Enter a third Messenger. 3rd 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? 3rd Mess. O no: wherein Lord Talbot was o'erthrown. The circumstance I'll tell you more at large :- Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, They pitched in the ground confusedly, Here, there, and everywhere, enraged he slew. A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace, Durst not presume to look once in the face. Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, For living idly here, in pomp and ease, Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid, Unto his dastard foemen is betrayed. 3rd Mess. O no, he lives, but is took prisoner: And Lord Scales with him, and Lord Hungerford : Most of the rest slaughtered or took likewise. Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay : 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, Glo. I'll to the Tower, with all the haste I can, To view the artillery and munition : And then I will proclaim young Henry king. [Exit. Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young King is, Being ordained 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. [Exit. Scene closes. SCENE II.-France. Before Orleans. Enter CHARLES, with his Forces; ALENCON, REIGNIER, and others. Char. Mars his true moving (even as in the heavens So in the earth) to this day is not known. Faintly besiege us one hour in a month. Alen. They want their porridge and their fat bull-beeves: Either they must be dieted like mules, Reig. Let's raise the siege: why live we idly here? Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear: Remaineth none but mad-brained Salisbury, And he may well in fretting spend his gall; Char. Sound, sound alarum: we will rush on them. Now for the honour of the forlorn French! [Exeunt. Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENCON, REIGNIER, and others. Char. Who ever saw the like? what men have I ! Dogs, cowards, dastards!-I would ne'er have fled, But that they left me 'midst my enemies. Alen. Froissart, a countryman of ours, records, It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten; Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair-brained slaves, And hunger will enforce them to be more eager. 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 appalled: Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? Char. Go, call her in. [Exit BASTARD.] But first, to try her skill, Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place : Enter LA PUCELLE, BASTARD of ORLEANS, and others. Reig. Fair maid, is 't thou wilt do those wondrous feats? Puc. Reignier, is 't thou that thinkest to beguile me ? Where is the Dauphin?-come, come from behind: My wit untrained in any kind of art. Lo, whilst I waited on my tender lambs, Char. Stay, stay thy hand! 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, 't is thou that must help me. Impatiently I burn with thy desire: My heart and hands thou hast at once subdued. Char. Meantime 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 are shrewd tempters with their tongues. 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 confirm: we'll fight it out. Puc. Assigned 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 fortune bare at once. Char. Was Mahomet inspiréd with a dove? Thou with an eagle art inspiréd, 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 canst to save our honours: Drive them from Orleans, and be immortalized. 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: it is Gloster that calls. [Servants knock. 1st Ward. [within.] Who's there that knocks so imperiously? 1st Serv. It is the noble Duke of Gloster. 2nd Ward. [within.] Whoe'er he be, we may not let him in. 1st Serv. Villains, answer you so the Lord Protector? 1st Ward. [within.] The Lord protect him! So we answer him. We do no otherwise than we are willed. Glo. Who willed you; or whose will stands but mine? There's none protector of the realm but I.— 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. 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. 1st 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. Peeled 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: This be Damascus: be thou cursed Cain, Glo. I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back. Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing-cloth, Glo. What am I dared and bearded to my face? Draw, men, for all this privilegéd 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. 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 distrained 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, "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. [Exeunt. May. See the coast cleared, and then we will depart. Good God, that nobles should such stomachs bear! I myself fight not once in forty year. [Exeunt. Chief master-gunner am I of this town; And thence discover how, with most advantage, A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have placed; Now, do thou watch, for I can stay no longer. Enter, in an upper Chamber of a Tower, the Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy, again returned! How wert thou handled, being prisoner; Or by what means gott'st thou to be released? Discourse, I pr'y thee, 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 ransoméd. But with a baser man of arms by far, Once, in contempt, they would have bartered me: Which I disdaining scorned, and cravéd death Rather than I would be so piled esteemed. In fine, redeemed I was as I desired. But O, the treacherous Fastolfe wounds my heart! Whom with my bare fists I would execute, If now I had him brought into my power. Sal. Yet tell'st thou not how thou wert entertained. Tal. With scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious taunts. In open market-place produced they me, |