In private will I talk with thee apart;—

Stand back, you lords, and give us leave awhile.
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 may 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 high terms:
Only this proof I'll of thy valour 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 prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd sword,

Deck'd with fine flower-de-luces on each side;

The which, at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's churchyard,
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, and LA PUCELLE overcomes.

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, 't is thou that must help me:
Impatiently I burn with thy desire:

My heart and hands thou hast at once subdued.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so,

a Resolve-be firmly persuaded.

Fine. The original has five.

Let me thy servant, and not sovereign, be;
"T is 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. 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. Assign'd 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 2.
CHAR. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove"?
Thou with an eagle art inspired 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 immortaliz'd.

CHAR. Presently we 'll try:-Come, let 's away about it:
No prophet will I trust, if she prove false.

a Saint Martin's summer-fine weather in November-prosperity after misfortune.

[Exeunt.

GLO. I will not answer thee with words, but blows. [Here they skirmish again. MAY. Nought rests for me, in this tumultuous strife,

But to make open proclamation :

Come, officer, as loud as e'er thou canst cry.

OFF. "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 costa, 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 clear'd, and then we will depart.-
Good God! that nobles should such stomachs bear!
I myself fight not once in forty year.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-France. Before Orleans.

Enter, on the walls, the Master-Gunner and his Son.

M. GUN. Sirrah, thou know'st how Orleans is besieg'd,
And how the English have the suburbs won.

SON. Father, I know; and oft have shot at them,
Howe'er, unfortunate, I miss'd my aim.

M. GUN. But now thou shalt not. Be thou rul'd by me:
Chief master-gunner am I of this town;

Something I must do to procure me grace.
The prince's espials have informed me,

How the English, in the suburbs close intrench'd,
Wont, through a secret grate of iron bars

In yonder tower, to overpeer the city;

And thence discover how, with most advantage,
They may vex us, with shot, or with assault.

To intercept this inconvenience,

A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have plac'd;

⚫ Wont. The old copies read went. The correction, which is a very judicious one, was made

by Tyrwhitt. Wont-are accustomed-accords with the construction of the remainder of the

sentence.

HISTORIES.-VOL. II.

B

And fully even these three days have I watch'd
If I could see them. Now, boy, do thou watch,
For I can stay no longer.

If thou spy'st any, run and bring me word;
And thou shalt find me at the governor's.
SON. Father, I warrant you; take you no care;
I'll never trouble you if I may spy them.

[Exit

Enter, in an upper chamber of a tower, the LORDS SALISBURY and TALBOT,

Sir WILLIAM GLANSDALE, Sir THOMAS GARGRAVE, and others.

SAL. Talbot, my life, my joy, again return'd!

How wert thou handled, being prisoner?

Or by what means gott'st thou to be releas'd?
Discourse, I prithee, on this turret's top.
TAL. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner,
Called the brave lord Ponton de Santrailles;
For him was I exchang'd and ransomed.
But with a baser man of arms by far,

Once, in contempt, they would have barter'd me;
Which I, disdaining, scorn'd; and craved death,
Rather than I would be so pil'd-esteem'de.
In fine, redeem'd I was as I desir'd.

Whom with my bare fists I would execute,

If I now had him brought into my power.
SAL. Yet tell'st thou not how thou wert entertain'd.
TAL. With scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious taunts.
In open market-place produc'd they me,

To be a public spectacle to all:

Here, said they, is the terror of the French,

The scarecrow that affrights our children so.

Then broke I from the officers that led me;

And with my nails digg'd stones out of the ground,

To hurl at the beholders of my shame.

My grisly countenance made others fly;

None durst come near, for fear of sudden death.

In iron walls they deem'd me not secure;

So great fear of my name 'mongst them was spread,

That they suppos'd I could rend bars of steel,

a We follow the reading of the second folio. In the first the passage stands thus:

"And even these three days have I watch'd

If I could see them.

Now do thou watch."

Duke. The original has earl.

• Pil'd esteem'd in the original. Malone's correction to vile-esteem'd is natural and unforced. It has been suggested to us that pil'd is from pili—" Flocci, nauci, nihili, pili."

And spurn in pieces posts of adamant:
Wherefore a guard of chosen shot I had,
That walk'd about me every minute-while;
And if I did but stir out of my bed,
Ready they were to shoot me to the heart.
SAL. I grieve to hear what torments you endur'd;
But we will be reveng'd sufficiently.

Now it is supper-time in Orleans:

Here, thorough this grate, I count each onea,
And view the Frenchmen how they fortify;

Let us look in, the sight will much delight thee.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, and sir William Glansdale,
Let me have your express opinions,

Where is best place to make our battery next.

GAR. I think, at the north gate; for there stand lords.
GLAN. And I, here, at the bulwark of the bridge.

TAL. For aught I see, this city must be famish'd,
Or with light skirmishes enfeebled.

[Shot from the town. SALISBURY and GARGRAVE fall.

SAL. O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched sinners!

GAR. O Lord, have mercy on me, woeful man!

TAL. What chance is this that suddenly hath cross'd us?—
Speak, Salisbury; at least, if thou canst speak;

How far'st thou, mirror of all martial men?

One of thy eyes, and thy cheek's side, struck off!—

Accursed tower! accursed fatal hand,

That hath contriv'd this woeful tragedy!

In thirteen battles Salisbury o'ercame;

Henry the fifth he first train'd to the wars;

Whilst any trump did sound, or drum struck up,
His sword did ne'er leave striking in the field.
Yet liv'st thou, Salisbury? though thy speech doth fail,
One eye thou hast, to look to heaven for grace:
The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.
Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive,
If Salisbury wants mercy at thy hand!
Bear hence his body, I will help to bury it.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, hast thou any life?
Speak unto Talbot; nay, look up to him.
Salisbury, cheer thy spirit with this comfort;
Thou shalt not die, whiles-

He beckons with his hand, and smiles on me;
As who should say, "When I am dead and gone,

a The second folio, which is generally followed, reads,—