The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 175

GLOUCESTER. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st, Except it be to pray against thy foes.

BEDFORD. 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.

Posterity, await for wretched years, When at their mothers' moist'ned eyes babes shall suck, Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears, And none but women left to wail the dead.

HENRY the Fifth, thy ghost I invocate: Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils, Combat with adverse planets in the heavens.

A far more glorious star thy soul will make Than Julius Caesar or bright

Enter a MESSENGER

MESSENGER. My honourable lords, health to you all!

Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture: Guienne, Champagne, Rheims, Orleans, Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.

BEDFORD. What say'st thou, man, before dead Henry's corse?

Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns Will make him burst his lead and rise from death.

GLOUCESTER. Is Paris lost? Is Rouen yielded up?

If Henry were recall'd to life again, These news would cause him once more yield the ghost.

EXETER. How were they lost? What treachery was us'd?

MESSENGER. No treachery, but want of men and money.

Amongst the soldiers this is muttered That here you maintain several factions; And whilst a field should be dispatch'd and fought, You are disputing of your generals: One would have ling'ring wars, with little cost; Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings; A third thinks, without expense at all, By guileful fair words peace may be obtain'd.

Awake, awake, English n.o.bility!

Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot.

Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms; Of England's coat one half is cut away.

EXETER. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth their flowing tides.

BEDFORD. 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 will I lend the French instead of eyes, To weep their intermissive miseries.

Enter a second MESSENGER

SECOND MESSENGER. Lords, view these letters full of bad mischance.

France is revolted from the English quite, Except some petty towns of no import.

The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims; The b.a.s.t.a.r.d of Orleans with him is join'd; Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part; The Duke of Alencon flieth to his side.

EXETER. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him!

O, whither shall we fly from this reproach?

GLOUCESTER. We will not fly but to our enemies' throats.

Bedford, if thou be slack I'll fight it out.

BEDFORD. Gloucester, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness?

An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is overrun.

Enter a third MESSENGER

THIRD MESSENGER. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hea.r.s.e, I must inform you of a dismal fight Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French.

WINCHESTER. What! Wherein Talbot overcame? Is't so?

THIRD MESSENGER. O, no; wherein Lord Talbot was o'erthrown.

The circ.u.mstance I'll tell you more at large.

The tenth of August last this dreadful lord, Retiring from the siege of Orleans, Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, By three and twenty thousand of the French Was round encompa.s.sed 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 hors.e.m.e.n off from breaking in.

More than three hours the fight continued; Where valiant Talbot, above human thought, Enacted wonders with his sword and lance: Hundreds he sent to h.e.l.l, and none durst stand him; Here, there, and everywhere, enrag'd he slew The French exclaim'd the devil was in arms; All the whole army stood agaz'd on him.

His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit, 'A Talbot! a Talbot!' cried out amain, And rush'd into the bowels of the battle.

Here had the conquest fully been seal'd up If Sir John Fastolfe 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 struck one stroke; Hence grew the general wreck and ma.s.sacre.

Enclosed were they with their enemies.

A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace, Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back; Whom all France, with their chief a.s.sembled strength, Durst not presume to look once in the face.

BEDFORD. Is Talbot slain? Then I will slay myself, For living idly here in pomp and ease, Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid, Unto his dastard foemen is betray'd.

THIRD MESSENGER. 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.

BEDFORD. His ransom there is none but I shall pay.

I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne; His crown shall be the ransom 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 b.l.o.o.d.y deeds shall make an Europe quake.

THIRD MESSENGER. 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, Since they, so few, watch such a mult.i.tude.

EXETER. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn, Either to quell the Dauphin utterly, Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.

BEDFORD. I do remember it, and here take my leave To go about my preparation. Exit GLOUCESTER. I'll to the Tower with all the haste I can To view th' artillery and munition; And then I will proclaim young Henry king. Exit EXETER. 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 WINCHESTER. [Aside] 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 steal, And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. Exeunt

SCENE 2.

France. Before Orleans

Sound a flourish. Enter CHARLES THE DAUPHIN, ALENCON, and REIGNIER, marching with drum and soldiers

CHARLES. Mars his true moving, even as in the heavens So in the earth, to this day is not known.

Late did he s.h.i.+ne upon the English side; Now we are victors, upon us he smiles.

What towns of any moment but we have?

At pleasure here we lie near Orleans; Otherwhiles the famish'd English, like pale ghosts, Faintly besiege us one hour in a month.

ALENCON. They want their porridge and their fat bull beeves.

Either they must be dieted like mules And have their provender tied to their mouths, Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice.

REIGNIER. Let's raise the siege. Why live we idly here?

Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear; Remaineth none but mad-brain'd Salisbury, And he may well in fretting spend his gall Nor men nor money hath he to make war.

CHARLES. Sound, sound 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 flee. Exeunt

Here alarum. They are beaten hack by the English, with great loss. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENCON, and REIGNIER

CHARLES. Who ever saw the like? What men have I!

Dogs! cowards! dastards! I would ne'er have fled But that they left me midst my enemies.

REIGNIER. Salisbury is a desperate homicide; He fighteth as one weary of his life.

The other lords, like lions wanting food, Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.

ALENCON. Froissart, a countryman of ours, records England all Olivers and Rowlands bred During the time Edward the Third did reign.

More truly now may this be verified; For none but Samsons and Goliases It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten!

Lean raw-bon'd rascals! Who would e'er suppose They had such courage and audacity?

CHARLES. Let's leave this town; for they are hare-brain'd slaves, And hunger will enforce them to be more eager.

Of old I know them; rather with their teeth The walls they'll tear down than forsake the siege.

REIGNIER. I think by some odd gimmers or device Their arms are set, like clocks, still to strike on; Else ne'er could they hold out so as they do.

By my consent, we'll even let them alone.

ALENCON. Be it so.