Orleans. SCENE II. Within the town. Enter TALBOT, BED- Tal. Bring forth the body of old Salisbury ; What ruin happen'd in revenge of him, A tomb, wherein his corpse shall be interr'd: The treacherous manner of his mournful death, I muse, we met not with the Dauphin's grace; Bed. 'Tis thought, lord Talbot, when the fight began, Bur. Myself (as far as I could well discern, That could not live asunder day or night. After that things are set in order here, We'll follow them with all the power we have. Enter a Messenger. Mes. All hail, my lords! which of this princely train Call ye the warlike Talbot, for his acts So much applauded through the realm of France? Tal. Here is the Talbot; who would speak with him? Mes. The virtuous lady, countess of Auvergne, With modesty admiring thy renown, By me entreats, good lord, thou wouldst vouchsafe That she may boast, she hath beheld the man Bur. Is it even so? Nay, then, I see, our wars When ladies crave to be encounter'd with. You may not, my lord, despise her gentle suit. Tal. Ne'er trust 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 ; Bed. No, truly; it is more than manners will : Tal. Well then, alone, since there's no remedy, Come hither, captain. [Whispers.]—You perceive my mind. Capt. I do, my lord; and mean accordingly. [Exeunt. SCENE III. Enter the Countess Auvergne. Court of the Castle. and her Porter. Count. Porter, remember what I gave in charge ; And, when you have done so, bring the keys to me. Port. Madam, I will. [Exit. Count. The plot is laid if all things fall out right, I shall as famous be by this exploit, As Scythian Thomyris by Cyrus' death. Great is the rumour of this dreadful knight, And his achievements of no less account: Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears, To give their censure of these rare reports. Enter Messenger and TALBOT. Mes. Madam, According as your ladyship desir'd, [1],That is, where she dwells. MAL. Count. And he is welcome. What! is this the man? Mes. Madam, it is. Count. Is this the scourge of France? Is this the Talbot, so much fear'd abroad, That with his name the mothers still their babes? I see, report is fabulous and false : I thought, I should have seen some Hercules, And large proportion of his strong-knit limbs. It cannot be, this weak and writhled shrimp2 Tal. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you : I'll sort some other time to visit you. Count. What means he now ?—Go ask him, whither he goes. Mes. Stay, my lord Talbot; for my lady craves I go to certify her, Talbot's here. Re-enter Porter, with keys. Count. If thou be he, then art thou prisoner. Count. To me, blood-thirsty lord; And for that cause I train'd thee to my house. But now the substance shall endure the like; Wasted our country, slain our citizens, Count. Laughest thou, wretch? thy mirth shall turn to moan. Tal. I laugh to see your ladyship so fond, 3 Count. Why, art not thou the man? Tal. I am indeed. Count. Then have I substance too. [2] Writhled-That is, wrinkled. The word is used by Spenser. MAL. Tal. No, no, I am but shadow of myself: I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here, Your roof were not sufficient to contain it. Count. This is a riddling merchant for the nonce; He will be here, and yet he is not here: How can these contrarieties agree? Tal. That will I show you presently. He winds a horn. Drums heard; then a peal of ord- These are his substance, sinews, arms, and strength, Count. Victorious Talbot! pardon my abuse : I did not entertain thee as thou art. Tal. Be not dismay'd, fair lady; nor misconstrue The mind of Talbot, as you did mistake The outward composition of his body. What you have done, hath not offended me: No other satisfaction do I crave, But only (with your patience,) that we may Taste of your wine, and see what cates you have; Count. With all my heart; and think me honoured To feast so great a warrior in my house. London. SCENE IV. [Exeunt. The Temple garden. Enter the Earls of SOMERSET, SUFFOLK, and WARWICK; RICHARD PLANTAGENET, VERNON, and another Lawyer 5 Plan. Great lords, and gentlemen, what means this silence ? STEEV. [4] To bruit is to proclaim with noise, to announce loudly. [5] Read-a lawyer. This lawyer was probably Roger Nevyle, who was afterwards hanged. See W. Wyrcester, p. 478. RITSON. Dare no man answer in a case of truth? Suf. Within the Temple-hall we were too loud; The garden here is more convenient. Plan. Then say at once, If I maintain'd the truth; Or, else, was wrangling Somerset in the error? Suf. 'Faith, I have been a truant in the law; And never yet could frame my will to it; And, therefore, frame the law unto my will. Som. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then between us. War. Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch, Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth, Between two blades, which bears the better temper, Between two horses, which doth bear him best, Between two girls, which hath the merriest eye) I have, perhaps, some shallow spirit of judgment: But in these nice sharp quillets of the law, Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw. Plan. Tut, tut, here is a mannerly forbearance: The truth appears so naked on my side, That any purblind eye may find it out. Som. And on my side it is so well apparell'd, So clear, so shining, and so evident, That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye. Let him, that is a true-born gentleman, And stands upon the honour of his birth, If he suppose that I have pleaded truth, From off this brier pluck a white rose with me. Som. Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer, But dare maintain the party of the truth, Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me.6 War. I love no colours; and, without all colour Of base insinuating flattery, I pluck this white rose with Plantagenet. Suf. I pluck this red rose, with young Somerset ; [6] This is given as the original of the two badges of the houses of York and Lancaster, whether truly or not, is no great matter. But the proverbial expression of saying a thing under the rose, I am persuaded came thence. When the nation had ranged itself into two great factions, under the white and red rose, and were perpetually plotting and counterplotting against one another, then, when a matter of faction was communicated by either party to his friend in the same quarrel, it was natural for him to add, that he said it under the rose; meaning that, as it concerned the faction it was religiously to be keept secret. WARB.-The rose (as the fables say) was the symbol of silence, and consecrated by Cupid to Harpocrates, to conceal the lewd pranks of his mother. UPTON. [7] Colours is here used ambiguously for tints and deccits. JOHNS. |