The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Preface
• Publisher's Notice
• Introduction
• Tamburlaine the Great. In Two Parts.
• Tamburlaine the Great, Part Tbe First.
• The Prologue.
• Persons Represented. 1
• Tamburlaine the Great. Part the First.: Act the First.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Act the Second.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI.
• Scene VII.
• Act the Third.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Act the Fourth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Act the Fifth.
• Scene I.
• Tamburlaine the Great. Part the Second
• Prologue.
• Persons Represented.
• Tamburlaine the Great. Part the Second: Act the First.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene II.
• Act the Second.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Act the Third.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Act the Fourth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Act the Fifth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.
• Persons Represented.
• The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI. 1
• Scene VII.
• Scene VIII.
• Scene IX.
• Scene X.
• Scene XI.
• Scene XII.
• Scene XIII.
• Scene XIV.
• Scene XV.
• Scene XVI.
• Appendix to Dr. Faustus.
• Ballad of Faustus.

SCENE IV.

Enter TAMBURLAINE drawn in his chariot1 by the Kings of Trebizond and Sofia, with bits in their mouths, reins in his4 left hand, and in his right hand a whip with which he scourgeth them; “TECHELLES, TRERIDAMAS, USUMCASANE, AMVRAS, CELEBINUS; Kings of Natolia and Jerusalem led by 1 five or six comman soldiers.

Tomb.

• Hollo, ye pampered jades of Asia!6
• What! can ye draw but twenty miles a day,
• And have so proud a chariot at your heels,
• And such a coachman as great Tamburlaine,
• But from Asphaltis, where I conquered you,
• To Byron here, where thus I honour you!
• The horse that guide the golden eye of Heaven,
• And blow the morning from their nosterils, 1
• Making their fiery gait above the clouds,
• Are not so honoured in their governor, “

  10

• As you, ye slaves, in mighty Tamburlaine.
• The headstrong jades of Thrace Alcides tamed,
• That King Egeus fed with human flesh,
• And made so wanton that they knew their strengths,
• Were not subdued with valour more divine
• Than you by this unconquered ann of mine.
• To make you fierce, and fit my appetite,
• You shall be fed with flesh as raw as blood,
• And drink in pails the strongest muscadel;
• If you can live with it, then live, and draw

  20

• My chariot swifter than the racking2 clouds;
• If not, then die hke beasts, and fit for naught
• But perches for the black and fatal ravens.
• Thus am I right the scourge of h_ghest Jove;
• And see the figure of my dignity
• By which I hold my name and majesty!

Amy.

• Let me have coach, my lord, that I may ride,
• And thus be drawn with 3 these two idle kings.

Tamb.

• Thy youth forbids such ease, my kingly boy,
• Tire Second Part of [Aer Iv.
• They shall to-morrow draw my chariot, 30
• While these their fellow-kings may be refreshed.

Orc.

• O thou that sway'st the region under earth,
• And art a king as absolute as Jove,
• Come as thou didst in fruitful Sicily,
• Surveying all the glories of the land,
• And as thou took'st the fair Proserpina,
• Joying the fruit of Ceres' garden-plot, 1
• For love, for honour, and to make her queen,
• So for just hate, for shame, and to subdue
• This proud contemner of thy dreadful power,

  40

• Come once in fury and survey his pride,
• Haling him headlong to the lowest hell.

Ther.

• Your majesty must get some bits for these,
• To bridle their contemptuous, cursing tongues,
• That, like unruly, never-broken jades,
• Break through the hedges of their hateful mouths,
• And pass their fixed bounds exceedingly.

Tech.

• Nay, we will break the hedges of their mouths,
• And pull their kicking colts2 out of their pastures.

Usum.

• Your majesty already hath devised

  50

• A mean, as fit as may be, to restrain
• These coltish coach-horse tongues from blasphemy.

Cel.

• How like you that, sir king? why speak you not?

Jer.

• Ah, cruel brat, sprung from a tyrant's loins!
• How like his curshd father he begins
• To practise taunts and bitter tyrannies!

Tamb.

• Ay, Turk, I tell thee, this same boy is he
• That must (advanced in higher pomp than this)”
• Rifle the kingdoms I shall leave unsacked,
• If Jove, esteeming me too good for earth,

  60

• Raise me to match the fair Aldeboran,
• Above the threefold ostracism 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 broughl in.
• Where are my common soldiers now, that fought
• So lion-like upon Asphaitis' plains?

Sold.

• Here, my lord.

Tamb

• Hold ye, tall soldiers, take ye queens apiece--
• I mean such queens as were king's concubines--

  71

• Take them; divide them, and their1 jewels too,
• And let them equally serve all your turns.

Sold.

• We thank you.

Tamb

• Brawl not, I warn you, for your lechery :
• For every man that so offends shall die.

Orc.

• Injurious tyrant, wilt thou so defame
• The hateful fortunes of thy victory,
• To exercise upon such guiltless dames
• The violence of thy common soldiers' lust?

  80

Tamb

• Live continent2 then, ye slaves, and meet not
• me
• With troops of harlots at your slothful heels.

Ladies.

• O pity us, my lord, and save our honours.

Tamb.

• Are ye not gone, ye villains, with your spoils.?
• [They run away with the ladies.

Jet.

• O merciless, infernal cruelty!

Tamb.

• Save your honours! 'Twere but time indeed,
• Lost long before ye knew what honour meant.

Ther.

• It seems they meant to conquer us, my lord,
• And make us jesting pageants for their trulls.

Tamb.

• And now themselves shall make our pageants,
• And common soldiers jest with all their trulls.

  91

• Let them take pleasure soundly in their spoils,
• Till we prepare our march to Babylon,
• Whither we next make expedition.

Teclt.

• Let us not be idle then, my lord,
• But presently be prest to conquer it.

Tamb

• We will, Teehelles. Forward then, ye jades.
• Now crouch, ye kings of greatest Asia,
• And tremble when ye hear this scourge will come
• That whips down cities and controuleth crowns,

  100

• 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 1 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,
• Like1 to an almond tree y-mounted high
• Upon the lofty and celestial mount

  120

• Of ever-green 2 Selinus quaintly decked
• With blooms more white than Erycina's 3 brows,4
• Whose tender blossoms tremble every one,
• At every little breath through heaven is blown.
• Then in my coach, like Saturn's royal son,
• Mounted1 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.

ACT THE FIFTH.

[1]“In like manner in Lodge's wounds of Civil War, Sylla enters in triumph drawn by his captives.”--Braughton.

[4]So 4to.—8vo. “their.”

[1]So 4to.--8vo. “led by with five.”

[6]This line was parodied by a host of writers.

[1]So 4to.--8vo.”nostrils.” Dyce compares Virgil, Æn. Xii. 114”--

• “Cureprimwnaltosegurgitetolhmt
• Sobseqmlucem_ueelat_navibuse_ant”

[2]RSo 4to.--8vo. “blood.”

[3]So 8vo. (Cf. v. I, I. 72, “Drawn these kings.”)--Modern editors, following the 4to., gnve “by.”

[1]So 4to._Svo. “garded plot,”

[2]Colt's-teeth

[1]So 4to.—Omitted in 8vo.

[2]Old copies “content.”

[1]So 4to._8vo. “furthzest.”

[1]Lines 120-125 are taken (as previous editors have noticed) from the Faeme Queene, 1. 7 (stanza 32). Marlowe must have seen the passage of Spenser in MS.

[2]8vo. “euery greene. “--4to. “euene greene.”

[3]Old copies “Hencmas.”

[4]So 4to.--8vo. “bowes “

[1]Broughton compares Locrine, ili. 5 :--

• “Now sit I like the mighty god of war,
• Aloztnted It,s charzot drawn with mlghty bulls.”

Dyce puts a comma after mounted, and perhaps he ts right. For “chariot “the old copies read “chariots.” (Perhaps the author wrote “chanote,” Final e Js frequently mLstaken for s, and final s for e.)