As fitting beft to quittance their deceit,
Contriv'd by art and baleful forcery.
Bed. Coward of France, how much he
fame,

Defpairing of his own arms fortitude,
To join with witches and the help of hell!
Bur. Traitors have never other company.

But what's that Pucelle whom they term fo pure?
Tal. A maid, they fay.

Bed. A maid? and be fo martial ?

Bur. Pray God fhe prove not mafculine ere long, If underneath the standard of the French

She carry armour as the hath begun.

Tal. Well, let them practife and converfe with fpirits,

God is our fortrefs, in whofe conqu'ring name

Let us refolve to scale their flinty bulwarks.

Bed. Afcend, brave Talbot, we will follow thee.
Tal. Not all together: better far I guess,

That we do make our entrance feveral ways:
'That if it chance the one of us do fail,

The other yet may

rife against their force.

Bed. Agreed; I'll to yon corner.

Bur. I to this.

Tal. And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave. Now Salisbury! for thee and for the right Of English Henry, fhall this night appear How much in duty I am bound to both. Cent. Arm, arm; the

doth make affault. enemy [Cry, St. George ! A Talbot!

SCENE II.

The French leap o'er the walls in their fhirts. Enter feveral ways, Baftard, Alanfon, Reignier, half ready and half unready.

Alan. How now, my lords? what all unready fo?
Baft. Unready I am glad we 'fcap'd fo well.

Reig.

Reig. 'Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our

beds,

Hearing alarums at our chamber doors.

Alan. Of all exploits fince firft I follow'd arms,
Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprize
More venturous, or defperate than this.

Baft. I think this Talbot is a fiend of hell.
Reig. If not of hell, the heav'ns fure favour him.
Alan. Here cometh Charles, I marvel how he fped.

Enter Charles and Joan.

Baft. Tut, holy Joan was his defenfive guard. Char. Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame? Didft thou at first, to flatter us withal,

Make us partakers of a little gain;

That now our lofs might be ten times fo much?

Pucel. Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend?
At all times will you have my pow'r alike?
Sleeping or waking muft I ftill prevail?

Or will you blame and lay the fault on me?
Improvident foldiers, had your watch been good,
This fudden mifchief never could have faln.
Char. Duke of Alanfon, this was your default,
That being captain of the watch to-night,
Did look no better to that weighty charge.

Alan. Had all our quarters been as fafely kept,
As that whereof I had the government,
We had not been thus fhamefully furpriz'd.
Baft. Mine was fecure.

Reig. And fo was mine, my lord.

Char. And for my felf, 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 centinels.

Then how or which way fhould they firft break in?
Pucel. Queftion, my lord, no further of the cafe,
How or which way; 'tis fure they found fome part
But weakly guarded, where the breach was made:
And now there refts no other fhift but this,

B 2

Το

To gather foldiers, fcatter'd and disperst,
And lay new platforms to endamage them.

Alarum.

SCENE III.

[Exeunt.

Enter a Soldier crying, a Talbot! a Talbot! they fly, leaving their clothes behind.

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

For I have loaden me with many fpoils,

Uling no other weapon but his name.

Enter Talbot, Bedford, and Burgundy.

Bed. The day begins to break, and night is fled, Whofe pitchy mantle over-veil'd the earth.

[Exit.

Here found retreat, and ceafe our hot purfuit. [Retreat.
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.
For ev'ry drop of blood was drawn from him,
There have at least five Frenchmen dy'd to-night.
And that hereafter ages may behold

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

A tomb, wherein his corps 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 maffacre,

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 drowsy beds,
They did amongst the troops of armed men
Leap o'er the walls, for refuge in the field.

Bur.

Bur. My felf, as far as I could well difcern
For fmoak and dufty vapours of the night,
Am fure I fear'd the Dauphin and his trull;
When arm in arm they both came swiftly 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 pow'r we have.

Enter a Meffenger

Meff. All hail, my lords; which of this princely trai Call ye the warlike Talbot, for his acts

So much applauded through the realm of France?
Tal. Here is the Talbot, who would fpeak with him
Meff. The virtuous lady, Countefs of Auvergne,
With modefty, admiring thy renown,

By me intreats, great lord, thou would'ft vouchfafe
To vifit her poor caftle where fhe lyes;
That he may boast she hath beheld the man
Whofe glory fills the world with loud report.

Bur. Is it ev'n fo? nay, then I fee our wars
Will turn into a peaceful comick fport,
When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.
You can't, 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 kindness 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 that is more than manners will :
And I have heard it faid, unbidden guests
Are often welcomest when they are gone.

Tal. Well then, alone, fince there's no remedy,

I mean to prove this lady's courtesy.

Come hither captain, you perceive my mind. [Whispers.. Capt. I do, my lord, and mean accordingly. [Exeunt.

Count.

SCENE IV.

The Countess of Auvergne's Castle.

Enter the Countess and her Porter.

ORTER, remember what I gave in charge,
And when you've done fo, bring the keys

PORS

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 Tomyris by Cyrus' death.

Great is the rumour of this dreadful Knight,
And his atchievements of no less account:

Fain would mine eyes be witnefs with mine ears,
To give their cenfure of these rare reports.

Enter Meffenger and Talbot.

Meff. Madam, according as your ladyfhip By meffage crav'd, fo is lord Talbot come. Count. And he is welcome; what is this the man? Meff. Madam, it is.

Count. Is this the fcourge of France ?

Is this the Talbot fo much fear'd abroad,

That with his name the mothers ftill their babes?

I fee report is fabulous and falfe.

I thought I fhould have feen fome Hercules,
A fecond Hector, for his grim afpect,
And large proportion of his ftrong knit limbs.
Alas! this is a child, a filly dwarf:

It cannot be, this weak and writhled Shrimp
Should ftrike fuch terror in his enemies.

Tal. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you :

But fince your lady ship is not at leisure,
I'll fort fome other time to vifit you.

Count.