blazed at my birth Whose influence makes my strong vnbrideled sonnes In steed of loue to render hate to me Ah Bassaies if that euer heretofore Your Emperour ought his safetie vnto you Defend me now gainst my vnnaturall sonne Non timeo mortem mortis mihi displicet author Exit Baiazet and his company Alarum Mustaffa beate Selimus in then Ottrante and Cherseoli enter at diuerse doores Cherse. Yeeld thee Tartarian or thou shalt die Vpon my swords sharpe point standeth pale death Readie to riue in two thy caitiue brest Ott. Art thou that knight that like a lion fierce Tiring his stomacke on a flocke of lambes Hast broke our rankes put them cleane to flight Cherse. I and vnlesse thou looke vnto thy selfe This swoord nere drunke in the Tartarian blood Shall make thy carkasse as the outcast dung Ottran. Nay I haue matcht a brauer knight then you Strong Alemshae thy maisters eldest sonne Leauing his bodie naked on the plaines And Turke the selfesame end for thee remaines They fight He killeth Cherseoli and flieth Alarum enter Selimus Selim. Shall Selims hope be buried in the dust And Baiazet triumph ouer his fall Then oh thou blindfull mistresse of mishap Chiefe pratronesse of Rhamus golden gates I will aduance my strong reuenging hand And plucke thee from thy euerturning wheele Mars or Minerua Mahound Termagaunt Or who so ere you are that fight gainst me Come and but shew your selues before my face And I will rend you all like trembling reedes Well Baiazet though Fortune smile on thee And decke thy campe with glorious victorie Though Selimus now conquered by thee Is faine to put his safetie in swift flight Yet so he flies that like an angry ramme Hee le turne more fiercely then before he came Exit Selimus Enter Baiazet Mustaffa the souldier witth the bodie of Cherseoli and Ottrante prisoner Baia. Thus haue we gaind a bloodie victorie And though we are the maisters of the field Yet haue we lost more then our enemies Ah lucklesse fault of my Cherseoli As deare and dearer wert thou vnto me Then any of my sonnes then mine owne selfe When I was glad thy heart was full of ioy And brauely hast thou died for Baiazet And though thy bloudlesse bodie here do lie Yet thy sweet soule in heauen for euer blest Among the starres enioyes eternall rest What art thou warlike man of Tartarie Whose hap it is to be our prisoner Ottran. I am a prince Ottrante is my name Chiefe captaine of the Tartars mightie hoast Ba. Ottrante Wast not thou that slue my son Ottran. I and if fortune had but fauour'd me Had sent the â—ire to keepe him company Baia. Off with his head and spoyle him of his Armes And leaue his bodie for the ayrie birds Exit one with Ottrante The vnreuenged ghoast of Alemshae Shall now no more wander on Stygian bankes But rest in quiet in th' Elysian fields Mustaffa and you worthie men at Armes That left not Baiazet in greatest need When we arriue at Constantines great Tour You shal be honour'd of your Emperour Exeunt All Enter Acomat Visir Regan and a band of souldiers Aco. Perhaps you wonder why prince Acomat Delighting heretofore in foolish loue Hath chang'd his quiet to a souldiers state And turnd the dulcet tunes of Himens song Into Bellonas horrible outcries You thinke it strange that whereas I haue liu'd Almost a votarie to wantonnesse To see me low laie off effeminate robes And arme my bodie in an iron wall I haue enioyed quiet long enough And surfeted with pleasures suquidrie A field of dainties I haue passed through And bene a champion to faire Cytheree Now since this idle peace hath weeried me I le follow Mars and warre another while And die my shield in dolorous vermeil My brother Selim through his manly deeds Hath lifted vp his fame vnto the skies While we like earth wormes lurking in the weeds Do liue inglorious in all mens eyes What lets me then from this vaine slumber rise And by strong hand atchieue eternall glorie That may be talkt of in all memorie And see how fortune fauours mine intent Heard you not Lordings how prince Selimus Against our royall father armed went And how the Ianissaries made him flee To Ramir Emperour of Tartarie This his rebellion greatly profits me For I shall sooner winne my fathers minde To yeeld me vp the Turkish Empire Which if I haue I am sure I shall finde Strong enemies to pull me downe againe That faine would haue prince Selimus to raigne Then ciuill discord and contentious warre Will follow Acomats coronation Selim no doubt will broach seditious iarre And Corcut too will seeke for alteration Now to preuent all suddaine perturbation We thought it good to muster vp our power That danger may not take it vnprouided Visir. I like your highnesse resolution well For these should be the chiefe arts of a king To punish those that furiously rebell And honour those that sacred counsell bring To make good lawes ill customes to expell To nourish peace from whence your riches spring And when good quarrels call you to the field T' excell your men in handling speare shield Thus shall the glory of your matchlesse name Be registred vp in immortall lines Whereas that prince that followes lustfull game And to fond toyes his captiue minde enclines Shall neuer passe the temple of true fame Whose worth is greater then the Indian mines But is your grace assured certainly That Baiazet doth fauour your request Perhaps you may make him your enemie You know how much your father doth detest Stout obedience and obstinacie I speake not this as if I thought it best Your highnesse should your right in it neglect But that you might be close and circumspect Aco. We thanke thee Visir for thy louing care As for my father Baiazets affection Vnlesse his holy vowes forgotten are I shall be sure of it by his election By after Acomats erection We must forecast what things be necessary Least that our kingdome be too momentary Reg. First let my Lord be seated in his throne Enstalled by great Baiazets consent As yet your haruest is not fully growne But in the greene and vnripe blade is pent But when you once haue got the regiment Then may your Lords more easily prouide Against all accidents that may betide Acomat. Then set we forward to Bizantium That we may know what Baiazet intends Aduise thee Acomat what 's best to do The Ianissaries fauour Selimus And they are strong vndanted enemies Which will in Armes gainst thy election rise Then will them to thy wil with precious gifts And store of gold timely largition The stedfast persons from their purpose lifts But then beware least Baiazets affection Change into hatred by such premunition For then he thinke that I am factious And imitate my brother Selimus Besides a prince his honour doth debase That begs the common souldiers suffrages And if the Bassaes knew I sought their grace It would the more
lawes and holy rites To maintaine peace and gouerne bloodie fights Then some sage man aboue the vulgar wise Knowing that lawes could not in quiet dwell Vnlesse they were obserued did first deuise The names of Gods religion heauen and hell And gan of paines and faind rewards to tell Paines for those men which did neglect the law Rewards for those that liu'd in quiet awe Whereas indeed they were meer fictions And if they were not Selim thinkes they were And these religions obseruations Onely bug-beares to keepe the world in feare And make men quietly a yoake to beare So that religion of it selfe a bable Was onely found to make vs peaceable Hence in especiall come the foolish names Of father mother brother and such like For who so well his cogitation frames Shall finde they serue but onely for to strike Into our minds a certaine kind of loue For these names too are but a policie To keepe the quiet of societie Indeed I must confesse they are not bad Because they keepe the baser sort in feare But we whose minde in heauenly thoughts is clad Whose bodie doth a glorious spirit beare That hath no bounds but flieth euery where Why should we seeke to make that soule a slaue To which dame Nature so large freedome gaue Amongst vs men there is some difference Of actions tearmed by vs good or ill As he that doth his father recompence Differs from him that doth his father kill And yet I thinke thinke other what they will That Parricides when death hath giuen them rest Shall haue as good a part as the rest And that 's iust nothing for as I suppose In deaths voyd kingdome raignes eternall night Secure of euill and secure of foes Where nothing doth the wicked man affright No more then him that dies in doing right Then since in death nothing shall to vs fall Here while I liue I le haue a snatch at all And that can neuer neuer be attaind Vnlesse old Baiazet do die the death For long inough the gray-beard now hath raign'd And liu'd at ease while others liu'd vneath And now its time he should resigne his breath T' were good for him if he were pressed out T' would bring him rest and rid him of his gout Resolu'd to do it cast to compasse it Without delay or long procrastination It argueth an vnmanured wit When all is readie for so strong inuasion To draw out time an vnlookt for mutation May soone preuent vs if we do delay Quick speed is good vvhere vvisedome leades the vvay Occhi. My Lord Sel. Lo flie boy to my father Baiazet And tell him Selim his obedient sonne Desires to speake with him and kisse his hands Tell him I long to see his gratious face And that I come with all my chiualrie To chase the Christians from his Signiorie In any wise say I must speake with him Exit Occhiali Now Sinam if I speed Sinam What then my Lord Sel What then why Sinam thou art nothing woorth I will endeuour to persuade him man To giue the Empire ouer vnto me Perhaps I shall attaine it at his hands If I cannot this right hand is resolu'd To end the period with a fatall stabbe Sin My gratious Lord giue Sinam leaue to speake If you resolue to worke your fathers death You venture life thinke you the Ianissaries Will suffer you to kill him in their sight And let you passe free without punishment Sel. If I resolue as sure as heauen is heauen I meane to see him dead or my selfe King As for the Bassaes they are all my friends And I am sure would pawne their dearest blood That Selim might be Emperour of Turkes Sim. Yet Acomat and Corcut both suruiue To be reuenged for their fathers death Sel. Sinam if they or twentie such as they Had twentie seuerall Armies in the field If Selimus were once your Emperour I de dart abroad the thunderbolts of warre And mow their hartlesse squadrons to the ground Sin Oh yet my Lord after your highnesse death There is a hell and a reuenging God Seli. Tush Sinam these are schoole conditions To feare the diuell or his cursed damme thinkst thou I care for apparitions Of Sisiphus and of his backward stone And poore Ixions lamentable mone Now I thinke the caue of damned ghoasts Is but a tale to terrifie yoong babes Like diuels faces scor'd on painted poasts Or fained circles in our astrolabes Why their 's no difference when we are dead And death once come then all alike are sped Or if there were as I can scarce beleeue A heauen of ioy and hell of endlesse paine Yet by my soule it neuer should me greeue So I might on the Turkish Empire raigne To enter hell and leane on faire heauens gaine An Empire Sinam is so sweete a thing As I could be a diuell to be a King But go we Lords and solace in our campe Till the returne of yoong Occhiali And if his answere be to thy desire Selim thy minde in kingly thoughts attire Exeunt All Enter Baiazet Mustaffa Cherseoli Occhiali and the Ianissaries Baia. Euen as the great Aegyptian Crocodile Wanting his praye with artificiall teares And fained plaints his subtill tongue doth file T' entrap the silly wandring traueller And moue him to aduance his footing neare That when he is in danger of his clawes He may deuour him with his famished iawes So plaieth craftie Selimus with me His haughtie thoughts still wait on Diadems And not a step but treads to maiestie The Phoenix gazeth on the Suns bright beames The Echinaeis swimmes against the streames Nought but the Turkish scepter can him please And there I know lieth his chiefe disease He sends his messenger to craue accesse And saies he longs to kisse my aged hands But howsoeuer he in shew professe His meaning with his words but weakly stands And sooner will the Syrteis boyling sands Become a quiet roade for fleeting shippes Then Selimus heart agree with Selims lippes Too well I know the Crocodiles fained teares Are but nettes wherein to catch his pray Which who so mou'd with foolish pitie heares Will be the authour of his owne decay Then hie thee Baiazet from hence away A fawning monster is false Selimus Whose fairest words are most pernicious Yoong man would Selim come and speak with vs What is his message to vs canst thou tell Occhi. He craues my Lord another seigniorie Nearer to you and to the Christians That he may make them know that Selimus Is borne to be a scourge vnto them all Baia Hee 's born to be a scourge to me mine He neuer would haue come with such an hoast Vnlesse he meant my state to vndermine What though in word he brauely seeme to boast The forraging of all the Christian coast Yet we haue cause to feare when burning brands Are vainly giuen into a mad mans hands Well I must seeme to winke at his desire Although I see it plainer then the light My lenitie addes fuell to his
Corcut the Soldan of Magnesia Hearing of Selims worthie ouerthrow And of the comming of yoong Acomat Doth certifie your maiestie by me How ioyfull he is of your victorie And there withall he humbly doth require Your grace would do him iustice in his cause His brethren both vnworthie such a father Do seeke the Empire while your grace doth liue And that by vndirect sinister meanes But Corcuts mind free from ambitious thoughts And trusting to the goodnesse of his cause Ioyned vnto yours highnesse tender loue Onely desires your grace should not inuest Selim nor Acomat in the Diademe Which appertaineth vnto him by right But keepe it to your selfe the while you liue And when it shall the great creator please Who hath the spirits of all men in his hands Shall call your highnesse to your latest home Then will he also sue to haue his right Baia. Like to a ship sayling without starres Whom waues do tosse one way and winds another Both without ceasing euen so my poore heart Endures a combat betwixt loue and right The loue I beare to my deare Acomat Commands me giue my suffrage vnto him But Corcuts title being my eldest sonne Bids me recall my hand and giue it him Acomat he would haue it in my life But gentle Corcut like a louing sonne Desires me liue and die an Emperour And at my death bequeath my crowne to him Ah Corcut thou I see lou'st me indeed Selimus sought to thrust me downe by force And Acomat seekes the kingdome in my life And both of them are grieu'd thou liu'st so long But Corcut numbreth not my dayes as they O how much dearer loues he me then they Bassaes how counsell you your Emperour Must. My gratious Lord my self wil speak for al For all I know are minded as I am Your highnesse knowes the Ianissaries loue How firme they meane to cleaue to your behest As well you might perceiue in that sad fight When Selim set vpon you in your flight Then we do all desire you on our knees To keepe the crowne and scepter to your selfe How grieuous will it be vnto your thoughts If you should giue the crowne to Acomat To see the brethren disinherited To flesh their anger one vpon another And rend the bowels of this mightie raigne Suppose that Corcut would be well content Yet thinkes your grace if Acomat were king That Selim ere long would ioine league with him Nay he would breake from forth his Trebisond And waste the Empire all with fire and sword Ah then too weake would be poore Acomat To stand against his brothers puissance Or saue himselfe from his enhanced hand While Ismael and the cruell Persians And the great Soldane of th' Egyptians Would smile to see our force dismembred so I and perchance the neighbour Christians Would take occasion to thrust out their heads All this may be preuented by your grace If you will yeeld to Corcuts iust request And keepe the kingdome to you while you liue Meane time we that your graces subiects are May make vs strong to fortify the man Whō at your death your grace shal chuse as king Baia. O how thou speakest euer like thy selfe Loyall Mustaffa well were Baiazet If all his sonnes did beare such loue to him Though loth I am longer to weare the crowne Yet for I see it is my subiects will Once more will Baiazet be Emperour But we must send to pacific our sonne Or he will storme as earst did Selimus Come let vs go vnto our councell Lord And there consider what is to be done Exeunt All Enter Acomat Regan Visir and his souldiers Acomat must read a letter and then renting it say Aco. Thus will I rend the crowne from off thy head False hearted and iniurious Baiazet To mocke thy sonne that loued thee so deare What for because the head-strong Ianissaries Would not consent to honour Acomat And their base Bassaes vow'd to Selimus Thought me vnworthie of the Turkish crowne Should he be rul'd and ouerrul'd by them Vnder pretence of keeping it himselfe To wipe me cleane for euer being king Doth he esteeme so much the Bassaes words And prize their fauour at so high a rate That for to gratifie their stubborne mindes He casts away all care and all respects Of dutie promise and religious oathes Now by the holy Prophet Mahomet Chiefe president and patron of the Turkes I meane to chalenge now my right by Armes And winne by sword that glorious dignitie Which he iniuriously detaines from me Haply he thinkes because that Selimus Rebutted by his warlike Ianissaries Was faine to flie in hast from whence he came That Acomat by his example mou'd Will feare to manage Armes against his sire Or that my life forepassed in pleasures court Promises weake resistance in the fight But he shall know that I can vse my swoord And like a lyon seaze vpon my praie If euer Selim mou'd him heretofore Acomat meanes to mooue him ten times more Visir. T' were good your grace would to Amasia And there increase your camp with fresh supply Aco. Visir I am impatient of delaie And since my father hath incenst me thus I le quēch those kindled flames with his hart blood Not like a sonne but a most cruell foe Will Acomat henceforth be vnto him March to Natolia there we will begin And make a preface to our massacres My nephew Mahomet sonne to Alemshae Departed lately from Iconium Is lodged there and he shall be the first Whom I will sacrifice vnto my wrath Exeunt All Enter the yoong Prince Mahomet the Belierbey of Natolia and one or two souldiers Maho. Lord Gouernour what thinke you best to doo If we receiue the Souldaine Acomat Who knoweth not but his blood-thirstie swoord Shall be embowell'd in our country-men You know he is displeasde with Baiazet And will rebell as Selim did to fore And would to God with Selims ouerthrow You know his angrie heart hath vow'd reuenge On all the subiects of his fathers land Bel. Yoong prince thy vncle seekes to haue thy life Because by right the Turkish crowne is thine Saue thou thy selfe by flight or otherwise And we will make resistance as we can Like an Armenian tygre that hath lost Her loued whelpes so raueth Acomat And we must be subiect to his rage But you may liue to venge your citizens Then flie good prince before your vncle come Maho. Nay good my Lord neuer shall it be said That Mahomet the sonne of Alemshae Fled from his citizens for feare of death But I will staie and helpe to fight for you And if you needs must die I le die with you And I among the rest with forward hand Will helpe to kill a common enemie Exeunt All Enter Acomat Visir Regan and the souldiers Aco. Now faire Natolia shall thy stately walles Be ouerthrowne and beaten to the ground My heart within me for reuenge still calles Why Baiazet thought'st thou that Acomat Would put vp such a monstrous iniurie Then had
shall be torne in peeces with diuels and goblins Corcut. By all the ioyes thou hop'st to haue in heauen Giue some meate to poore hunger-starued men Bulli. Oh these are as a man should say beggars Now will I be as stately to them as if I were maister Pigwiggen our constable well sirs come before me tell me if I should entertain you would you not steale Page If we did meane so sir we would not make your worship acquainted with it Bulli. A good well nutrimented lad well if you will keepe my sheepe truly and honestly keeping your hands from lying and slandering and your tongues from picking and stealing you shall be maister Bullithrumbles seruitures Corcut. With all our hearts Bulli. Then come on and follow me we will haue a hogges cheek and a dish of tripes and a societie of puddings to field a societie of puddings did you marke that well vsed metaphor Another would haue said a company of puddings if you dwel with me long sirs I shall make you as eloquent as our parson himselfe Exeunt Corcut and Bullithrumble Page Now is the time when I may be enrich'd The brethren that were sent by Selimus To take my Lord Prince Corcut prisoner Finding him fled proposed large rewards To them that could declare where he remaines Faith I le to them and get the portagues Though by the bargain Corcut loose his head Exit Page Enter Selimus Sinam-bassa the courses of Mustaffa and Aga with funerall pompe Mustaffa and the Ianizaries Seli. Why thus must Selim blind his subiect eies And straine his owne to weep for Baiazet They will not dreame I made him away When thus they see me with religious pompe To celebrate his tomb-blacke mortarie To himselfe And though my heart cast in an iron mould Cannot admit the smallest dramme of griefe Yet that I may be thought to loue him well I le mourne in shew though I reioyce indeed To the courses Thus after he hath fiue long ages liu'd The sacred Phoenix of Arabia Loadeth his wings with pretious perfumes And on the altar of the golden sunne Offers himselfe a gratefull sacrifice Long didst thou liue triumphant Baiazet A feare vnto thy greatest enemies And now that death the conquerour of Kings Dislodged hath thy neuer dying soule To flee vnto the heauens from whence she came And leaue her fraile earth pauilion Thy bodie in this auntient monument Where our great predecessours sleep in rest Suppose the Temple of Mahomet Thy wofull sonne Selimus thus doth place Thou wert the Phoenix of this age of ours And diedst wrapped in the sweete perfumes Of thy magnifick deeds whose lasting praise Mounteth to highest heauen with golden wings Princes come beare your Emperour companie In till the dayes of mourning be ore past And then we meane to rouze false Acomat And cast him foorth of Macedonia Exeunt All Enter Hali Cali Corcuts Page and one or two souldiers Page My Lords if I bring you not where Corcut is then let me be hanged but if I deliuer him vp into your hands then let me haue the reward due to so good a deed Hali. Page if thou shew vs where thy maister is Be sure thou shalt be honoured for the deed And high exalted aboue other men Enter Corcut and Bullithrumble Page That same is he that in disguised robes Accompanies yon shepheard to the fields Cor. The sweet content that country life affoords Passeth the royall pleasures of a King For there our ioyes are interlaced with feares But here no feare nor care is harboured But a sweete calme of a most quiet state Ah Corcut would thy brother Selimus But let thee liue here should'st thou spend thy life Feeding thy sheep among these grassie lands But sure I wonder where my Page is gone Hali Corcut Corcut. A y-me who nameth me Halâ— Hali the gouernour of Magnesia Poore prince thou thoughtst in these disguised weeds To maske vnseene and happily thou might'st But that thy Page betraied thee to vs And be not wrath with vs vnhappie prince If we do what our soueraigne commands T is for thy death that Selim sends for thee Cor. Thus I like poore Ampharaus sought By hiding my estate in shepheards coate T escape the angry wrath of Selimus But as his wife false Eriphyle did Betray his safetie for a chaine of gold So my false Page hath vilely dealt with me Pray God that thou maist prosper so as she Hali I know thou sorrowest for my case But it is bootlesse come and let vs go Corcut is readie since it is must be so Cali. Shepheard Bulli. That 's my profession sir Cali. Come you must go with vs Bulli. Who I Alasse sir I haue a wife and seuenteene cradles rocking two ploughs going two barnes filling and a great heard of beasts feeding and you should vtterly vndo me to take me to such a great charge Cali. Well there is no remedie Exeunt all but Bullithrumble stealing from them closely away Bulli. The more 's the pitie Go with you quoth he marrie that had bene the way to preferment downe Holburne vp Tiburne well I le keepe my best ioynt from the strappado as well as I can hereafter I le haue no more seruants Exit running away Enter Selimus Sinam-Bassa Mustaffa and the Ianizaries Seli. Sinam we heare our brother Acomat Is fled away from Macedonia To aske for aide of Persian Ismael And the Aegyptian Soldane our chiefe foes Sinam Herein my Lord I like his enterprise For if they giue him aide as sure they will Being your highnesse vowed enemies You shall haue iust cause for to warre on them For giuing succour gainst you to your foe You know they are two mightie Potentates And may be hurtfull neighbours to your grace And to enrich the Turkish Diademe With two so worthie kingdomes as they are Would be eternall glorie to your name Seli. By heauens Sinam th' art a warriour And worthie counceller vnto a King Sound within Enter CaliHali and Hali with Corcut and his Page How now what newes Calâ—. My gratious Lord we here present to you Your brother Corcut whom in Smirna coasts Feeding a flocke of sheepe vpon a downe His traitrous Page betraied to our hands Seli. Thanks ye bold brethren but for that false part Let the vile Page be famished to death Corcut. Selim in this I see thou art a Prince To punish treason with condigne reward Seli. O sir I loue the fruite that treason brings But those that are the traitors them I hate But Corcut could not your Philosophie Keepe you safe from my Ianizaries hands We thought you had old Gyges wondrous ring That so you were inuisible to vs Cor. Selim thou dealst vnkindly with thy brother To seeke my death and make a iest of me vpbraid'st thou me with my philosophie Why this I learn'd by studying learned arts That I can beare my fortune as it falles And that I feare no whit thy crueltie Since thou wilt deale no otherwise with me Then thou hast