[Enter] ORCANES, GAZELLUS, URIBASSA, with their train
ORCANES |
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Gazellus, Uribassa, and the rest, |
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Now will we march from proud Orminius’ mount |
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To fair Natolia, where our neighbour kings |
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Expect our power and our royal presence |
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T’encounter with the cruel Tamburlaine, | 5 |
That nigh Larissa sways a mighty host |
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And with the thunder of his martial tools |
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GAZELLUS |
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And now come we to make his sinews shake |
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With greater power than erst his pride hath felt– | 10 |
An hundred kings by scores will bid him arms, |
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And hundred thousands subjects to each score: |
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Which if a shower of wounding thunderbolts |
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Should break out of the bowels of the clouds |
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And fall as thick as hail upon our heads | 15 |
In partial aid of that proud Scythian, |
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Yet should our courages and steelèd crests |
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And numbers more than infinite of men |
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Be able to withstand and conquer him. |
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URIBASSA |
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Methinks I see how glad the Christian king | 20 |
Is made for joy of your admitted truce, |
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That could not but before be terrified |
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With unacquainted power of our host. |
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Enter a MESSENGER | |
MESSENGER |
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Arm, dread sovereign and my noble lords! |
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The treacherous army of the Christians, | 25 |
Taking advantage of your slender power, |
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Comes marching on us and determines straight |
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To bid us battle for our dearest lives. |
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ORCANES |
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Traitors, villains, damnèd Christians! |
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Have I not here the articles of peace | 30 |
And solemn covenants we have both confirmed, |
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He by his Christ, and I by Mahomet? |
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GAZELLUS |
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Hell and confusion light upon their heads |
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That with such treason seek our overthrow, |
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And cares so little for their prophet Christ! | 35 |
ORCANES |
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Can there be such deceit in Christians, |
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Or treason in the fleshly heart of man, |
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Whose shape is figure of the highest God? |
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Then if there be a Christ, as Christians say, |
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But in their deeds deny him for their Christ, | 40 |
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And hath the power of his outstretched arm, |
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If he be jealous of his name and honour |
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As is our holy prophet Mahomet, |
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Take here these papers as our sacrifice | 45 |
And witness of thy servant’s perjury. |
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[He tears up the articles of peace] | |
Open, thou shining veil of Cynthia, |
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And make a passage from th’empyreal heaven, |
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That he that sits on high and never sleeps, |
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Nor in one place is circumscriptible, | 50 |
But everywhere fills every continent |
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With strange infusion of his sacred vigour, |
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May in his endless power and purity |
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Behold and venge this traitor’s perjury. |
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Thou Christ that art esteemed omnipotent, | 55 |
If thou wilt prove thyself a perfect God |
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Worthy the worship of all faithful hearts, |
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Be now revenged upon this traitor’s soul |
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And make the power I have left behind |
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(Too little to defend our guiltless lives) | 60 |
Sufficient to discomfort and confound |
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The trustless force of those false Christians. |
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To arms, my lords, on Christ still let us cry – |
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If there be Christ, we shall have victory. | [Exeunt] |