Tho' ftill the famifh'd English, like pale ghofts,
Faintly befiege us one hour in a month.

Alan. They want their porridge, and their fat bullbeeves;

Either they must be dieted, like mulesjo fa
And have their provender ty'd to their mouths.
Or piteous they will look like drowned mice.
Reig Let's raife the fiege, why live we idly here?
Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear,
Remaineth none but mad-brained Salisbury,
And he may well in fretting spend his gall,
Nor men, nor mony, hath he to make war.
Char. Sound, found alarum: we will rush on them.
Now for the honour of the forlorn French,

Him I forgive my death, that killeth me,
When he fees me go back one foot, or fly.

[Exeunt. [Here Alarm, they are beaten back by the English with great lofs.

Re-enter Charles, Alanfon, and Reignier.

Char. Who ever faw the like ?what men have I? Dogs, cowards, daftards! I wou'd ne'er have fled, But that they left me midft my enemies.

Reig. Salisbury is a desp'rate homicide,
He fighteth as one weary of his life,
The other lords, like lions wanting food,
Do rush upon us as their hungry prey

9

8

Alan. Froyfard, a countryman of ours, records, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,

8 As their hungry pry.] I be lieve it should be read,

As their hungred ry. 9 England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, } These were two of the most famous in the lift of Charlemagne's twelve Peers; and their exploits, are render'd fo ridiculously and equal

ly extravagant by the old romancers, that from thence arose that faying amongst our plain and fenfible ancestors, of giving one a Rowland for his Oliver, to fignify the matching one incredible lye with another.

Kk 2

WARBURTON.

During

During the time Edward the Third did reign;
More truely now may this be verified,;
For none but Sampfons and Goliaffes

It fendeth forth to fkirmish, one to ten.
Lean raw-bon'd rafcals! who would e'er fuppofe,
They had fuch courage and audacity!

Char. Let's leave this town, for they are hair brain'd flaves,

I

And hunger will enforce them be more eager;
Of old I know them; rather with their teeth
The walls they'll tear down, than forfake the fiege.
Reig. I think, by fome odd gimmals or device
Their arms are fet like clocks, ftill to ftrike on;
Elfe they could ne'er hold out fo, as they do.
By my confent, we'll e'en let them alone.

Alan. Be it fo.

Enter the Baftard of Orleans.

Baft. Where's the Prince Dauphin? I have news for him.

Da Baftard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us.

2

Baft. Methinks, your looks are fad, your chear

appall'd;

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not difmay'd, for fuccour is at hand.
A holy maid hither with me I bring,

Which by a vifion, fent to her from heav'n,
Ordained is to raife this tedious fiege;

And drive the English forth the bounds of France.
The fpirit of deep prophecy the hath,
Exceeding the nine Sibyls of old Rome,

3

Gimmels.] A gimmel is a piece of jointed work, where one piece moves within another, whence it is taken at large for an engine. It is now by the vulgar called a gimcrack.

2 Your chear appall'd.] Chear is countenance, appearance.

3

nine Sibyls of old Rome:] There were no nine Sibyls of Rome: but he confounds things, and mistakes this for the nine books of Sibyline oracles, brought to one of the Tarquins.

-WARBURTON.

What's

What's paft, and what's to come, she can defcry. Speak, fhall I call her in? Believe my words, For they are cerain and infallible.

Dau. Go, call her in. But firft, to try her skill, Reignier, ftand thou as Dauphin in my place, Question her proudly, let thy looks be ftern; By this means fhall we found what fkill fhe hath.

SCENE VI.

Enter Joan la Pucelle.

Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do thefe wond'rous feats?

Pucel. Reignier, is't thou that thinkeft to beguile me?

Where is the Dauphin? Come, come from behind,
I know thee well, tho' never feen before.
Be not amaz'd, there's nothing hid from me;
In private will I talk with thee apart. of
Stand back, you Lords, and give us leave a while.
Reig. She takes upon her bravely at firft dafh.
Pucel. Dauphin, I'am by birth a shepherd's daugh-

ter,

My wit untrain❜d in any kind of art.

Heav'n, and our Lady gracious hath it pleas'd
To fhine on my contemptible estate.

Lo, whilft I waited on my tender lambs, 9.
And to fun's parching heat display'd my cheeks,
God's mother deigned to appear to me, to supon
And, in a vifion full of majefty,

d:

Will'd me to leave my base vocation,
And free my country from calamity.
Her aid the promis'd, and affur'd fuccefs.
In compleat glory fhe reveal'd herfelf;"

And, whereas I was black and fwart before,
With thofe clear rays which the infus'd on me,
That beauty am I bleft with, which you fee.
Afk me what question thou canft poffible,
And I will anfwer unpremeditated.

My courage try by combat, if thou dar'ft, 1994 I

And thou shalt find that I exceed my fex.

Refolve on this, thou fhalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.

Dau. Thou haft aftonifh'd me with thy high terms,

Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,

In fingle combat thou fhalt buckle with me;
And, if thou vanquifheft, thy words are true;
Otherwife, I renounce all confidence.

{

Pucel. I am prepar'd, here is my keen edg'd fword, Deck'd with fine Flow'r de-luces on each fide; The which, at Tourain in St. Catharine's church, Out of a deal of old iron I chofe forth.

Dau. Then come o'God's name, for I fear no

woman.

Pucel. And while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a man.

[Here they fight, and Joan la Pucelle overcomes. Dau. Stay, ftay thy hands, thou art an Amazon; And fighteft with the fword of Debora.

Pucel. Chrift's mother helps me, elfe I were too weak.

Dau. Who-e'er helps thee, 'tis thou that muft help

me.

Impatiently I burn with thy defire.

My heart and hands thou haft at once fubdu'd;
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be fo,
Let me thy fervant and not Sovereign be,
'Tis the French Dauphin fueth to thee thus,
Pucel. I must not yield to any rites of love,
For my profeffion's facred from above;
When I have chafed all thy foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompence.

Dau.

Dau. Mean time, look gracious on thy proftrate thrall.

Reig. My Lord, methinks, is very long in talk. Alan. Doubtlefs, he fhrives this woman to her

Elfe ne'er could he fo long protract his fpeech.

}

Reig. Shall we difturb him, fince he keeps no mean? Alan. He may mean more than we poor men do know; These women are fhrewd tempters with their tongues. Reig. My Lord, where are you? what devife you on? Shall we give over Orleans or no ?

Pucel. Why, no, I fay, diftruftful recreants! Fight till the laft gafp, for I'll be your guard.

Dau. What the fays, I'll confirm; we'll fight it out. Pucel. Affign'd I am to be the English fcourge. This night the fiege affuredly I'll raise,

*

Expect Saint Martin's fummer, Halcyon days,

Since I had thus into these wars.

Glory is like a circle in the

water;
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself,
Till by broad spreading it difperfe to nought.
With Henry's death the English circle ends;
Difpers'd are the glories it included.
Now am I like that proud infulting fhip,
Which Cæfar and his fortune bore at once,
Dau. Was Mahomet infpired with a Dove?
Thou with an Eagle art infpired then.
Helen the mother of great Conftantine,

5 Nor yet St. Philip's daughters, were like thee.
Bright ftar of Venus, fall'n down on the earth,
How may I reverently worship thee?

Alan. Leave off delays, and let us raife the fiege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canft to fave our honours; Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd.

*Expe& St. Martin's fummer.] That is, expect prosperity after misfortune, like fair weather at Martlemas, afterwinter has begun.

5 Meaning the four daughters of Philip mentioned in the Acts.

Kk 4

Dau.