Will turn unto a peaceful comick fport,
When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.-

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,

Yet hath a woman's kindness over- rul'd :-
And therefore tell her, I return great thanks;
And in fubmiffion will attend on her.-
Will not your honours bear me company?
BED. No, truly; it is more than manners will :
And I have heard it faid,-Unbidden guests
Are often welcomeft when they are gone.

TAL. Well then, alone, fince there's no remedy,

I mean to prove this lady's courtesy.
[mind.
Come hither, captain. [Whispers.]-You perceive my
CAPT. I do, my lord; and mean accordingly. [Exeunt.

SCENE III. Auvergne. Court of the Castle.

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.

[Exit.

COUNT. The plot is laid: if all things fall out right,

I fhall as famous be by this exploit,

As Scythian Thomyris by Cyrus' death.

Great is the rumour of this dreadful knight,

And his achievements of no lefs account:

Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears,

To give their cenfure of these rare reports.

Enter MESSENGER and TALBOT.

MESS. Madam,

According as your ladyfhip defir'd,

By meflage crav'd, fo is lord Talbot come.

COUNT. And he is welcome. What! is this the man?

MESS. Madam, it is.

COUNT. Is this the fcourge of France?

Is this the Talbot, fo much fear'd abroad,

That with his name the mothers ftill their babes?

I fee, report is fabulous and falfe:

I thought, I should have seen some Hercules,
A fecond Hector, for his grim afpéct,

And large proportion of his ftrong-knit limbs.
Alas! this is a child, a filly dwarf :

It cannot be, this weak and writhled shrimp
Should ftrike fuch terror to his enemies.

TAL. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you:
But, fince your ladyship is not at leisure,

I'll fort fome other time to vifit you.

[he goes.

COUNT. What means he now ?_Go ask him, whither MESS. 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, I 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?

COUNT. To me, blood-thirsty lord;

And for that cause I train'd thee to my house.
Long time thy fhadow hath been thrall to me,
For in my gallery thy picture hangs :
But now the fubftance fhall endure the like;
And I will chain these legs and arms of thine,
That haft by tyranny, these many years,
Wafted our country, flain our citizens,
And sent our fons and husbands captivate,
TAL. Ha, ha, ha !

COUNT. Laugheft thou, wretch? thy mirth fhall turn

to moan.

TAL. I laugh to fee your ladyfhip fo fond,

To think that you have aught but Talbot's fhadow,
Whereon to practice your feverity.

COUNT. Why, art not thou the man?

TAL. I am indeed.

COUNT. Then have I fubftance too.

TAL. No, no, I am but fhadow of myself:
You are deceiv'd, my fubftance is not here;
For what you fee, is but the smallest part
And leaft proportion of humanity:

I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here,
It is of fuch a fpacious lofty pitch,

Your roof were not fufficient to contain it.

COUNT. This is a riddling merchant for the nonce; He will be here, and yet he is not here:

How can these contrarieties agree?

TAL. That will I fhow you prefently.

He winds a born. Drums heard; then a peal of ordnance.
The gates being forced, enter Soldiers.

How fay you, madam? are you now perfuaded,
That Talbot is but fhadow of himself?

Thefe are his fubftance, finews, arms, and ftrength,
With which he yoketh your rebellious necks;
Razeth your cities, and fubverts your towns,
And in a moment makes them defolate.

COUNT. Victorious Talbot! pardon my abuse:
I find, thou art no lefs than fame hath bruited,
And more than may be gather'd by thy shape.
Let my presumption not provoke thy wrath;
For I am forry, that with reverence

I did not entertain thee as thou art.

TAL. Be not difmay'd, fair lady; nor misconftrue The mind of Talbot, as you did mistake

The outward compofition of his body.

What you have done, hath not offended me:

No other fatisfaction do I crave,

But only (with your patience,) that we may
Tafte of your wine, and fee what cates you have;
For foldiers' ftomachs always ferve them well.

COUNT. With all my heart; and think me honoured To feaft fo great a warrior in

my house.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. London. The Temple Garden. Enter the Earls of SOMERSET, SUFFOLK, and WARWICK; RICHARD PLANTAGENET, VERNON, and another LAWYER.

PLAN. Great lords, and gentlemen, what means this Dare no man anfwer in a cafe of truth? [filence? SUF. Within the Temple hall we were too loud; The garden here is more convenient.

PLAN. Then say at once, If I maintain'd the truth; Or, elfe, was wrangling Somerfet in the error? SUF. 'Faith, I have been a truant in the law; And never yet could frame my will to it; And, therefore, frame the law unto my will.

SOM. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then between us. WAR. Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch, Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth, Between two blades, which bears the better temper, Between two horfes, which doth bear him beft, Between two girls, which hath the merrieft eye, I have, perhaps, fome fhallow fpirit of judgement : But in thefe nice fharp quillets of the law, Good faith, I am no wifer than a daw.

VOL. IV.

C

PLAN. Tut, tut, here is a mannerly forbearance: The truth appears fo naked on my fide,

That any purblind eye may find it out.

Soм. And on my fide it is fo well apparell'd,
So clear, fo fhining, and fo evident,

That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye.
PLAN. Since you are tongue-ty'd, and so loath to speak,
In dumb fignificants proclaim your thoughts:

Let him, that is a trueborn gentleman,

And ftands upon the honour of his birth,

If he fuppofe that I have pleaded truth,

From off this briar pluck a white rose with me.
SOM. Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer,

But dare maintain the party of the truth,

Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me.

WAR. I love no colours; and, without all colour Of base infinuating flattery,

I 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 whose fide

The feweft roses are cropp'd from the tree,

Shall yield the other in the right opinion.

SOM. Good mafter Vernon, it is well objected;

If I have feweft, I fubfcribe in filence.

PLAN. And I.

VER. Then, for the truth and plainness of the cafe, I pluck this pale and maiden blossom here,

Giving my verdict on the white rose fide.

SOM. Prick not your finger as you pluck it off;

Left, bleeding, you do paint the white rose red,
And fall on my fide so against your will.