90

Ask me what question thou canst possible,
And I will answer unpremeditated:
My courage try by combat, if thou darest,
And thou shalt find that I exceed my sex.
Resolve on this, thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.
Char. Thou hast astonish'd me with thy high terms;
Only this proof I'll of thy valor make,

In single combat thou shalt buckle with me,
And if thou vanquishest, thy words are true;
Otherwise I renounce all confidence.

Puc. I am prepared: here is my keen-edged sword,
Deck'd with five flower-de-luces on each side;
The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's
church-yard,

100

Out of a great deal of old iron I chose forth. Char. Then come, o' God's name; I fear no woman. Puc. And while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a man. [Here they fight, and Joan La Pucelle over

comes.

91. "Resolve on this"; that is, be "convinced of it.”—H. N. H. 99. "five"; Ff., “fine.”—I. G.

101. "Out of a great deal of old iron"; Dyce's conjecture, “out of a deal old iron," seems the best of the emendations proposed.—I. G. This is taken from the chronicler: "Then at the Dolphins sending by hir assignement, from saint Katharins church of Fierbois in Touraine, where she never had beene, in a secret place there among old iron, appointed she hir sword to be sought out and brought hir, that with five floure delices was graven on both sides, wherewith she fought, and did manie slaughters by hir owne hands." -H. N. H.

103. “ne'er fly from a man"; so F. 1; Ff. 2, 3, 4, “ne'er flye.) man"; Collier MS., "ne'er fly from no man"; there was probably some jingle intended:—

CHAR. Then come, o' God's name; I fear no woman.
Puc. And while I live, I'll ne'er fly from no man.—]
-I. G.

Char. Stay, stay thy hands; thou art an Amazon,
And fightest with the sword of Deborah.
Puc. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too
weak.

Char. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must help

me:

Impatiently I burn with thy desire;

My heart and hands thou hast at once subdued.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so,

Let me thy servant and not sovereign be:
'Tis the French Dauphin sueth to thee thus.
Puc. I must not yield to any rites of love,
For my profession's sacred from above:
When I have chased all thy foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompense.

110

Char. Meantime look gracious on thy prostrate thrall.

Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk.
Alen. Doubtless he shrives this woman to her

smock;

119

Else ne'er could he so long protract his speech. Reig. Shall we disturb him, since he keeps no mean? Alen. He may mean more than we poor men do know:

These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues.

Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise you on? Shall we give over Orleans, or no?

Puc. Why, no, I say, distrustful recreants!

108. "thy desire," desire for thee.-I. G.

111. "Servant"-lover.-C. H. H.

121. "keeps no mean”— observes no measure.-C. H. H.

Fight till the last gasp; I will be your guard. Char. What she says I'll confirm: we'll fight it

out:

Puc. Assign'd am I to be the English scourge.

This night the siege assuredly I'll raise: 130
Expect Saint Martin's summer, halcyon days,
Since I have entered into these wars.
Glory is like a circle in the water,

Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself
Till by broad spreading it disperse to nought.
With Henry's death the English circle ends;
Dispersed are the glories it included.
Now am I like that proud insulting ship
Which Cæsar and his fortune bare at once.
Char. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove?
Thou with an eagle art inspired then.
Helen, the mother of great Constantine,

140

131. "Expect Saint Martin's summer"; "expect prosperity after misfortune, like fair weather at Martlemas, after winter has begun❞ (Johnson). St. Martin's Day is November 11.—I. G.

138. "That proud insulting ship, Which Cæsar and his fortune bare at once," evidently suggested by the following passage in North's translation of Plutarch's "Life of Cæsar":"Cæsar hearing that, straight discovered himself unto the master of the pynnace, who at first was amazed when he saw him; but Cæsar, then taking him by the hand, said unto him, good fellow, be of good cheer, and fear not, for thou hast Cæsar and his fortune with thee."

-I. G. 140. "Mahomet inspired with a dove"; cp. "he (Mahomet) used to feed (a dove) with wheat out of his ear; which dove, when it was hungry, lighted on Mahomet's shoulder, and thrust its bill in to find its breakfast; Mahomet persuading the rude and simple Arabians that it was the Holy Ghost that gave him advice” (Raleigh's History of the World).-I. G.

142. "Helen." The empress Helena, according to Christian legend, succeeded by divine guidance in recovering the Cross of Christ.— C. H. H.

Nor yet Saint Philip's daughters, were like thee.

Bright star of Venus, fall'n down on the earth,

How may I reverently worship thee enough? Alen. Leave off delays, and let us raise the siege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canst to save our hon

ors;

Drive them from Orleans and be immortalized. Char. Presently we 'll try: come, let 's away about it:

No prophet will I trust, if she prove false. 150 [Exeunt.

143. "Saint Philip's daughters"; "the four daughters of Philip mentioned in the Acts."-Hanmer.

145. “reverently worship"; Capell, "ever worship"; Steevens, “reverence, worship"; Dyce (Collier MS.), "reverent worship"; the last seems the only plausible reading.—I. G.

148. "Orleans," Ff., "Orleance"; Capell, "hence.”—I. G.

150. The matter of this scene is thus related by Holinshed: "In time of this siege at Orleance, French stories saie, unto Charles the Dolphin at Chinon was caried a yoong wench of an eighteene yeeres old, called Joan Arc, borne at Domprin upon Meuse in Loraine. of favour was she counted likesome, of person stronglie made and manlie, of courage great, hardie, and stout withall, an understander of counsels though she were not at them, great semblance of chastitie both of bodie and behaviour, the name of Jesus in hir mouth about all hir businesses, humble, obedient, and fasting diverse daies in the weeke. Unto the Dolphin in his gallerie when first she was brought, and he shadowing himselfe behind, setting other gaie lords before him to trie hir cunning, she pickt him out alone, who thereupon had her to the end of the gallerie, where she held him an houre in secret and private talke, that of his privie chamber was thought verie long, and therefore would have broken it off; but he made them a sign to let hir saie on."-H. N. H.

SCENE III

London. Before the Tower.

Enter the Duke of Gloucester, with his Servingmen in blue coats.

Glou. I am come to survey the Tower this day:
Since Henry's death, I fear, there is conveyance.
Where be these warders, that they wait not here?
Open the gates; 'tis Gloucester that calls.
First Warder. [Within] Who's there that knocks
so imperiously?

First Serv. It is the noble Duke of Gloucester. Second Warder. [Within] Whoe'er he be, you may not be let in.

First Serv. Villains, answer you so the lord protector?

First Warder. [Within] The Lord protect him! so we answer him:

10

We do no otherwise than we are will'd. Glou. Who willed you? or whose will stands but mine?

There's none protector of the realm but I.

Break up the gates, I'll be your warrantize:

4. "tis Gloucester"; Pope's emendation; Ff., "tis Gloster”; Steevens, “it is Gloster," &c.; cp. 1. 62 below, where Ff. similarly read "Gloster."-I. G.

13. To break up was the same as to break open. "They have broken up and have passed through the gate."-Micah ii. 13. "He would have watched and would not have suffered his home to be broken up." Matthew xxiv. 43. "The lusty Kentishmen hoping on more friends brake up the gaytes" (Hall's Chronicle).-H. N. H.