; But, as his birth, life, health, and majesty Were strangely blest and governed by heaven, So honour, heaven, (till heaven dissolved be,) His birth, his life, his health, and majesty! USUMCASANE.  Blush, heaven, to lose the honour of thy name, To see thy footstool set upon thy head; And let no baseness in thy haughty breast Sustain a shame of such inexcellence, 300     To see the devils mount in angels' thrones, And angels dive into the pools of hell! And, though they think their painful date is out, And that their power is puissant as Jove's, Which makes them manage arms against thy state, Yet make them feel the strength of Tamburlaine (Thy instrument and note of majesty) Is greater far than they can thus subdue; For, if he die, thy glory is disgrac'd, Earth droops, and says that hell in heaven is plac'd!

Enter TAMBURLAINE, 301 drawn in his chariot (as before) by ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, AMYRAS, CELEBINUS, and Physicians.

TAMBURLAINE.  What daring god torments my body thus, And seeks to conquer mighty Tamburlaine? Shall sickness prove me now to be a man, That have been term'd the terror of the world? Techelles and the rest, come, take your swords, And threaten him whose hand afflicts my soul: Come, let us march against the powers of heaven, And set black streamers in the firmament, To signify the slaughter of the gods. Ah, friends, what shall I do? I cannot stand. Come, carry me to war against the gods, That thus envy the health of Tamburlaine. THERIDAMAS.  Ah, good my lord, leave these impatient words, Which add much danger to your malady! TAMBURLAINE.  Why, shall I sit and languish in this pain? No, strike the drums, and, in revenge of this, Come, let us charge our spears, and pierce his breast Whose shoulders bear the axis of the world, That, if I perish, heaven and earth may fade. Theridamas, haste to the court of Jove; Will him to send Apollo hither straight, To cure me, or I'll fetch him down myself. TECHELLES. Sit still, my gracious lord; this grief will cease, 302     And cannot last, it is so violent. TAMBURLAINE.  Not last, Techelles! no, for I shall die. See, where my slave, the ugly monster Death, Shaking and quivering, pale and wan for fear, Stands aiming at me with his murdering dart, Who flies away at every glance I give, And, when I look away, comes stealing on!— Villain, away, and hie thee to the field! I and mine army come to load thy back With souls of thousand mangled carcasses.— Look, where he goes! but, see, he comes again, Because I stay!  Techelles, let us march, And weary Death with bearing souls to hell. FIRST PHYSICIAN.  Pleaseth your majesty to drink this potion, Which will abate the fury of your fit, And cause some milder spirits govern you. TAMBURLAINE.  Tell me what think you of my sickness now? FIRST PHYSICIAN.  I view'd your urine, and the hypostasis, 303     Thick and obscure, doth make your danger great: Your veins are full of accidental heat, Whereby the moisture of your blood is dried: The humidum and calor, which some hold Is not a parcel of the elements, But of a substance more divine and pure, Is almost clean extinguished and spent; Which, being the cause of life, imports your death: Besides, my lord, this day is critical, Dangerous to those whose crisis is as yours: Your artiers, 304 which alongst the veins convey The lively spirits which the heart engenders, Are parch'd and void of spirit, that the soul, Wanting those organons by which it moves, Cannot endure, by argument of art. Yet, if your majesty may escape this day, No doubt but you shall soon recover all. TAMBURLAINE.  Then will I comfort all my vital parts, And live, in spite of death, above a day.

[Alarms within.]

Enter a Messenger.

MESSENGER.  My lord, young Callapine, that lately fled from your majesty, hath now gathered a fresh army, and, hearing your absence in the field, offers to set upon 305 us presently.

TAMBURLAINE.  See, my physicians, now, how Jove hath sent A present medicine to recure my pain! My looks shall make them fly; and, might I follow, There should not one of all the villain's power Live to give offer of another fight. USUMCASANE.  I joy, my lord, your highness is so strong, That can endure so well your royal presence, Which only will dismay the enemy. TAMBURLAINE.  I know it will, Casane.—Draw, you slaves! In spite of death, I will go shew my face.

[Alarms.  Exit TAMBURLAINE with all the rest (except the

PHYSICIANS), and re-enter presently.]

TAMBURLAINE.  Thus are the villain cowards 306 fled for fear, Like summer's vapours vanish'd by the sun; And, could I but a while pursue the field, That Callapine should be my slave again. But I perceive my martial strength is spent: In vain I strive and rail against those powers That mean t' invest me in a higher throne, As much too high for this disdainful earth. Give me a map; then let me see how much Is left for me to conquer all the world, That these, my boys, may finish all my wants. [One brings a map.] Here I began to march towards Persia, Along Armenia and the Caspian Sea, And thence unto 307 Bithynia, where I took The Turk and his great empress prisoners. Then march'd I into Egypt and Arabia; And here, not far from Alexandria, Whereas 308 the Terrene 309 and the Red Sea meet, Being distant less than full a hundred leagues, I meant to cut a channel to them both, That men might quickly sail to India. ]From thence to Nubia near Borno-lake, And so along the Aethiopian sea, Cutting the tropic line of Capricorn, I conquer'd all as far as Zanzibar. Then, by the northern part of Africa, I came at last to Graecia, and from thence To Asia, where I stay against my will; Which is from Scythia, where I first began, 310     Backward[s] and forwards near five thousand leagues. Look here, my boys; see, what a world of ground Lies westward from the midst of Cancer's line Unto the rising of this 311 earthly globe, Whereas the sun, declining from our sight, Begins the day with our Antipodes! And shall I die, and this unconquered? Lo, here, my sons, are all the golden mines, Inestimable drugs and precious stones, More worth than Asia and the world beside; And from th' Antarctic Pole eastward behold As much more land, which never was descried, Wherein are rocks of pearl that shine as bright As all the lamps that beautify the sky! And shall I die, and this unconquered? Here, lovely boys; what death forbids my life, That let your lives command in spite of death. AMYRAS.  Alas, my lord, how should our bleeding hearts, Wounded and broken with your highness' grief, Retain a thought of joy or spark of life? Your soul gives essence to our wretched subjects, 312     Whose matter is incorporate in your flesh. CELEBINUS.  Your pains do pierce our souls; no hope survives, For by your life we entertain our lives. TAMBURLAINE.  But, sons, this subject, not of force enough To hold the fiery spirit it contains, Must part, imparting his impressions By equal portions into 313 both your breasts; My flesh, divided in your precious shapes, Shall still retain my spirit, though I die, And live in all your seeds 314 immortally.— Then now remove me, that I may resign My place and proper title to my son.— First, take my scourge and my imperial crown, And mount my royal chariot of estate, That I may see thee crown'd before I die.— Help me, my lords, to make my last remove.

[They assist TAMBURLAINE to descend from the chariot.]

THERIDAMAS.  A woful change, my lord, that daunts our thoughts More than the ruin of our proper souls! TAMBURLAINE.  Sit up, my son, [and] let me see how well Thou wilt become thy father's majesty. AMYRAS.  With what a flinty bosom should I joy The breath of life and burden of my soul, If not resolv'd into resolved pains, My body's mortified lineaments 315     Should exercise the motions of my heart, Pierc'd with the joy of any dignity! O father, if the unrelenting ears Of Death and Hell be shut against my prayers, And that the spiteful influence of Heaven Deny my soul fruition of her joy, How should I step, or stir my hateful feet Against the inward powers of my heart, Leading a life that only strives to die, And plead in vain unpleasing sovereignty! TAMBURLAINE.  Let not thy love exceed thine honour, son, Nor bar thy mind that magnanimity That nobly must admit necessity. Sit up, my boy, and with these 316 silken reins Bridle the steeled stomachs of these 317 jades. THERIDAMAS.  My lord, you must obey his majesty, Since fate commands and proud necessity. AMYRAS.  Heavens witness me with what a broken heart

[Mounting the chariot.]

And damned 318 spirit I ascend this seat, And send my soul, before my father die, His anguish and his burning agony!

[They crown AMYRAS.]

TAMBURLAINE.  Now fetch the hearse of fair Zenocrate; Let it be plac'd by this my fatal chair, And serve as parcel of my funeral. USUMCASANE.  Then feels your majesty no sovereign ease, Nor may our hearts, all drown'd in tears of blood, Joy any hope of your recovery? TAMBURLAINE.  Casane, no; the monarch of the earth, And eyeless monster that torments my soul, Cannot behold the tears ye shed for me, And therefore still augments his cruelty. TECHELLES.  Then let some god oppose his holy power Against the wrath and tyranny of Death, That his tear-thirsty and unquenched hate May be upon himself reverberate!

[They bring in the hearse of ZENOCRATE.]