great deal better than a consort 232 of music. TAMBURLAINE. Yet music would do well to cheer up Zenocrate. Pray thee, tell why art thou so sad? if thou wilt have a song, the Turk shall strain his voice: but why is it? ZENOCRATE. My lord, to see my father's town besieg'd, The country wasted where myself was born, How can it but afflict my very soul? If any love remain in you, my lord, Or if my love unto your majesty May merit favour at your highness' hands, Then raise your siege from fair Damascus' walls, And with my father take a friendly truce. TAMBURLAINE. Zenocrate, were Egypt Jove's own land, Yet would I with my sword make Jove to stoop. I will confute those blind geographers That make a triple region in the world, Excluding regions which I mean to trace, And with this pen 233 reduce them to a map, Calling the provinces, cities, and towns, After my name and thine, Zenocrate: Here at Damascus will I make the point That shall begin the perpendicular: And wouldst thou have me buy thy father's love With such a loss? tell me, Zenocrate. ZENOCRATE. Honour still wait on happy Tamburlaine! Yet give me leave to plead for him, my lord. TAMBURLAINE. Content thyself: his person shall be safe, And all the friends of fair Zenocrate, If with their lives they will be pleas'd to yield, Or may be forc'd to make me emperor; For Egypt and Arabia must be mine.— Feed, you slave; thou mayst think thyself happy to be fed from my trencher. BAJAZETH. My empty stomach, full of idle heat, Draws bloody humours from my feeble parts, Preserving life by hastening 234 cruel death. My veins are pale; my sinews hard and dry; My joints benumb'd; unless I eat, I die. ZABINA. Eat, Bajazeth; let us live in spite of them, looking some happy power will pity and enlarge us. TAMBURLAINE. Here, Turk; wilt thou have a clean trencher? BAJAZETH. Ay, tyrant, and more meat. TAMBURLAINE. Soft, sir! you must be dieted; too much eating will make you surfeit. THERIDAMAS. So it would, my lord, 'specially 235 having so small a walk and so little exercise. [A second course is brought in of crowns.] TAMBURLAINE. Theridamas, Techelles, and Casane, here are the cates you desire to finger, are they not? THERIDAMAS. Ay, my lord: but none save kings must feed with these. TECHELLES. 'Tis enough for us to see them, and for Tamburlaine only to enjoy them. TAMBURLAINE. Well; here is now to the Soldan of Egypt, the King of Arabia, and the Governor of Damascus. Now, take these three crowns, and pledge me, my