churchmen pray'd, Gle. The church! where is it? Had not | France is revolted from the English quite ; His thread of life had not so soon decay'd; And lookest to command the prince, and realm, Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us :- Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns Glo. Is Paris lost? is Roüen yielded up? Exe. How were they lost? what treachery Mess. No treachery; but want of men and Among the soldiers this is muttered,- You are disputing of your generals. Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot: Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth hert flowing tides. Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd; Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to O, whither shall we fly from this reproach? Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out. An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Enter a third MESSENGER. 3. Mess. My gracious lords,—to add to your laments, [hearse,Wherewith you now bedew King Henry'a I must inform you of a dismal fight, Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? 3. Mess. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'erthrown : The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, They pitch'd in the ground confusedly, him; The French exclaim'd, The devil was in arms; strength, Durst not presume to look once in the face. Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, Give me my steel'd coat, I'll fight for France.-Unto his dastard foe-man is betray'd. Enter another MESSENGER. 2. Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance, *Norse was anciently so spelt. t Her, i. e. England's. And lord Scales with him, and lord Hunger- Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise. pay: I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne, 1. c. Their miseries which have had only a short Four of their lords I'll change for one of intermission.. Farewell, my masters; to my task will I; Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make, To keep our great Saint George's feast withal: Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take, Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake. 3 Mess. So you had need; for Orleans is besieg'd; The English army is grown weak and faint: Ere. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry Being ordain'd his special governor; [Exit. Win. Each hath his place and function to attend: I am left out; for me nothing remains. SCENE II.-France.-Before Orleans. Eater CHARLES, with his Forces; ALENÇON, REIGNIER, and others. Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the heavens, So in the earth, to this day is not known: Faintly besiege us one hour in a month. Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat bull-beeves: Either they must be dieted like mules, The other lords, like lions wanting food, Alen. Froissard, a countrymen of ours, records, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, [ger: And hunger will enforce them to be more caOf old I know them; rather with their teeth The walls they'll tear down, than forsake the siege. Reig. I think, by some odd gimmalst or de, vice, [on; Their arms are set, like clocks, still to strike Else ne'er could they hold out so, as they do. By my consent, we'll e'en let them alone. Alen. Be it so. Enter the BASTARD of Orleans. Bast. Where's the prince Dauphin, I have news for him. Char. Bastard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Bast. Methinks, your looks are sad, your cheerý appall'd; Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? The spirit of deep prophecy she hath, Speak, shall I call her in? Believe my words, For they are certain and unfallible. Char, Go, call her in: [Exit BASTARD.] But, And have their provender tyed to their mouths, Enter LA POCELLE, BASTARD of Orleans, and Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice. Reig, Let's raise the siege; Why live we idly here? Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear: Remaineth none but mad-brain'd Salisbury; And he may well in fretting spend his gall, Nor men, nor money, hath he to make war. Char. Sound, sound alarum; we will rush on them. Where is the Dauphin ?—come, come from be- while. Reig. She takes upon her bravely at first Now for the honour of the forlorn French-Stand back, you lords, and give us leave a Him I forgive my death, that killeth me, When he sees me go back one foot, or fly. [Exeunt. Alarums; Excursions, afterwards a Retreat. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENÇON, REIGNIER, and others. dash. Puc. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's daughter, My wit untrain'd in any kind of art. 1. e. The prey for which they are hungry. A gimmal is a piece of jointed work, where one piece moves within another; here it is taken at large for an engine. This was not in former times a term of reproach 6 FIRST PART OF KING HENRY VI. Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, [Act I. Lo, whilst I waited on my tender lambs, cheeks, God's mother deigned to appear to me ; Char. Thou hast astonish'd me with thy high terms: Qnly this proof I'll of thy valour make,- Puc. I am prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd Deck'd with five flour-de-luces on each side; church-yard, Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth. Char. Then come o'God's name, I fear no woman. Puc. And, while I live, I'll near fly from a [They fight. man. Char. Stay, stay thy hands; thou art an Amazon, And fightest with the sword of Deborah. Puc. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too weak. Char. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that Impatiently I burn with thy desire ; Char. Meantime, look gracious on thy pros- 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. He may mean more than we poor men do know : [tongues. These women are shrewd tempters with their Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise you on? Shall we give over Orleans or no? Puc. Why, no, I say, distrustful recreants! Fight till the last gasp; I will be your guard. Char. What she says, I'll confirm; we'll fight it out. Pue. Assign'd am I to be the English scourge. This night the siege assuredly I'll raise : Expect Saint Martin's summer,t halcyon days, Since I have entered into these wars. Glory is like a circle in the water, Be firmly persuaded of it. + Expect prosperity after misfortune. With Henry's death, the English circle ends; Char. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove? siege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canst to save our honours; Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd. Char. Presently we'll try:-Come let's away about it: No prophet will I trust, if she proves false. [Exeunt. SCENE III-London.-Hill before the Tower. Enter, at the Gates, the Duke of GLOSTER, with his Serving-men, in blue coats. Glo. I am come to survey the Tower this day; Since Henry's death, I fear, there is conveyance.t-Where be these warders, that they wait not here? Open the gates; Gloster it is that calls. [SERVANTS knock. 1 Ward [Within.] Who is there that knocks so imperiously? 1 Serv. It is the noble Duke of Gloster. 2 Ward. [Within.[ Whoe'er he be, you may not be let in. 1 Serv. Answer you so the lord protector, villains? 1 Ward. [Within.] The Lord protect him! So we answer him: We do no otherwise than we are will'd. Glo. Who will'd you? or whose will stands but mine? There's none protector of the realm, but I.— SERVANTS rush at the Tower Gates. Enter, to Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whose voice I Glo. Faint-hearted Woodville, prizest him Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, Glo. Piel'd priest,* dost thou command me to be shut out? Win. I do, thou most usurping proditor,t Glo. Stand back, thou manifest conspirator; Win. Nay, stand thou back, I will not budge This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain, Glo. I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back: Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing-cloth Win. Do what thou dar'st; I beard thee to Glo. What? am I dar'd, and bearded to my Draw, men, for all this privileged place; [GLOSTER and his Men attack the Bishop. pope. May. I'll call for clubs, if you will not away: This cardinal is more haughty than the devil. Glo. Mayor, farewell: thou dost not what thou may'st. Win. Abominable Gloster! guard thy head; For I intend to have it, ere long. [Exit. May. See the coast clear'd, and then we will depart.[bear! Good God! that nobles should such stomachst I myself fight not once in forty years. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-France.-Before Orleans. Enter, on the Walls, the Master-Gunner and his SON. Howe'er, unfortunate, I miss'd my aim. M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou Chief master-gunner am I of this town; Wont, through a secret gate of iron bars Glo. Winchester goose, I cry-a rope! a Now beat them hence. Why do you let them Thus contumeliously should break the peace! Glo. Peace, mayor; thou know'st little of [king, my wrongs: Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor Win. Here's Gloster too, a foe to citizens; But to make open proclamation :- Glo. Cardinal, I'll be no breaker of the law: But we shall meet, and break our minds at large. Win. Gloster, we'll meet; to thy dear cost, be sure: Thy heart-blood I will have, for this day's work. Alluding to his shaven crown. Trai.or. Sift. A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have plac'd; If thou spy'st any, run and bring me word; [Exit. Son. Father, I warrant you; take you no care; I'll never trouble you, if I may spy them. Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy, again return'd! Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner, Sul. Yet tell'st thou not, how thou wert en- Tal. With scoffs, and scorns, and contume- In open market-place produc'd they me, "That is, for peace-officers armed with clubs or slaves. To hurl at the beholders of my shame. In iron walls they deem'd me not secure; That they suppos'd, I could rend bars of steel, [one, But we will be reveng'd sufficiently. [dale, Sir Thomas Gargrave, and Sir William Glans- Glan. And I, here, at the bulwark of the Is come with great power to raise the siege. Tal. Hear, hear, how dying Salisbury doth It irks his heart, he cannot be reveng'd— And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.- [Exeunt, bearing out the Bodies. SCENE V.-The same-Before one of the Gates. Tal. Where my strength, my valour, and my force? Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them; Here, here she comes:I'll have a bout with Tal. For aught I see, the city must be fam-Devil, or devil's dam, Ill conjure thee: ish'd, off! Accursed tower! accursed fatal hand, His sword did ne'er leave striking in the One eye thou hast, to look to heaven for grace: He beckons with his hand, and smiles on me; Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch, And straightway give thy soul to him thou serv'st. Puc. Come, come, 'tis only I that must disgrace thee; [They fight. Tal. Heavens, can you suffer hell so to pre vail ? [age, And from my shoulders crack my arms asun- come; I must go victual Orleans forthwith. I [PUCELLE enters the Town, with Soldiers. Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's know not where I am, nor what I do: wheel; Drives back our troops, and conquers, as she A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal, [stench, lists: So bees with smoke, and doves with noisome Now, like to whelps, we crying run away. [A short Alarum. Hark, countrymen? either renew the fight, Renounce your soil, give sheep in lion's stead: Or tear the lions out of England's coat; Sheep run not half so timorous from the wolf, Or horse, or oxen, from the leopard, As you fly from your oft subdued slaves. Thunder heard; afterwards an Alarum. It will not be:-Retire into your trenches: Alarum. Another skirmish. What stir is this? What tumults in the hea-You all consented unto Salisbury's death, |