earth: But, ere I march to wealthy Persia, Or leave Damascus and th' Egyptian fields, As was the fame of Clymene's brain-sick son That almost brent 201 the axle-tree of heaven, So shall our swords, our lances, and our shot Fill all the air with fiery meteors; Then, when the sky shall wax as red as blood, It shall be said I made it red myself, To make me think of naught but blood and war. ZABINA. Unworthy king, that by thy cruelty Unlawfully usurp'st the Persian seat, Dar'st thou, that never saw an emperor Before thou met my husband in the field, Being thy captive, thus abuse his state, Keeping his kingly body in a cage, That roofs of gold and sun-bright palaces Should have prepar'd to entertain his grace? And treading him beneath thy loathsome feet, Whose feet the kings 202 of Africa have kiss'd? TECHELLES. You must devise some torment worse, my lord, To make these captives rein their lavish tongues. TAMBURLAINE. Zenocrate, look better to your slave. ZENOCRATE. She is my handmaid's slave, and she shall look That these abuses flow not from 203 her tongue.— Chide her, Anippe. ANIPPE. Let these be warnings, then, for you, 204 my slave, How you abuse the person of the king; Or else I swear to have you whipt stark nak'd. 205 BAJAZETH. Great Tamburlaine, great in my overthrow, Ambitious pride shall make thee fall as low, For treading on the back of Bajazeth, That should be horsed on four mighty kings. TAMBURLAINE. Thy names, and titles, and thy dignities 206 Are fled from Bajazeth, and remain with me, That will maintain it 'gainst a world of kings.— Put him in again. [They put him into the cage.] BAJAZETH. Is this a place for mighty Bajazeth? Confusion light on him that helps thee thus! TAMBURLAINE. There, whiles 207 he lives, shall Bajazeth be kept; And, where I go, be thus in triumph drawn; And thou, his wife, shalt 208 feed him with the scraps My servitors shall bring thee from my board; For he that gives him other food than this, Shall sit by him, and starve to death himself: This is my mind, and I will have it so. Not all the kings and emperors of the earth, If they would lay their crowne before my feet, Shall ransom him, or take him from his cage: The ages that shall talk of Tamburlaine, Even from this day to Plato's wondrous year, Shall talk how I have handled Bajazeth: These Moors, that drew him from Bithynia To fair Damascus, where we now remain, Shall lead him with us wheresoe'er we go.— Techelles, and my loving followers, Now may we see
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