Tamburlaine the Great Volume Ii Part 10

GOVERNOR. Villain, respect'st thou [259] more thy slavish life Than honour of thy country or thy name?

Is not my life and state as dear to me, The city and my native country's weal, As any thing of [260] price with 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 a-fresh with every thing that falls Into the liquid substance of his stream, More strong than are the gates of death or h.e.l.l?

What faintness should dismay our courages, When we are thus defenc'd against our foe, And have no terror but his threatening looks?

Enter, above, a CITIZEN, who kneels to the GOVERNOR.

CITIZEN. My lord, if ever you did deed of ruth, And now will work a refuge to 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 he [261] ever pitied and reliev'd, Will get his pardon, if your grace would send.

GOVERNOR. How [262] is my soul environed!

And this eterniz'd [263] city Babylon Fill'd with a pack of faint-heart fugitives That thus entreat their shame and servitude!

Enter, above, a SECOND CITIZEN.

SECOND CITIZEN. My lord, if ever you will win our hearts, Yield up the town, and [264] 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.

GOVERNOR. Villains, cowards, traitors to our state!

Fall to the earth, and pierce the pit of h.e.l.l, 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.

Enter THERIDAMAS and TECh.e.l.lES, with SOLDIERS.

THERIDAMAS. Thou desperate governor of Babylon, To save thy life, and us a little labour, Yield speedily the city to our hands, Or else be sure thou shalt be forc'd with pains More exquisite than ever traitor felt.

GOVERNOR. Tyrant, I turn the traitor in thy throat, And will defend it in despite of thee.-- Call up the soldiers to defend these walls.

TECh.e.l.lES. Yield, foolish governor; we offer more Than ever yet we did to such proud slaves As durst resist us till our third day's siege.

Thou seest us prest [265] to give the last a.s.sault, And that shall bide no more regard of parle. [266]

GOVERNOR. a.s.sault and spare not; we will never yield.

[Alarms: and they scale the walls.]

Enter TAMBURLAINE, drawn in his chariot (as before) by the KINGS OF TREBIZON and SORIA; AMYRAS, CELEBINUS, USUMCASANE; ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, led by SOLDIERS; [267] and others.

TAMBURLAINE. The stately buildings of fair Babylon, Whose lofty pillars, higher than the clouds, Were wont to guide the seaman in the deep, Being carried thither by the cannon's force, Now fill the mouth of Limnasphaltis' lake, And make a bridge unto the batter'd walls.

Where Belus, Ninus, and great Alexander Have rode in triumph, triumphs Tamburlaine, Whose chariot-wheels have burst [268] th' a.s.syrians' bones, Drawn with these kings on heaps of carca.s.ses.

Now in the place, where fair Semiramis, Courted by kings and peers of Asia, Hath trod the measures, [269] do my soldiers march; And in the streets, where brave a.s.syrian dames Have rid in pomp like rich Saturnia, With furious words and frowning visages My hors.e.m.e.n brandish their unruly blades.

Re-enter THERIDAMAS and TECh.e.l.lES, bringing in the GOVERNOR OF BABYLON.

Who have ye there, my lords?

THERIDAMAS. The st.u.r.dy governor of Babylon, That made us all the labour for the town, And us'd such slender reckoning of [270] your majesty.

TAMBURLAINE. Go, bind the villain; he shall hang in chains Upon the ruins of this conquer'd town.-- Sirrah, the view of our vermilion tents (Which threaten'd more than if the region Next underneath the element of fire Were full of comets and of blazing stars, Whose flaming trains should reach down to the earth) Could not affright you; no, nor I myself, The wrathful messenger of mighty Jove, That with his sword hath quail'd all earthly kings, Could not persuade you to submission, But still the ports [271] were shut: villain, I say, Should I but touch the rusty gates of h.e.l.l, The triple-headed Cerberus would howl, And make [272] black Jove to crouch and kneel to me; But I have sent volleys of shot to you, Yet could not enter till the breach was made.

GOVERNOR. Nor, if my body could have stopt the breach, Shouldst thou have enter'd, cruel Tamburlaine.

'Tis not thy b.l.o.o.d.y tents can make me yield, Nor yet thyself, the anger of the Highest; For, though thy cannon shook the city-walls, [273]

My heart did never quake, or courage faint.

TAMBURLAINE. Well, now I'll make it quake.--Go draw him [274] up, Hang him in [275] chains upon the city-walls, And let my soldiers shoot the slave to death.

GOVERNOR. Vile monster, born of some infernal hag, And sent from h.e.l.l to tyrannize on earth, Do all thy worst; nor death, nor Tamburlaine, Torture, or pain, can daunt my dreadless mind.

TAMBURLAINE. Up with him, then! his body shall be scar'd. [276]

GOVERNOR. But, Tamburlaine, in Limnasphaltis' lake There lies more gold than Babylon is worth, Which, when the city was besieg'd, I hid: Save but my life, and I will give it thee.

TAMBURLAINE.

Then, for all your valour, you would save your life?

Whereabout lies it?

GOVERNOR. Under a hollow bank, right opposite Against the western gate of Babylon.

TAMBURLAINE. Go thither, some of you, and take his gold:-- [Exeunt some ATTENDANTS.]

The rest forward with execution.

Away with him hence, let him speak no more.-- I think I make your courage something quail.-- [Exeunt ATTENDANTS with the GOVERNOR or BABYLON.]

When this is done, we'll march from Babylon, And make our greatest haste to Persia.

These jades are broken-winded and half-tir'd; Unharness them, and let me have fresh horse.

[ATTENDANTS unharness the KINGS or TREBIZON and SORIA]

So; now their best is done to honour me, Take them and hang them both up presently.

KING OF TREBIZON.

Vile [277] tyrant! barbarous b.l.o.o.d.y Tamburlaine!

TAMBURLAINE. Take them away, Theridamas; see them despatch'd.

THERIDAMAS. I will, my lord.

[Exit with the KINGS or TREBIZON and SORIA.]

TAMBURLAINE. Come, Asian viceroys; to your tasks a while, And take such fortune as your fellows felt.

ORCANES. First let thy Scythian horse tear both our limbs, Rather than we should draw thy chariot, And, like base slaves, abject our princely minds To vile and ignominious servitude.

KING OF JERUSALEM. Rather lend me thy weapon, Tamburlaine, That I may sheathe it in this breast of mine.

A thousand deaths could not torment our hearts More than the thought of this doth vex our souls.

AMYRAS.

They will talk still, my lord, if you do not bridle them.

TAMBURLAINE. Bridle them, and let me to my coach.

[ATTENDANTS bridle ORCANES king of Natolia, and the KING OF JERUSALEM, and harness them to the chariot.-- The GOVERNOR OF BABYLON appears hanging in chains on the walls.--Re-enter THERIDAMAS.]

AMYRAS. See, now, my lord, how brave the captain hangs!

TAMBURLAINE. 'Tis brave indeed, my boy:--well done!-- Shoot first, my lord, and then the rest shall follow.

THERIDAMAS. Then have at him, to begin withal.

[THERIDAMAS shoots at the GOVERNOR.]