Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

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.-

Break up the gates, I'll be your warrantize :
Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms?

SERVANTS rush at the Tower gates. Enter, to the gates,
WOODVILLE, the Lieutenant.

Wood. [within]. What noise is this? what traitors have we here?

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; The cardinal of Winchester forbids:

From him I have express commandment,

That thou, nor none of thine, shall be let in.

Glo. Faint-hearted Woodville, prizest him 'fore me ?
Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate,

Whom Henry, our late sovereign, ne'er could brook?
Thou art no friend to God, or to the king:

Open the gates, or I'll shut thee out shortly.

1 Serv. Open the gates unto the lord protector; Or we'll burst them open, if that you come not quickly.

Enter WINCHESTER, attended by a Train of Servants in tawny coats.

Win. How now, ambitious Humphrey? what means this? Glo. Piel'd priest,† dost thou command me to be shut out? Win. I do, thou most usurping proditor,+

And not protector of the king or realm.

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 canvas§ thee in thy broad cardinal's hat,

If thou proceed in this thy insolence.

Win. Nay, stand thou back, I will not budge a foot; This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain,

To slay thy brother Abel, if thou wilt.

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.

Win. Do what thou dar'st; I beard thee to thy face.
Glo. What? am I dared, and bearded to my face?-

* Break open.

↑ Traitor.

+ Alluding to his shaven crown.
§ Sift.

Cain is said to have slain Abe on an eminence four miles from

Damascus.

Draw, men, for all this privileged place;

Blue-coats to tawny-coats. Priest, beware your beard;

[GLOSTER and his men attack the Bishop.

I mean to tug it, and to cuff you soundly:
Under my feet I stamp thy cardinal's hat;
In spite of pope or dignities of church,
Here by the cheeks I'll drag thee up and down.
Win. Gloster, thou'lt answer this before the pope.
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, tawny coats! out scarlet hypocrite!

Here a great tumult. _ In the midst of it, Enter the MAYOR of
London and Officers.

May. Fie, lords! that you, being supreme magistrates,
Thus contumeliously should break the peace!

Glo. Peace, mayor; thou know'st little of my wrongs:
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'ercharging your free purses with large fines;
That seeks to overthrow religion,
Because he is protector of the realm;

And would have armour 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 e'er thou canst.

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 is more haughty than the devil.

Glo. Mayor, farewell: thou dost but what thou mayst.
Win. Abominable Gloster! guard thy head;

For I intend to have it,'ere long.

May. See the coast clear'd, and then we will depart.-
Good God! that nobles should such stomachs bear!
I myself fight not once in forty year.

[ocr errors]

*An allusion to the bishop's licentious manners.

+ That is, for peace-officers armed with clubs or staves.
+ Pride.

[Exit.

[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 besieged; 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.

M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou ruled by me: Chief master-gunner am I of this town;

Something I must do to procure me grace:

The prince's espials* have informed me,

How the English, in the suburbs close intrench'd,
Wont, through a secret gate of iron bars
In yonder tower, to overpeer 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 placed;
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.

Son. Father, I warrant you; take you no care;

I'll never trouble you, if I may spy them.

LExit.

Enter, in an upper chamber of a tower, the Lords SALISBURY and TALBOT, SIR WILLIAM GLANSDALE, SIR THOMAS GARGRAVE, and others.

Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy, again return'd!
How wert thou handled, being prisoner?
Or by what means got'st thou to be released ?
Discourse, I pr'ythee, on this turret's top.

Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner,
Called-the brave lord Ponton de Santrailles;
For him I was exchanged 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 piled esteem'd.†
In fine, redeem'd I was as I desired.

But, O! 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 entertain❜d.

Tal. With scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious taunts. In open market-place produced they me,

To be a public spectacle to all;

Here, said they, is the terror of the French,

[blocks in formation]

The scare-crow, that affrights our children so.
Then broke I from the officers that led me;
And with my nails digg'd stones out of the ground,
To hurl at the beholders of my shame.

My grisly countenance made others fly;
None durst come near for fear of sudden death.
In iron walls they deem'd me not secure;

So great fear of my name 'mongst them was spread,
That they supposed, I could rend bars of steel,
And spurn in pieces posts of adamant:
Wherefore a guard of chosen shot I had,
That walk'd about me every minute-while;
And if I did but stir out of my bed,

Ready they were to shoot me to the heart.

Sal. I grieve to hear what torments you endured; But we will be revenged sufficiently.

Now it is supper-time in Orleans:

Here, through this grate, I can count every one,
And view the Frenchmen how they fortify;
Let us look in, the sight will much delight thee.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, and Sir William Glansdale,
Let me have your express opinions,

Where is best place to make our battery next.

Gar. I think at the north gate; for there stand lords.
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;

How far'st thou, mirror of all martial men?

One of thy eyes, and thy cheek's side struck off !—
Accursed tower! accursed fatal hand,

That have contrived this woeful tragedy!
In thirteen battles Salisbury o'ercame;

Henry the fifth he first train'd to the wars;

Whilst any trump did sound, or drum struck up,
His sword did ne'er leave striking in the field.—

Yet liv'st thou, Salisbury? though thy speech doth fail,
One eye thou hast, to look to heaven for grace:
The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.-
Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive,
If Salisbury wants mercy at thy hands!—
Bear hence his body, I will help to bury it.-
Sir Thomas Gargrave, hast thou any life?
Speak unto Talbot; nay, look up to him.
Salisbury, cheer thy spirit with this comfort;
Thou shalt not die, whiles-

He beckons with his hand, and smiles on me:
As who should say, When I am dead and gone,

Remember to avenge me on the French.-
Plantagenet, 1 will; and Nero-like,

Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn:
Wretched shall France be only in my name.

[Thunder heard; afterwards an alarum.

What stir is this? What tumult 's in the heavens ?
Whence cometh this alarum, and the 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.

[SALISBURY

Tal. Hear, hear, how dying Salisbury doth groan!
It irks his heart, he cannot be revenged.-
Frenchmen, I'll be a Salisbury to you :-
Pucelle or puzzle, 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,

groans.

And then we'll try what these dastardly Frenchmen dare. [Exeunt, bearing out the bodies.

SCENE V.-The same. Before one of the Gates.

Alarum. Skirmishings. TALBOT pursueth the DAUPHIN, and driveth him in: then enter JOAN LA PUCELLE, driving English men 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.

Here, here she comes: -I'll have a bout with thee;
Devil, or devil's dam, I'll conjure thee:

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;

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.
Puc. Talbot, farewell; thy hour is not yet come:
I must go victual Orleans forthwith.

O'ertake me, if thou canst; I scorn thy strength.
Go, go, cheer up thy hunger-starved men ;

* Dirty wench.

[They fight.

+ The superstition of those times taught, that he who could draw a witch's blood was free from her power.

[blocks in formation]
« ZurückWeiter »