Glo. Cardinal, I'll be no breaker of the law: Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work. Win. Abominable Glofter! guard thy head; 5 Tal. With fcoffs, and fcorns, and contumelious taunts. In open market-place produc'd they me, Here, faid they, is the terror of the French, 10 My grifly countenance made others fly; Good God! that nobles fhould fuch ftomachs bear! Enter the Mafier-Gunner of Orleans, and his Boy. And how the English have the fuburbs won. Boy. Father, I know; and oft have fhot at them, Howe'er, unfortunate, I mifs'd my aim. Ready they were to shoot me to the heart. Sal. I grieve to hear what torments you en- But we will be reveng'd fufficiently. Now it is fupper-time in Orleans: M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou 25 Here, through this grate, I can count every one, rul'd by me: Chief mafter-gunner am I of this town; A piece of ordnance 'gainft it I have plac'd; If thou spy'ft any, run and bring me word; Glanfdale and Sir Tho. Gargrave, on the turrets. Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prifoner, But, oh! the treacherous Faftolfe wounds my Whom with my bare fifts I would execute, Elpials are fpies. bongurs. And view the Frenchmen how they fortify; 30 Where is best place to make our battery next. lords. Glan. And I here, at the bulwark of the bridge. Tal. For aught I fee, this city must be famish'd, 35 Or with light fkirmishes enfeebled. 1401 [Shot from the town. Salisbury and Sir Tho. Gargrave fall down. Sal. O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched finners! Gar. O Lord, have mercy on me, woeful man! crofs'd us? Speak, Salisbury; at leaft, if thou canst speak; 5 Whilft any trump did found, or drum ftruck up, fail, One eye thou haft to look to heaven for grace: He beckons with his hand, and smiles on me; 2 Wont, i. e. were accuftomed. 3 So pill'd, means lo pillaged, fo fripp'd of As As who fhould fay, When I am dead and gone, Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's I know not where I am, nor what I do : 5 Drives back our troops, and conquers as the lifts: Meff. My lord, my lord, the French have 10 The Dauphin, with one Jean la Pucelle join'd,- Is come with a great power to raise the fiege. It irks his heart, he cannot be reveng'd.- Hark, countrymen! either renew the fight, [Alarum. Here another skirmish. It will not be :-Retire into your trenches: Your hearts I'll stamp out with my horfe's heels, Here an alarum again; and Talbot purfueth the Tal. Where is my strength, my valour, and my Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them; 30 In fpight of us, or aught that we could do. [Exit Talbot. [Alarum, retreat, flourish. SCEN E VI. Enter, on the walls, Pucelle, Dauphin, Reignier, Pucel. Advance our waving colours on the walls 35 Thy promifes are like Adonis' gardens, Here, here fhe comes :-I'll have a bout with thee; [They fight. Tal. Heavens, can you fuffer hell fo to prevail My breast I'll burft with ftraining of my courage, And from my shoulders crack my arms afunder, But I will chaftife this high-minded strumpet. Pucel. Talbot, farewell; thy hour is not yet I must go victual Orleans forthwith. [come: [A bort alarum. Then enters the town with O'ertake me if thou canst; I scorn thy ftrength. [Exit Pucelle. 45 Reig. Why ring not out the bells throughout the town? Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfires, Alen. All France will be replete with mirth and joy, When they thall hear how we have play'd the men, Mr. Tollet fays, Puffel means a dirty quench or a drab, from puzza, i. e. malus fætor, fays Minfhew. In a tranflation from Stephens's Apology for Herodotus, in 1607, p. 98, we read," Some filthy queans, especially our puzzles of Paris, ufe this other theft." 2 The fuperftition of thofe times taught, that he that could draw the witch's blood, was free from her power. 3 Rhodope was' a famous ftrumpet, who acquired great riches by her trade. The leaft but moft finished of the Egyptian pyramids was built by her. She is faid afterwards to have married Pfammetichus, king of Egypt. Her afhes, in an urn more precious No longer on Saint Denis will we cry, But Joan la Pucelle shall be France's faint, After this golden day of victory. [Flourish. Exeunt. SCENE I. ACT А С Т II. Of English Henry, fhall this night appear 15 The English, fealing the walls, cry, St. George! 20 (When others fleep upon their quiet beds) 30 Bed. Coward of France !--how much he wrongs his 35 fame, Defpairing of his own arm's fortitude, To join with witches, and the help of hell. But what's that Pucelle, whom they term fo pure ?40 Bed. A maid! and be fo martial! Bur. Pray God, the prove not mafculine ere long; Tal. Well, let them practise and converfe with God is our fortrefs; in whofe conquering name, A Talbat! Cent. [Within.] Arm, arm! the enemy doth make affault! The French leap over the walls in their fhirts. Enter Several ways, Baftard, Alençon, Reignier, half ready, and half unready. Alen. How now, my lords? what all unready2 fo? More venturous, or defperate, than this. Enter Charles, and Pucelle. Baft. Tut! holy Joan was his defenfive guard. his friend? At all times will you have my power alike? Or will you blame and lay the fault on me?Improvident foldiers! had your watch been good, 45 This fudden mifchief never could have fall'n. Char. Duke of Alençon, this was your default; Bed. Afcend, brave Talbot; we will follow thee. 50 As that whereof I had the government, Tal. Not all together: better far, I guess, That we do make our entrance feveral ways; That, if it chance the one of us do fail, The other yet may rise against their force. 551 Bur. And I to this. [grave. Tal. And here will Talbot mount, or make his Now, Salisbury! for thee, and for the right We had not been thus fhamefully furpriz'd. Reign. And fo was mine, my lord. Char. And, for myself, most part of all this night, Within her quarter, and mine own precinct, I was employ'd in paffing to and fro, About relieving of the centinels: Then how, or which way, fhould they first break in? When Alexander the Great took the city of Gaza, the metropolis of Syria, amidst the other (poils and wealth of Darius treasured up there, he found an exceeding rich and beautiful little cheft or cafket, and afked thofe about him what they thought fitteft to be laid up in it. When they had feverally delivered their opinions, he told them, he efteemed nothing fo worthy to be preferved in it as Homer's Iliad, Unready was the current word in thofe times for undref:'d. Pucel [Retreat. Tal. Bring forth the body of old Salisbury; A tomb, wherein his corpfe fhall be interr'd: [began, Whofe glory fills the world with loud report. Bur. Is it even fo? Nay, then, I fee, our wars Will turn into a peaceful comic sport, When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.5 You may not, my lord, defpife her gentle fuit. Tal. Ne'er truft me then; for, when a world of men Could not prevail with all their oratory, Bed. No, truly; that is more than manners will: And I have heard it faid,-Unbidden guests 15 Are often welcomeft when they are gone. 20 25 Tal. Well then, alone, fince there's no remedy, I mean to prove this lady's courtesy. Come hither, captain. [Whispers]-You perceive my mind. Capt. I do, my lord; and mean accordingly. Enter the Countess, and her Porter. Count. Porter, remember what I gave in charge; And, when you have done fo, bring the keys to me. Port. Madam, I will. Count. The plot is laid: if all things fall out right, 301 fhall as famous be by this exploit, [Exit. As Scythian Tomyris by Cyrus' death. Great is the rumour of this dreadful knight, And his atchievements of no less account : Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears, 35 To give their cenfure of these rare reports. Enter Mejenger, and Talbot. Bed. 'Tis thought, lord Talbot, when the fight 40 Bur. Myfelf (as far as I could well difcern, Mess. Madam, according as your ladyship defir'd, Count. [as mufing] Is this the scourge of France ? 451 thought, I should have seen fome Hercules, It cannot be, this weak and wrizled shrimp 50 Should ftrike fuch terror to his enemies. Meff. All hail, my lords!" which of this princely with him? Melf. The virtuous lady, countess of Auvergne, With modefty admiring thy renown, By me entreats, great lord, thou wouldst vouchsafe 60 To vifit her poor caftle where he lies; That the may boaft, the hath beheld the man Tal. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you : But, fince your ladyship is not at leifure, I'll fort fome other time to vifit you. Count. What means he now?-Go ask him, whither he goes. Meff. 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, go to certify her, Talbot's here. Re-enter Porter with keys. Count. If thou be he, then art thou prifoner. Tal. Prifoner! to whom? 1 This alludes to a popular tradition, that the French women, to affray their children, would tell them, that the TALBOT cometh. See alfo the end of Sc. iii. Act II. Nn4 Count. Count. To me, blood-thirfty lord; And for that caufe I train'd thee to my houfe. But now the fubftance fhall endure the like: Dare no man answer in a cafe of truth? Plant. Then fay at once, if I maintain'd the 5 Or, elfe, was wrangling Somerset in the error? [turn to moan.ro ant. Why, art not thou the man? Tal. I am, indeed. Count. Then have I fubftance too. Ta. No, no, I am but shadow of myself: I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here, Your roof were not fufficient to contain it. Sem. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then between us. [er pitch, War. Between two hawks, which flies the highBetween two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth, Between two blades, which bears the better temper, Between two horfes, which doth bear him best, 15 Between two girls, which hath the merrieft eye, I have, perhaps, fome fhallow fpirit of judgment: But in thefe nice fharp quillets of the law, Good faith, I am no wifer than a daw. Plant. Tut, tut, here is a mannerly forbearance: 20 The truth appears fo naked on my fide, That any purblind eye may find it out. Count. This is a riddling merchant for the nonce ; 25 Tal. That will I fhew you prefently. Enter Soldiers. How fay you, madam? are you now perfuaded, Count. Victorious Talbot! pardon my abuse : Tal. Be not difmay'd, fair lady; nor mifconftrue Count. With all my heart; and think me honoured Lerd.n. The Temple Garden. Sem. And on my fide it is fo well apparell'd, So clear, fo fh ning, and fo evident, That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye. In dumb fignificants proclaim your thoughts: 351 40 45) Sum. Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer, pluck this white rofe, with Plantagenet. Suf. I pluck this red rofe, with young Somerset ; And fay withal, I think he held the right. Ver. Stay, lords, and gentlemen; and pluck no more, Till you conclude that he, upon whofe fide Ver. Then for the truth and plainnefs of the cafe Som. Prick not your finger as you pluck it off; Left, bleeding, you do paint the white rofe red, And fall on my fide fo against your will. Ver. If I, my lord, for my opinion bleed, 55 Opinion fhall be furgeon to my hurt, And keep me on the fide where ftill I am. Som. Well, well, come on: Who elfe? Lawyer. Unless my study and my books be falfe, i. e. fo foolish. 2 The term merchant, which was, and now is, frequently applied to the lowest fort of dealers, feems anciently to have been used on familiar occafions in contradiftinction to gentleman ; fignifying, that the perfon shewed by his behaviour he was a low fellow. The word chap, i. e. chapman, a word of the fame import with merchant, in its lefs refpectable fenfe, is ftill in common use, particularly in Staffordinire, and the adjoining counties, as a common denomination for any perfon of whom they mean to speak with freedom or difrefpe&t. 3 The role (as the fables fay) was the symbol of filence, and confecrated by Cupid to Harpocrates, to conceal the lewd pranks of his mother. 4 Colours is here ufed ambiguously for tints and deceits. 5 i. e. it is justly propofed. The |