Fiends appearing to LA PUCELLE, Lords, Warders of the Tower, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and several Attendants both on the

the Tower.

SCENE I.-Westminster Abbey.

Dead March. Corpse of King HENRY the Fifth discovered, lying in state; attended on by the Dukes of BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and EXETER; the Earl of WARWICK, the Bishop of WINCHESTER, Heralds, &c.

Bed. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!

Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky;
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars,
That have consented unto Henry's death!
Henry the fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er lost a king of so much worth.
Glo. England ne'er had a king, until bis
time.

Virtue he had, deserving to command;

Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood?

Henry is dead, and never shall revive:
Upon a wooden coffin we attend;
And death's dishonourable victory
We with our stately presence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What? shall we curse the planets of mishap,
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow ?
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verses have contriv'd his end?

You are disputing of your generals.
One would have ling'ring wars with little cost;
Another would fly swift but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expence at all,

Awake, awake, English nobility!
Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot:
Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
Of England's coat one half is cut away.

His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: None do you like but an effeminate prince, Whom, like a school-boy, you may over-awe.

Win. Gloster, whate'er we like, thou art protector;

And lookest to command the prince, and realm. Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe, More than God, or religious churchmen, may.

Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st,

Except it be to pray against thy foes.

Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!

Let's to the altar :-Heralds, wait on us :-
Instead of gold, we'll offer up our arms;
Since arms avail not, now that Henry's dead. -
Posterity, await for wretched years,
When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall

suck;

Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her flowing tides. Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France:

Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.Away with these disgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, To weep their intermissive miseries.

Enter another Messenger.

2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance,

France is revolted from the English quite;
Except some petty towns of no import:
The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims;
The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd;
Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
The duke of Alençon flieth to his side.

Ere. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! 0, whither shall we fly from this reproach ?

Glo. We will not fly, but to our enemies' throats:

Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out.

Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness?

Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
And none but women left to wail the dead.-

Henry the fifth! thy ghost I invocate; Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils! Combat with adverse planets in the heavens ! A far more glorious star thy soul will make,

An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is over-run.

Than Julius Cæsar, or bright

Enter a Messenger.

Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,

Wherewith you now bedew king Henry'shearse,-

Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French.

Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture:

Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so?

Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,

3 Mess. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'er

Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.

The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord, Retiring from the siege of Orleans,

Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,
By three and twenty thousand of the French
Was round encompassed and set upon :
No leisure had he to enrank his men;
He wanted pikes to set before his archers;

Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young kingis, Being ordain'd his special governor; And for his safety there I'll best devise. Exit. Win. Each hath his place and function to attend:

hedges,

They pitched in the ground confusedly,
To keep the horsemen off from breaking in.
More than three hours the fight continued;
Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
Enacted wonders with his sword and lance.
Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand

him;
Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he slew :
The French exclaim'd, The devil was in arms;
All the whole army stood agaz'd on him :
His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,
A Talbot! a Talbot! cried out amain,
And rush'd into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conquest fully been seal'd up,
If Sir John Fastolfe had not play'd the coward;
He, being in the vaward, (plac'd behind,
With purpose to relieve and follow them,)
Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke.
Hence grew the general wreck and massacre;
Enclosed were they with their enemies:
A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back;
Whom all France, with their chief assembled

strength,

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 foe-men is betray'd.

3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford : Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise.

Bed. His ransome there is none but I shall pay:
I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne,
His crown shall be the ransome 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,
To keep our great Saint George's feast withal:
Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take,
Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake.
3 Mess. So you had need; for Orleans is be-
sieg'd;

The English army is grown weak and faint:
The earl of Salisbury craveth supply,
And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,
Since they, so few, watch such a multitude.

Eze. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry

But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office; The king from Eltham I intend to send, And sit at chiefest stern of public weal.

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 :
Late did he shine upon the English side;
Now we are victors, upon us he smiles.
What towns of any moment, but we have?
At pleasure here we lie, near Orleans;
Otherwhiles, the famish'd English, like pale

ghosts,

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,
And have their provender tyed to their mouths,
Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice.
Reig. Let's raise the siege; Why live we idly
here?

Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear:
Remaineth none but mad-brain'd Salisbury;
And he may well in fretting spend his gall,
Nor men, nor money, hath he to make war.
Char. Sound, sound alarum: we will rush on
them.

Now for the honour of the forlorn French :Him I forgive my death, that killeth me, When he sees me go back one foot, or fly.

[Exeunt. eunt.

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 hav fled,

But that they left me 'midst my enemies.
Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide;
He fighteth as one weary of his life.
The other lords, like lions wanting food,
Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.

Alen. Froissard, a countryman of ours, re cords,

England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,
During the time Edward the third did reign.

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not dismay'd, for succour is at hand:
A holy maid hither with me I bring,

Which, by a vision sent to her from heaven,
Ordained is to raise this tedious siege,
And drive the English forth the bounds of France.
The spirit of deep prophecy she hath,
Exceeding the nine sibyls of old Rome;
What's past, and what's to come, she can descry.
Speak, shall I call her in? Believe my words,
For they are certain and unfallible.

Char. Go, call her in: Exit Bastard. But, first, to try her skill,

Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place: Question her proudly, let thy looks be stern:By this means shall we sound what skill she hath. [Retires.

Enter LA PUCELLE, Bastard of ORLEANS, and

Others.

Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do those wond'rous feats?

Puc. Reignier, is't thou that thinkest to beguile me?

Where is the Dauphin?-come, come from behind;

I know thee well, though never seen before.
Be not amaz'd, there's nothing hid from me:
In private will I talk with thee apart ;-
Stand back, you lords, and give us leave a 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 highs

man.

Puc. And, while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a They fight. 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, '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 I think upon a recompense.

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: