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The king from Eltham I intend to steal,1

And sit at chiefest stern of public weal.

[Exit. Scene closes.

SCENE II. France. Before Orleans.

Enter CHARLES, with his Forces; ALENÇON, 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 famished English, like pale ghosts, Faintly besiege us one hour in a month.

Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat bullbeeves.

Either they must be dieted like mules,

And have their provender tied 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-brained 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 honor of the forlorn French.— Him I forgive my death, that killeth me, When he sees me go back one foot, or fly.

[Exeunt.

1 The old copy reads send; the present reading was proposed by Mason, who observes that the king was not at this time in the power of the cardinal, but under the care of the duke of Exeter. The second article of accusation brought against the bishop by the duke of Gloucester is, "that he purposed and disposed him to set hand on the king's person, and to have removed him from Eltham to Windsor, to the intent to put him in governance as him list."-Holinshed, vol. iii. p. 591.

2 “You are as ignorant in the true movings of my muse as the astronomers are in the true movings of Mars, which to this day they could never attain to."—Gabriel Harvey's Hunt is up, by Nash, 1596, Preface.

Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat.

Re-enter CHARLES, ALENÇON, 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.

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, records,
England all Olivers and Rowlands1 bred,
During the time Edward the Third did reign.
More truly now may this be verified 1;
For none but Samsons and Goliasses

It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten!
Lean, raw-boned rascals! who would e'er suppose
They had such courage and audacity?

Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair. brained slaves,

2

And hunger will enforce them to be more eager.
Of old I know them; rather with their teeth
The walls they'll tear down, than forsake the siege.
Reig. I think, by some odd gimmals or device,
Their arms are set, like clocks, still to strike on:
Else ne'er could they hold out so as they do.
By my consent, we'll e'en let them alone.
Alen. Be it so.

Enter the Bastard of Orleans.

Bast. Where's the prince dauphin? I have news for him.

1 These were two of the most famous in the list of Charlemagne's twelve peers; and their exploits are the theme of the old romances. From the equally doughty and unheard-of exploits of these champions, arose the saying of Giving a Rowland for an Oliver, for giving a person as good as he brings.

2 By gimmals, gimbols, gimmers, or gimowes, any kind of device or machinery producing motion was meant. Baret has "the grimew or hinge of a door."

Char. Bastard1 of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Bast. Methinks your looks are sad, your cheer appalled.

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not dismayed, for succor 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; 2
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 infallible.

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 mean shall we sound what skill she hath.
[Retires.

Enter LA PUCELLE, Bastard of Orleans, and others.

Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do these wondrous 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 amazed; there's nothing hid from me:
In private will I talk with thee apart.-

d;

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 untrained in any kind of art.

Heaven, and our Lady gracious, hath it pleased

1 Bastard was not in former times a title of reproach.

2 Warburton says that "there were no nine sibyls of Rome; it is a mistake for the nine Sibylline Oracles brought to one of the Tarquins." But the Poet followed the popular books of his day, which say that "the ten sibyls were women that had the spirit of prophecy (enumerating them), and hat they prophesied of Christ."

To shine on my contemptible estate.
Lo, whilst I waited on my tender lambs,
And to sun's parching heat displayed my cheeks,
God's mother deigned to appear to me;
And, in a vision full of majesty,
Willed me to leave my base vocation,
And free my country from calamity.
Her aid she promised, and assured success:
In complete glory she revealed herself;
And, whereas I was black and swart before,
With those clear rays which she infused on me,
That beauty am I blessed 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 this1 thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.

Char. Thou hast astonished me with thy high terms; Only this proof I'll of thy valor 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 prepared; here is my keen-edged sword, Decked with five flower-de-luces on each side;

The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's church

yard,

Out of a great deal of old iron I chose forth.

Char. Then come, o' God's name; I fear no woman. Puc. And, while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a man. [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;

1 i. e. be convinced of it.

My heart and hands thou hast at once subdued.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so,
Let me thy servant, and not sovereign, be;
'Tis the French dauphin sueth thus to thee.
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; 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 inspired with a dove ??

1 i. e. expect prosperity after misfortune, like fair weather at Martlemas, after winter has begun.

2 Mahomet had a dove "which he used to feed with wheat out of his ear; which dove, when it was hungry, lighted on Mahomet's shoulder, and

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