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_ ACT V - SCENE II
[Enter CALLAPINE, KING OF AMASIA, a CAPTAIN, and train, with drums and trumpets.]
CALLAPINE.
King of Amasia, now our mighty host
Marcheth in Asia Major, where the streams
Of Euphrates [293] and Tigris swiftly run;
And here may we [294] behold great Babylon,
Circled about with Limnasphaltis' lake,
Where Tamburlaine with all his army lies,
Which being faint and weary with the siege,
We may lie ready to encounter him
Before his host be full from Babylon,
And so revenge our latest grievous loss,
If God or Mahomet send any aid.
[Footnote 293: Euphrates] See note |||, p. 36.]
note |||, from p. 36. (The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great):
"Euphrates] So our old poets invariably, I believe, accentuate this word."
Note: 'Euphrates' was printed with no accented characters at all.]
[Footnote 294: may we] So the 8vo.--The 4to "we may."]
KING OF AMASIA.
Doubt not, my lord, but we shall conquer him:
The monster that hath drunk a sea of blood,
And yet gapes still for more to quench his thirst,
Our Turkish swords shall headlong send to hell;
And that vile carcass, drawn by warlike kings,
The fowls shall eat; for never sepulchre
Shall grace this [295] base-born tyrant Tamburlaine.
[Footnote 295: this] So the 8vo.--The 4to "that" (but in the next speech of the same person it has "THIS Tamburlaine").]
CALLAPINE.
When I record [296] my parents' slavish life,
Their cruel death, mine own captivity,
My viceroys' bondage under Tamburlaine,
Methinks I could sustain a thousand deaths,
To be reveng'd of all his villany.--
Ah, sacred Mahomet, thou that hast seen
Millions of Turks perish by Tamburlaine,
Kingdoms made waste, brave cities sack'd and burnt,
And but one host is left to honour thee,
Aid [297] thy obedient servant Callapine,
And make him, after all these overthrows,
To triumph over cursed Tamburlaine!
[Footnote 296: record] i.e. call to mind.]
[Footnote 297: Aid] So the 8vo.--The 4to "And."]
KING OF AMASIA.
Fear not, my lord: I see great Mahomet,
Clothed in purple clouds, and on his head
A chaplet brighter than Apollo's crown,
Marching about the air with armed men,
To join with you against this Tamburlaine.
CAPTAIN.
Renowmed [298] general, mighty Callapine,
Though God himself and holy Mahomet
Should come in person to resist your power,
Yet might your mighty host encounter all,
And pull proud Tamburlaine upon his knees
To sue for mercy at your highness' feet.
[Footnote 298: Renowmed] See note ||, p. 11. So the 8vo.--The 4to "Renowned."--The prefix to this speech is wanting in the old eds.
[note ||, from p. 11. (The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great):
"renowmed] i.e. renowned.--So the 8vo.--The 4to "renowned."
--The form "RENOWMED" (Fr. renomme) occurs repeatedly
afterwards in this play, according to the 8vo. It is
occasionally found in writers posterior to Marlowe's time. e.g.
"Of Constantines great towne RENOUM'D in vaine."
Verses to King James, prefixed to Lord Stirling's
MONARCHICKE TRAGEDIES, ed. 1607."]
CALLAPINE.
Captain, the force of Tamburlaine is great,
His fortune greater, and the victories
Wherewith he hath so sore dismay'd the world
Are greatest to discourage all our drifts;
Yet, when the pride of Cynthia is at full,
She wanes again; and so shall his, I hope;
For we have here the chief selected men
Of twenty several kingdoms at the least;
Nor ploughman, priest, nor merchant, stays at home;
All Turkey is in arms with Callapine;
And never will we sunder camps and arms
Before himself or his be conquered:
This is the time that must eternize me
For conquering the tyrant of the world.
Come, soldiers, let us lie in wait for him,
And, if we find him absent from his camp,
Or that it be rejoin'd again at full,
Assail it, and be sure of victory.
[Exeunt.] _
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