Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine, Part 1

I.i

Mycetes
Brother Cosroe, I find my selfe agreev'd,
Yet insufficient to expresse the same:
For it requires a great and thundering speech:
Good brother tell the cause unto my Lords,
I know you have a better wit than I.

Cosroe
Unhappie Persea, that in former age
Hast bene the seat of mightie Conquerors,
That in their prowesse and their pollicies,
Have triumpht over Affrike, and the bounds
Of Europe wher the Sun dares scarce appeare,
For freezing meteors and conjealed colde:
Now to be rulde and governed by a man,
At whose byrth-day Cynthia with Saturne joinde,
And Jove, the Sun, and Mercurie denied
To shed their influence in his fickle braine,
Now Turkes and Tartars shake their swords at thee,
Meaning to mangle all thy Provinces.

Mycetes
Brother, I see your meaning well enough.
And thorough your Planets I perceive you thinke,
I am not wise enough to be a kinge,
But I refer me to my noble men,
That knowe my wit, and can be witnesses:
I might command you to be slaine for this,
Meander, might I not?

Meander
Not for so small a fault my soveraigne Lord.

Mycetes
I meane it not, but yet I know I might,
Yet live, yea, live, Mycetes wils it so:
Meander, thou my faithfull Counsellor,
Declare the cause of my conceived griefe,
Which is (God knowes) about that Tamburlaine,
That like a Foxe in midst of harvest time,
Dooth pray uppon my flockes of Passengers,
And as I heare, doth meane to pull my plumes.
Therefore tis good and meete for to be wise.

Meander
Oft have I heard your Majestie complain,
Of Tamburlaine, that sturdie Scythian thiefe,
That robs your merchants of Persepolis,
Trading by land unto the Westerne Isles,
And in your confines with his lawlesse traine,
Daily commits incivill outrages,
Hoping
To raigne in Asia and with barbarous Armes
To make himselfe the Monarch of the East:
But ere he march in Asia or display
His vagrant Ensigne in the Persean fields
Your Grace hath taken order by Theridamas,
Chardg'd with a thousand horse, to apprehend
And bring him Captive to your Highnesse throne.

Mycetes
Ful true thou speakst, and like thy selfe my lord,
Whom I may tearme a Damon for thy love.
Therefore tis best, if so it lik you all,
To send my thousand horse incontinent,
To apprehend that paltrie Scythian.
How like you this, my honorable Lords?
Is it not a kingly resolution?

Cosroe
It cannot choose, because it comes from you.

Mycetes
Then heare thy charge, valiant Theridamas,
The chiefest Captaine of Mycetes hoste,
The hope of Persea, and the verie legges
Whereon our state doth leane, as on a staffe,
That holds us up, and foiles our neighbour foes.
Thou shalt be leader of this thousand horse,
Whose foming galle with rage and high disdaine,
Have sworne the death of wicked Tamburlaine.
Go frowning foorth, but come thou smyling home,
As did Sir Paris with the Grecian Dame:
Returne with speed, time passeth swift away,
Our life is fraile, and we may die to day.

Theridamas
Before the Moone renew her borrowed light,
Doubt not my Lord and gratious Soveraigne,
But Tamburlaine, and that Tartarian rout,
Shall either perish by our warlike hands,
Or plead for mercie at your highnesse feet.

Mycetes
Go, stout Theridamas, thy words are swords,
And with thy lookes thou conquerest all thy foes:
I long to see thee backe returne from thence,
That I may view these milk-white steeds of mine,
All loden with the heads of killed men.
And from their knees, even to their hoofes below,
Besmer'd with blood, that makes a dainty show.

Theridamas
Then now my Lord, I humbly take my leave.
Exit.

Mycetes
Theridamas, farewel ten thousand times.
Ah, Menaphon, why staiest thou thus behind,
When other men prease forward for renowne:
Go Menaphon, go into Scythia,
And foot by foot follow Theridamas.

Cosroe
Nay, pray you let him stay, a greater task
Fits Menaphon, than warring with a Thiefe:
Create him Prorex of Assiria,
That he may win the Babylonians hearts,
Which will revolt from Persean government,
Unlesse they have a wiser king than you.

Mycetes
Unlesse they have a wiser king than you ?
These are his words, Meander set them downe.

Cosroe
And ad this to them, that all Asia
Lament to see the follie of their King.

Mycetes
Well here I sweare by this my royal seat —

Cosroe
You may doe well to kisse it then.

Mycetes
Embost with silke as best beseemes my state,
To be reveng'd for these contemptuous words.
O where is dutie and allegeance now?
Fled to the Caspean or the Ocean maine?
What, shall I call thee brother? No, a foe,
Monster of Nature, shame unto thy stocke,
That dar'st presume thy Soveraigne for to mocke.
Meander come, I am abus'd Meander.
Exeunt.
Manent Cosroe and Menaphon.

Menaphon
How now my Lord, what, mated and amaz'd
To heare the king thus threaten like himselfe?

Cosroe
Ah Menaphon, I passe not for his threates,
The plot is laid by Persean Noble men,
And Captaines of the Medean garrisons,
To crowne me Emperour of Asia.
But this it is that doth excruciate
The verie substance of my vexed soule:
To see our neighbours that were woont to quake
And tremble at the Persean Monarkes name,
Now sits and laughs our regiment to scorne:
And that which might resolve me into teares,
Men from the farthest Equinoctiall line,
Have swarm'd in troopes into the Easterne India:
Lading their shippes with golde and pretious stones:
And made their spoiles from all our provinces.

Menaphon
This should intreat your highnesse to rejoice,
Since Fortune gives you opportunity,
To gaine the tytle of a Conquerour,
By curing of this maimed Emperie.
Affrike and Europe bordering on your land,
And continent to your Dominions:
How Basely may you with a mightie hoste,
Passe into Groecia, as did Cyrus once.
And cause them to withdraw their forces home,
Least you subdue the pride of Christendome?

Cosroe
But Menaphon, what means this trumpets sound?

Menaphon
Behold, my Lord, Ortigius and the rest,
Bringing the Crowne to make you Emperour.
Enter Ortigius and Ceneus bearing a Crowne,with others.

Ortygius
Magnificent and mightie Prince Cosroe,
We in the name of other Persean states,
And commons of this mightie Monarchie,
Present thee with th'Emperiall Diadem.

Ceneus
The warlike Souldiers, and the Gentlemen,
That heretofore have fild Persepolis
With Affrike Captaines, taken in the field:
Whose ransome made them martch in coates of gold,
With costlie jewels hanging at their eares,
And shining stones upon their loftie Crestes:
Now living idle in the walled townes,
Wanting both pay and martiall discipline,
Begin in troopes to threaten civill warre,
And openly exclaime against the King.
Therefore to stay all sodaine mutinies,
We will invest your Highnesse Emperour:
Whereat the Souldiers will conceive more joy,
Then did the Macedonians at the spoile
Of great Darius and his wealthy hoast.

Cosroe
Wel, since I see the state of Persea droope,
And languish in my brothers government:
I willingly receive th'emperiall crowne,
And vow to weare it for my countries good:
In spight of them shall malice my estate.

Ortygius
And in assurance of desir'd successe,
We here doo crowne thee Monarch of the East,
Emperour of Asia, ad of Persea,
Great Lord of Medea and Armenia:
Duke of Assiria and Albania,
Mesopotamia and of Parthia,
East lndia and the late discovered Isles,
Chiefe Lord of all the wide vast Euxine sea,
And of the ever raging Caspian Lake:
Long live Cosroe mighty Emperour.

Cosroe
And Jove may never let me longer live,
Then I may seeke to gratifie your love,
And cause the souldiers that thus honour me,
To triumph over many Provinces.
By whose desires of discipline in Armes,
I doubt not shortly but to raigne sole king,
And with the Armie of Theridamas,
Whether we presently will flie (my Lords)
To rest secure against my brothers force.

Ortygius
We knew my Lord, before we brought the crowne,
Intending your investion so neere
The residence of your dispised brother,
The Lords would not be too exasperate,
To injure or suppresse your woorthy tytle.
Or if they would, there are in readines
Ten thousand horse to carte you from hence,
In spite of all suspected enemies.

Cosroe
I know it wel my Lord, and thanke you all.

Ortygius
Sound up the trumpets then, God save the King.
Exeunt [attended].