BAST. Mine was fecure.

REIG.

And fo was mine, my lord,

CHAR. And, for myself, moft 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 fentinels:

Then how, or which way, should they first break in? Puc. Queftion, my lords, no further of the case, How, or which way; 'tis fure, they found fome

place

But weakly guarded, where the breach was made.
And now there refts no other fhift but this,-
To gather our foldiers, fcatter'd and difpers'd,
And lay new platforms3 to endamage them.

Alarum, Enter an English Soldier crying, a Talbot! a Talbot! They fly, leaving their clothes behind.

SOLD. I'll be fo bold to take what they have left. The cry of Talbot ferves me for a fword;

3 platforms i. e. plans, fchemes. STEEVENS.

A Enter an English Soldier crying, a Talbot! a Talbot!] And afterwards:

The cry of Talbot ferves me for a fword."

Here a popular tradition, exclufive of any chronicle-evidence, was in Shakspeare's mind. Edward Kerke, the old commentator on Spenfer's Paftorals, firft publifhed in 1579, obferves in his notes on June, that Lord Talbot's" nobleneffe bred fuch a terrour in the hearts of the French, that oftimes greate armies were defaited and put to flight, at the only hearing of his name: infomuch that the French women, to affray their children, would tell them, that the TALBOT cometh." See alfo fc. iii. T. WARTON.

The fame is faid in Drayton's Miferies of Queen Margaret, of Lord Warwick :

"And ftill fo fearful was great Warwick's name,
"That being once cry'd on, put them oft to flight,
"On the king's army till at length they light.'

STEEVENS

For I have loaden me with many fpoils,
Uung no other weapon but his name.

[Exit.

Enter TALBOT, BEDFORD, BURGUNDY, a Captain, and Others.

BED. The day begins to break, and night is fled, Whofe pitchy mantle o cr-veil'd the earth. Here found retreat, and ceafe our hot purfuit.

[Retreat founded.

TAL. Bring forth the body of old Salisbury;
And here advance it in the market-place,
The middle centre of this curfed town,
Now have I pay'd my vow unto his foul;

In a note on a former paffage, p. 38, n. 7, I have quoted a paffage from Hall's Chronicle, which probably furnished the author of this play with this circumftance. It is not mentioned by Holinfhed, (Shakspeare's hiftorian,) and is one of the numerous proofs that have convinced me that this play was not the production of our author. See the Efay at the end of the Third Part of King Henry VI. It is furely more probable that the writer of this play fhould have taken this circumftance from the Chronicle which furnifhed him with his plot, than from the Comment on Spenfer's Paftorals. MALONE.

This is one of the floating atoms of intelligence which might have been orally circulated, and confequently have reached our author through other channels than thofe of Spenfer's annotator, or our Englith Chronicler. STEEVENS.

4 Now have I pay'd my vow unto his foul; &c.] So, in the old fpurious play of King John:

Thus hath king Richard's fon perform'd his vow,

"And offer'd Auftria's blood for facrifice

Unto his father's ever-living foul." STEEVENS.

For every drop of blood was drawn from him,
There hath at least five Frenchmen dy'd to-night.
And, that hereafter ages may behold

What ruin happen'd in revenge of him,
Within their chiefeft temple I'll erect

A tomb, wherein his corpfe fhall be interr'd:
Upon the which, that every one may read,
Shall be engrav'd the fack of Orleans;
The treacherous manner of his mournful death,
And what a terror he had been to France.
But, lords, in all our bloody massacre,

I muse, we met not with the Dauphin's grace;
His new-come champion, virtuous Joan of Arc;
Nor any of his false confederates.

BED. 'Tis thought, lord Talbot, when the fight began,

Rous'd on the fudden from their drowfy beds,
They did, amongst the troops of armed men,
Leap o'er the walls for refuge in the field.

BUR. Myself (as far as I could well discern,
For fmoke, and dufky vapours of the night,)
Am fure, I fcar'd the Dauphin, and his trull;
When arm in arm they both came fwiftly running,
Like to a pair of loving turtle-doves,

That could not live afunder day or night.
After that things are fet in order here,

We'll follow them with all the power we have.
Enter a Meffenger.

MESS. All hail, my lords! which of this princely

train

Call
So much applauded through the realm of France?
TAL. Here is the Talbot; Who would fpeak

ye the warlike Talbot, for his acts

with him?

MESS. The virtuous lady, countefs of Auvergne, With modesty admiring thy renown,

By me entreats, great lord, thou wouldft vouchsafe To vifit her poor caftle where fhe lies;

5

That fhe may boaft, fhe hath beheld the man
Whofe glory fills the world with loud report.

BUR. Is it even fo? Nay, then, I fee, our wars
Will turn unto a peaceful comick sport,
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 kindnefs 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.

Come hither, captain. [Whispers.]-You perceive my mind.

CAPT. I do, my lord; and mean accordingly.

[Exeunt.

5 where he lies; i. e. where the dwells. See Vol. XIII. p. 140, n. 6. MALONE.

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 witnefs with mine ears,
To give their cenfure of these rare reports.

Enter Meffenger and TALBOT.

MESS. Madam,

According as your ladyfhip defir'd,

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

COUNT. And he is welcome.

man?

MESS. Madam, it is.

COUNT.

What is this the

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

4

Is this the fcourge of France?

] i. e. their opinion. So, in King

their cenfure
"And give your cenfures in this weighty bufinefs."

Richard III:

STEEVENS.