Tartarian Cripple, The (Emperor of Constantinople)
Historical Records
S.R. I (Arber, 3.63)
| master Burbie | Entred for his copie vnder ye handes of Master HARSNET, and ye wardens. The Famous Tragicall history, of ye Tartarian Crippell Emperour of Constantinople ……… vjd |
| Master Welby | Assigned over vnto hym by mistres Burby in full Court holden this day with the consent of the master wardens and Assistentes here present in Court All her right in these copies folowinge vnder this condycon that yf there shalbe found any indirecte Dealinge herein by any of the parties to the same Then these copies to be at the disposicon of the Company and this entrance to be void ……… xixs | |||
| (Under this heading is a list of 38 items, a mix of prose tracts, drama, and poetry; the 32nd item in the list is below.) | ||||
| 32. Tertarian Criple Emperour of Constantinople |
Theatrical Provenance
It is not certain that Cuthbert Burby was registering a playbook when he registered The Tartarian Cripple. And if it was a play, there is no reliable information on its theatrical provenance. It is not in Henslowe's Diary ; inferentially, therefore, it was not in the repertory of the Admiral's men c. 1598-1600, when it is most likely to have been current. For the possibility that it might have been owned by the Chamberlain's men, see For What It's Worth, below.
Probable Genre(s)
Heroical History, but see For What It's Worth, below.
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
In his narration of Tamburlaine's conquests, Knolles includes an episode concerning Constantinople (EEBO, 221-22). It occurs in 1397 or so, just following the defeat of Bajazeth, fourth king of the Turks by Knolles's accounting. The episode, an interlude in Tamburlaine's campaign against the Turks, has three major components: (1) Tamburlaine approaches Constantinople; (2) Tamburlaine reacts to the peace offering of the Greek ambassadors; (3) Tamburlaine's R&R in Constantinople.
Tamburlaine approaches Constantinople (EEBO 221)
After he had defeated Bajazeth, Tamburlaine sent his captain, Axalla, ahead to Prusa (Bursa) with 40,000 horse and a 100,000 foot soldiers to round up the rest of the Turkish army along with Bajazeth's bassas and children. These had fled, but Axalla took prisoner Bajazeth's "wiues & concubines," including Despina [Marlowe's Zabina], Bajazeth's "best beloued wife." The Greek emperor, Emanuell, hearing of Tamburlaine's approach and knowing his recent success, sent ambassadors to yield his territory without a fight: "the Greeke emperour submitted all his empire together with his person, vnto Tamerlane the great conquerour, as his most faithfull subject and vassaile." Emanuell's professed reason for doing so was that Tamburlaine had "deliuered [him] from the most cruell tirant in the world [Bajazeth]." Emanuell pledged his loyalty and praised Tamburlaine for "his so many vertues, and rare accomplishments, which made him famous throughout the world." Because of these accomplishments the Greek emperor delivered not only "his cheefe citie" but also "all the empire of GREECE."
Tamburlaine reacts to the Greek emperor's offer (EEBO 221-2)
The Greek ambassadors expected "to fall into bondage to Tamerlane, thinking that which they offred to be so great and delicate a morsell, as that it would not be refused, especially of such a conquering prince as was Tamerlaine" (221). They thought "the best bargaine they could make" would be Tamburlaine's acceptance of their offer "in kindnesse, and friendship." They were therefore shocked by his reaction:
- "For he with a mild countenance beholding them, answered them, That he was not come from so farre a countrey, or vnderaken so much paines for the enlargement of his dominions alreadie large inough, (too base a thing for him to put himselfe into so great danger and trauaile for) but rather to winne honour, and thereby to make his name famous vnto all posteritie for euer."
In a grand gesture, Tamburlaine claimed that he had come to aid his friends and allies, that his power had come from God above to bruise "the head of the greatest and fiercest enemie of mankind that was vnder heauen," and that he to get himself "an immortall name, would make free so great and fourishing a citie as was CONSTANTINOPLE, gouerned by so noble and ancient an house as the emperours." After further praise of the Greek emperor, Tamburlaine, sounding for all the world like some idealistic Christian knight out of a medieval romance, finished his statement with this flourish:
- That vnto his courage, hee had alwaies faith joyned, such as should neuer suffer him to make so great a broach in his reputation, as that it should be reported of him, That in the colour of a friend, he came to inuade the dominions of his allies: That he desired no more, but that the seruice he had done for the Greeke emperour, might be euer be ingrauen in the memorie of his posteritie, to the end that they might for euer wish well vnto him and his successours, by remembring the good he had done them" (221-2).
The Greek ambassadors, rejoicing at this answer, accepted the offer of a feast with Axalla.
Tamburlaine becomes a tourist (EEBO 222)
The Greek emperor, equally astonished that Tamburlaine "refused an empire offered vnto him," initiated celebrations in Constantinople Including "bonfires and all other signes of joy and pleasure." He then paid Tamburlaine a visit in Bursa to express his thanks; the two "great princes" spent the day together. When the Greek emperor prepared to leave the next day, Tamburlaine expressed "a secret desire to see this so famous a citie as was CONSTANTINOPLE." He insisted, though, that he wanted to visit the city "as a priuat person," not "as a conquerour." The Greek emperor, "with all familiaritie possible," became an enthusiastic and obliging host. He showed Tamburlaine "all the rare and excellent things that were therein to be seene," including "the faire gardens alongst the sea coast, a league or two from CONSTANTINOPLE." These tours took five or six days, and the visit generally was interspersed "with all the mirth that might be possible." Tamburlaine responded to the sites with the effusive praise appropriate to a guest, saying that
- "he had neuer seene a fairer citie: and that it was indeed the citie (considering the faire and rich situation thereof) of right, worthie to commaund all the world. He wondered at the costly buildings of the temples, the faire ingrauen pillars, the high pyramides, and the making of the faire gardens, and oftentimes afterwards said, That he nothing repented him of his so long and dangerous a voyage, if it had been onely but to haue preserued from fire and sword so noble a citie as that was."
The two great men exchanged a "solemne oath" of friendship on parting. Emanuell, knowing Tamburlaine's "pleasure in faire seruiceable horses," gave him "thirtie of the fairest, strongest, and readiest, … all most richly furnished." In addition, he "sent … faire presents vnto all the princes and great commaunders of the armie, and bountifully caused to bee deliuered vnto them all things which he thought to be necessarie for the armie." Tamburlaine, thus refreshed, returned to the march across Asia, where he "wasted and spoiled" all Bajazeth's territory, "no man daring to make head against him."
References to the Play
Information welcome.
Critical Commentary
- Greg (BEPD, 1.16; 2.970) included The Tartarian Cripple among his list of lost plays despite his concern that the work was "not necessarily dramatic."
- Knutson, trusting W. W. Greg's instinct that the The Tartarian Cripple was a playbook, considers the repertorial context to which the play would have belonged if it belonged to the late 1590s as its registration date implies.
For What It's Worth
Company Ownership
On the same day that Cuthbert Burby entered The Tartarian Cripple into the Stationers' Register, he also entered Every Man In his Humour. For that entry, however, he was joined by Walter Burre. The Burby-Burre entry for Jonson's play immediately precedes the entry for The Tartarian Cripple, and it has a separate payment of 6 pence. Therefore, only the proximity of the entries and the coincidence of Burby's participation implies that the two works were obtained from the same company. That company would have been the Chamberlain's men, to whom the Jonson play indisputably belonged.
Not Marlowe's Tamburlaine
Knolles here inserts an editorial observation: "Few princes (I suppose) would performe such a part: but so there be likewise but few Tamerlanes in the world" (222).
Genre
story = more of recreative than military
Works Cited
Knolles, Richard. A Generall Historie of the Turkes. London 1603. EEBO
Knutson, Roslyn L. "Evidence for the Assignment of Plays to the Repertory of Shakespeare's Company," Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England 4 (1989): 63-89.
Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 7 March 2011.