looks do menace heaven and dare the gods; His fiery eyes are fix'd upon the earth, As if he now devis'd some stratagem, Or meant to pierce Avernus' darksome vaults 49 To pull the triple-headed dog from hell. TAMBURLAINE. Noble and mild this Persian seems to be, If outward habit judge the inward man. TECHELLES. His deep affections make him passionate. TAMBURLAINE. With what a majesty he rears his looks!— In thee, thou valiant man of Persia, I see the folly of thy 50 emperor. Art thou but captain of a thousand horse, That by characters graven in thy brows, And by thy martial face and stout aspect, Deserv'st to have the leading of an host? Forsake thy king, and do but join with me, And we will triumph over all the world: I hold the Fates bound fast in iron chains, And with my hand turn Fortune's wheel about; And sooner shall the sun fall from his sphere Than Tamburlaine be slain or overcome. Draw forth thy sword, thou mighty man-at-arms, Intending but to raze my charmed skin, And Jove himself will stretch his hand from heaven To ward the blow, and shield me safe from harm. See, how he rains down heaps of gold in showers, As if he meant to give my soldiers pay! And, as a sure and grounded argument That I shall be the monarch of the East, He sends this Soldan's daughter rich and brave, 51 To be my queen and portly emperess. If thou wilt stay with me, renowmed 52 man, And lead thy thousand horse with my conduct, Besides thy share of this Egyptian prize, Those thousand horse shall sweat with martial spoil Of conquer'd kingdoms and of cities sack'd: Both we will walk upon the lofty cliffs; 53 And Christian merchants, 54 that with Russian stems 55 Plough up huge furrows in the Caspian Sea, Shall vail 56 to us as lords of all the lake; Both we will reign as consuls of the earth, And mighty kings shall be our senators. Jove sometime masked in a shepherd's weed; And by those steps that he hath scal'd the heavens May we become immortal like the gods. Join with me now in this my mean estate, (I call it mean, because, being yet obscure, The nations far-remov'd admire me not,) And when my name and honour shall be spread As far as Boreas claps his brazen wings, Or fair Bootes 57 sends his cheerful light, Then shalt thou be competitor 58 with me, And sit with Tamburlaine in all his majesty. THERIDAMAS. Not Hermes, prolocutor to the gods, Could use persuasions more pathetical. TAMBURLAINE. Nor are Apollo's oracles more true Than thou shalt find my vaunts substantial. TECHELLES. We are
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