BAJ. Well said, my stout contributory kings: Your threefold army and my huge host

Shall swallow up these base-born Persians.

TECH. Puissant, renowned, and mighty Tamburlaine,

Why stay we thus prolonging of their lives?

THER. I long to see those crowns won by our swords,

That we may rule as kings of Africa.

USUM. What coward would not fight for such a prize?

TAMB. Fight all courageously, and be you kings; I speak it, and my words are oracles.

BAJ. Zabina, mother of three braver boys
Than Hercules, that in his infancy

Did part the jaws of serpents venomous;
Whose hands are made to gripe a warlike lance,
Their shoulders broad for complete armour fit,-
Their limbs more large, and of a bigger size,
Than all the brats ere sprung from Typhon's loins;
Who, when they come unto their father's age,
Will batter turrets with their manly fists,
Sit here upon this royal chair of state,
And on thy head wear my imperial crown.
Until I bring this sturdy Tamburlaine,
And all his captains bound in captive chains.

ZAB. Such good success happen to Bajazet !
TAMB. Zenocrate, the loveliest maid alive,
Fairer than rocks of pearl and precious stone,
The only paragon of Tamburlaine,

Whose eyes are brighter than the lamps of heaven,
And speech more pleasant than sweet harmony;
That with thy looks canst clear the darken'd sky,
And calm the rage of thund'ring Jupiter,
Sit down by her, adorned with my crown,
As if thou wert the empress of the world.
Stir not, Zenocrate, until thou see
We march victoriously with all my men,
Triumphing over him and these his kings,
Which I will bring as vassals to thy feet;
Till then take thou my crown, vaunt of my worth,
And manage words with her, as we will arms.

ZENO. And may my love the king of Persia,
Return with victory and free from wound!

BAJ. Now shalt thou feel the force of Turkish

arms,

Which lately made all Europe quake for fear.
I have of Turks, Arabians, Moors, and Jews,
Enough to cover all Bithynia.

Let thousands die; their slaughter'd carcases
Shall serve for walls and bulwarks to the rest;
And as the heads of Hydra, so my power,
Subdu'd, shall stand as mighty as before.
If they should yield their necks unto the sword,
Thy soldiers' arms could not endure to strike
So many blows as I have heads for thee.
Thou know'st not, foolish, hardy Tamburlaine,
What 'tis to meet me in the open field,

That leave no ground for thee to march upon.

TAMB. Our conq'ring swords shall marshal us the

way

We use to march upon the slaughter'd foe,
Trampling their bowels with our horses' hoofs;
Brave horses bred o'er the white Tartarian hills;
My camp is like to Julius Cæsar's host,
That never fought but had the victory;
Nor in Pharsalia was there such hot war,
As these, my followers, willingly would have.
Legions of spirits fleeting in the air

Direct our bullets and our weapons' points,

And make our strokes to wound the senseless light,
And when she sees our bloody colours spread,
Then victory begins to take her flight,
Resting herself upon my milk-white tent:-
But come, my lords, to weapons let us fall;
The field is ours, the Turk, his wife, and all.
[Exit, with his followers.
BAJ. Come kings and bassas, let us glut our

swords,

That thirst to drink the feeble Persian's blood.

[Exit, with his followers.

ZAB. Base concubine! must thou be plac'd by me,

That am the empress of the mighty Turk?

ZENO. Disdainful Turkess and unrev'rend Boss! Callest thou me concubine, that am betroth'd Unto the great and mighty Tamburlaine?

*Boss, a contemptuous epithet, expressive of the inflated pride of the Turkish empress;-a tumour, an excrescence.

ZAB. To Tamburlaine, the great Tartarian thief! ZENO. Thou wilt repent these lavish words of thine,

When thy great bassa-master and thyself

Must plead for mercy at his kingly feet,

And sue to me to be your advocate.

ZAB. And sue to thee!-I tell thee, shameless girl,

Thou shalt be laundress to my waiting maid!
How likest thou her, Ebra ?-Will she serve?

EBRA. Madam, perhaps, she thinks she is too fine, But I shall turn her into other weeds,

And make her dainty fingers fall to work.

ZENO. Hear'st thou, Anippe, how thy drudge doth talk?

And how my slave, her mistress, menaceth?
Both for their sauciness shall be employ'd

To dress the common soldiers' meat and drink,
For we will scorn they should come near ourselves.
ANIP. Yet sometimes let your highness send for
them,

To do the work my chambermaid disdains.

[They sound to the battle within. ZENO. Ye Gods and Pow'rs that govern Persia, And made my lordly love her worthy king, Now strengthen him against the fearful Bajazet, And let his foes, like flocks of fearful roes Pursu'd by hunters fly his angry looks, That I may see him issue conqueror ! ZAB. Now, Mahomet, solicit God himself,

VOL I.

4

And make him rain down murd'ring shot from heaven To dash the Scythians' brains, and strike them dead, That dare to manage arms with him

That offer'd jewels to thy sacred shrine,

When first he warr'd against the Christians!

[To the battle again.

ZENO. By this the Turks lie welt'ring in their

blood,

And Tamburlaine is lord of Africa.

ZAB. Thou art deceiv'd.-I heard the trumpet

sound,

As when my emp'ror overthrew the Greeks,

And led them captive into Africa.

Straight will I use thee as thy pride deserves,—

Prepare thyself to live and die my slave.

Enter BAJAZET, who is pursued by TAMBURLAINE and overcome.

TAMB. Now, king of bassas, who is conqueror? BAJ. Thou, by the fortune of this damned soil. TAM. Where are your stout, contributory kings? Enter TECHELLES, THERIDAMAS, and USUM

CASANE.

TECH. We have their crowns-their bodies strew

the field.

TAMB. Each man a crown!-Why kingly fought

i'faith.

Deliver them into my treasury.

ZENO. Now let me offer to my gracious lord

His royal crown again so highly won.

TAMB. Nay, take the crown from her, Zenocrate,