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Pray thee; tell why art thou so sad? if thou wilt have a song;

the Turk shall strain his voice:  but why is it?



ZENOCRATE。 My lord; to see my father's town besieg'd;

The country wasted where myself was born;

How can it but afflict my very soul?

If any love remain in you; my lord;

Or if my love unto your majesty

May merit favour at your highness' hands;

Then raise your siege from fair Damascus' walls;

And with my father take a friendly truce。



TAMBURLAINE。 Zenocrate; were Egypt Jove's own land;

Yet would I with my sword make Jove to stoop。

I will confute those blind geographers

That make a triple region in the world;

Excluding regions which I mean to trace;

And with this pen reduce them to a map;

Calling the provinces; cities; and towns;

After my name and thine; Zenocrate:

Here at Damascus will I make the point

That shall begin the perpendicular:

And wouldst thou have me buy thy father's love

With such a loss? tell me; Zenocrate。



ZENOCRATE。 Honour still wait on happy Tamburlaine!

Yet give me leave to plead for him; my lord。



TAMBURLAINE。 Content thyself:  his person shall be safe;

And all the friends of fair Zenocrate;

If with their lives they will be pleas'd to yield;

Or may be forc'd to make me emperor;

For Egypt and Arabia must be mine。

Feed; you slave; thou mayst think thyself happy to be fed from

my trencher。



BAJAZETH。 My empty stomach; full of idle heat;

Draws bloody humours from my feeble parts;

Preserving life by hastening cruel death。

My veins are pale; my sinews hard and dry;

My joints benumb'd; unless I eat; I die。



ZABINA。 Eat; Bajazeth; let us live in spite of them; looking

some happy power will pity and enlarge us。



TAMBURLAINE。 Here; Turk; wilt thou have a clean trencher?



BAJAZETH。 Ay; tyrant; and more meat。



TAMBURLAINE。 Soft; sir! you must be dieted; too much eating

will make you surfeit。



THERIDAMAS。 So it would; my lord; 'specially having so small

a walk and so little exercise。

     'A second course is brought in of crowns。'



TAMBURLAINE。 Theridamas; Techelles; and Casane; here are the

cates you desire to finger; are they not?



THERIDAMAS。 Ay; my lord:  but none save kings must feed with

these。



TECHELLES。 'Tis enough for us to see them; and for Tamburlaine

only to enjoy them。



TAMBURLAINE。 Well; here is now to the Soldan of Egypt; the King

of Arabia; and the Governor of Damascus。   Now; take these three

crowns; and pledge me; my contributory kings。  I crown you here;

Theridamas; king of Argier; Techelles; king of Fez; and

Usumcasane;

king of Morocco。How say you to this; Turk? these are

not your contributory kings。



BAJAZETH。 Nor shall they long be thine; I warrant them。



TAMBURLAINE。 Kings of Argier; Morocco; and of Fez;

You that have march'd with happy Tamburlaine

As far as from the frozen plage of heaven

Unto the watery Morning's ruddy bower;

And thence by land unto the torrid zone;

Deserve these titles I endow you with

By valour and by magnanimity。

Your births shall be no blemish to your fame;

For virtue is the fount whence honour springs;

And they are worthy she investeth kings。



THERIDAMAS。 And; since your highness hath so well vouchsaf'd;

If we deserve them not with higher meeds

Than erst our states and actions have retain'd;

Take them away again; and make us slaves。



TAMBURLAINE。 Well said; Theridamas:  when holy Fates

Shall stablish me in strong Aegyptia;

We mean to travel to th' antarctic pole;

Conquering the people underneath our feet;

And be renowm'd as never emperors were。

Zenocrate; I will not crown thee yet;

Until with greater honours I be grac'd。

     'Exeunt。'









     ACT V。







     SCENE I。



     Enter the GOVERNOR OF DAMASCUS with three or four

     CITIZENS; and four VIRGINS with branches of laurel in

     their hands。



GOVERNOR。 Still doth this man; or rather god of war;

Batter our walls and beat our turrets down;

And to resist with longer stubbornness;

Or hope of rescue from the Soldan's power;

Were but to bring our wilful overthrow;

And make us desperate of our threaten'd lives。

We see his tents have now been altered

With terrors to the last and cruel'st hue;

His coal…black colours; every where advanc'd;

Threaten our city with a general spoil;

And; if we should with common rites of arms

Offer our safeties to his clemency;

I fear the custom proper to his sword;

Which he observes as parcel of his fame;

Intending so to terrify the world;

By any innovation or remorse

Will never be dispens'd with till our deaths。

Therefore; for these our harmless virgins' sakes;

Whose honours and whose lives rely on him;

Let us have hope that their unspotted prayers;

Their blubber'd cheeks; and hearty humble moans;

Will melt his fury into some remorse;

And use us like a loving conqueror。



FIRST VIRGIN。 If humble suite or imprecations

(Utter'd with tears of wretchedness and blood

Shed from the heads and hearts of all our sex;

Some made your wives; and some your children;)

Might have entreated your obdurate breasts

To entertain some care of our securities

Whiles only danger beat upon our walls;

These more than dangerous warrants of our death

Had never been erected as they be;

Nor you depend on such weak helps as we。



GOVERNOR。 Well; lovely virgins; think our country's care;

Our love of honour; loath to be enthrall'd

To foreign powers and rough imperious yokes;

Would not with too much cowardice or fear;

Before all hope of rescue were denied;

Submit yourselves and us to servitude。

Therefore; in that your safeties and our own;

Your honours; liberties; and lives were weigh'd

In equal care and balance with our own;

Endure as we the malice of our stars;

The wrath of Tamburlaine and power of wars;

Or be the means the overweighing heavens

Have kept to qualify these hot extremes;

And bring us pardon in your cheerful looks。



SECOND VIRGIN。 Then here; before the Majesty of Heaven

And holy patrons of Aegyptia;

With knees and hearts submissive we entreat

Grace to our words and pity to our looks;

That this device may prove propitious;

And through the eyes and ears of Tamburlaine

Convey events of mercy to his heart;

Grant that these signs of victory we yield

May bind the temples of his conquering head;

To hide the folded furrows of his brows;

And shadow his displeased countenance

With happy looks of ruth and lenity。

Leave us; my lord; and loving countrymen:

What simple virgins may persuade; we will。



GOVERNOR。 Farewell; sweet virgins; on whose safe return

Depends our city; liberty; and lives。

     'Exeunt all except the VIRGINS。'



     Enter TAMBURLAINE; all in black and very melancholy;

     TECHELLES; THERIDAMAS; USUMCASANE; with others。



TAMBURLAINE。 What; are the turtles fray'd out of their nests?

Alas; poor fools; must you be first shall feel

The sworn destruction of Damascus?

They knew my custom; could they not as well

Have sent ye out when first my milk…white flags;

Through which sweet Mercy threw her gentle beams;

Reflexed them on their disdainful eyes;

As now when fury and incensed hate

Flings slaughtering terror from my coal…black tents;

And tells for truth submission comes too late?



FIRST VIRGIN。 Most happy king and emperor of the earth;

Image of honour and nobility;

For whom the powers divine have made the world;

And on whose throne the holy Graces sit;

In whose sweet person is compris'd the sum

Of Nature's skill and heavenly majesty;

Pity our plights!  O; pity poor Damascus!

Pity old age; within whose silver hairs

Honour and reverence evermore have reign'd!

Pity the marriage…bed; where many a lord;

In prime and glory of his loving joy;

Embraceth now with tears of ruth and blood

The jealous body of his fearful wife;

Whose cheeks and hearts; so punish'd with conceit;

To think thy puissant never…stayed arm

Will part their bodies; and prevent their souls

From heavens of comfort yet their age might bear;

Now wax all pale and wither'd to the death;

As well for grief our ruthless governor

Hath thus refus'd the mercy of thy hand;

(Whose sceptre angels kiss and Furies dread;)

As for their liberties; their loves; or lives!

O; then; for these; and such as we ourselves;

For us; for infants; and for all our bloods;

That never nourish'd thought against thy rule;

Pity; O; pity; sacred emperor;

The prostrate service of this wretched town;

And take in sign thereof this gilded wreath;

Whereto each man of rule hath given his hand;

And wish'd; as worthy subjects; happy means

To be investers of thy royal brows

Even with the true Egyptian diadem!



TAMBURLAINE。 Virgins; in vain you labour to prevent

That which mine honour sw

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