Duke of BEDFORD, uncle to the king, and regent of France. THOMAS BEAUFORT, Duke of EXETER, great uncle the king. VERNON, of the White Rose, or York Faction. CHARLES, Dauphin, and afterwards king of France. REIGNIER, duke of ANJOU, and titular king of HENRY BEAUFORT, great uncle to the king, bishop Duke of BURGUNDY. Duke of ALENCON. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, eldest son of RICHARD, late earl of CAMBRIDGE; afterwards duke of YORK. Earl of WARWICK. Earl of SALISBURY. Earl Lord TALBOT, afterwards earl of SHREWSBURY: EDMUND MORTIMER, earl of MARCH. Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. Sir WILLIAM LUCY. GRAVE. Mayor of London. WOODVILLE, lieutenant of the Tower. General of the French forces in Bourdeaux. An old Shepherd, father to JOAN La Pucelle. JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called JOAN OF Fiends appearing to LA PUCELLE, Lords, War- SCENE,-Partly in England, and partly in France. ACT I. SCENE I-Westminster Abbey. Dead March. Corpse of King HENRY the Fifth discovered, lying in state; attended on by the Dukes of BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and 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, His brandish'd sword did blind men with his His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings; Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we Henry is dead, and never shall revive: Win. He was a king, bless'd of the King of Unto the French the dreadful judgment day His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: And lookest to command the prince, and realm. Except it be to pray against thy foes. Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us :- Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears, Enter a Messenger. Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns Exe. How were they lost? what treachery Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is muttered,— You are disputing of your generals. One would have ling'ring wars with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot: Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, France: Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.- Enter another Messenger. 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad France is revolted from the English quite; Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out. Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my for- An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords,-to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse,- Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! I must inform you of a dismal fight, Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? 3 Mess. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'erthrown: The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Glo. 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, Instead whereof, sharp stakes, pluck'd out of I am left out; for me nothing remains. hedges, They pitched in the ground confusedly, Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he slew: A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace, Durst not presume to look once in the face. 3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford : Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise. Bed. His ransome there is none but I shall pay: The English army is grown weak and faint: But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office; The king from Eltham I intend to send, And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. [Exit. Scene closes. SCENE II.-France. Before Orleans. Enter CHARLES, with his forces: ALENCON, REIGNIER, and Others. Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the heavens, So in the earth, to this day is not known: 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? Alarums; excursions; afterwards a retreat. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENCON, REIGNIER, and Others. Char. Who ever saw the like? what men have I? Dogs! cowards! dastards!-I would ne'er hav fled, But that they left me 'midst my enemies. Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide; Alen. Froissard, a countryman of ours, re◄ cords, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, More truly now may this be verified; Char. Let's leave this town; for they are Will'd me to leave my base vocation, And hunger will enforce them to be more eager : Of old I know them; rather with their teeth The walls they'll tear down, than forsake the siege. Reig. I think, by some odd gimmals or device, Their arms are set, like clocks, still to strike on ; Else ne'er could they hold out so, as they do. By my consent, we'll e'en let them alone. Alen. Be it so. Enter the Bastard of ORLEANS. Char. Thou hast astonish'd me with thy high Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,- Bast. Where's the prince Dauphin, I have Otherwise, I renounce all confidence. news for him. Char. Bastard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Bast. Methinks your looks are sad, your cheer appall'd; Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? Char. Go, call her in: [Exit Bastard. But, first, to try her skill, Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place: Question her proudly, let thy looks be stern:By this means shall we sound what skill she hath. [Retires. Enter LA PUCELLE, Bastard of ORLEANS, and Others. Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do those wond'rous feats? Puc. Reignier, is't thou that thinkest to beguile me? Where is the Dauphin?-come, come from behind; I know thee well, though never seen before. My wit untrain❜d in any kind of art. Heaven, and our Lady gracious, hath it pleas'd Puc. I am prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd sword, Deck'd with five flower-de-luces or each side; The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's church-yard, Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth. Char. Then come o'God's name, I fear no woman. man. Puc. And, while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a They fight. Char. Stay, stay thy hand; 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, 'tis thou that must help me: Impatiently I burn with thy desire; Puc. I must not yield to any rites of love, Char. Mean time, look gracious on thy prostrate thrall. Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk. Alen. Doubtless he shrives this woman to her Pac. 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. 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: 1 Ward. [Within.] The Lord protect him! so we answer him: We do no otherwise than we are will'd. Glo. Who willed you; or whose will stands, but mine? There's none protector of the realm, but I.— Break up the gates, I'll be your warrantize : Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms? Servants rush at the Tower gates. Enter, to the gates, WOODVILLE, the Lieutenant. Wood. Within.] What noise is this? what traitors have we here? Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whose voice I hear? Open the gates; here's Gloster that would enter. Wood. Within. Have patience, noble duke; I may not open; The cardinal of Winchester forbids: Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, Whom Henry, our late sovereign, ne'er could brook? Thou art no friend to God, or to the king: A Serv. Open the gates unto the lord protector; Or we'll burst them open, if that you come not quickly. Enter WINCHESTER, attended by a train of Servants in tawny coats. Win. How now, ambitious Humphry, what means this? Glo. Piel'd priest, dost thou command me to be shut out? Win. I do, thou most usurping proditor, And not protector of the king or realm. Glo. Stand back, thou manifest conspirator; Thou, that contriv'dst to murder our dead lord; Thou, that giv'st whores indulgences to sin: I'll canvas thee in thy broad cardinal's hat, If thou proceed in this thy insolence. Win. Nay, stand thou back, I will not budge a foot; This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain, Glo, I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back: Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing-cloth Win. Do what thou dar'st; I beard thee to thy face. Glo. What? am I dar'd, and bearded, to my face? Draw, men, for all this privileged place; Blue-coats to tawny-coats. Priest, beware your beard; [Gloster and his men attack the Bishop. I mean to tug it, and to cuff you soundly: Under my feet I stamp thy cardinal's hat; In spite of pope or dignities of church, Here by the cheeks I'll drag thee up and down. Win. Gloster, thou'lt answer this before the pope. Glo. Winchester goose, I cry-a rope! a rope! Now beat them hence, why do you let them stay?— Thee I'll chase hence, thou wolf in sheep's array. Out, tawny coats!-out, scarlet hypocrite! Here a great tumult. In the midst of it, enter the Mayor of London, and Officers. May. Fye, lords! that you, being supreme magistrates, Thus contumeliously should break the peace! Glo. Peace, mayor; thou know'st little of my wrongs: |