Alarum: Excurfions. Enter Sir JOHN FASTOLFE and a Captain. CAP. Whither away, fir John Fastolfe, in such hafte? FAST. Whither away? to fave myself by flight;3 We are like to have the overthrow again. CAP. What! will you fly, and leave lord Talbot? FAST. All the Talbots in the world, to fave my life. Ay, [Exit. CAP. Cowardly knight! ill fortune follow thee! [ Exit. Retreat: Excurfions. Enter, from the town, LA PUCELLE, ALENÇON, CHARLES, &c. and Excunt, flying. BED. Now, quiet foul, depart when heaven please; For I have seen our enemies' overthrow. What is the truft or ftrength of foolish man? 3 -fave myself by flight;] I have no doubt that it was the exaggerated reprefentation of Sir John Faftolfe's cowardice which the author of this play has given, that induced Shakspeare to give the name of Falftaff to his knight. Sir John Faftolfe did indeed fly at the battle of Patay in the year 1429; and is reproached by Talbot in a subsequent scene, for his condu& on that occafion, but no hiftorian has faid that he fled before Rouen. The change of the name had been already made, for throughout the old copy of thi play this flying general is erroneoufly called Falfiaffe. MALONE. Now, quiet foul, depart when heaven please; For I have feen — ] So, in St. Luke, ii. 29: "Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation." STEEVENS. VOL. XIV. Η They, that of late were daring with their fcoffs, Are glad and fain by flight to fave themselves. [Dies, and is carried off in his chair. Alarum Enter TALBOT, BURGUNDY, and Others. TAL. Loft, and recover'd in a day again! BUR. Warlike and martial Talbot, Burgundy Enfhrines thee in his heart; and there erects Thy noble deeds, as valour's monument. TAL. Thanks, gentle duke. But where is Pucelle now? I think, her old familiar is afleep: Now where's the Baflard's braves, and Charles his gleeks? What, all a-mort? Rouen hangs her head for grief, Now will we take fome order' in the town, And then depart to Paris, to the king; For there young Henry, with his nobles, lies. BUR. What wills lord Talbot, pleafeth Bur gundy. TAL. But yet, before we go, let's not forget 5 Dies, &c.] The Duke of Bedford died at Rouen in September, 1435, but not in any action before that town. MALONE. 6 What, all a-mort?] i. e. quite difpirited; a frequent Galli. So, in The Taming of the Shrew: cism. 7 "What, sweeting! all a-mort?" STEEVENS. take fome order-] i. e. make fome neceffary difpofi tions. So, in The Comedy of Errors: "Whilft to take order for the wrong I went." See alfo Othello, fc. ult. STEEVENS. 8 The noble duke of Bedford, late deceas'd, SCENE III, [Exeunt. The fame. The Plains near the City. Enter CHARLES, the Baftard, ALENÇON, LA PuCELLE, and Forces. Puc. Difmay not, princes, at this accident, Nor grieve that Rouen is fo` recovered: Care is no cure, but rather corrofive, For things that are not to be remedy'd. Let frantick Talbot triumph for a while, And like a peacock fweep along his tail; We'll pull his plumes, and take away his train, If Dauphin, and the reft, will be but rul'd. CHAR. We have been guided by thee hitherto, And of thy cunning had no diffidence; One fudden foil fhall never breed diftruft. BAST. Search out thy wit for fecret policies. And we will make thee famous through the world. 8 A braver foldier never couched lancé,] So, in a fubfequent séene, P. 105: "A ftouter champion never handled fword." The fame praife is expreffed with more animation in the Third Part of this play: Ne'er fpur'd their courfers at the trumpet's found.” ALEN. We'll fet thy ftatue in fome holy place, And have thee reverenc'd like a blessed faint; Employ thee then, fweet virgin, for our good. Puc. Then thus it muft be; this doth Joan devife: By fair perfuafions, mix'd with fugar'd words, To leave the Talbot, and to follow us. CHAR. Ay, marry, fweeting, if we could do that, France were no place for Henry's warriors; Nor fhould that nation boaft it fo with us, But be extirped from our provinces.' ALEN. For ever fhould they be expuls'd from France, And not have title of an earldom here. Puc. Your honours fhall perceive how I will work, To bring this matter to the wifhed end. [Drums heard. Hark! by the found of drum, you may perceive Their powers are marching unto Paris-ward. An English March. Enter and pass over, at a diftance, TALBOT and his Forces. There goes the Talbot, with his colours fpread; And all the troops of English after him. 7 But be extirped from our provinces. ] To extirp is to root out. So, in Lord Sterline's Darius, 1603: 8 "The world fhall gather to ex tirp our name." STEEVENS. -expuls'd from France, ] i. e. expelled. So, in Ben Jonson's Sejanus: "The expulfed Apicata finds them there." Again, in Drayton's Mufes Elizium: "And if you expulfe them there, tr They'll hang upon your braided hair." STEEVENS, A French March. Enter the Duke of BURGUNDY and Forces. Now, in the rearward, comes the duke, and his ; Fortune, in favour, makes him lag behind. Summon a parley, we will talk with him. [ A parley founded. CHAR. A parley with the duke of Burgundy. BUR. Who craves a parley with the Burgundy? Puc. The princely Charles of France, thy countryman. BUR. What fay'ft thou, Charles? for I am marching hence. CHAR. Speak, Pucelle; and enchant him with thy words. Puc. Brave Burgundy, undoubted hope of France! Stay, let thy humble handmaid fpeak to thee. BUR. Speak on; but be not over-tedious. Puc. Look on thy country, look on fertile France. And fee the cities and the towns defac'd By wafling ruin of the cruel foe! As looks the mother on her lowly babe,9 9 As looks the mother on her lowly babe,] It is plain Shakspeare wrote-lovely babe, it anfwering to fertile France above, which this domeftic image is brought to illuftrate. WARBURTON. The alteration is easy and probable, but perhaps the poet by lowly babe meant the babe lying low in death. Lowly antwers as well to towns defaced and wafting ruin, as lovely to fertile. JOHNSON. |