Act One, Scene One
[Enter]Orcanes, king of Natolia, Gazellus, Yice-roy of Byron, Uribassa, and their traine, with drums and trumpets.Orcanes
Egregious Viceroyes of these Eastern parts
Plac'd by the issue of great Bajazeth,
And sacred Lord, the mighty Calapine:
Who lives in Egypt, prisoner to that slave,
Which kept his father in an yron cage:
Now have we martcht from faire Natolia
Two hundred leagues, and on Danubius banks,
Our warlike hoste in compleat armour rest,
Where Sigismond the king of Hungary
Should meet our person to conclude a truce.
What? Shall we parle with the Christian,
Or crosse the streame, and meet him in the field?
Gazellus
King of Natolia, let us treat of peace,
We all are glutted with the Christians blood,
And have a greater foe to fight against,
Proud Tamburlaine, that now in Asia,
Neere Guyrons head doth set his conquering feet,
And means to fire Turky as he goes:
Gainst him my Lord must you addresse your power.
Uribassa
Besides, king Sigismond hath brought from Christendome,
More then his Camp of stout Hungarians,
Sclavonians, Almans, Rutters, Muffes, and Danes,
That with the Holbard, Lance, and murthering Axe,
Will hazard that we might with surety hold.
Orcanes
Though from the shortest Northren Paralell,
Vast Gruntland compass with the frozen sea,
Inhabited with tall and sturdy men,
Gyants as big as hugie Polypheme:
Millions of Souldiers cut the Artick line,
Bringing the strength of Europe to these Armes:
Our Turky blades shal glide through al their throats,
And make this champion mead a bloody Fen.
Danubius stream that runs toTrebizon,
Shall carte wrapt within his scarlet waves,
As martiall presents to our friends at home,
The slaughtered bodies of these Christians.
The Terrene main wherin Danubius fals,
Shall by this battell be the bloody Sea.
The wandring Sailers of proud Italy,
Shall meet those Christians fleeting with the tyde,
Beating in heaps against their Argoses,
And make faire Europe mounted on her bull,
Trapt with the wealth and riches of the world,
Alight and weare a woful mourning weed.
Gazellus
Yet stout Orcanes, Prorex of the world,
Since Tamburlaine hath mustred all his men,
Marching from Cairon northward with his camp,
To Alexandria, and the frontier townes,
Meaning to make a conquest of our land:
Tis requisit to parle for a peace
With Sigismond the king of Hungary:
And save our forces for the hot assaults
Proud Tamburlaine intends Natolia.
Orcanes
Viceroy of Byron, wisely hast thou said:
My realme, the Center of our Empery
Once lost, All Turkie would be overthrowne:
And for that cause the Christians shall have peace
Slavonians, Almains, Rutters, Muffes, and Danes
Feare not Orcanes, but great Tamburlaine:
Nor he but Fortune that hath made him great.
We have revolted Grecians, Albanees,
Cicilians, Jewes, Arabians, Turks, and Moors,
Natolians, Sorians, blacke Egyptians,
Illirians, Thracians, and Bythinians,
Enough to swallow forcelesse Sigismond,
Yet scarse enough t'encounter Tamburlaine.
He brings a world of people to the field,
From Scythia to the Orientall Plage
Of India, wher raging Lantchidol
Beates on the regions with his boysterous blowes,
That never sea-man yet discovered:
All Asia is in Armes with Tamburlaine.
Even from the midst of fiery Cancers Tropick,
To Amazonia under Capricorne,
And thence as far as Archipellago:
All Affrike is in Armes with Tamburlaine.
Therefore Viceroies the Christians must have peace.
[Enter] Sigismond, Fredericke, Baldwine, and their traine with drums and trumpets.
Sigismond
Orcanes (as our Legates promist thee)
Wee with our Peeres have cross Danubius stream
To treat of friendly peace or deadly war:
Take which thou wilt, for as the Romans usde
I here present thee with a naked sword.
Wilt thou have war, then shake this blade at me,
If peace, restore it to my hands againe:
And I wil sheath it to confirme the same.
Orcanes
Stay Sigismond, forgetst thou I am he
That with the Cannon shooke Vienna walles,
And made it dance upon the Continent:
As when the messy substance of the earth,
Quiver about the Axeltree of heaven.
Forgetst thou that I sent a shower of cartes
Mingled with powdered shot and fethered steele
So thick upon the blink-ei'd Burghers heads,
That thou thy self, then County-Pallatine,
The king of Boheme, and the Austrich Duke,
Sent Herralds out, which basely on their knees
In all your names desirde a truce of me?
Forgetst thou, that to have me raise my siege,
Wagons of gold were set before my tent:
Stampt with the princely Foule that in her wings
Caries the fearfull thunderbolts of Jove.
How canst thou think of this and offer war?
Sigismond
Vienna was besieg'd, and I was there,
Then County-Pallatine,but now a king:
And what we did, was in extremity:
But now Orcanes, view my royall hoste,
That hides these plaines, and seems as vast and wide,
As dooth the Desart of Arabia
To those that stand on Badgeths lofty Tower,
Or as the Ocean to the Traveiler
That restes upon the snowy Appenines:
And tell me whether I should stoope so low,
Or treat of peace with the Natolian king?
Gazellus
Kings of Natolia and of Hungarie,
We came from Turky to confirme a league,
And not to dare ech other to the field:
A friendly parle might become ye both.
Fredericke
And we from Europe to the same intent,
Which if your General refuse or scorne,
Our Tents are pitcht, our men stand in array,
Ready to charge you ere you stir your feet.
Orcanes
So press are we, but yet if Sigismond
Speake as a friend, and stand not upon tearmes,
Here is his sword, let peace be ratified
On these conditions specified before,
Drawen with advise of our Ambassadors.
Sigismond
Then here I sheath it, and give thee my hand,
Never to draw it out, or manage armes
Against thy selfe or thy confederates:
But whilst I live will be at truce with thee.
Orcanes
But confirme it with an oath,
And sweare in sight of heaven and by thy Christ.
Sigismond
By him that made the world and sav'd my soule,
The sonne of God and issue of a Mayd,
Sweet Jesus Christ, I sollemnly protest,
And vow to keepe this peace inviolable.
Orcanes
By sacred Mahomet, the friend of God,
Whose holy Alcaron remaines with us,
Whose glorious body when he left the world,
Closde in a coffyn mounted up the aire,
And hung on stately Mecas Temple roofe,
I sweare to keepe this truce inviolable:
Of whose conditions, and our solemne othes
Sign'd with our handes, each shal retaine a scrowle:
As memorable witnesse of our league.
Now Sigismond, if any Christian King
Encroche upon the confines of thy realme,
Send woord, Orcanes of Natolia
Confirm'd this league beyond Danubius streame,
And they will (trembling) sound a quicke retreat,
So am I fear'd among all Nations.
Sigismond
If any heathen potentate or king
Invade Natolia, Sigismond will send
A hundred thousand horse train'd to the war,
And backs by stout Lanceres of Germany,
The strength and sinewes of the imperiall seat.
Orcanes
I thank thee Sigismond, but when I war
All Asia Minor, Affrica, and Greece
Follow my Standard and my thundring Drums:
Come let us goe and banquet in our tents:
I will dispatch chiefe of my army hence
To faire Natolie, and to Trebizon,
To stay my comming gainst proud Tamburlaine.
Freend Sigismond, and peeres of Hungary,
Come banquet and carouse with us a while,
And then depart we to our territories.
Exeunt.