Fiends appearing to La Pucelle, Lords, Warders of the Tower, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and several Attendants, both on the English and French. SCENE, partly in England, and partly in France. Comets, importing change of times and states, Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time. b"Consented unto," i. e., conspired together to promote. More dazzled and drove back his enemies, [blood? Exe. We mourn in black: why mourn we not in What shall we curse the planets of mishap, men pray'd, Had not church His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck, Enter a Messenger. Mess. My honorable lords, health to you all. Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture: Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans, Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost. [corse? Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead Henry's Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns Will make him burst his lead, and rise from death. Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up? If Henry were recall'd to life again, [ghost. These news would cause him once more yield the Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was us'd? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. One would have lingering wars with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honors new-begot: 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad misFrance is revolted from the English quite, [chance. Except some petty towns of no import: The Dauphin, Charles, is crowned king in Rheims; Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part; The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd; The duke of Alençon flieth to his side. Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! O! whither shall we fly from this reproach? Glo. We will not fly, but to our enemies' throats.Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out. [ness? Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forwardAn army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is over-run. Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse, 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. Bed. Is Talbot slain? then, I will slay myself, 3 Mess. O, no! he lives; but is took prisoner. "Her," i. e., England's. "Their intermissive miseries," i. e., miseries which have had but a short intermission. And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford: Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay. Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn, Either to quell the Dauphin utterly, Or bring him in obedience to your yoke. Bed. I do remember it; and here take my leave, To go about my preparation. [Exit. Glo. I'll to the Tower, with all the haste I can, To view th' artillery and munition; And then I will proclaim young Henry king. [Exit. Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young king is, Being ordain'd his special governor; And for his safety there I'll best devise. [Exit. Win. Each hath his place and function to attend: I am left out; for me nothing remains. But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office: The king from Eltham I intend to steal, And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. [Exit. SCENE II.-France. Before Orleans. Flourish. Enter 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. Late did he shine upon the English side; Now we are victors, upon us he smiles. What towns of any moment but we have? At pleasure here we lie near Orleans; The whiles, the famish'd English, like pale ghosts, Faintly besiege us one hour in a month. [beeves: Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat bullEither they must be dieted like mules, And have their provender tied to their mouths, 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. Now, for the honor of the 3 forborne French! Him I forgive my death, that killeth me, When he sees me go back one foot, or flee. [Exeunt. Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat. Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide; Alen. Froissart, a countryman of ours, records, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, "Their hungry prey," i. e., the prey for which they are hungry. During the time Edward the third did reign. It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten! Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hairbrain'd slaves, And hunger will enforce them be more eager: Enter the Bastard of Orleans. Bast. Where's the prince Dauphin? I have news for him. Char. Bastard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Be not dismay'd, for succor is at hand: Char. Go, call her in. [Exit Bastard.] But I' first, to try her skill, Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place: [Retires. Enter LA PUCELLE, Bastard of Orleans, and others. Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do these wond'rous feats? [me? Puc. 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. [They retire. Puc. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's daughter, My wit untrain'd in any kind of art. Heaven and our gracious Lady hath it pleas'd To shine on my contemptible estate: Lo! whilst I waited on my tender lambs, And to sun's parching heat display'd my cheeks, 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 assured 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 bless'd with, which you see. Ask me what question thou canst possible, And I will answer unpremeditated: A gimmal is a piece of jointed work, where one piece moves within another: here it is taken at large for an engine. Bastard was not formerly a term of reproachCountenance. By "the nine sibyls" are probably meant the nine sibylline books brought to one of the Tarquins. My courage try by combat, if thou dar'st, Char. Thou hast astonish'd me with thy high terms. Puc. I am prepar'd. Here is my keen-edg'd sword, Deck'd with five flower-de-luces on each side; The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's churchyard, Out of a great 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 ne'er fly from no man. [They fight. Char. Stay, stay thy hands! thou art an Amazon, And fightest with the sword of Deborah. [weak. Puc. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too Char. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must help Impatiently I burn with thy desire; [me. My heart and hands thou hast at once subdued. Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so, Let me thy servant, and not sovereign, be: 'Tis the French Dauphin sueth thus to thee. Puc. 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 recompense. [thrall. Char. Mean time look gracious on thy prostrate Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk. 3[They talk apart. 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? [know: Alen. He may mean more than we poor men do These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues. Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise you on? [To him. 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. Puc. Assign'd am I to be the English scourge. This night the siege assuredly I'll raise: Expect Saint Martin's summer, halcyon days, Since I have entered 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; Dispersed are the glories it included. Now am I like that proud insulting ship, Which Cæsar and his 5 fortunes bare at once. Char. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove? Thou with an eagle art inspired, then. Helen, the mother of great Constantine, Nor yet St. Philip's daughters were like thee. Bright star of Venus fall'n down on the earth, How I reverent worship thee enough? Alen. Leave off delays, and let us raise the siege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canst to save our honors. may Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd. [it: Char. Presently we'll try.-Come, let's away about No prophet will I trust, if she prove false. [Exeunt. "Resolve on this," i. e., be convinced of this. —b “ Expect Saint Martin's summer," i. e., expect prosperity after misfortune, like fair weather after winter has begun.-" St. Philip's daughters," i. e., the four daughters of Philip mentioned Acts xxi. 9. SCENE III.-London. Tower Hill. Enter, at the Gates, the Duke of GLOSTER, with his Serving-men. Glo. I am come to survey the Tower this day; Since Henry's death, I fear, there is conveyance.Where be these warders, that they wait not here? Open the gates! 'Tis Gloster that now calls. [Servants knock. 1 Ward. [Within.] Who's there, that knocks so imperiously? 1 Serv. It is the noble duke of Gloster. [let in. 2 Ward. [ Within.] Whoe'er he be, you may not be 1 Serv. Villains, answer you so the lord protector? 1 Ward. [Within.] The Lord protect him! so we answer him: We do no otherwise than we are will'd. [mine? Glo. Lieutenant, is it you whose voice I hear? Open the gates! here's Gloster that would enter. Wood. [Within.] Have patience, noble duke; I may not open; From him I have express commandment, 9 Glo. Stand back, thou manifest conspirator, Thou that contriv'dst to murder our dead lord; Thou that giv'st whores indulgences to sin. I'll canvass thee in thy broad cardinal's hat, If thou proceed in this thy insolence. [foot: Win. Nay, stand thou back; I will not budge a This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain, To slay thy brother Abel, if thou wilt. Glo. Winchester goose! I cry-a rope! a rope!Now beat them hence; why do you let them stay' ? Thee I'll chase hence, thou wolf in sheep's array.— Out, tawney coats!-out, scarlet hypocrite! Here GLOSTER's Men beat out the Cardinal's Men, and enter, in the hurly-burly, the Mayor of London and his Officers. May. Fie, lords! that you, being supreme magis trates, Thus contumeliously should break the peace! Glo. Peace, mayor! thou knowest little of my wrongs. Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king, Win. Here's Gloster too, a foe to citizens; One that still motions war, and never peace, O'ercharging your free purses with large fines; That seeks to overthrow religion, Because he is protector of the realm; And would have armor, here, out of the Tower, To crown himself king, and suppress the prince. Glo. I will not answer thee with words, but blows. [Here they skirmish again. May. Nought rests for me, in this tumultuous strife, But to make open proclamation.— Come, officer: as loud as thou canst cry. Off. 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 to wear, handle, or use, any sword, weapon, or dagger, henceforward, upon pain of death. 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. May. I'll call for clubs, if you will not away.This cardinal's 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 off ere long. [Exeunt. May. See the coast clear'd, and then we will de part. Good God! that nobles should such stomachs bear! I myself fight not once in forty year. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-France. Before Orleans. Enter, on the Walls, the Master-Gunner and his Son. M. Gun. Sirrah, thou know'st how Orleans is besieg'd, And how the English have the suburbs won. Son. Father, I know; and oft have shot at them, Howe'er unfortunate I miss'd my aim. [by me: M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou rul'd Chief master-gunner am I of this town; Something I must do to procure me grace. The prince's espials have informed me, How th' English, in the suburbs close entrench'd, Wont, through a secret grate of iron bars In yonder tower to overpeer the city; And thence discover, how, with most advantage, A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have plac'd; An allusion to the Bishop's habit-"Such stomachs," Le., such haughty pride. Favor.- Spies. [Exit. And thou shalt find me at the governor's. Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner, (taunts. Sal. Yet tell'st thou not, how thou wert entertain'd. None durst come near for fear of sudden death. Sal. I grieve to hear what torments you endur'd, Glan. And I, here, at the bulwark of the bridge. Tal. For aught I see, this city must be famish'd, Or with light skirmishes enfeebled. [Shot from the Town. SALISBURY, and Sir THO. GARGRAVE fall. Sal. O Lord! have mercy on us, wretched sinners. Gar. O Lord! have mercy on me, woeful man. Tal. What chance is this, that suddenly hath cross'd us? Speak, Salisbury; at least, if thou canst speak: One eye thou hast to look to heaven for grace: |