declamations of those earlier writers who clung to what they believed to be natural. Often quoted as it has been, Drayton's eulogy of Marlowe may be quoted again--it merits a place in every discussion of Marlowe's verse--as the finest appreciation of his poetry. Next Marlowe, bathed in the Thespian springs, Had in him those brave translunary things That the first poets had; his raptures were All air and fire, which made his verses clear; For that fine madness still he did retain, Which rightly should possess a poet's brain. (_An Elegy: Of Poets and Poesie._) From _Tamburlaine_ one could extract passages to illustrate Marlowe's fondness for classical allusions, his use--Miltonic, if we may anticipate the term--of the sonorous effect of names, his introduction of sustained similes, his trick of repeating a sound at intervals (a trick borrowed by Greene later), his habit of letting a speaker refer to himself in the third person (Tamburlaine loves to boast the greatness of Tamburlaine), and his occasional slovenliness, especially in the insertion of a few lines of prose into the midst of his verse. All these and others are minor features which the student will search out for himself. Some of them, however, may be detected in the following excerpt from the Second Part: [TAMBURLAINE _is in his chariot drawn by captive kings._ TECHELLES _has just urged that the armies should hasten to the siege of Babylon._] _Tamburlaine._ We will, Techelles.--Forward, then, ye jades! Now crouch, ye kings of greatest Asia, And tremble, when ye hear this scourge will come That whips down cities and controlleth crowns, Adding their wealth and treasure to my store. The Euxine sea, north to Natolia; The Terrene, west; the Caspian, north north-east; And on the south, Sinus Arabicus; Shall all be loaden with the martial spoils We will convey with us to Persia. Then shall my native city, Samarcanda, And crystal waves of fresh Jaertis' stream, The pride and beauty of her princely seat, Be famous through the furthest continents; For there my palace royal shall be placed, Whose shining turrets shall dismay the heavens, And cast the fame of Ilion's tower to hell: Thorough the streets, with troops of conquered kings, I'll ride in golden armour like the sun; And in my helm a triple plume shall spring, Spangled with diamonds, dancing in the air, To note me emperor of the three-fold world; Like to an almond tree y-mounted high Upon the lofty and celestial mount Of ever-green Selinus, quaintly decked With blooms more white than Erycina's brows, Whose tender blossoms tremble every one At every little breath that thorough heaven is blown. Then in my coach, like Saturn's royal son Mounted his shining chariot gilt with fire And drawn with princely eagles through the path