William Shakespeare - King Henry the Sixth, Part 1

TALBOT

With scoffs and scorns and contumelious taunts.

In open market-place produced they me,To be a public spectacle to all:Here, said they, is the terror of the French,The scarecrow that affrights our children so.Then broke I from the officers that led me,And with my nails digg'd stones out of the ground,To hurl at the beholders of my shame:My grisly countenance made others fly;None durst come near for fear of sudden death.In iron walls they deem'd me not secure;So great fear of my name 'mongst them was spread,That they supposed I could rend bars of steel,And spurn in pieces posts of adamant:Wherefore a guard of chosen shot I had,That walked about me every minute-while;And if I did but stir out of my bed,Ready they were to shoot me to the heart.

Enter the Boy with a linstock

SALISBURY

I grieve to hear what torments you endured,

But we will be revenged sufficientlyNow it is supper-time in Orleans:Here, through this grate, I count each oneand view the Frenchmen how they fortify:Let us look in; the sight will much delight thee.Sir Thomas Gargrave, and Sir William Glansdale,Let me have your express opinionsWhere is best place to make our battery next.

GARGRAVE

I think, at the north gate; for there stand lords.

GLANSDALE

And I, here, at the bulwark of the bridge.

TALBOT

For aught I see, this city must be famish'd,

Or with light skirmishes enfeebled.

Here they shoot. SALISBURY and GARGRAVE fall

SALISBURY

O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched sinners!

GARGRAVE

O Lord, have mercy on me, woful man!

TALBOT

What chance is this that suddenly hath cross'd us?

Speak, Salisbury; at least, if thou canst speak:How farest thou, mirror of all martial men?One of thy eyes and thy cheek's side struck off!Accursed tower! accursed fatal handThat hath contrived this woful tragedy!In thirteen battles Salisbury o'ercame;Henry the Fifth he first train'd to the wars;Whilst any trump did sound, or drum struck up,His sword did ne'er leave striking in the field.Yet livest thou, Salisbury? though thy speech doth fail,One eye thou hast, to look to heaven for grace:The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive,If Salisbury wants mercy at thy hands!Bear hence his body; I will help to bury it.Sir Thomas Gargrave, hast thou any life?Speak unto Talbot; nay, look up to him.Salisbury, cheer thy spirit with this comfort;Thou shalt not die whiles--He beckons with his hand and smiles on me.As who should say 'When I am dead and gone,Remember to avenge me on the French.'Plantagenet, I will; and like thee, Nero,Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn:Wretched shall France be only in my name.

Here an alarum, and it thunders and lightens

What stir is this? what tumult's in the heavens?

Whence cometh this alarum and the noise?

Enter a Messenger

Messenger

My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head:

The Dauphin, with one Joan la Pucelle join'd,A holy prophetess new risen up,Is come with a great power to raise the siege.

Here SALISBURY lifteth himself up and groans

TALBOT

Hear, hear how dying Salisbury doth groan!

It irks his heart he cannot be revenged.Frenchmen, I'll be a Salisbury to you:Pucelle or puzzel, dolphin or dogfish,Your hearts I'll stamp out with my horse's heels,And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.Convey me Salisbury into his tent,And then we'll try what these dastard Frenchmen dare.

Alarum. Exeunt

The same.

Here an alarum again: and TALBOT pursueth the DAUPHIN, and driveth him: then enter JOAN LA PUCELLE, driving Englishmen before her, and exit after them then re-enter TALBOT

TALBOT

Where is my strength, my valour, and my force?

Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them:A woman clad in armour chaseth them.

Re-enter JOAN LA PUCELLE

Here, here she comes. I'll have a bout with thee;

Devil or devil's dam, I'll conjure thee:Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch,And straightway give thy soul to him thou servest.

JOAN LA PUCELLE

Come, come, 'tis only I that must disgrace thee.

Here they fight

TALBOT

Heavens, can you suffer hell so to prevail?

My breast I'll burst with straining of my courageAnd from my shoulders crack my arms asunder.But I will chastise this high-minded strumpet.

They fight again

JOAN LA PUCELLE

Talbot, farewell; thy hour is not yet come:

I must go victual Orleans forthwith.

A short alarum; then enter the town with soldiers

O'ertake me, if thou canst; I scorn thy strength.

Go, go, cheer up thy hungry-starved men;Help Salisbury to make his testament:This day is ours, as many more shall be.

Exit

TALBOT

My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel;

I know not where I am, nor what I do;A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,Drives back our troops and conquers as she lists:So bees with smoke and doves with noisome stenchAre from their hives and houses driven away.They call'd us for our fierceness English dogs;Now, like to whelps, we crying run away.

A short alarum

Hark, countrymen! either renew the fight,

Or tear the lions out of England's coat;Renounce your soil, give sheep in lions' stead:Sheep run not half so treacherous from the wolf,Or horse or oxen from the leopard,As you fly from your oft-subdued slaves.

Alarum. Here another skirmish

It will not be: retire into your trenches:

You all consented unto Salisbury's death,For none would strike a stroke in his revenge.Pucelle is enter'd into Orleans,In spite of us or aught that we could do.O, would I were to die with Salisbury!The shame hereof will make me hide my head.

Exit TALBOT. Alarum; retreat; flourish

The same.

Enter, on the walls, JOAN LA PUCELLE, CHARLES, REIGNIER, ALENCON, and Soldiers

JOAN LA PUCELLE

Advance our waving colours on the walls;

Rescued is Orleans from the EnglishThus Joan la Pucelle hath perform'd her word.

CHARLES

Divinest creature, Astraea's daughter,

How shall I honour thee for this success?Thy promises are like Adonis' gardensThat one day bloom'd and fruitful were the next.France, triumph in thy glorious prophetess!Recover'd is the town of Orleans:More blessed hap did ne'er befall our state.

REIGNIER

Why ring not out the bells aloud throughout the town?

Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfiresAnd feast and banquet in the open streets,To celebrate the joy that God hath given us.

ALENCON

All France will be replete with mirth and joy,

When they shall hear how we have play'd the men.

CHARLES

'Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day is won;

For which I will divide my crown with her,And all the priests and friars in my realmShall in procession sing her endless praise.A statelier pyramis to her I'll rearThan Rhodope's or Memphis' ever was:In memory of her when she is dead,Her ashes, in an urn more preciousThan the rich-jewel'd of Darius,Transported shall be at high festivalsBefore the kings and queens of France.No longer on Saint Denis will we cry,But Joan la Pucelle shall be France's saint.Come in, and let us banquet royally,After this golden day of victory.

Flourish. Exeunt

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.