Pucel. Come, come, 'tis only I that muft difgrace thee.

Talbot, farewel, thy hour is not yet come, go victual Orleans forthwith.

I muit

[They fight. a

A bort alarum. Then enter the town with Soldiers.
O'ertake me if thou canft, I fcorn thy ftrength.
Go, go, chear up thy hunger-starved men,
Help Salisbury to make his teftament:

This day is ours, as many more fhall be. [Exit Pucelle.
Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel.
I know not where I am, nor what I do:

A witch, by fear not force, like Hannibal
Drives back our troops, and conquers as fhe lifts:
So Bees with fmoak, and Doves with noisom ftench,
Are from their hives and houfes driv'n away.
They call us for our fierceness English dogs,
Now like their whelps we crying run away.

[A fhort alarum.

Hark, countrymen, either renew the fight,
Or tear the Lions out of Englands coat;
Renounce your foil, give Sheep in Lions ftead:
Sheep run not half fo tim'rous from the Wolf,
Or horfe or oxen from the Leopard,
As you fly from your oft-fubdued flaves.

[Alarum. Here another skirmish.

It will not be retire into your trenches:
You all confented unto Salisbury's death,
For none would strike a stroke in his revenge.
Pucelle is enter'd into Orleans,

In fpight of us, or ought that we could do.
O would I were to die with Salisbury!

(a) [They fight.

B 4

Tal. Heavens, can you fuffer hell so to prevail? My breaft I'll burft with ftraining of my courage, And from my fhoulders crack my arms afunder, But I will chaftife this high-minded ftrumpet. Pucel. Talbot, farewel, &c.

The

The shame hereof will make me hide my head.

[Exit Talbot. [Alarum, Retreat, Flourish.

Enter on the wall, Pucelle, Dauphin, Reignier, Alanfon, and Soldiers.

Pucel. Advance our waving colours on the walls,
Refcu'd is Orleans from the English Wolves:
Thus Joan la Pucelle hath perform'd her word.
Dau. Divineft creature, bright Aftrea's daughter,
How fhall I honour thee for this fuccefs!
Thy promifes are like Adonis' 'gardens,`a
That one day bloom'd, and fruitful were the next.
France, triumph in thy glorious prophetefs!
Recover'd is the town of Orleans;

More bleffed hap did ne'er befal our state.

Reig. Why ring not out the bells throughout the town? Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfires, And feast and banquet in the open streets, To celebrate the joy that God hath giv'n us.

Alan. All France will be replete with mirth and joy, When they fhall hear how we have play'd the men. Dau. 'Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day is won: For which I will divide my crown with her, And all the Priefts and Friars in my realm Shall in proceffion fing her endless praise. A statelier pyramid to her I'll rear, Than Rhodope's or Memphis' ever was:

In

local

(a) The gardens of Adonis were never reprefented under any defeription nor is any fuch thing implied in this place. They were only beds of earth put into portable cafes of filver or other matter, in which avere raifed fuch flowers and herbs as were of quick growth and short continuance, the production and maturity of them being also haflen'd by artificial means. Upon this quickness of growth the allufion here is founded: though antiently the gardens of Adonis was a proverbial expreffion to fignifie tranfitory fleeting pleasures, and perfons also of a Right trifling account. See Erafmi adagia. Bentley in Milton.

6 garden,

In memory of her, when she is dead,
Her afhes, in an urn more precious
Than the rich jewel'd coffer of Darius,
Transported fhall be at high festivals,

Ever before the Kings and Queens of France.
No longer on St. Dennis will we cry,
But Joan la Pucelle fhall be France's Saint.
Come in, and let us banquet royally,
After this golden day of victory.

[Flourish. Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.

Before ORLEAN s.

Enter a Serjeant of a Band, with two Centinels.

SIRS

SER JEAN T.

IRS, take your places, and be vigilant:
noife or foldier you perceive

any

Near to the wall, by fome apparent fign
Let us have knowledge at the court of guard.
Cent. Serjeant, you fhall. Thus are poor fervitors
(When others fleep upon their quiet beds)
Conftrain'd to watch in darkness, rain, and cold.

Enter Talbot, Bedford, and Burgundy, with fealing
ladders. Their drums beating a dead march.
Tal. Lord Regent, and redoubted Burgundy,
By whofe approach the regions of Artois,
Walloon, and Picardy are friends to us;
This happy night the Frenchmen are fecure,
Having all day carous'd and banquetted.
Embrace we then this opportunity,
As fitting beft to quittance their deceit,
Contriv'd by art and baleful forcery.

Bed.

Bed. Coward of France! how much he wrongs his 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 she prove not masculine ere long, If underneath the ftandard of the French

She carry armour as the hath begun.

Tal. Well, let them practise and converse with spirits; God is our fortrefs, in whofe conqu❜ring name

Let us refolve to fcale their flinty bulwarks.

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

That we do make our entrance feyeral 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 enemy doth make affault. [Within. [The English cry, St. George! A Talbot!

SCENE

ENE 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. '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

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 sped.
Enter Dauphin and Joan.

Baft. Tut! holy Joan was his defensive guard. Dau. Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame? Didft thou at first, to Alatter 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 fall'n.
Dau. 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.

Dau. 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 first break in?
Pucel. Question, my Lord, no further of the cafe,
How or which way; 'tis fure they found some part
But weakly guarded, where the breach was made:
And now there refts no other fhift but this,
To gather foldiers, fcatter'd and difperft,
And lay new platforms to endamage them.

[Exeunt.

SCENE