That beauty am I bleft with which
you fee.
Afk me what question thou canft poffible,
And I will answer unpremeditated.
My courage try by combat, if thou dar'ft,
And thou fhalt find that I exceed my fex.
Refolve on this, thou fhalt be fortunate
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.
Dau. Thou haft astonish'd me with thy high terms:
Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,

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

Pucel. I am prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd fword,
Deck'd with fine flow'r-de-luces on each fide,
The which at Tourain, in faint Catharine's church,
Out of a deal of old iron I chofe forth.

Dau. Then come o' god's name, for I fear no woman.
Pucel. And, while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a man,

Here they fight, and Joan la Pucelle overcomes.
Dau. Stay, stay thy hands; thou art an Amazon,
And fighteft with the fword of Debora.

Pucel. Chrift's mother helps me, elfe I were too weak.
Dau. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must help me :
Impatiently I burn with thy defire ;

My heart and hands thou haft at once fubdu'd:
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be fo,
Let me thy fervant, and not fovereign, be,
'Tis the French dauphin fueth to thee thus.

Pucel. I muft not yield to any rites of love,

For my profeffion's facred from above:
When I have chafed all thy foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompense.

Dau. Mean time, look gracious on thy proftrate thrall.
Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk.

Alan. Doubtlefs, he fhrives this woman to her fmock,

Elfe

Elfe ne'er could he fo long protract his speech.

Reig. Shall we disturb him, since he keeps no mean?
Alan. He may mean more than we poor men do know:
These women are fhrewd tempters with their tongues.
Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise you on?
Shall we give over Orleans, or no?

Pucel. Why, no, I say: distrustful recreants!
Fight till the laft gafp; for I'll be your guard.
Dau. What fhe fays I'll confirm; we'll fight it out.
Pucel. Affign'd I am to be the English fcourge.

This night the fiege affuredly I'll raise :
Expect faint Martin's fummer, Halcyon days,
Since I have enter'd thus into thefe 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 Cæfar and his fortune bore at once.
Dau. Was Mahomet infpired with a dove?
Thou with an eagle art inspired then.
Helen the mother of great Conftantine,

Nor yet faint Philip's daughters,* were like thee.
Bright ftar of Venus fall'n down on the earth,

How may I reverently worship thee?

Alan. Leave off delays, and let us raise the fiege.
Reig. Woman, do what thou canft to fave our honours,
Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd.

Dau. Presently try: come, let's away about it.

No prophet will I truft, if she proves false.

a

[Exeunt.

Meaning the four daughters of Philip, mention'd in the 21ft chap. of the acts of the apostles, who had all the gift of prophefying: he being there also called Philip the Evangelift.

SCENE

Glou.

I

Before the Tower Gates in London.
Enter Gloucefter, with his ferving-men.

Am this day come to furvey the Tower ;

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.

I Ward. Who's there that knocketh so imperiously?

I Man. It is the noble duke of Gloucefter.

2 Ward. Whoe'er he be, you may not be let in.

fo

1 Man. Villains, answer you so the lord protector?
I Ward. The lord protect him! fo we answer him:

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 :
Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms?

Gloucester's men rush at the Tower gates, and Woodvile the
Lieutenant fpeaks within.

Wood. What noife is this? what traitors have we here?
Glou. Lieutenant, is it you whofe voice I hear?
Open the gates; here's Glo'fter that would enter.
Wood. Have patience, noble duke; I may not open;
The cardinal of Winchester forbids :

From him I have exprefs commandment,

That thou, nor none of thine fhall be let in.

Glou. Fainthearted Woodvile, prizest him 'fore me ?
Arrogant Winchefer, the haughty prelate,

Whom Henry our late fovereign ne'er could brook?
Thou art no friend to god, or to the king:

Open the gate, or I'll fhut thee out shortly.

Serv. Open the gates there to the lord protector; We'll burst them open if you come not quickly.

Enter to the Protector at the Tower gates, Winchester and his men in tawny coats:

Win. How now, ambitious Humphry, what means this? Glou. Piel'd priest, doft thou command me be shut out? Win. I do, thou most ufurping proditor,

And not protector of the king or realm.

Glou. Stand back, thou manifeft confpirator,,
Thou that contriv'dft to murder our dead lord,
Thou that giv'st 'whores indulgencies to fin;
I'll canvass thee in thy broad cardinal's hat,
If thou proceed in this thy infolence.

Win. Nay, ftand thou back, I will not budge a foot:
This be 'Damafcus, be thou cursed Cain,

To flay thy brother Abel if thou wilt.

Here Gloucefter's men beat out the Cardinal's; and enter in the burlyburly the Mayor of London, and his officers.

Mayor. Fie, lords, that you, being fupreme magistrates, Thus contumeliously should break the peace!

a Peel'd, alluding to his fhaven crown, a metaphor from a peel'd orange.

The publick fiews were formerly under the district of the bishop of Winchester.

Damafcus. N. B. About four miles from Damafcus is a high hill, reported to be the same on which

Cain flew his brother Abel. Maundr. Trav. p. 131.

d

if thou wilt.

Glou. I will not flay thee, but I'll drive thee back:

Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing cloth,

I'll ufe to carry thee out of this place.

Win. Do what thou dar'ft, I beard thee to thy face. Glou. What am I dar'd, and bearded to my face? Draw, men, for all this privileged place:

Blue coats to tawny.

Prieft, beware thy beard,
I mean to tug it, and to cuff you foundly.
Under my feet I'll ftamp thy cardinal's hat:
In fpite of pope, or dignities of church,
Here by the cheeks I'll drag thee up and down.

Win. Glofter, thoul't answer this before the pope.
Glou. Winchester goofe, I cry a rope, a rope.
Now beat them hence, why do you let them ftay?
Thee I'll chafe hence, thou wolf in fheep's array.
Out, tawny coats! out, fcarlet hypocrite!
Here Gloucester's

Glou.

Glou. Peace, mayor, for thou know'ft little of my wrongs: Here's Beaufort, that regards not god nor king, Hath here diftrain'd the tower to his use.

Win. Here's Glofter too, a foe to citizens, One that still motions war, and never peace, O'ercharging your free purfes with large fines, That feeks to overthrow religion,

Because he is protector of the realm;

And would have armour here out of the tower,
To crown himself king, and fupprefs the prince.
Glou. I will not answer thee with words, but blows.
[here they fkirmish again.
Mayor. Nought rests for me in this tumultuous ftrife,

But to make open proclamation.

Come, officer, as loud as e'er thou canft.

in his

Off. All manner of men, assembled here in arms this day against god's peace and the king's, we charge and command you highness's name, to repair to your feveral dwelling places, and not to wear, handle, or use any fword, weapon, or dagger, henceforward, upon pain of death.

Glou. Cardinal, I'll be no breaker of the law:

But we shall meet, and tell our minds at large.

Win. Glofter, we'll meet to thy dear coft, be fure; Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work.

Mayor. I'll call for clubs, if you will not away :

This cardinal is more haughty than the devil.

Glou. Mayor, farewel: thou doft but what thou may'st.
Win. Abominable Glofter, guard thy head,

For I intend to have it, ere be long.

[Exeunt. Mayor. See the coast clear'd, and then we will depart. Off. Good god! that nobles fhould fuch ftomachs bear! I myself fight not once in forty year.

[Exeunt.

SCENE