Stand back, you lords, and give us leave a-¡ Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, while.

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 assur'd 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:
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 flour-de-luces on each side; The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's church-yard,

Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth.

Char. Then come o'God's name, I fear no

Woman.

man.

Puc. And, while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a
[They fight.
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 ;

My heart and hands thou hast at once subdu'd.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so,
Let me thy servant, and not sovereign be;
'Tis the French Dauphin sueth to thee thus.

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 think upon a recompense.
Char. Meantime, look gracious on thy pros-

trate thrall.

Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk. Alen. Doubtless be 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?

These women are shrewd tempters with tongues.

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 fortune 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 Saint Philip's daughters, † were like thee.
Bright star of Venus, fall'n down on the earth,
How may I reverently worship thee enough?
Alen. Leave off delays, and let us raise the
siege.

Reig. Woman, do what thou can'st 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 prove 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. -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.-
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
bear?

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,
That thou, nor none of thine, shall be let in.
Glo. Faint-hearted Woodville, prizest him

The cardinal of Winchester forbids:

'fore me?

Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, Whom Harry, our late sovereign, ne'er could brook ?

Alen. He may mean more than we poor men Thou art no friend to God or to the king: do know: Open the gates, or I'll shut thee out shortly. their 1 Serv. Open the gates unto the lord protector; [quickly. Or we'll burst them open, if that you come not Enter WINCHESTER, Attended by a Train of Servants in tawny Coats.

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 confirin; 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 bave entered into these wars.
Glory is like a circle in the water,

Be firmly persuaded of it.
Expect prosperity after misfortune.

Win. How now, ambitious Humphry? what means this?

Glo. Piel'd priest, dost thou command me to be shut out?

Mahomet persuaded his followers that a dove which he had taught when hungry to light upon his shoulder, and thrust its bill into his mouth, was the Holy Ghost! + Meaning the four daughters of Philip mentioned in Acts xxi. 9. 1 Theft. Break open. Alluding to his shaven crown.

Sal. I grieve to hear what torments you] SCENE V.-The same.-Before one of the

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, I will; and Nero-like,

Gates.

Alarum. Skirmishings.

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.

come:

must go victual Orleans forthwith.
O'ertake me, if thou canst; I scorn thy strength.
Go, go, cheer up thy hunger-starved inen;
Help Salisbury to make his testament:
This day is our's, as many more shall be.

[PUCELLE enters the Town, with Soldiers. Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel;

know not where I am, nor what I do : A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal, Drives back our troops, and conquers, as she

lists:

So bees with smoke, and doves with noisome stench,

Are from their hives and houses driven away.
They call'd us, for our fierceness English
dogs;

Now, like to whelps, we crying run away.
[A short Alarum.
Hark, countrymen ! either renew the fight,
Or tear the lions out of England's coat;
Renounce your soil, give sheep in lion's stead:
Sheep run not half so timorous from the wolf,
Or horse, or oxen, from the leopard,

As you fly from your oft subdued slaves.

[Alarum. Another Skirmish.
It will not be :-Retire into your trenches:
You all consented unto Salisbury's death,
For none would strike a stroke in his revenge.--
Pucelle is enter'd into Orleans,

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 hea-In spite of us, or aught that we could do.

vens ?

Whence cometh this alarum, and the noise?

Enter a MESSENGER.

Mess. My lord, my lord, the French have
gathered 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 groans.
Tal. Hear, hear, how dying Salisbury doth
groan !

It irks his heart, he cannot be reveng'd.-
Frenchmen, I'll be a Salisbury to you:-
Pucelle or puzzel, dolphin or dogfish,

Your hearts I'll stamp out with my horse's

heels,

O would I were to die with Salisbury!
The shame hereof will make me hide my head.
[Alarum. Retreat. Exeunt TALBOT and
his Forces, &c.

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 ?

And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.-Thy promises are like Adonis' gardens,
Convey me Salisbury into his tent,

And then we'll try what these dastardly French

men dare.

[Exeunt, bearing out the Bodies.

A dirty wench.

France, triumph in thy glorious prophetess I
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, comunand the citizens make boufires,
Aud feast and banquet iu 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 play'd the

men.

Char. 'Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day
is won;

For which, I will divide my crown with her :
And all the priests and friars in my realm
Shall, in procession, sing her endless praise.
A statelier pyramis to her I'll rear,
Than Rhodope's, or Memphis', ever was:
In memory of her, when she is dead,
Her ashes, in an urn more precious
Than the rich-jewell'd coffer of Darius +
Transported shall be at high festivals
Before the kings and queens of France.
No longer on St. Dennis will we cry,
But Joan la Pucelle shall be France's saint.
Come in; and let us banquet royally,
After this golden day of victory.

[Flourish. Exeunt.

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 banquetted:
Embrace we then this opportunity;
As fitting best to quittance their deceit,
Contriv'd by art, and baleful sorcery.

Bed. Coward of France !-how much
wrongs his fame,

Despairing of his own arin's fortitude,
To join with witches, and the help of hell.
Bur. Traitors have never other company.—

he

But what's that Pucelle, whom they term so

pure?

Tul. A maid, they say,

Bed. A maid! and be so martial!

Tal. Not all together: 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 grave.-

Now Salisbury! for thee, and for the right
Of English Heury, shall this night appear
How much in duty I am bound to both.

[The English scale the Walls, crying St.
George a Talbot! and all enter by the
Town.

Sent. [Within.] Arm, arm! the enemy doth
make assault!

The French leap over the Walls in their
Shirts. Enter, several ways, BASTARD,
ALENÇON, REIGNIER, half ready, and halj
unready.

Alen. How now, my lords? what, all un-
ready 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.

Alen. Of all exploits, since first I follow'd

arms,

Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprize
More venturous, or desperate than this.
Bast. I think, this Talbot be a fiend of

bell.

Reig. If not of hell, the heavens sure favour him.

Alen. Here cometh Charles; I marvel, how he sped.

Enter CHARLES, and LA PUCELLE. Bast. Tut! holy Joan was his defensive guard.

Char. Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful
dame ?

Make us partakers of a little gain,
Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal,

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?
Sleeping or waking must I still prevail,
Or will you blame and lay the fault on me ?→→
Improvident soldiers! had your watch beer
good,

This sudden mischief never could have fall'n.
Char. Duke of Alençon, this was your de
fault;

That, being captain of the watch to-night,
Did look no better to that weighty charge.
Alen. Had all your quarters been as safely
kept,

As that whereof I had the government,

We had not been thus shamefully surpriz'd.
Bast. Mine was secure.

Reig. And so was nine, my lord.

Char. And, for myself, most part of all this night,

Bur. Pray God, she prove not masculine ere I was employ'd in passing to and fro,

Within her quarter, and mine own precinct,

long;

If underneath the standard, of the French,
She carry armour, as she hath begun.

Tal. Well, let them practise 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.

Rhodope, a famous strumpet, built one of the pyra-To gather our soldiers, scatter'd and dispers'd, mids from the profits of her trade.

ander took Gaza, he found an exceeding rich and beau-
When Alex
ful casket, in which he ordered to be placed a copy of
Homer's Iliad.
The same as guard-room."

Alarum. Enter an English SOLDIER, crying, I mean to prove this lady's courtesy. a Talbot! a Talbot ! They Дy, leaving their Clothes behind.

Sold. I'll be so bold to take what they have
left.

The cry of Talbot serves me for a sword;
For I have loaden me with many spoils,
Using no other weapon but his name.