Except it be to pray against thy foes. Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace! 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.— years, When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck; And none but women left to wail the dead.- Enter a Messenger. Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns If Henry were recall'd to life again, These news would cause him once more yield the ghost. Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was us'd? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is muttered,That here you maintain several factions 3 Our isle be made a nourish,] probably a nurse. And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and fought, One would have ling'ring wars with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot; Ere. 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 these disgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, To weep their intermissive miseries." Enter another Messenger. 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad France is revolted from the English quite; Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! Ọ, whither shall we fly from this reproach? Glo. We will not fly, but to our enemies" throats : Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out. 4 her flowing tides,] i. e. England's flowing tides. their intermissive miseries.] i. e. their miseries, which have had only a short intermission from Henry the Fifth's death to my coming amongst them. Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forward ness? An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse,— I must inform you of a dismal fight, Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? 3 Mess. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'erthrown : The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, To keep the horsemen off from breaking in. If sir John Fastolfe had not play'd the coward; Durst not presume to look once in the face. 3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford: Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise. Bed. His ransome there is none but I shall pay: I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne, His crown shall be the ransome 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 Saint George's feast withal: Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take, Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake. 3 Mess. So you had need; for Orleans is besieg'd; The English army is grown weak and faint : The earl of Salisbury craveth supply, And hardly keeps his men from mutiny, "If Sir John Fastolfe, &c.] For an account of this sir John Fastolfe, see Anstis's Treatise on the Order of the Garter; Parkins's Supplement to Blomfield's History of Norfolk; Tanner's Bibliotheca Britannica; or Capel's notes, Vol. II. p. 221; Sir John Fenn's Collection of the Paston Letters; and Biographia Britannica, Vol. V. Since they, so few, watch such a multitude. sworn; 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. [Exit. Glo. I'll to the Tower, with all the haste I can, To view the artillery and munition; And then I will proclaim young Henry king. [Exit. Ere. To Eltham will I, where the young king is, Being ordain'd his special governor; And for his safety there I'll best devise. [Exit. Win. Each hath his place and function to attend : I am left out; for me nothing remains. But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office; The king from Eltham I intend to send, And sit at chiefest stern of publick weal. [Exit. Scene closes. SCENE II. France. Before Orleans. Enter CHARLES, with his Forces; ALENÇON, Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the hea vens, So in the earth, to this day is not known: Otherwhiles, the famish'd English, like pale ghosts, |