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A holy maid hither with me I bring,

Which, by a vision sent to her from heaven,
Ordained is to raise this tedious siege,

And drive the English forth the bounds of France.
The spirit of deep prophecy she hath,
Exceeding the nine sibyls of old Rome;
What's past, and what's to come, she can descry.
Speak, shall I call her in? Believe my 2 words,
For they are certain and unfallible.

Dau. Go, call her in: But first, to try her skill, Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place: Question her proudly, let thy looks be stern;By this means shall we sound what skill she hath. Enter Joan la Pucelle.

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Reig. Fair maid, is't thouwilt do thesewond'rous 15
feats?
[me

Pucel. Reignier,is't thou that thinkest to beguile
Where is the Dauphin? come, come from behind;
I know thee well, though never seen before.
Be not amaz'd, there's nothing hid from me:
In private will I talk with thee apart;-
Stand back, you lords, and give us leave awhile.
Reig. She takes upon her bravely at first dash.
Pucel. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's
daughter,

My wit untrain'd in any kind of art.

Heaven, and our Lady gracious, bath it pleas'd

To shine on my contemptible estate:

Lo, whilst I waited on my tender lambs,

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Dau. Then come o' God's name, I fear nowo

man.

Pucel. And, while I live, I'll never fly no man. [Here they fight,and Joan la Pucelle overcomes. Dau. Stay, stay thy hands; thou art an Amazon, And fightest with the sword of Deborah.

weak.

Pucel. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too [help me; Dau. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must Impatiently I burn with thy desire; My heart and hands thou hast at once subdu'd. Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so, Let me thy servant, and not sovereign, be; Tis the French Dauphin sueth to thee thus. Purel. I must not yield to any rites of love, For my profession's sacred from above: When I have chased all thy foes from hence, Then will I think upon a recompence.

Dau. Mean time, look gracious on thy prostrate thrall.

Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk. Alen. Doubtless, he shrives this woman to her smock;

Else ne'er could he so long protract his speech. Reig. Shall we disturb him, since he keeps no

mean?

Alen. Her e may mean more than we poor men do know:

[tongues. These women are shrewd tempters with their

And to sun's parching heat display'd my checks, 30 Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise

God's mother deigned to appear to me;
And, in a vision full of majesty,

Will'd me to leave my base vocation,
And free my country from calamity:
Her aid she promis'd, and assur'd success:
In complete glory she reveal'd herself;
And, whereas I was black and swart before,
With those clear rays which she infus'd on me,
That beauty am I blest with, which you see.
Ask me what question thou canst possible,
And I will answer unpremeditated:
My courage try by combat, if thou darʼst,
And thou shalt find that I exceed my sex.
Resolve on this: Thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.
Dau. Thou hast astonish'd me with thy high

terms:

Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,——
In single combat thou shalt buckle with me;
And, if thon vanquishest, thy words are true;
Otherwise, I renounce all confidence.

Pucel. I am prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd sword,

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Pucel. Assign'd I am to be the English scourge. This night the siege assuredly I'll raise: Expect St. Martin's summer 3, halcyon days, 40 Since I have enter'd thus into these wars. Glory is like a circle in the water, Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, Till, by broad spreading, it disperse to nought. With Henry's death the English circle ends; 45 Dispersed are the glories it included. Now am I like that proud insulting ship, Which Cæsar and his fortune bare at once.

Dau. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove +? Thou with an eagle art inspired then. 50 Helen, the mother of great Constantine, Nor yet Saint Philip's daughters, were like thee. Bright star of Venus, fall 'n down on the earth, How may I reverently worship thee enough?

Deck'd with fine flower-de-luces on each side; Thewhich, at TouraineinSaint Katharine's church-55 yard,

Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth.

Alen. Leave off delays,and let us raise the siege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canst to save our honours;

Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz’d.

There were no nine sibyls of Rome! but our author confounds things, and mistakes this for the nine books of Sibylline oracles, brought to one of the Tarquins. 2 It should be read, believe her words. 3 That is, expect prosperity after misfortune, like fair weather at Martlemas, after winter has begun. 4 Mahomet had a dove, which he used to feed with wheat out of his ear; which dove, when it was hungry, lighted on Mahoniet's shoulder, and thrust its bill in to find its breakfast; Mahomet persuading the rude and simple Arabians, that it was the Holy Ghost that gave him advice. s Meaning, the four daughters of Philip mentioned in the Acts.

Dau.

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Glo. I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back:
Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing-cloth
I'll use, to carry thee out of this place.

[face.

Win. Do what thou dar'st; I beard thee to thy
Glo. What? am I dar'd, and bearded to my
Draw, men, for all this privileged place; [face?—
Blue-coats to tawny-coats. Priest, beware thy
beard;

I mean to tug it, and to cuff you soundly:
Under my feet I'll stamp thy cardinal's hat;
In spite of pope, or dignities of church,
Here by the checks I'll drag thee up and down.
Win.Gloster, thou'lt answer this before thepope.
Glo. Winchester goose?! I cry-A rope! a

rope!

[stay? Now beat them hence, Why do you let thein 25 Thee I'll chase hence, thou wolf in sheep's array.Out, tawny-coats!-out, scarlet hypocrite! Here Gloster's Men beat out the Cardinal's; and enter in the hurly-burly, the Mayor of London and his Officers.

Wood. What noise is this? what traitors have 30

we here?

Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whose voice I hear? Open the gates; here's Gloster, that would enter. Wood. Have patience, noble duke; I may not

open;

The cardinal of Winchester forbids:
From him I have express commandment,
That thou, nor none of thine, shall be let in. [me?

Glo. Faint-hearted Woodvile, prizest him'fore
Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate,
Whom Henry, our late sovereign, ne'er could
brook?

Mayor. Fie, lords! that you, being supreme

magistrates,

Thus contumeliously should break the peace!
Glo. Peace, mayor; for thou know'st little of

my wrongs:

33 Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king, Hath here distrain'd the Tower to his use.

Win. Here's Gloster too, a foe to citizens; One that still motions war, and never peace, O'er-charging your free purses with large fines; 40 That seeks to overthrow religion,

Thou art no friend to God, or to the king:
Open the gates, or I'll shut thee out shortly.
Serv. Open the gates there to the lord protector: 45
We'll burst them open, if that you come not
quickly.

Enter to the Protector, at the Tower-Gates, Win-
chester and his men in tawny coats 2.
Win. How now, ambitious Humphry? what 50
means this?

Glo. Piel'd 3 priest, dost thou command me to
be shut out?

Win. I do, thou most usurping proditor, And not protector of the king or realm.

155

Because he is protector of the realm;
And would have armour here out of the Tower,
Tocrown himself king, and suppress the prince.
Glo. I will not answer thee with words, but
blows. [Here they skirmish again.
Mayor. Nought rests for me, in this tumul-
tuous strife,

But to make open proclamation:-
Come, officer; as loud as e'er thou canst.
Of. All manner of men, assembled here in arms this
day, against God's peace and the king's, we
charge and command you, in his highness' name
to repair to your several dwelling places; and
not wear, handle, or use, any sword, weapon,
or dagger, henceforward, upon pain of death.

■ Conveyance means theft. 2 A tawny coat was the dress of the officer whose business it was to summon offenders to an ecclesiastical court. These are the proper attendants therefore on the bishop of Winchester. 3 Alluding to his shaven crown. In Weever's Funeral Monuments, p. 154, Robert Baldocke, bishop of London, is called a peeled priest, pilide clerk, seemingly in allusion to his shaven crown alone. So, bald-head was a term of scorn and mockery. 4 The public stews were formerly under the district of the bishop of Winchester, 5 This means, I believe, I'll tumble thee into thy great hat, and shake thee, as bran and meal are shaken in a sieve. • Maundrel, in his Travels, says, that about four miles from Damascus is a high hill, reported to be the same on which Cain slew his brother Abel, A strumpet, or the consequences of her love, was a Winchester goose. Nn 2

Glo.

sure:

Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work.
Mayor. I'll call for clubs, if you will not away:
This cardinal is more haughty than the devil.
Glo. Mayor, farewell: thou dost but what thou
may'st.

Win. Abominable Gloster! guard thy head;
For I intend to have it, ere long. [Exeunt.
Mayor. See the coast clear'd, and then we will
depart.-
GoodGod! that nobles should such stomachs bear!
I myself fight not once in forty year. [Exeunt.

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To be a public spec 5 Here, said they, is th The scare-crow that Then broke I from t And with my nails dis To hurl at the behol My grisly countena None durst come ne: In iron walls they de So great fear of myna That they suppos'd, I 15 And spurn in pieces Wherefore a guard c That walk'd about m And if I did but stir Ready they were to Enter the B Sal. I grieve to h dur'd;

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Enter the Master-Gunner of Orleans, and his Boy.
M. Gun. Sirrah, thou know'st how Orleans is 20
besieg'd;

And how the English have the suburbs won.
Boy. Father, I know; and oft have shot at them,
Howe'er, unfortunate, I miss'd my aim.

M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou 25
rul'd by me:

Chief master-gunner am I of this town;
Something I must do to procure me grace.
The prince's 'spials' have informed me,

But we will be reven
Now it is supper-tim
Here, through this g
And view the Frenc
Let us look in, the sig
Sir Thomas Gargrave
Let me have your e

How the English, in the suburbs close intrench'd, 30 Where is best place

2 Went, through a secret grate of iron bars

In yonder tower, to over-peer the city;

And thence discover, how, with most advantage,
They may vex us, with shot, or with assault.
To intercept this inconvenience,

A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have plac'd;
And fully even these three days have I watch'd,
If I could see them: Now, boy, do thou watch;
For I can stay no longer.

If thou spy'st any, run and bring me word;
And thou shalt find me at the governor's. [Exit.
Boy. Father, I warrant you; take you no care;
I'll never trouble you, if I may spy them.
Enter the Lords Salisbury and Talbot, with Sir W.
Glansdale and Sir Tho. Gargrave, on the turrets.
Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy, again return'd!
How wert thou handled, being prisoner?
Or by what means gott'st thou to be releas'd?
Discourse, I pry'thee, on this turret's top.

Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner,
Called--the brave lord Ponton de Santrailles;
For him was I exchang'd and ransomed.
But with a baser man of arms by far,
Once, in contempt,they would have barter'd me:
Which I, disdaining, scorn'd; and craved death
Rather than I would be so pill'd' esteemed.
In fine, redeem'd I was as I desir'd.

But, oh! the treacherous Fastolfe wounds my

heart!

Whom with my bare fists I would execute,
If I now had him brought into my power.
Sal. Yet tell'st thou not, how thou wert en-
tertain❜d.

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Gar. I think, at the lords.

Glan. And I here, a Tul. Foraught I see 35 Or with light skirmis [Shot from the to Gargrave f Sal. O Lord, hav sinners!

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Gar. O Lord, have Tal. What chance cross'd us?

Speak, Salisbury; at How far'st thou, mir Oneof thy eyes, and th Accursed tower! acc That hath contriv'd In thirteen battles Sa Henry the fifth he fi 50 Whilst any trump di His sword did ne'er l Yet liv'st thou,Salisb fail,

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One eye thou hast to The sun with one ey Heaven, be thou gra If Salisbury wants m Bear hence his body Sir Thomas Gargrav 60 Speak unto Talbot; Salisbury, chear thy Thou shalt not die, y He beckons with his

Espials are spies. 2 Wont, i. e. were accustomed. honours.

3 So pill'd, mea

As who should say, When I am dead and gone,
Remember to avenge me on the French.-
Plantagenet, I will; and, Nero-like,
Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn:
Wretched shall France be only in my name.

[Here an alarum, and it thunders and lightens.
What stir is this? What tumult's in the heavens?
Whence cometh this alarum and this noise?
Enter a Messenger.

Mess. My lord, my lord, the French have
gather'd head:

The Dauphin, with one Joan la Pucelle join'd,-
A holy prophetess, new risen up,-

Is come with a great power to raise the siege.
[Here Salisbury lifteth himself up, and groans.
Tal. Hear, hear, how dying Salisbury doth
groan!

It irks his heart, he cannot be reveng’d.-
Frenchmen, I'll be a Salisbury to you :-
Pucelle or puzzel', dolphin or dogfish,
Your hearts I'll stamp out with my horse's heels,
And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.-
Convey me Salisbury into his tent,
And then we'll try what dastard Frenchmen dare.

Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's
wheel;

I know not where I am, nor what I do:
A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,
5 Drives back our troops, and conquers as she lists:
So beeswithsmoke,anddoveswithnoisomestench,
Are from their hives, and houses, driven away.
They call'd us, for our fierceness, English dogs;
Now, like their whelps, we crying run away.
[A short alarum.
Hark, countrymen! either renew the fight,
Or tear the lions out of England's coat;
Renounce your soil, give sheep in lions' stead:
Sheep run not half so timorous from the wolf,
15 Or horse, or oxen, from the leopard,
As you fly from your oft-subdued slaves.-

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[Alarum. Here another skirmish.
It will not be :-Retire into your trenches:
You all consented unto Salisbury's death,
20 For none would strike a stroke in his revenge.-
Pucelle is enter'd into Orleans,

[Alarum. Exeunt, bearing out the bodies. 25
SCENE V.

Here an alarum again; and Talbot pursueth the
Dauphin, and driveth him: then enter Joan la
Pucelle, driving Englishmen before her. Then
enter Talbot.

Tal. Where is my strength, my valour, and my

force?

Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them;
A woman, clad in armour, chaseth them.

Enter La Pucelle.

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Here,here she comes:—I'll have a boutwith thee;
Devil, or devil's dam, I'll conjure thee:
Blood will I draw on thee 2, thou art a witch,
And straightway give thy soul to him thou serv'st.
Pucel.Come,come,'tis only I that must disgrace 40
[They fight.

thee.

Tal. Heavens, can you suffer hell so to prevail? My breast I'll burst with straining of my courage, And from my shoulders crack my arms asunder, But I will chastise this high-minded strumpet. Pucel. Talbot, farewell; thy hour is not yet [come: 1 must go victual Orleans forthwith.

[A short alarum. Then enters the town with
soldiers.

O'ertake me if thou canst; I scorn thy strength.
Go, go, cheer up thy hunger-starved men;
Help Salisbury to make his testament:
This day is ours, as many more shall be.
[Exit Pucelle.

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In spight of us, or aught that we could do.
O, would I were to die with Salisbury!
The shame hereof will make me hide my head.
[Exit Talbot.
[Alarum, retreat, flourish.

SCENE VI.

Enter on the walls, Pucelle, Dauphin, Reignier,
Alençon, and Soldiers.
Pucelle.Advanceourwavingcoloursonthewalls;
Rescu'd is Orleans from the English wolves:-
Thus Joan la Pucelle hath perform'd her word.
Dau. Divinestcreature,brightAstræa'sdaughter,
How shall I honour thee for this success?
Thy promises are like Adonis' gardens,
That one day bloom'd, and fruitful were the next.
France, triumph in thy glorious prophetess !—
Recover'd is the town of Orleans:

More blessed hap did ne'er befall our state.
Reig. Why ring not out the bells throughout

the town?

Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfires,
And feast and banquet in the open streets,
To celebrate the joy that God hath given us.
Alen. All France will be replete with mirth and

joy,

When theyshall hear howwe have play'd themen.
Dau.'Tis Joan,not we, bywhom the day is won;
For which, I will divide my crown with her:
50 And all the priests and friars in my realm
Shall, in procession, sing her endless praise.
A statelier pyramis to her I'll rear,
Than Rhodope's, or Memphis', ever was:
In memory of her, when she is dead,

Mr. Tollet says, Pussel means a dirty wench or a drab, from puzza, i. e. malus fœtor, says Minshew. In a translation from Stephens's Apology for Herodotus, in 1607, p. 98, we read,-"Some 2 The superstition of those filthy queans, especially our puzzles of Paris, use this other theft."

3 Rhodope was

times taught, that he that could draw the witch's blood, was free from her power.
a famous strumpet, who acquired great riches by her trade. The least but most finished of the
Egyptian pyramids was built by her. She is said afterwards to have married Psammetichus, king of
Egypt.

Nn3

Her

i

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Of English Henry, s How much in duty 15 The English, scaling A Talbot!

Cent. [Within.] A make assau

The French leap over t several ways, Bast ready, and half un Alen. How now, my Bast. Unready? ay Reig. 'Twas time, Hearing alarums at ou

Alen. Of all exploit Ne'er heard I of a w More venturous, or o Bast. I think, this 30 Reig. Ifnot of hell,t Alen. Here cometh sped.

Enter Char

Bast. Tut! holy Jo

Didst thou at first, to Make us partakers of That now our loss mis Pucel. Wherefore his friend? At all times will you Sleeping, or waking, Or will you blame an Improvident soldiers! 45 This sudden mischief

Char. Duke of Alen That, being captain o Did look no better to

Alen. Had all your As that whereof I had We had not been thus

Bast. Mine was sec Reign. And so was Char. And, for mysel 55Within her quarter, a I was employ'd in pass About relieving of the Then how, or which wa

When Alexander the Great took the city of Gaza, the metropolis of and wealth of Darius treasured up there, he found an exceeding rich and bea and asked those about him what they thought fittest to be laid up in it. Wh vered their opinions, he told them, he esteemed nothing so worthy to bep Iliad. 2 Unready was the current word in those times for undress'd.

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