King Henry VI, Part 1 | Page 4

Gloucester, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness? An army have I muster'd in my thoughts,?Wherewith already France is overrun.
Enter a third MESSENGER
THIRD MESSENGER. My gracious lords, to add to your?laments,?Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse,?I must inform you of a dismal fight?Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French.?WINCHESTER. What! Wherein Talbot overcame? Is't so??THIRD MESSENGER. O, no; wherein Lord Talbot was?o'erthrown.?The circumstance I'll tell you more at large.?The tenth of August last this dreadful lord,?Retiring from the siege of Orleans,?Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,?By three and twenty thousand of the French?Was round encompassed and set upon.?No leisure had he to enrank his men;?He wanted pikes to set before his archers;?Instead whereof sharp stakes pluck'd out of hedges?They pitched in the ground confusedly?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 sword and lance:?Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him;?Here, there, and everywhere, enrag'd he slew?The French exclaim'd the devil was in arms;?All the whole army stood agaz'd on him.?His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,?'A Talbot! a Talbot!' cried out amain,?And rush'd into the bowels of the battle.?Here had the conquest fully been seal'd up?If Sir John Fastolfe had not play'd the coward.?He, being in the vaward plac'd behind?With purpose to relieve and follow themCowardly?fled, not having struck one stroke;?Hence grew the general wreck and massacre.?Enclosed were they with their enemies.?A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,?Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back;?Whom all France, with their chief assembled strength,?Durst not presume to look once in the face.?BEDFORD. Is Talbot slain? Then I will slay myself,?For living idly here in pomp and ease,?Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid,?Unto his dastard foemen is betray'd.?THIRD MESSENGER. O no, he lives, but is took prisoner,?And Lord Scales with him, and Lord Hungerford;?Most of the rest slaughter'd or took likewise.?BEDFORD. His ransom there is none but I shall pay.?I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne;?His crown shall be the ransom of my friend;?Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours.?Farewell, my masters; to my task will I;?Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make?To keep our great Saint George's feast withal.?Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take,?Whose bloody deeds shall make an Europe quake.?THIRD MESSENGER. So you had need; for Orleans is besieg'd; The English army is grown weak and faint;?The Earl of Salisbury craveth supply?And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,?Since they, so few, watch such a multitude.?EXETER. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn,?Either to quell the Dauphin utterly,?Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.?BEDFORD. I do remember it, and here take my leave?To go about my preparation. Exit GLOUCESTER. I'll to the Tower with all the haste I can?To view th' artillery and munition;?And then I will proclaim young Henry king. Exit EXETER. To Eltham will I, where the young King is,?Being ordain'd his special governor;?And for his safety there I'll best devise. Exit WINCHESTER. [Aside] Each hath his place and function to attend:?I am left out; for me nothing remains.?But long I will not be Jack out of office.?The King from Eltham I intend to steal,?And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. Exeunt
SCENE 2.
France. Before Orleans
Sound a flourish. Enter CHARLES THE DAUPHIN, ALENCON,
and REIGNIER, marching with drum and soldiers
CHARLES. Mars his true moving, even as in the heavens?So in the earth, to this day is not known.?Late did he shine upon the English side;?Now we are victors, upon us he smiles.?What towns of any moment but we have??At pleasure here we lie near Orleans;?Otherwhiles the famish'd English, like pale ghosts,?Faintly besiege us one hour in a month.?ALENCON. They want their porridge and their fat bull?beeves.?Either they must be dieted like mules?And have their provender tied to their mouths,?Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice.?REIGNIER. Let's raise the siege. 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 money hath he to make war.?CHARLES. Sound, sound alarum; we will rush on them.?Now for the honour of the forlorn French!?Him I forgive my death that killeth me,?When he sees me go back one foot or flee. Exeunt
Here alarum. They are beaten back by the English, with great loss. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENCON, and REIGNIER
CHARLES. Who ever saw the like? What men have I!?Dogs! cowards! dastards! I would ne'er have fled?But that they left me midst my enemies.?REIGNIER. Salisbury is a desperate homicide;?He fighteth as one weary of his life.?The other lords, like lions wanting food,?Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.?ALENCON. Froissart, 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