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Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne; His crown shall be the ransom of my friend: Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours.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; The earl of Salisbury craveth supply,

And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,

Since they, so few, watch such a multitude.

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.

[Earit.

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 send,
And sit at chiefest stern of public weal.

[Exit'.

9 Exit.] The stage-direction in modern editions has been "Exit. Scene closes;" but in the folio, 1623, it is merely "Exit." It may be doubted whether the curtains, separating the audience from the stage, were again drawn together, or whether "the funeral of Henry the Fifth" made its exit, as it had "entered" in the beginning of the scene,

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 known1o. 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; Otherwhiles, the famish'd English, like pale ghosts, Faintly besiege us one hour in a month.

Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat bullbeeves:

Either 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 honour of the forlorn French! 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. Char. Who ever saw the like? what men have I!

10

to this day is not known.] So Nash, (says Steevens,) in one of the prefaces before his "Have with You to Saffron Walden," 1596: "You are as ignorant in the true movings of my muse, as the astronomers are in the true movings of Mars, which to this day they could never attain to."

1 Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat.] The stage-direction in the folio is, "Here Alarum : they are beaten back by the English with great loss."

Dogs! cowards! dastards!-I would ne'er have fled,
But that they left me 'midst my enemies.
Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide;
He fighteth as one weary of his life:
The other lords, like lions wanting food,
Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.

Alen. Froissart, a countryman of ours, records,
England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,
During the time Edward the third did reign.
More truly now may this be verified;
For none but Samsons, and Goliasses,

It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten!
Lean raw-bon'd rascals! who would e'er suppose
They had such courage and audacity?

Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair-brain'd

slaves,

And hunger will enforce them to be more eager :
Of old I know them; rather with their teeth
The walls they'll tear down, than forsake the siege.

Reig. I think, by some odd gimmals, or device,
Their arms are set like clocks' still to strike on;
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 cheer appall'd:

2 I think, by some odd GIMMALS or device,

Their arms are set like clocks-] A" gimmal," or gimmor, as it is spelt in the folio, 1623, is a piece of machinery, which in the text is supposed to strike, like the figures in connexion with clocks, which of old struck the hours. The etymology has been disputed; but possibly it is from the Latin gemellus, and properly signifies a device, composed of double parts corresponding with each other. This is the derivation given by Skinner, Etymol. Ling. Angl.

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not dismay'd, for succour is at hand:
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 words,
For they are certain and unfallible.

Char. Go, call her in. [Exit Bastard.] 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.

[Retires.

Enter LA PUCELLE, Bastard of Orleans, and Others. Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do these wond'rous feats?

Puc. Reignier, is't thou that thinkest to beguile me?

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.
Puc. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's daughter,
My wit untrain❜d in any kind of art.

Heaven and our Lady gracious 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 may see.
Ask me what question thou canst possible,
And I will answer unpremeditated:
My courage try by combat, if thou dar'st,
And thou shalt find that I exceed my sex.
Resolve on this; thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.

Char. 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 thou vanquishest, thy words are true;
Otherwise, I renounce all confidence.

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 church

yard,

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 a man.

[They fight1. 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 must help

me.

Impatiently I burn with thy desire;

3 Deck'd with FIVE flower-de-luces-] In the folio, 1623, the u, instead of v, with which fire was formerly printed, was accidentally turned, and the word is therefore fine; but Holinshed enables us to detect the error, for he states that "fire flower-de-luces were graven on both sides" of the sword of Joan of Arc. They fight.] The old stage-direction is, "Here they fight, and Joan de Pucel overcomes."

VOL. V.

C

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