The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare [book recommendations based on other books txt] 📗

Undaunted spirit in a dying breast!

Then be it so. Heavens keep old Bedford safe!

And now no more ado, brave Burgundy,

But gather we our forces out of hand

And set upon our boasting enemy.

Exeunt against the town all but BEDFORD and attendants An alarum; excursions. Enter SIR JOHN FASTOLFE, and a CAPTAIN

 

CAPTAIN. Whither away, Sir John Fastolfe, in such haste?

FASTOLFE. Whither away? To save myself by flight: We are like to have the overthrow again.

CAPTAIN. What! Will you and leave Lord Talbot?

FASTOLFE. Ay,

All the Talbots in the world, to save my life. Exit CAPTAIN. Cowardly knight! ill fortune follow thee!

Exit into the town Retreat; excursions. LA PUCELLE, ALENCON, and CHARLES fly

 

BEDFORD. Now, quiet soul, depart when heaven please, For I have seen our enemies’ overthrow.

What is the trust or strength of foolish man?

They that of late were daring with their scoffs Are glad and fain by flight to save themselves.

[BEDFORD dies and is carried in by two in his chair]

 

An alarum. Re-enter TALBOT, BURGUNDY, and the rest TALBOT. Lost and recovered in a day again!

This is a double honour, Burgundy.

Yet heavens have glory for this victory!

BURGUNDY. Warlike and martial Talbot, Burgundy Enshrines thee in his heart, and there erects Thy noble deeds as valour’s monuments.

TALBOT. Thanks, gentle Duke. But where is Pucelle now?

I think her old familiar is asleep.

Now where’s the Bastard’s braves, and Charles his gleeks?

What, all amort? Rouen hangs her head for grief That such a valiant company are fled.

Now will we take some order in the town, Placing therein some expert officers; And then depart to Paris to the King, For there young Henry with his nobles lie.

BURGUNDY. What Lord Talbot pleaseth Burgundy.

TALBOT. But yet, before we go, let’s not forget The noble Duke of Bedford, late deceas’d, But see his exequies fulfill’d in Rouen.

A braver soldier never couched lance, A gentler heart did never sway in court; But kings and mightiest potentates must die, For that’s the end of human misery. Exeunt

SCENE 3.

 

The plains near Rouen Enter CHARLES, the BASTARD, ALENCON, LA PUCELLE, and forces

 

PUCELLE. Dismay not, Princes, at this accident, Nor grieve that Rouen is so recovered.

Care is no cure, but rather corrosive, For things that are not to be remedied.

Let frantic Talbot triumph for a while And like a peacock sweep along his tail; We’ll pull his plumes and take away his train, If Dauphin and the rest will be but rul’d.

CHARLES. We have guided by thee hitherto, And of thy cunning had no diffidence; One sudden foil shall never breed distrust BASTARD. Search out thy wit for secret policies, And we will make thee famous through the world.

ALENCON. We’ll set thy statue in some holy place, And have thee reverenc’d like a blessed saint.

Employ thee, then, sweet virgin, for our good.

PUCELLE. Then thus it must be; this doth Joan devise: By fair persuasions, mix’d with sug’red words, We will entice the Duke of Burgundy

To leave the Talbot and to follow us.

CHARLES. Ay, marry, sweeting, if we could do that, France were no place for Henry’s warriors; Nor should that nation boast it so with us, But be extirped from our provinces.

ALENCON. For ever should they be expuls’d from France, And not have tide of an earldom here.

PUCELLE. Your honours shall perceive how I will work To bring this matter to the wished end.

[Drum sounds afar off]

Hark! by the sound of drum you may perceive Their powers are marching unto Paris-ward.

 

Here sound an English march. Enter, and pass over at a distance, TALBOT and his forces There goes the Talbot, with his colours spread, And all the troops of English after him.

 

French march. Enter the DUKE OF BURGUNDY and his forces

 

Now in the rearward comes the Duke and his.

Fortune in favour makes him lag behind.

Summon a parley; we will talk with him.

[Trumpets sound a parley]

CHARLES. A parley with the Duke of Burgundy!

BURGUNDY. Who craves a parley with the Burgundy?

PUCELLE. The princely Charles of France, thy countryman.

BURGUNDY. What say’st thou, Charles? for I am marching hence.

CHARLES. Speak, Pucelle, and enchant him with thy words.

PUCELLE. Brave Burgundy, undoubted hope of France!

Stay, let thy humble handmaid speak to thee.

BURGUNDY. Speak on; but be not over-tedious.

PUCELLE. Look on thy country, look on fertile France, And see the cities and the towns defac’d By wasting ruin of the cruel foe;

As looks the mother on her lowly babe When death doth close his tender dying eyes, See, see the pining malady of France; Behold the wounds, the most unnatural wounds, Which thou thyself hast given her woeful breast.

O, turn thy edged sword another way;

Strike those that hurt, and hurt not those that help!

One drop of blood drawn from thy country’s bosom Should grieve thee more than streams of foreign gore.

Return thee therefore with a flood of tears, And wash away thy country’s stained spots.

BURGUNDY. Either she hath bewitch’d me with her words, Or nature makes me suddenly relent.

PUCELLE. Besides, all French and France exclaims on thee, Doubting thy birth and lawful progeny.

Who join’st thou with but with a lordly nation That will not trust thee but for profit’s sake?

When Talbot hath set footing once in France, And fashion’d thee that instrument of ill, Who then but English Henry will be lord, And thou be thrust out like a fugitive?

Call we to mind-and mark but this for proof: Was not the Duke of Orleans thy foe?

And was he not in England prisoner?

But when they heard he was thine enemy They set him free without his ransom paid, In spite of Burgundy and all his friends.

See then, thou fight’st against thy countrymen, And join’st with them will be thy slaughtermen.

Come, come, return; return, thou wandering lord; Charles and the rest will take thee in their arms.

BURGUNDY. I am vanquished; these haughty words of hers Have batt’red me like roaring cannon-shot And made me almost yield upon my knees.

Forgive me, country, and sweet countrymen And, lords, accept this hearty kind embrace.

My forces and my power of men are yours; So, farewell, Talbot; I’ll no longer trust thee.

PUCELLE. Done like a Frenchman- [Aside] turn and turn again.

CHARLES. Welcome, brave Duke! Thy friendship makes us fresh.

BASTARD. And doth beget new courage in our breasts.

ALENCON. Pucelle hath bravely play’d her part in this, And doth deserve a coronet of gold.

CHARLES. Now let us on, my lords, and join our powers, And seek how we may prejudice the foe. Exeunt

SCENE 4.

 

Paris. The palace

 

Enter the KING, GLOUCESTER, WINCHESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WARWICK, EXETER, VERNON, BASSET, and others. To them, with his soldiers, TALBOT

 

TALBOT. My gracious Prince, and honourable peers, Hearing of your arrival in this realm, I have awhile given truce unto my wars To do my duty to my sovereign;

In sign whereof, this arm that hath reclaim’d To your obedience fifty fortresses,

Twelve cities, and seven walled towns of strength, Beside five hundred prisoners of esteem, Lets fall his sword before your Highness’ feet, And with submissive loyalty of heart

Ascribes the glory of his conquest got First to my God and next unto your Grace. [Kneels]

KING HENRY. Is this the Lord Talbot, uncle Gloucester, That hath so long been resident in France?

GLOUCESTER. Yes, if it please your Majesty, my liege.

KING HENRY. Welcome, brave captain and victorious lord!

When I was young, as yet I am not old, I do remember how my father said

A stouter champion never handled sword.

Long since we were resolved of your truth, Your faithful service, and your toil in war; Yet never have you tasted our reward, Or been reguerdon’d with so much as thanks, Because till now we never saw your face.

Therefore stand up; and for these good deserts We here create you Earl of Shrewsbury; And in our coronation take your place.

Sennet. Flourish. Exeunt all but VERNON and BASSET

VERNON. Now, sir, to you, that were so hot at sea, Disgracing of these colours that I wear In honour of my noble Lord of York

Dar’st thou maintain the former words thou spak’st?

BASSET. Yes, sir; as well as you dare patronage The envious barking of your saucy tongue Against my lord the Duke of Somerset.

VERNON. Sirrah, thy lord I honour as he is.

BASSET. Why, what is he? As good a man as York!

VERNON. Hark ye: not so. In witness, take ye that.

[Strikes him]

BASSET. Villain, thou knowest the law of arms is such That whoso draws a sword ‘tis present death, Or else this blow should broach thy dearest blood.

But I’ll unto his Majesty and crave

I may have liberty to venge this wrong; When thou shalt see I’ll meet thee to thy cost.

VERNON. Well, miscreant, I’ll be there as soon as you; And, after, meet you sooner than you would. Exeunt

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ACT IV. SCENE 1.

 

Park. The palace

 

Enter the KING, GLOUCESTER, WINCHESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WARWICK, TALBOT, EXETER, the GOVERNOR OF PARIS, and others GLOUCESTER. Lord Bishop, set the crown upon his head.

WINCHESTER. God save King Henry, of that name the Sixth!

GLOUCESTER. Now, Governor of Paris, take your oath [GOVERNOR kneels]

That you elect no other king but him, Esteem none friends but such as are his friends, And none your foes but such as shall pretend Malicious practices against his state.

This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!

Exeunt GOVERNOR and his train Enter SIR JOHN FASTOLFE

 

FASTOLFE. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais, To haste unto your coronation,

A letter was deliver’d to my hands,

Writ to your Grace from th’ Duke of Burgundy.

TALBOT. Shame to the Duke of Burgundy and thee!

I vow’d, base knight, when I did meet thee next To tear the Garter from thy craven’s leg, [Plucking it off]

Which I have done, because unworthily Thou wast installed in that high degree.

Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest: This dastard, at the battle of Patay, When but in all I was six thousand strong, And that the French were almost ten to one, Before we met or that a stroke was given, Like to a trusty squire did run away; In which assault we lost twelve hundred men; Myself and divers gentlemen beside

Were there surpris’d and taken prisoners.

Then judge, great lords, if I have done amiss, Or whether that such cowards ought to wear This ornament of knighthood-yea or no.

GLOUCESTER. To say the truth, this fact was infamous And ill beseeming any common man,

Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

TALBOT. When first this order was ordain’d, my lords, Knights of the Garter were of noble birth, Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage, Such as were grown to credit by the wars; Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress, But always resolute in most extremes.

He then that is not furnish’d in this sort Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight, Profaning this most honourable order, And should, if I were worthy to be judge, Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.