THE COMPLETE DRAMATIC AND POETICAL WORKS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. Dead March. Enter the Funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France; the Duke of Gloucester, Protector; the Duke of Exeter, the Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of Winchester, Heralds, &c. Bed. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night! Comets, importing change of times and states, And with them scourge the bad revolting stars Glou. England ne'er had a king until his time. Virtue he had, deserving to command: His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams: [blood? Exe. We mourn in black: why mourn we not in Henry is dead and never shall revive: Upon a wooden coffin we attend, And death's dishonourable victory We with our stately presence glorify, Like captives bound to a triumphant car. What! shall we curse the planets of mishap I. That plotted thus our glory's overthrow? [tor His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: Glou. Name not religion, for thou lovest the flesh, And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st Except it be to pray against thy foes. [peace: Bed. Cease, cease these jars and rest your minds in When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck, Combat with adverse planets in the heavens! A far more glorious star thy soul will make Than Julius Cæsar or bright Enter a Messenger. Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! One would have lingering wars with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honours new-begot: Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, Enter to them another Messenger. Mess. Lords, view these letters full of bad misFrance is revolted from the English quite, [chance. Except some petty towns of no import: The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims; The Bastard of Orleans with him is join'd; Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part; The Duke of Alençon flieth to his side. Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! O, whither shall we fly from this reproach? Glou. We will not fly, but to our enemies' throats. Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out. [ness? Bed. Gloucester, why doubt 'st thou of my forwardAn army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is overrun. Enter another Messenger. Mess. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse, I must inform you of a dismal fight Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is 't so? Mess. O, no; wherein Lord Talbot was o'erthrown: The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. The tenth of August last this dreadful lord, Retiring from the siege of Orleans, Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, By three and twenty thousand of the French Was round encompassed and set upon. No leisure had he to enrank his men; He wanted pikes to set before his archers; Instead whereof sharp stakes pluck'd out of hedges They pitched in the ground confusedly, To keep the horsemen off from breaking in. More than three hours the fight continued; Where valiant Talbot above human thought Enacted wonders with his sword and lance: Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him; Here, there, and every where, enraged he flew: The French exclaim'd, the devil was in arms; Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay: I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne: His crown shall be the ransom of my friend; Four of their lords I 'll change for one of ours. Farewell, my masters; to my task will I; Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make, To keep our great Saint George's feast withal: Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take, Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake. Mess. So you had need; for Orleans is besieged; The English army is grown weak and faint: The Earl of Salisbury craveth supply, And hardly keeps his men from mutiny, Since they, so few, watch such a multitude. Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn, Either to quell the Dauphin utterly, Or bring him in obedience to your yoke. Bed. I do remember it; and here take my leave, To go about my preparation. [Exit. Glou. I'll to the Tower with all the haste I can, To view the artillery and munition; And then I will proclaim young Henry king. [Exit. Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young king is, Being ordain'd his special governor, And for his safety there I'll best devise. Win. Each hath his place and function to attend: I am left out; for me nothing remains. But long I will not be Jack out of office: The king from Eltham I intend to steal And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. [Exit. [Exeunt. SCENE II.— France. Before Orleans. Sound a flourish. Enter Charles, Alençon, and Reignier, marching with drum and soldiers. Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the So in the earth, to this day is not known: [heavens Late did he shine upon the English side; Now we are victors; upon us he smiles. What towns of any moment but we have? At pleasure here we lie near Orleans; Otherwhiles the famish'd English, like pale ghosts, Faintly besiege us one hour in a month. Alen. They want their porridge and their fat bull-beeves: Either they must be dieted like mules, Reig. Let's raise the siege: why live we idly here? |