That  caused  the  eldest  son  of  heavenly  Ops
To  thrust  his  doting  father  from  his  chair,
And  place  himself  in  the  empyreal  heaven,
Mov'd  me  to  manage  arms  against  thy  state.
What  better  precedent  than  mighty  Jove  ?
Nature,  that  fram'd  us  of  four  elements
Warring  within  our  breasts  for  regiment.
Doth  teach  us  all  to  have  aspiring  minds  :
Our  souls,  whose  faculties  can  comprehend
The  wondrous  architecture  of  the  world.
And  measure  every  wandering  planet's  course.
Still  climbing  after  knowledge  infinite.
And  always  moving  as  the  restless  spheres,
WiU  us  to  wear  ourselves,  and  never  rest,
Until  we  reach  the  ripest  fruit  of  all.
That  perfect  bliss  and  sole  felicity,
The  sweet  fruition  of  an  earthly  crown.
It  is  Nature  herself,  says  Tamburlaine,  who  placed  a
warfare  of  the  elements  within  the  frame  of  man  ;  she
spurs  him  onward  by  an  inborn  need  toward  empire.  It
is  our  souls,  uncircumscribed  by  cosmic  circumstances,
free  to  weigh  planets  in  their  courses  and  embrace  the
universe  with  thought,  that  compel  men  to  stake  their
all  on  the  most  perilous  of  fortune's  hazards.  In  this
speech  the  poet,  who  framed  Tamburlaine,  identifies
himself  with  his  creation,  forgets  the  person  he  has

R  R  2


6i2  SHAKSPERE'S  PREDECESSORS.
made,  and  utters  through  his  mouth  the  poetry  of  his
desire  for  the  illimitable.
There  was  a  side-blow  aimed  at  knowledge  in  this
diatribe  of  Tamburlaine  on  power.  See  now  how
Faustus  answers,  abyss  calling  to  abyss  from  the  same
abysmal  depth  of  the  creator's  mind  :

Divinity,  adieu  !
These  metaphysics  of  magicians,
And  necromantic  books  are  heavenly  ;
Lines,  circles,  scenes,  letters,  and  characters  ;
Ay,  these  are  those  that  Faustus  most  desires.
O,  what  a  world  of  profit  and  delight.
Of  power,  of  honour,  and  omnipotence.
