Repeat their semblance often on the seas,

That, when thou com'st to kneel at Henry's feet,

Thou may'st bereave him of his wits with wonder. [Exit.

SCENE IV.

Camp of the Duke of York, in Anjou.
Enter YORK, WARWICK, and Others.

York. Bring forth that sorceress, condemn'd to burn.
Enter LA PUCELLE, guarded, and a Shepherd.

Shep. Ah, Joan! this kills thy father's heart outright!

Have I sought every country far and near,
And, now it is my chance to find thee out,
Must I behold thy timeless cruel death?
Ah, Joan, sweet daughter Joan, I'll die with thee!

Puc. Decrepit miser! base ignoble wretch!

was never used as descriptive of excellence, or as applicable to grace. The passage is in truth erroneous, as is also the amendment of former editors. That which I should propose is, to read and, instead of mad, words that might easily have been mistaken for each other:

Bethink thee of her virtues that surmount,

And natural graces, that extinguish art.

That is, think of her virtues that surmount art, and of her natural graces that extinguish it. M. Mason.

3

kills thy father's heart - This phrase occurs likewise in King Henry V, and the Winter's Tale. Steevens.

-timeless-) is untimely. So, in Drayton's Legend of Rqbert Duke of Normandy:

"Thy strength was buried in his timeless death." Steevens. 5 Decrepit miser!) Miser has no relation to avarice in this passage, but simply means a miserable creature. So, in the Interlude of Jacob and Esau, 1568:

"But as for these misers within my fathers tent -."

Again, in Lord Sterline's tragedy of Cræsus, 1604:

"Or think'st thou me of judgement too remiss,
"A miser that in miserie remains,

"The bastard child of fortune, barr'd from bliss,

"Whom heaven doth hate, and all the world disdains?" Again, in Holinshed, p. 760, where he is speaking of the death of Richard III: "And so this miser, at the same verie point, had like chance and fortune," &c. Again, p. 951, among the last words of Lord Cromwell: "for if I should so doo, I were a very wretch and a miser." Again, ibid: “ - and so patiently suffered the stroke of the ax, by a ragged and butcherlie miser, which ill-favouredlie performed the office." Steevens.

I am descended of a gentler blood;

Thou art no father, nor no friend, of mine.

Shep. Out, out!-My lords, an please you, 'tis not so;

I did beget her, all the parish knows:
Her mother liveth yet, can testify,

She was the first fruit of my bachelorship.

War. Graceless! wilt thou deny thy parentage?
York. This argues what her kind of life hath been;

Wicked and vile; and so her death concludes."
Shep. Fy, Joan! that thou wilt be so obstacle!
God knows, thou art a collop of my flesh;8
And for thy sake have I shed many a tear:
Deny me not, I pr'ythee, gentle Joan.

Puc. Peasant, avaunt! - You have suborn'd this man, Of purpose to obscure my noble birth.

Shep. 'Tis true, I gave a noble to the priest, The morn that I was wedded to her mother.Kneel down and take my blessing, good my girl. Wilt thou not stoop? Now cursed be the time Of thy nativity! I would, the milk

Thy mother gave thee, when thou suck'dst her breast,
Had been a little ratsbane for thy sake!

Or else, when thou didst keep my lambs a-field,
I wish some ravenous wolf had eaten thee!
Dost thou deny thy father, cursed drab?

O, burn her, burn her; hanging is too good..

[Exit.

York. Take her away; for she hath liv'd too long,

* This argues what her kind of life hath been;

Wicked and wile; and so her death concludes.] So, in this play, Part II, Act III, sc. iii:

"So bad a death argues a monstrous life." Steevens. 7-that thou wilt be so obstacle!] A vulgar corruption of obstinate, which I think has oddly lasted since our author's time till now. Johnson.

The same corruption may be met with in Gower, and other writers. Thus, in Chapman's May-Day, 1611:

8

"An obstacle young thing it is." Steevens.

a collop of my flesh;] So, in The History of Morindos and Miracola, 1609, quarto, bl. 1: "- yet being his second selfe, a collop of his owne flesh," &c. Ritson.

9

my noble birth.

Shep. 'Tis true I gave a noble-] This passage seems to corroborate an explanation, somewhat far-fetched, which I have given iv. King Henry IV, of the roblemen and romalais

1

To fill the world with vicious qualities.

Puc. First, let me tell you whom you have condemn'd:

Not me1 begotten of a shepherd swain,
But issu'd from the progeny of kings;
Virtuous, and holy; chosen from above,
By inspiration of celestial grace,
To work exceeding miracles on earth.
I never had to do with wicked spirits:
But you, that are polluted with your lusts,
Stain'd with the guiltless blood of innocents,
Corrupt and tainted with a thousand vices,
Because you want the grace that others have,
You judge it straight a thing impossible
To compass wonders, but by help of devils.
No, misconceived!? Joan of Arc hath been
A virgin from her tender infancy,
Chaste and immaculate in very thought;
Whose maiden blood, thus rigorously effus'd,
Will cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.
York. Ay, ay;-away with her to execution.
War. And hark ye, sirs; because she is a maid,
Spare for no fagots, let there be enough:
Place barrels of pitch upon the fatal stake,
That so her torture may be shortened.

Puc. Will nothing turn your unrelenting hearts?-
Then, Joan, discover thine infirmity;
That warranteth by law to be thy privilege. 3-
I am with child, ye bloody homicides:
Murder not then the fruit within my womb,
Although ye hale me to a violent death.

York. Now heaven forefend! the holy maid with child?
War. The greatest miracle that e'er ye wrought:
Is all your strict preciseness come to this?

York. She and the Dauphin have been juggling:
I did imagine what would be her refuge.
War. Well, go to; we will have no bastards live;
Especially, since Charles must father it.

Puc. You are deceiv'd; my child is none of his;

1 Not me-] I believe the author wrote-Not one. Malone. 2 No, misconceived!] i. e. "No, ye misconceivers, ye who mistake me and my qualities." Steevens.

3 That warranteth by law to be thy privilege.] The useless words -to be, which spoil the measure, are an evident interpolation.

Steevens.

It was Alençon, that enjoy'd my love.

York. Alençon! that notorious Machiavel! It dies, an if it had a thousand lives.

Puc. O, give me leave, I have deluded you; 'Twas neither Charles, nor yet the duke I nam'd, But Reignier, king of Naples, that prevail'd.

War. A married man! that's most intolerable. York. Why, here's a girl! I think, she knows not well, There were so many, whom she may accuse. War. It's sign, she hath been liberal and free. York. And, yet, forsooth, she is a virgin pure.Strumpet, thy words condemn thy brat, and thee: Use no entreaty, for it is in vain.

Puc. Then lead me hence; - with whom I leave my

curse:

May never glorious sun reflex his beams
Upon the country where you make abode!
But darkness and the gloomy shade of death
Environ you; till mischief, and despair,
Drive you to break your necks, or hang yourselves!

[Exit, guarded.

York. Break thou in pieces, and consume to ashes, Thou foul accursed minister of hell!

Enter Cardinal BEAUFORT, attended. Car. Lord regent, I do greet your excellence With letters of commission from the king.

4 Alençon! That notorious Machiavel!] Machiavel being mentioned somewhat before his time, this line is by some of the editors given to the players, and ejected from the text. Johnson.

The character of Machiavel seems to have made so very deep an impression on the dramatick writers of this age, that he is many times as prematurely spoken of. So, in The Valiant Welchman, 1615, one of the characters bids Caradoc, i. e. Caractacus,

"Princes that would aspire, must mock at hell." Steevens. 5- darkness and the gloomy shade of death-] The expression is scriptural: "Whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death" Malone.

6- till mischief, and despair,

Drive you to break your necks, or hang yourselves!] Perhaps Shakspeare intended to remark, in this execration, the frequency of suicide among the English, which has been commonly imputed to the gloominess of their air. Johnson.

.

For know, my lords, the states of Christendom,
Mov'd with remorse of these outrageous broils,
Have earnestly implor'd a general peace
Betwixt our nation and the aspiring French;
And here at hand the Dauphin, and his train,
Approacheth, to confer about some matter.

York. Is all our travail turn'd to this effect?
After the slaughter of so many peers,
So many captains, gentlemen, and soldiers,
That in this quarrel have been overthrown,
And sold their bodies for their country's benefit,
Shall we at last conclude effeminate peace?
Have we not lost most part of all the towns,
By treason, falsehood, and by treachery,
Our great progenitors had conquered?-
O, Warwick, Warwick! I foresee with grief
The utter loss of all the realm of France.

War. Be patient, York; if we conclude a peace,
It shall be with such strict and severe covenants,
As little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby.

Enter CHARLES, attended; ALENÇON, Bastard, REIG-
NIER, and Others.

Char. Since, lords of England, it is thus agreed,
That peaceful truce shall be proclaim'd in France,
We come to be informed by yourselves
What the conditions of that league must be.

!

York. Speak, Winchester; for boiling choler chokes

The hollow passage of my poison'd voice,
By sight of these our baleful enemies.9

7

- remorse - ] i. e. compassion, pity. So, in Measure for

Measure:

8

"If so your heart were touch'd with that remorse

"As mine is to him." Steevens.

-

• poison'd voice, Poison'd voice agrees well enough with baneful enemies, or with baleful, if it can be used in the same sense. The modern editors read-prison'd voice. Johnson. Prison'd was introduced by Mr. Pope. Malone.

9

- baleful enemies.] Baleful is sorrowful; I therefore rather imagine that we should read-baneful, hurtful, or mischievous. Johnson.

Baleful had anciently the same meaning as baneful. It is an epithet very frequently bestowed on poisonous plants and reptiles. So, in Romeo and Juliet :

"With baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers."

Steevens.