ZENO. As looks the sun through Nilus' flowing

stream,

love;

Or when the morning holds him in her arms,
So looks my lordly love, fair Tamburlaine;
His talk much sweeter than the Muses' song
They sung for honour 'gainst Pierides;
Or when Minerva did with Neptune strive:
And higher would I rear my estimate
Than Juno, sister to the highest god,
If I were match'd with mighty Tamburlaine.
AGYD. Yet be not so inconstant in your
But let the young Arabian live in hope
After your rescue to enjoy his choice.
You see though first the king of Persia,
Being a shepherd, seem'd to love you much,
Now in his majesty he leaves those looks,
Those words of favour, and those comfortings,
And gives no more than common courtesies.
ZENO. Thence rise the tears that so distain my
cheeks,

Fearing his loving through my unworthiness.

[Tamburlaine goes to her and takes her away lovingly by the hand, looking wrathfully on Agyd. and says nothing. All follow but Agyd. AGYD. Betray'd by fortune and suspicious love, Threat'ned with frowning wrath and jealousy, Surpris'd with fear and hideous revenge, I stand aghast! but most astonied To see his choler shut in secret thoughts, And wrapt in silence of his angry soul!

Upon his brows was pourtray'd ugly death;
And in his eyes the fury of his heart
That shine as comets, menacing revenge,
And casts a pale complexion on his cheeks.
As when the sea-man sees the Hyades
Gather an army of Cimmerian clouds,
(Auster and Aquilon with winged steeds,
All sweating, tilt about the wat'ry heavens,
With shiv'ring spears enforcing thunder claps,
And from their shields strike flames of lightning,)
All-fearful folds his sails and sounds the main,
Lifting his prayers to the Heavens for aid
Against the terror of the winds and waves,
So fares Agydas for the late-felt frowns,
That sent a tempest to my daunted thoughts,
And make my soul divine her overthrow.

Enter USUMCASANE, and TECHELLES with a naked dagger.

TECH. See you, Agydas, how the king salutes you? He bids you prophesy what it imports.

AGYD. I prophesy'd before, and now I prove

The killing frowns of jealousy and love.
He needed not with words confirm my fear,
For words are vain where working tools present
The naked action of my threat'ned end

It says, Agydas, thou shalt surely die,
And of extremities elect the least;

More honour and less pain it may procure

To die by this resolved hand of thine,

Than stay the torments he and Heaven have sworn.

Then haste, Agydas, and prevent the plagues
Which thy prolonged fates may draw on thee.
Go, wander, free from fear of tyrant's rage,
Removed from the torments and the hell,
Wherewith he may excruciate thy soul,
And let Agydas by Agydas die,
And with this stab slumber eternally. [Stabs himself.

Tech. Usumcasane, see, how right the man
Hath hit the meaning of my lord, the king.

Usum. 'Faith, and Techelles, it was manly done;
And since he was so wise and honourable,
Let us afford him now the bearing hence,
And crave his triple-worthy burial.
Tech. Agreed, Casane; we will honour him.

[Exeunt, bearing out the body.

SCENE III.
Enter TAMBURLAINE, TECHELLES, USUMCASANE,
THERIDAMAS, BASSA, ZENOCRATE, with others.

Tamb. Bassa, by this thy lord and master knows
I mean to meet him in Bithynia :
See, how he comes ! Tush! Turks are full of brags,
And menace more than they can well perform.
He meet me in the field, and fetch thee hence!
Alas, poor Turk! his fortune is too weak
T encounter with the strength of Tamburlaine.
View well my camp, and speak indifferently;
Do not my captains and my soldiers look
As if they meant to conquer Africa.

Bas. Your men are valiant, but their number few,

And can not terrify his mighty host.

My lord, the great commander of the world,
Besides fifteen contributory kings,

Hath now in arms ten thousand Janisaries,
Mounted on lusty Mauritanian steeds,
Brought to the war by men of Tripoli;
Two hundred thousand footmen that have serv'd
In two set battles fought in Grecia ;
And for the expedition of this war,
If he think good, can from his garrisons
Withdraw as many more to follow him.

TECH. The more he brings, the greater is the spoil,
For when they perish by our warlike hands,
We mean to seat our footmen on their steeds,
And rifle all those stately Janisars.

TAMB. But will those kings accompany your lord? BAS. Such as his highness please; but some must stay

To rule the provinces he late subdu'd.

TAMB. [To his Officers.] Then fight courageously:
Their crowns are yours:

This hand shall set them on your conq'ring heads,
That made me emperor of Asia.

USUM. Let him bring millions infinite of men,
Unpeopling Western Africa and Greece,
Yet we assure us of the victory.

THER. Ev'n he that in a trice vanquish'd two kings,

More mighty than the Turkish emperor,

Shall rouse him out of Europe, and pursue

His scatter'd army till they yield or die.

TAMB. Well said, Theridamas; speak in that

mood;

For will and shall best fitteth Tamburlaine,
Whose smiling stars give him assured hope
Of martial triumph ere he meet his foes.

I that am term'd the scourge and wrath of God,
The only fear and terror of the world,

Will first subdue the Turk, and then enlarge
Those Christian captives, which you keep as slaves,
Burth'ning their bodies with your heavy chains,
And feeding them with thin and slender fare,
That naked row about the Tyrrhene sea,

And when they chance to rest or breathe a space,
Are punish'd with bastones* so grievously,

That they lie panting on the gallies' side,
And strive for life at ev'ry stroke they give.
These are the cruel pirates of Argier,

That damned train, the scum of Africa,
Inhabited with straggling runagates,

That make quick havock of the Christian blood;
But as I live that town shall curse the time

That Tamburlaine set foot in Africa.

Enter BAJAZET with his Bassas and contributory Kings.

BAJ. Bassas and Janisaries of my guard,

Attend upon the person of your lord,

The greatest potentate of Africa.

TAMB. Techelles, and the rest, prepare your swords;

I mean t' encounter with that Bajazet.

* Bastinado.