The Complete Plays (33 page)

Above the
threefold astracism
of heaven

Before I conquer all the
triple world
.

Now fetch me out the Turkish concubines.

I will
prefer
them for the funeral

They have bestowed on my abortive son.

The
CONCUBINES
are brought in
.

Where are my common soldiers now that fought

So lion-like upon Asphaltis' plains?

SOLDIERS
Here, my lord.

TAMBURLAINE

Hold ye, tall soldiers. Take ye
queens
apiece,

70   (I mean such queens as were kings' concubines.)

Take them. Divide them and their jewels too,

And
let
them equally serve all your turns.

SOLDIERS
We thank your majesty.

TAMBURLAINE

Brawl not
, I warn you, for your lechery,

For every man that so offends shall die.

ORCANES

Injurious tyrant, wilt thou so defame

The hateful fortunes of thy victory

To exercise upon such guiltless dames

80   The violence of thy common soldiers' lust?

TAMBURLAINE

Live content, then, ye slaves, and meet not me

With troops of harlots at your slothful heels.

CONCUBINES

O, pity us, my lord, and save our honours!

TAMBURLAINE

Are ye not gone, ye villains, with your spoils?

They
[
SOLDIERS
]
run away with the
LADIES
.

JERUSALEM

O, merciless, infernal cruelty!

TAMBURLAINE

‘Save your honours'!
'Twere but time
indeed,

Lost long before you knew what honour meant.

THERIDAMAS

It seems they meant to conquer us, my lord,

And make us
jesting pageants
for their trulls.

TAMBURLAINE

90   And now themselves shall make our pageant,

And common soldiers jest with all their trulls.

Let them take pleasure soundly in their spoils

Till we prepare our march to Babylon,

Whither we next make expedition.

TECHELLES

Let us not be idle, then, my lord,

But presently be prest to conquer it.

TAMBURLAINE

We will, Techelles. Forward, then, ye jades!

Now crouch, ye kings of greatest Asia,

And tremble when ye hear this scourge will come

100   That whips down cities and controlleth crowns,

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
Sinus Arabicus
,

Shall all be loaden with the martial spoils

We will convey with us to Persia.

Then shall my native city Samarcanda

And crystal waves of fresh Jaertis' stream,

The pride and beauty of her princely seat,

Be famous through the furthest continents;

110   For there my palace royal shall be placed,

Whose shining turrets shall dismay the heavens

And cast the fame of Ilion's tower to hell.

Thorough the streets with troops of conquered kings

I'll ride in golden armour
like
the sun,

And in my helm a triple plume shall spring,

Spangled with diamonds dancing in the air,

To note me emperor of the threefold world,

Like to an almond tree y-mounted high

Upon the lofty and celestial mount

120   Of ever-green Selinus, quaintly decked

With blooms more white than Erycina's brows,

Whose tender blossoms tremble every one

At every little breath that thorough heaven is blown.

Then in my coach, like
Saturn's royal son
,

Mounted
his shining chariot gilt with fire,

And drawn with princely eagles through
the path

Paved with bright crystal and enchased with stars,

When all the gods stand gazing at his pomp,

So will I ride through Samarcanda streets,

130   Until my soul, dissevered from this flesh,

Shall mount the milk-white way and meet him there.

To Babylon, my lords, to Babylon!

Exeunt
.

Enter the
GOVERNOR OF BABYLON
upon the walls
with
[
MAXIMUS
and
] others.

GOVERNOR

What saith Maximus?

MAXIMUS

My lord, the breach the enemy hath made

Gives such assurance of our overthrow

That little hope is left to save our lives,

Or hold our city from the conqueror's hands.

Then hang out flags, my lord, of humble truce,

And satisfy the people's general prayers

That Tamburlaine's intolerable wrath

May be suppressed by our submission.

GOVERNOR

10   Villain, respects thou more thy slavish life

Than honour of thy country or thy name?

Is not my life and state as dear to me,

The city and my native country's weal,

As any thing of price with thy
conceit
?

Have we not hope,
for all
our battered walls,

To live secure and keep his forces out,

When this our
famous lake
of Limnasphaltis

Makes walls afresh with every thing that falls

Into the liquid substance of his stream,

20   More strong than are the gates of death or hell?

What faintness should dismay our courages

When we are thus defenced against our foe

And have no terror but his threat'ning looks?

Enter another
[
CITIZEN
above
],
kneeling to the
GOVERNOR
.

FIRST CITIZEN

My lord, if ever you did deed of ruth

And now
will
work a refuge to our lives,

Offer submission, hang up flags of truce,

That Tamburlaine may pity our distress

And use us like a loving conqueror.

Though this be held his last day's dreadful siege

30   Wherein he spareth neither man nor child,

Yet are there Christians of Georgia here,

Whose state he ever pitied and relieved,

Will get his pardon if your grace would send.

GOVERNOR

How is my soul
environéd
,

And this eternized city Babylon

Filled with a pack of faint-heart fugitives

That thus entreat their shame and servitude!

[
Enter another
CITIZEN
above, kneeling to the
GOVERNOR
.]

SECOND CITIZEN

My lord, if ever you will win our hearts,

Yield up the town, save our wives and children!

40   For I will cast myself from off these walls,

Or die some death of quickest violence

Before I bide the wrath of Tamburlaine.

GOVERNOR

Villains, cowards, traitors to our state!

Fall to the earth and pierce the pit of hell,

That legions of tormenting spirits may vex

Your slavish bosoms with continual pains!

I care not, nor the town will never yield

As long as any life is in my breast.

Enter
THERIDAMAS
and
TECHELLES
,
with other
SOLDIERS
.

THERIDAMAS

Thou desperate governor of Babylon,

50   To save thy life, and us a little labour,

Yield speedily the city to our hands,

Or else be sure thou shalt be forced with pains

More exquisite than ever traitor felt.

GOVERNOR

Tyrant,
I turn
the traitor in thy throat,

And will defend it in despite of thee.

Call up the soldiers to defend these walls.

TECHELLES

Yield, foolish governor. We offer more

Than ever yet we did to such proud slaves

As durst resist us till our third day's siege.

60   Thou seest us prest to give the last assault,

And that shall bide no more regard of parley.

GOVERNOR

Assault and spare not. We will never yield.

Alarm, and they scale the walls
. [
Exeunt
CITIZENS
and
GOVERNOR
above, followed in by
THERIDAMAS, TECHELLES
,
and their
SOLDIERS
.]
Enter
TAMBURLAINE
[
all in black, drawn in his chariot by the kings of
TREBIZOND
and
SORIA
],
with
USUMCASANE, AMYRAS
,
and
CELEBINUS
,
with others; the two spare kings
[
ORCANES
of Natolia, and
JERUSALEM
].

TAMBURLAINE

The stately buildings of fair Babylon,

Whose
lofty pillars
, higher than the clouds,

Were wont to guide the seaman in the deep,

Being carried thither
by the cannon's force,

Now fill the mouth of Limnasphaltis' lake

And make a bridge unto the battered walls.

Where
Belus, Ninus
, and great Alexander

70   Have rode in triumph, triumphs Tamburlaine,

Whose chariot wheels have burst th'Assyrians'bones,

Drawn with
these kings on heaps of carcasses.

Now in the place where fair Semiramis,

Courted by kings and peers of Asia,

Hath
trod the measures
, do my soldiers march;

And in the streets, where brave Assyrian dames

Have rid in pomp like rich Saturnia,

With furious words and frowning visages

My horsemen brandish their unruly blades.

Enter [below
]
THERIDAMAS
and
TECHELLES
,
bringing the

GOVERNOR OF BABYLON
.

80   Who have ye there, my lords?

THERIDAMAS

The sturdy governor of Babylon,

That made us all the labour for the town

And used such slender reck'ning of your majesty.

TAMBURLAINE

Go bind the villain. He shall hang in chains

Upon the ruins of this conquered town.

Sirrah, the view of our vermilion tents,

Which threatened more than if
the region

Next underneath the element of fire

Were full of comets and of blazing stars

90   Whose flaming trains should reach down to the earth,

Could not affright you; no, nor I myself,

The wrathful messenger of mighty Jove,

That with his sword hath
quailed
all earthly kings,

Could not persuade you to submission,

But still the ports were shut. Villain, I say,

Should I but touch the rusty gates of hell,

The triple-headed Cerberus would howl

And wake
black Jove
to crouch and kneel to me;

But I have sent volleys of shot to you,

100   Yet could not enter till the breach was made.

GOVERNOR

Nor, if my body could have stopped the breach,

Shouldst thou have entered, cruel Tamburlaine.

'Tis not thy bloody tents can make me yield,

Nor yet thyself,
the anger
of the Highest,

For, though thy cannon shook the city walls,

My heart did never quake, or courage faint.

TAMBURLAINE

Well, now I'll make it quake. Go draw him up.

Hang him in chains upon the city walls,

And let my soldiers shoot the slave to death.

GOVERNOR

110   Vile monster, born of some infernal hag,

And sent from hell to tyrannize on earth,

Do all thy worst. Nor death, nor Tamburlaine,

Torture, or pain can daunt my dreadless mind.

TAMBURLAINE

Up with him, then; his body shall be scarred.

GOVERNOR

But Tamburlaine, in Limnasphaltis' lake

There lies more gold than Babylon is worth,

Which when the city was besieged I hid.

Save but my life, and I will give it thee.

TAMBURLAINE

Then, for all your valour, you would save your life?

120   Whereabout lies it?

GOVERNOR

Under a hollow bank, right opposite

Against the western gate of Babylon.

TAMBURLAINE

Go thither, some of you, and take his gold.

[
Exeunt
SOLDIERS
.]

The rest, forward with execution!

Away with him hence, let him speak no more.

I think I make your courage
something quail
.

[
Exit
GOVERNOR,
led away by
SOLDIERS
.]

When this is done, we'll march from Babylon

And make our greatest haste to Persia.

These jades are broken-winded and half tired;

130   Unharness them, and let me have fresh horse.

[
SOLDIERS
unharness
TREBIZOND
and
SORIA
.]

So, now their best is done to honour me,

Take them and hang them both up presently.

TREBIZOND

Vile tyrant, barbarous, bloody Tamburlaine!