Char. 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. He may mean more than we poor men do know: These women Shall we give over Orleans, or no? Puc. Why, no, I say, distrustful recreants! it out. Puc. Assign'd am I to be the English scourge. Char. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove? Alen. Leave off delays, and let us raise the siege. Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd. No prophet will I trust, if she prove false. [Exe. Glo. I am come to survey the Tower this day; [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 willed you? or whose will stands but There's none protector of the realm, but I.- Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whose voice I hear? The cardinal of Winchester forbids: Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, Thou art no friend to God, or to the king: 1 Serv. Open the gates unto the lord protector; Win. How now, ambitious Humphrey? what means this? Glo. Piel'd priest, dost thou command me to be Win. I do, thou most usurping proditor, Glo. Stand back, thou manifest conspirator, Win. Nay, stand thou back, I will not budge a This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain, Glo. I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back: 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; [Gloster and his men attack the bishop. May. Fie, lords! that you, being supreme ma- Thus contumeliously should break the peace! wrongs: Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king Servants rush at the Tower gates. Enter, to the One that still motions war, and never peace, gates, Woodville, the lieutenant. O'ercharging your free purses with large fines; Wood. [Within.] What noise is this? what trai-That seeks to overthrow religion, tors have we here? (1) Expect prosperity after misfortune. (2) Meaning the four daughters of Philip, mentioned in Acts xxi, 9, (3) Theft. (4) Break open. (5) Alluding to his shaven crown. (6) Traitor. An allusion to the bishop's habit. Because he is protector of the realm; But to make open proclamation:- Which I, disdaining, scorn'd; and craved death, Sal. Yet tell'st thou not, how thou wert enter- Tal. With scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious Off. All manner of men, assembled here in arms In open market-place produc'd they me, sure: Then broke I from the officers that led me; Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work. Win. Abominable Gloster! guard thy head; [Exeunt. May. See the coast clear'd, and then we will depart. bear! [Exeunt. Sal. I grieve to hear what torments you endur'd, Good God! that nobles should such stomachs 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 rul'd Chief master-gunner am I of this town; How the English, in the suburbs close entrench'd, A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have plac'd; [Exit. If thou spy'st any, run and bring me word; Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy, again return'd! Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner, (1) That is, for peace-officers armed with clubs or staves. 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. [Shot from the town. Salisbury and Sir cross'd us? Speak, Salisbury; at least, if thou canst speak; The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.- He beckons with his hand, and smiles on me; Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn: [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,- 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 Englishmen before her. Then enter Talbot. Tal. Where is my strength, my valour, and my force? Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them; Enter La Pucelle. Here, here she comes:- -I'll have a bout with thee: 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. [Pucelle enters the town, with soldiers. Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel; I know not where I am, nor what I do: [A short alarum. [Alarum. Another skirmish. It will not be :-retire into your trenches: You all consented unto Salisbury's death, In spite of us, or aught that we could do. SCENE VI. The same. Enter, on the walls, Pucelle, Charles, Reignier, Alençon, and soldiers. Puc. Advance our waving colours on the walls; Rescu'd is Orleans from the English wolves:Thus Joan la Pucelle hath perform'd her word. Char. Divinest creature, bright Astræa's daughter, 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 they shall hear how we have played the men, ACT II. SCENE I.-The same. Enter, to the gates, a French Sergeant, and two Sentinels. Serg. Sirs, take your places, and be vigilant: If any noise, or soldier, you perceive, Near to the walls, by some apparent sign, Let us have knowledge at the court of guard. 1 Sent. Sergeant, you shall. [Exit Serg.] Thus are poor servitors (When others sleep upon their quiet beds,) Constrain'd to watch in darkness, rain, and cold. Enter Talbot, Bedford, Burgundy, and forces, with scaling-ladders; their drums beating a dead march. Tal. Lord regent,—and redoubted Burgundy,By whose approach, the regions of Artois, Walloon, and Picardy, are friends to us,This happy night the Frenchmen are secure, Having all day carous'd and banqueted: Embrace we then this opportunity; As fitting best to quittance their deceit, Contriv'd by art, and baleful sorcery. (3) The same as guard-room. Bed. Coward of France!-how much he wrongs [I was employ'd in passing to and fro, his fame, Despairing of his own arm's fortitude, To join with witches, and the help of hell. A maid? and be so martial? Tal. Well, let them practice and converse with spirits: God is our fortress; in whose conquering name, Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks. Bed. Ascend, brave Talbot; we will follow thee. Tal. Not altogether: better far, I guess, That we do make our entrance several ways; That, if it chance the one of us do fail, The other yet may rise against their force. Bed. Agreed; I'll to yon corner. Bur. And I to this. Tal. And here will Talbot mount, or make his The French leap over the walls in their shirts. Enter, several ways, Bastard, Alençon, Reignier, half ready, and half unready. Alen. How now, my lords! what, all unready' so? Bast. Unready? ay, and glad we scap'd so well. Reig. 'Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our beds, Hearing alarums at our chamber-doors. About relieving of the sentinels: Then how, or which way, should they first break in 7 But weakly guarded, where the breach was made. clothes behind. SCENE II-Orleans. Within the town. Enter Talbot, Bedford, Burgundy, a Captain, and others. Bed. The day begins to break, and night is fled, Whose pitchy mantle over-veil'd the earth. Here sound retreat, and cease our hot pursuit. [Retreat sounded, Tal. Bring forth the body of old Salisbury; And here advance it in the market-place, The middle centre of this cursed town.Now have I paid my vow unto his soul; For every drop of blood was drawn from him, There hath at least five Frenchmen died to-night. And, that hereafter ages may behold What ruin happen'd in revenge of him, Within their chiefest temple I'll erect A tomb, wherein his corpse shall be interr'd: Upon the which, that every one may read, Shall be engrav'd the sack of Orleans; The treacherous manner of his mournful death, And what a terror he had been to France. But, lords, in all our bloody massacre, 3 Alen. Of all exploits, since first I follow'd arms, muse, we met not with the dauphin's grace; Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprise Bast. I think, this Talbot be a fiend of hell. Enter Charles and La Pucelle. Bast. Tut! holy Joan was his defensive guard. Char. Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame? Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal, Make us partakers of a little gain, That now our loss might be ten times so much? Puc. Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend? At all times will you have my power alike? Char. Duke of Alençon, this was your default; Alen. Had all your quarters been as safely kept, As that whereof I had the government, We had not been thus shamefully surpris'd. Bast. Mine was secure. Reig. And so was mine, my lord. Char. And, for myself, most part of all this night, Within her quarter, and mine own precinct, His new-come champion, virtuous Joan of Arc; Nor any of his false confederates. Bed. 'Tis thought, lord Talbot, when the fight began, Rous'd on the sudden from their drowsy beds, Bur. Myself (as far as I could well discern, Will turn unto a peaceful comic sport, men Could not prevail with all their oratory, Bed. No, truly; it is more than manners will : Cap. I do, my lord; and mean accordingly. [Exeunt. SCENE III-Auvergne. Court of the castle. Enter the Countess and her Porter. Count. Porter, remember what I gave in charge; And, when you have done so, bring the keys to me. Port. Madam, I will. [Exit. Count. The plot is laid: if all things fall out right, I shall as famous be by this exploit, As Scythian Thomyris by Cyrus' death. Great is the rumour of this dreadful knight, And his achievements of no less account; Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears, To give their censure' of these rare reports. Enter Messenger and Talbot. Mess. Madam, According as your ladyship desir'd, By message crav'd, so is lord Talbot come. Count. And he is welcome. What! is this the] man? Mess. Madam, it is. Count. Is this the scourge of France? I thought, I should have seen some Hercules, It cannot be, this weak and writhled2 shrimp, Tal. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you: Count. What means he now?-Go ask him whither he goes? Mess. Stay, my lord Talbot: for my lady craves To know the cause of your abrupt departure. Tal. Marry, for that she's in a wrong belief, I go to certify her, Talbot's here. Re-enter Porter, with keys. Count. If thou be he, then art thou prisoner. Tal. Prisoner! to whom? Count. To me, blood-thirsty lord; And for that cause I train'd thee to my house. Long time thy shadow hath been thrall to me, For in my gallery thy picture hangs: But now the substance shall endure the like; And I will chain these legs and arms of thine, That hast by tyranny, these many years, Wasted our country, slain our citizens, Tal. I laugh to see your ladyship so fond,3 Count. Why, art not thou the man? I am indeed. Tal. No, no, I am but shadow of myself: I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here, Your roof were not sufficient to contain it. He will be here, and yet he is not here: Tal. That will I show you presently. These are his substance, sinews, arms, and strength, Count. Victorious Talbot! pardon my abuse: I did not entertain thee as thou art. Tal. Be not dismay'd, fair lady; nor misconstrue But only (with your patience,) that we may Count. With all my heart: and think me honoured To feast so great a warrior in my house. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-London. The Temple Garden. Enter the Earls of Somerset, Suffolk, and Warwick; Richard Plantagenet, Vernon, and another Lawyer. Plan. Great lords, and gentlemen, what means this silence? Dare no man answer in a case of truth? Suff. Within the Temple hall we were too loud, The garden here is more convenient. Plan. Then say at once, if I maintain'd the truth; Or else was wrangling Somerset in the error? Suff. 'Faith, I have been a truant in the law; And never yet could frame my will to it; And, therefore, frame the law unto my will. Som. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then between us. War. Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch; Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth; (5) Announced loudly. (6) i. e. Regulate his motions most adroitly. |