And make me supple for their slavish purpose.
Curse on their fawning arts!

[SELIMA comes forward, and kneels to BAJAZET. Sel. My lord! my royal father!

Baj. Ha! what art thou?

What heavenly innocence! that in a form
So known, so lov'd, has left thy paradise,
For joyless prison, for this place of woe!
Art thou my Selima?

Sel. Have you forgot me?
Alas, my piety is then in vain!

Your Selima, your daughter whom you lov❜d,
The fondling once of her dear father's arms,
Is come to claim her share in his misfortunes;

To help to wear the tedious minutes out,
To soften bondage, and the loss of empire.

[Embrace.

Baj. Now, by our prophet, if my wounded mind Could know a thought of peace, it would be now: Ev'n from thy prating infancy thou wert

My joy, my little angel; smiling comfort
Came with thee, still to glad me.

Now I'm curs'd

Ev'n in thee too. Reproach and infamy

Attend the christian dog t' whom thou wert trusted.
To see thee here-'twere better see thee dead!
Ar. Thus Tamerlane to royal Bajazet
With kingly greeting sends: since with the brave
(The bloody business of the fight once ended)
Stern hate and opposition ought to cease;
Thy queen already to thy arms restor❜d,

Receive this second gift, thy beauteous daughter:
And if there be aught farther in thy wish,
Demand with honour, and obtain it freely.

Baj. Bear back thy fulsome greeting to thy master;
Tell him, I'll none on't. Can he restore
My fame diminish'd, loss of sacred honour,
The radiancy of majesty eclips'd?

For aught besides, it is not worth my care;

The giver and his gifts are both beneath me.

Ar. Enough of war the wounded earth has known : Oh, sultan! by the Pow'r divine I swear, With joy I would resign the savage trophies In blood and battle gain'd, could I atone The fatal breach 'twixt thee and Tamerlane; And think a soldier's glory well bestow'd To buy mankind a peace.

Baj. And what art thou,

That dost presume to mediate 'twixt the rage
Of angry kings?

Ar. A prince, born of the noblest,

And of a soul that answers to that birth,
That dares not but do well. Thou dost put on
A forc'd forgetfulness, thus not to know me,
A guest so lately to thy court, then meeting
On gentler terms.

Sel. Could aught efface the merit

Of brave Axalla's name? yet when your daughter Shall tell how well, how nobly she was us'd,

How light this gallant prince made all her bondage, Most sure the royal Bajazet will own

That honour
ur stands indebted to such goodness,
Nor can a monarch's friendship more than pay it.
Baj. Ha! know'st thou that, fond girl ?Ġo'tis
not well,

And when thou couldst descend to take a benefit
From a vile Christian, , and thy father's foe,
Thou didst an act dishonest to thy race:
Henceforth, unless thou mean'st to cancel all
My share in thee, and write thyself a bastard,
Die, starve, know any evil, any pain,

Rather than taste a mercy from these dogs.
Sel. Alas! Axalla

Ax. Weep not, lovely maid

I swear,

f

One sigh from thee has made a large amends
For all thy angry father's frowns and fierceness.

Baj. Oh, my curst fortune!Am I fall'n'thus low! Dishonour'd to my face! Thou earth born thing! Thou clod! how hast thou dar'd to lift thy eyes Up to the sacred race of mighty Ottoman, Whom kings, whom e'en our prophet's holy offspring At distance have beheld? And what art thou? What glorious titles blazon out thy birth? Thou vile obscurity has! say thou base one. Ax. Thus challeng'd, virtue, modest as she is, Stands up to do herself a common justice: To answer, and assert that inborn merit, you That worth, which conscious to herself she feels. A Were honour to be scann'd by long descent, I From ancestors illustrious, I could, vaunt A lineage of the greatest, and recount, Among my fathers, names of ancient story, Heros and god-like patriots, who subdu'd The world by arms and virtue, and, being Romans, Scornid to be kings; but that be their own praise: Nor will I borrow merit from the dead, s Myself an undeserver, I could proven! My friendship such, as thou might'st deign t' accept With honour, when it comes with friendly office, To render back thy crown, and former greatness; Baj. To me give back what yesterday took from me Would be to give like Heav'n, when having finish'd‚Â This world (the goodly work of his creation) He bid his favourite man be lord of all. But this

Ar. Nor is this gift beyond my pow'r.
Oft has the mighty master of my arms
Urg'd me, with large ambition, to demand a
Crowns and dominions from his bounteous pow'r: A
'Tis true, I way'd the proffer, and have held it
The worthier choice to wait upon bis virtues,
To be the friend and partner of his wars,xA
Than to be Asia's lord. Nor wonder then,
If, in the confidence of such a friendship,

I promise boldly for the royal giver,
Thy crown and empire. "ten
Baj. For our daughter thus

Mean'st thou to barter? Ha !I tell thee, Christian,
There is but one, one dowry thou canst give,
And I can ask, worthy my daughter's love.

Ar. Oh! name the mighty ransom; task my pow'r; Let there be danger, difficulty, death,"

T' enhance the price.

Baj. I take thee at thy word; 19ď of Bring me the Tartar's head. the

Axa Ha

Baj. Tamerlane's !

That death, that deadly poison to my glory.
Ax. Prodigious! Horrids!...

Baj. And couldst thou hope to bribe me with aught else

With a vile peace, patch'd up on slavish terms?
With tributary kingship

No!

To merit A recompence for me, sate my revenge. The Tartar is my bane, I cannot bear him: One heav'n and earth can never hold us both; Still shall we hate, and with defiance deadly Keep rage alive, till one be lost for ever: As if two suns should meet in the meridian, And strive in fiery combat for the passage. Weep'st thou, fond girl? Now as thy king, and father, I charge thee, drive this slave from thy remembrance! Hate shall be pious in thee. Come and join

།་

To curse thy father's foes.

[Laying hold on her Hand,

Sel. Undone for ever bodie

い

Now, tyrant duty, art thou yet obeyed?

There is no more to give thee. Oh, Axalla!

[BAJAZET leads out SELIMA, she looking back on AXALLA. 0 1

SCENE II.

TAMERLANE'S Camp.

Enter TAMERLANE and a DERVISE.

Tam. Thou bring'st me thy credentials from the
highest,

From Alla, and our prophet. Speak thy message,
It must import the best and noblest ends.

Der. Thus speaks our holy Mahomet, who has
giv❜n thee

To reign and conquer: ill dost thou repay
The bounties of his hand, unmindful of

The fountain whence thy streams of greatness flow.
Thou hast forgot high Heav'n; hast beaten down
And trampled on religion's sanctity.

Tam. Now, as I am a soldier and a king, (The greatest names of honour) do but make Thy imputation out, and Tamerlane

Shall do thee ample justice on himself.

So much the sacred name of Heaven awes me, Y
Could I suspect my soul of harbouring aughtỬ
To its dishonour, I would search it strictly,
And drive th' offending thought with fury forth.

Der. Yes, thou hast hurt our holy prophet's honour,
By fostering the pernicious Christian sect:
They are thy only friends. The true believers b
Mourn to behold thee favour this Axalla,

Tam. I fear me, thou out-go'st the prophet's order, And bring'st his venerable name to shelter A rudeness ill becoming thee to use,

Or me to suffer. When thou nam'st my friend,

W