More dazzled and drove back his enemies,
Than mid-day fun, fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech:
He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered.
Exe. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood?
Henry is dead, and never fhall revive:
Upon a wooden coffin we attend;
And death's dishonourable victory
We with our stately prefence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What? shall we curse the planets of mishap,
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow ?
Or fhall we think the fubtle-witted French
Conjurers and forcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magick verses have contriv'd his end?
Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of kings.
Unto the French the dreadful judgement day
So dreadful will not be, as was his fight.
The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought:
The church's prayers made him fo profperous.
Glo. The church! where is it? Had not churchmen
His thread of life had not fo foon decay'd:
None do you like but an effeminate prince,
Whom, like a schoolboy, you may over-awe.
Win. Glofter, whate'er we like, thou art protector;
And lookeft to command the prince, and realm.
Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe,
More than God, or religious churchmen, may.
Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'ft the flesh;
And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st,
Except it be to pray against thy foes.
Bed. Ceafe, cease these jars, and rest your minds in
Let's to the altar :-Heralds, wait on us :
Instead of gold, we'll offer up our arms;
Since arms avail not, now that Henry's dead.-
Pofterity, await for wretched years,
When at their mothers' moift eyes babes fhall fuck;
Our ifle be made a nourish of falt tears,
And none but women left to wail the dead.-
Henry the fifth! thy ghoft I invocate;
Profper this realm, keep it from civil broils!
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens!
A far more glorious ftar thy foul will make,
Than Julius Cæfar, or bright-
Mef. My honourable lords, health to you all!
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of lofs, of flaughter, and difcomfiture:
Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,
Paris, Guyfors, Poitiers, are all quite loft.
Bed. What fay'ft thou, man, before dead Henry's
Speak foftly; or the lofs of those great towns
Will make him burst his lead, and rife from death.
Glo. Is Paris loft? is Roüen yielded up?
If Henry were recall'd to life again,
These news would cause him once more yield the ghost.
Exe. How were they loft? what treachery was us'd?
Mef. No treachery; but want of men and money.
Among the foldiers this is muttered,-
That here you maintain several factions;
And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and fought,
You are difputing of your generals.
One would have ling'ring wars, with little coft;
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expence at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtain'd.
Awake, awake, English nobility!
Let not floth dim your honours, new-begot :
Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
Of England's coat one half is cut away.
Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral,
These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.
Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France :Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.Away with thefe difgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, To weep their intermiffive miferies.
2 Mef. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mifchance, France is revolted from the English quite;
Except fome petty towns of no import:
The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims;
The baftard of Orleans with him is join'd;
Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
The duke of Alençon flieth to his fide.
Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him!
O, whither shall we fly from this reproach?
Glo. We will not fly, but to our enemies throats :— Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out.
Bed. Glofter, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness ? An army have I mufter'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is over-run.
3 Mes. My gracious lords,—to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearfe,— I must inform you of a dismal fight,
Betwixt the ftout lord Talbot and the French.
Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't fo?
3 Mef. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'erthrown:
The circumftance I'll tell you more at large.
The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord,
Retiring from the siege of Orleans,
Having full scarce fix 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 fword and lance.
Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him ;
Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he slew :
The French exclaim'd, The devil was in arms;
All the whole army stood agaz'd on him:
His foldiers, fpying his undaunted spirit,
A Talbot! a Talbot! cried out amain,
And rush'd into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conqueft fully been feal'd up,
If fir John Fastolfe had not play'd the coward;
He being in the vaward, (plac'd behind,
B. 3
With purpose to relieve and follow them,)
Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke.
Hence grew the general wreck and massacre;
Enclosed were they with their enemies :
A bafe Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back;
Whom all France, with their chief affembled strength, Durft not prefume to look once in the face.
Bed. Is Talbot flain? then I will flay myself,
For living idly here, in pomp and ease,
Whilft fuch a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Unto his daftard foe-men is betray'd.
3 Mef. O no, he lives; but is took prifoner,
And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford:
Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise.
Bed. His ranfom there is none but I fhall pay :
I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne,
His crown shall be the ranfom 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 faint George's feast withal:
Ten thousand foldiers with me I will take,
Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake.
3 Mef. So you had need; for Orleans is befieg'd;
The English army is grown weak and faint :
The earl of Salisbury craveth supply,
And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,
Since they, fo few, watch fuch a multitude.
Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry fworn;
Either to quell the Dauphin utterly,
Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.
Bed. I do remember it; and here take leave,
To go about my preparation.
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