TAMB. Hold ye, tall soldiers, take ye queens a

piece

I mean such queens as were king's concubines-
Take them; divide them, and their jewels too,

And let them equally serve all your turns.
SOLD. We thank you.

TAMB. Brawl not (I warn you) for

your

For ev'ry man that so offends shall die.

letchery:

ORC. Injurious tyrant, wilt thou so defame
The hateful fortunes of thy victory,

To exercise upon such guiltless dames
The violence of thy common soldier's lust?
TAMB. Live continent* 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 [They run away with the ladies.

spoils?

JER. O merciless, infernal cruelty!

TAMB. Save your honours! 'Twere but time indeed,

Lost long before ye knew what honours 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.
Let them take pleasure soundly in their spoils,
*The old editions read content.

Till we prepare our march to Babylon,
Whither we next make expedition.
TECH. Let us not be idle then, my lord,
But presently be prest to conquer it.

TAMB. We will, Techelles. 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,
Adding their wealth and treasure to my store.
The Euxine sea, north to Natolia ;

The Tyrrhene, west; the Caspian, north north-east;
And on the south, Sinus Arabicus ;
Shall all be laden with the martial spoils,
We will convey with us to Persia.
Then shall my native city, Samarcanda,
And chrystal waves of fresh Jakertis' stream,
The pride and beauty of her princely seat,
Be famous through the farthest continents,
For there my palace-royal shall be plac'd,
Whose shining turrets shall dismay the heavens,
And cast the fame of Ilion's tow'r to hell.
Thorough the streets, with troops of conquer'd 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 emp'ror of the three-fold world,
Like to an almond tree, mounted high
Upon the lofty and celestial mount
Of ever green Selinis quaintly deck'd

With blooms more white than Hericina's brows,

Whose tender blossoms tremble ev'ry one,
At ev'ry little breath that thorough heav'n is blown.*
Then in my coach, like Saturn's royal son
Mounted, his shining chariots gilt with fire,
And drawn with princely eagles through the path,
Pav'd with bright chrystal, and enchas'd with stars,
When all the gods stand gazing at his pomp,
So will I ride through Samarcanda streets,
Until my soul, dissever'd from this flesh,

• This simile is borrowed from the following stanza in Spenser's Faerie Queene :

“Upon the top of all his loftie crest,

A bunch of heares discolour'd diversly,
With sprincled pearle and gold full richly drest,
Did shake and seem'd to dance for jollity,
Like to an almond tree ymounted hye
On top of greene Selinis all alone,
With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;

Whose tender locks do tremble every one

At everie little breath that under heaven is blowne." Both the play and this part of the Faerie Queenie were published in 1590, but from the letter to Sir Walter Raleigh, prefixed to the latter, we may presume that it was published early in that year. That the simile was borrowed from Spenser, either by the author of the play, or more probably by some interpolator, is evident from the following circumstances: The versification of the dramatist is generally correct, and almost invariably consists of lines of ten syllables, but finding in the fifth line of this stanza the word 'ymounted,' and probably considering it to be too obsolete for the stage he has dropped the initial letter leaving only nine syllables and an unrythmical line : 2. He has at the end of his image adopted Spenser's, concluding Alexandrine, which is, I think, an insulated instance of the use of a line of that length throughout the play.

Shall mount the milk-white way, and meet him there. To Babylon, my lords; to Babylon.

[Exeunt.

ACT THE FIFTH.

SCENE I.

Enter the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON, MAXIMUS, and others, upon the Walls.

Gov. What saith Maximus ?

MAX. My lord, the breach the enemy hath made Gives such assurance of our overthrow,

That little hope is left to save our lives,

Or hold our city from the conqueror's hands.

Then hang out flags, my lord, of humble truce,
And satisfy the people's general pray❜rs,

That Tamburlaine's intolerable wrath

May be suppress'd by our submission.

Gov. Villain, respect'st thou more thy slavish life Than honour of thy country or thy name? Are not my life and state as dear to me, The city and my native country's weal As any thing of price in thy conceit ? Have we not hope, for all our batter'd walls, To live secure and keep his forces out, When this our famous lake of Limnasphaltis Makes walls afresh with ev'ry thing that falls Into the liquid substance of his stream More strong than are the gates of death or hell?

VOL. I.

11

What faintness should dismay our courages
When we are thus defenc'd against our foes,
And have no terror but his threat'ning look.

Enter another CITIZEN, who kneels to the

Governor.

CIT. My lord, if ever you did deed of ruth,
And now will work a refuge for our lives,
Offer submission, hang up flags of truce,
That Tamburlaine may pity our distress,
And use us like a loving conqueror.

Though this be held his last day's dreadful siege,
Wherein he spareth neither man nor child,
Yet are there Christians of Georgia here,
Whose state was ever pitied and reliev'd,
Would get his pardon if your grace would send.
Gov. How is my soul environed!

And this eterniz'd city, Babylon,

Fill'd with a pack of faint heart fugitives
That thus entreat their shame and servitude!
CIT. My lord, if ever ye will win our hearts,
Yield up the town and save our wives and children;
For I will cast myself from off these walls

Or die some death of quickest violence
Before I bide the wrath of Tamburlaine.

Gov. Villains! cowards! traitors to our state!
Fall to the earth, and pierce the pit of hell,
That legions of tormenting spirits may vex

Your slavish bosoms with continual pains;

I care not, nor the town will never yield,
As long as any life is in my breast.