Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, 5 To weep their intermiffive miferies.

Enter to them another Messenger.

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

part,

[Exit. Exe. The Dauphin crowned King? all fly to him?

O, whither fhall 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.

3 Meff. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse, I must inform you of a difmal 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'erthrown, The circumftance I'll tell you more at large.

The tenth of Auguft laft, this dreadful lord

5 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.

Ff3

Retiring

Retiring from the fiege of Orleans,
Having fcarce full fix thoufand 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, fharp 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 French exclaim'd, "The devil was in arms!
All the whole army stood agaz'd on him.
His foldiers, fpying his undaunted fpirit,
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 ftroak.
Hence grew the gen'ral wreck and maffacre;
-Enclofed were they with their enemies.
A bafe Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thrust Talbot with a fpear into the back;
Whom all France with her chief affembled ftrength
Durft not presume to look once in the face.

Bed. Is Talbot flain then? I will flay my felf,
For living idly here in pomp and ease;
Whilft fuch a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Unto his daftard foe-men is betray'd.

3 Me O no, he lives, but is took prisoner, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford; Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took likewife.

Bed.

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 task will I ;
Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make,
To keep our great St. George's feaft withal.
Ten thousand foldiers with me I will take,
Whose bloody deeds fhall make all Europe quake.
3 Meff. 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 yoak.

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.

[Exit Gloucefter. Exe. To Eltam will I, where the young King is, Being ordain'd his fpecial governor; And for his fafety there I'll beft 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 thus out of office:
The King from Eltam I intend to fend,
And fit at chiefeft ftern of publick weal.

[Exit.

s c E N E V.

Before Orleans in France.

Enter Charles, Alanson, and Reignier, marching with a drum and Soldiers.

Char. MARS his true moving, ev❜n as in the

heav'ns,

So in the earth to this day is not known.
Late, did he shine upon the English fide:
Now we are victors, upon us he fmiles.
What towns of any moment, but we have?
At pleasure here we lye near Orleans:

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

Alan. They want their porridge, and their fat Bull-
beeves;

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-brain'd 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 rufh 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 loss.

Re-enter Charles, Alanfon, and Reignier.

Char. Who ever faw the like? what men have I? Dogs, cowards, daftards! I would 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,
During the time Edward the Third did reign:
More truly now may this be verified
For none but Sampfons and Goliaffes

;

It fendeth forth to skirmish; 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,

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.

Dau. Baftard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us.
Baft. Methinks, your looks are fad,
appal'd.

your chear

6 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 equally extravagant by the old romancers, that from thence arofe 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. by fome odd gimmals or device] Gimmals are rings of double rounds, from gemelli, wheels one within another.

7

Mr. Pope.

Hath