Shakespeare Portal

Act 2, Scene 1

Before Orleans.

  1. [Enter a Sergeant of a band, with two Sentinels.]
  2. Sergeant
  3. 609 Sirs, take your places and be vigilant:
  4. 610 If any noise or soldier you perceive
  5. 611 Near to the walls, by some apparent sign
  6. 612 Let us have knowledge at the court of guard.
  7. Sentinel
  8. 613 Sergeant, you shall.
  9. [Exit Sergeant. Thus are poor servitors, When others sleep upon their quiet beds, Constrain'd to watch in darkness, rain and cold.]
  10. [Enter Talbot, Bedford, Burgundy, and forces, with scaling-ladders, their drums beating a dead march.]
  11. Lord Talbot
  12. 614 Lord Regent, and redoubted Burgundy,
  13. 615 By whose approach the regions of Artois,
  14. 616 Wallon and Picardy are friends to us,
  15. 617 This happy night the Frenchmen are secure,
  16. 618 Having all day caroused and banqueted:
  17. 619 Embrace we then this opportunity,
  18. 620 As fitting best to quittance their deceit
  19. 621 Contriv'd by art and baleful sorcery.
  20. Duke of Bedford
  21. 622 Coward of France, how much he wrongs his fame,
  22. 623 Despairing of his own arm's fortitude,
  23. 624 To join with witches and the help of hell!
  24. Duke of Burgundy
  25. 625 Traitors have never other company.
  26. 626 But what 's that Pucelle whom they term so pure?
  27. Lord Talbot
  28. 627 A maid, they say.
  29. Duke of Bedford
  30. 628 A maid! and be so martial!
  31. Duke of Burgundy
  32. 629 Pray God she prove not masculine ere long,
  33. 630 If underneath the standard of the French
  34. 631 She carry armour as she hath begun.
  35. Lord Talbot
  36. 632 Well, let them practice and converse with spirits:
  37. 633 God is our fortress, in whose conquering name
  38. 634 Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks.
  39. Duke of Bedford
  40. 635 Ascend, brave Talbot; we will follow thee.
  41. Lord Talbot
  42. 636 Not all together: better far, I guess,
  43. 637 That we do make our entrance several ways;
  44. 638 That, if it chance the one of us do fail,
  45. 639 The other yet may rise against their force.
  46. Duke of Bedford
  47. 640 Agreed: I 'll to yond corner.
  48. Duke of Burgundy
  49. 641 And I to this.
  50. Lord Talbot
  51. 642 And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave.
  52. 643 Now, Salisbury, for thee, and for the right
  53. 644 Of English Henry, shall this night appear
  54. 645 How much in duty I am bound to both.
  55. Sentinel
  56. 646 Arm! arm! the enemy doth make assault!
  57. [Cry: 'St George,' 'A Talbot.']
  58. [The French leap over the walls in their shirts. Enter, several ways, the Bastard of Orleans, Alencon, and Reignier, half ready, and half unready.]
  59. Duke of Alencon
  60. 647 How now, my lords! what, all unready so?
  61. Bastard of Orleans
  62. 648 Unready! aye, and glad we 'scap'd so well.
  63. Reignier, Duke of Anjou
  64. 649 'Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our beds,
  65. 650 Hearing alarums at our chamber-doors.
  66. Duke of Alencon
  67. 651 Of all exploits since first I follow'd arms,
  68. 652 Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprise
  69. 653 More venturous or desperate than this.
  70. Bastard of Orleans
  71. 654 I think this Talbot be a fiend of hell.
  72. Reignier, Duke of Anjou
  73. 655 If not of hell, the heavens, sure, favor him.
  74. Duke of Alencon
  75. 656 Here cometh Charles: I marvel how he sped.
  76. Bastard of Orleans
  77. 657 Tut, holy Joan was his defensive guard.
  78. [Enter Charles and La Pucelle.]
  79. Charles, the Dauphin
  80. 658 Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame?
  81. 659 Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal,
  82. 660 Make us partakers of a little gain,
  83. 661 That now our loss might be ten times so much?
  84. Joan la Pucelle
  85. 662 Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend?
  86. 663 At all times will you have my power alike?
  87. 664 Sleeping or waking must I still prevail,
  88. 665 Or will you blame and lay the fault on me?
  89. 666 Improvident soldiers! had your watch been good,
  90. 667 This sudden mischief never could have fall'n.
  91. Charles, the Dauphin
  92. 668 Duke of Alencon, this was your default,
  93. 669 That, being captain of the watch to-night,
  94. 670 Did look no better to that weighty charge.
  95. Duke of Alencon
  96. 671 Had all your quarters been as safely kept
  97. 672 As that whereof I had the government,
  98. 673 We had not been thus shamefully surprised.
  99. Bastard of Orleans
  100. 674 Mine was secure.
  101. Reignier, Duke of Anjou
  102. 675 And so was mine, my lord.
  103. Charles, the Dauphin
  104. 676 And, for myself, most part of all this night,
  105. 677 Within her quarter and mine own precinct
  106. 678 I was employ'd in passing to and fro,
  107. 679 About relieving of the sentinels:
  108. 680 Then how or which way should they first break in?
  109. Joan la Pucelle
  110. 681 Question, my lords, no further of the case,
  111. 682 How or which way: 'tis sure they found some place
  112. 683 But weakly guarded, where the breach was made.
  113. 684 And now there rests no other shift but this;
  114. 685 To gather our soldiers, scatter'd and dispersed,
  115. 686 And lay new platforms to endamage them.
  116. [Alarum. Enter an English Soldier, crying 'A Talbot! a Talbot!' They fly, leaving their clothes behind.]
  117. Soldier
  118. 687 I 'll be so bold to take what they have left.
  119. 688 The cry of Talbot serves me for a sword;
  120. 689 For I have loaden me with many spoils,
  121. 690 Using no other weapon but his name.
  122. [Exit.]