Glou. Is Paris loft, and Roan yielded up?

If Henry were recall'd to life again,

Thefe news would caufe him once more yield the ghost. Exe. How were they loft? what treachery was us'd? Melf. No treachery, but want of men and mony. Among the foldiers this is muttered,

That here you maintain fev'ral factions,

And, whilft a field should be dispatch'd and fought,
You are difputing of your Generals.

One would have lingring wars with little coft;
Another would fly fwift, 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;
Crop'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 their 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 Meff. Lords, view thefe letters, full of bad mif-
chance.

France is revolted from the English quite,
Except fome petty towns of no import.
The Dauphin Charles is crowned King in Rheims,

• To weep their intermiffive miferies.] i. e. their miferies, which have had only a fhort

intermiffion from Henry the Fifth's death to my coming amongst them. WARBURTON.

The

The baftard Orleans with him is join'd,
Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part,
The Duke of Alanfon flies to his fide.

[Exit.
Exe. The Dauphin crowned King? ali fly to him?
O, whither shall we fly from this reproach?
Glou. We will not fly but to our enemies' throats.
Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out.

Bed. Glo'fter, why doubt'ft thou of my forwardness? An army have I mufter'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is over-run.

SCENE IV.

Enter a third Meffenger.

3 Meff. 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 ftout Lord Talbot and the French.

Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame ? is't fo?
3 Meff. O, no; wherein Lord Talbot was o'er-
thrown.

The circumftance I'll tell you more at large.
The tenth of August laft, this dreadful Lord
Retiring from the fiege of Orleans,

Having fcarce full fix thousand in his troop,
By three and twenty thousand of the French
Was round encompaffed and fet upon.
No leifure had he to enrank his men,
He wanted pikes to fet before his archers,
Instead whereof sharp ftakes pluckt out of hedges
They pitched in the ground confufedly

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 fent to hell, and none durft ftand him,
Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he flew,

The

The French exclaim'd, "The devil was in arms!"
All the whole army ftood agaz'd on him.
His foldiers, fpying his undaunted spirit,
A Talbot! Talbot! cried out amain,

And rush'd into the bowels of the battle:
Here had the Conqueft fully been feal'd up,
If Sir John Faftolfe had not play'd the coward ';
He being in the vaward, (plac'd behind,
With purpose to relieve and follow them)
Cowardly fled, not having ftruck one ftroke.
Hence grew
grew the gen'ral wreck and maffacre
Enclosed were they with their enemies;
A bafe Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thruft Talbot with a fpear into the back;
Whom all France with her 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. Ono, he lives, but is took prifoner, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford: Most of the reft flaughter'd, or took likewife.

Bed. His ranfom there is none but I fhall pay ;
I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne,
His Crown fhall be the ranfom of my friend.
Four of their Lords I'll change for one of ours.
Farewel, my mafters, to my tafk will I;
Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make.
To keep our great St. George's feaft withal.

7 If Sir John Faftolfe] Mr. Pope has taken Notice, "That "Falfaff is here introduced

is called) was a Lieutenant-General, Deputy Regent to the Duke of Bedford in Normandy, and a Knight of the Garter: and not the Comick Character afterwards introduced by our Author. THEOBALD.

Ten thousand foldiers with me I will take,
Whose bloody deeds fhall make all Europe quake.
3 Melf. So you had need, for Orleans is befieg'd,
The English army is grown weak and faint,
The Earl of Salisbury craveth fupply,

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.

[Exit Bedford.

Glou. I'll to the Tower with all the hafte I can,
To view th' artillery and ammunition;
And then I will proclaim young Henry King.

Exe. To Eltam will I, where the young King is, Being ordain'd his fpecial governor ;

And for his fafety there I'll beft devife.

[Exit.

Win. Each hath his place and function to attend,

I am left out, for me nothing remains
But long I will not be thus out of office;
The King from Eltam I intend to fend,
And fit at chiefeft ftern of publick weal.

SCENE V.

Before Orleans in FRANCE.

[Exit.

Enter Charles, Alanfon, and Reignier, marching with a Drum and Soldiers.

Char.

M

ARS his true moving, ev'n as in the
heav'ns,

So in the earth to this day is not known;
Late, did he fhine upon the English fide,
Now we are victors, upon us he smiles;
What towns of any moment, but we have?
At pleasure here we lie near Orleans,

Tho'

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 mules,

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 fpend 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 sees me go back one foot, or fly.

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

Re-enter Charles, Alanson, 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 defp'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.

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

9

3 As their hungry pry.] I believe it should be read,

As their hungred pray. 9 England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, ] Thefe 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