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Home > King Henry VI Part 1 > ACT II - SCENE I. Before Orleans.

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ACT II - SCENE I. Before Orleans.
Enter a Sergeant of a band with two Sentinels

Sergeant
1    Sirs, take your places and be vigilant:
2    If any noise or soldier you perceive
3    Near to the walls, by some apparent sign
4    Let us have knowledge at the court of guard.
First Sentinel
5    Sergeant, you shall.
Exit Sergeant
6    Thus are poor servitors,
7    When others sleep upon their quiet beds,
8    Constrain'd to watch in darkness, rain and cold.
TALBOT
9    Lord Regent, and redoubted Burgundy,
10   By whose approach the regions of Artois,
11   Wallon and Picardy are friends to us,
12   This happy night the Frenchmen are secure,
13   Having all day caroused and banqueted:
14   Embrace we then this opportunity
15   As fitting best to quittance their deceit
16   Contrived by art and baleful sorcery.
BEDFORD
17   Coward of France! how much he wrongs his fame,
18   Despairing of his own arm's fortitude,
19   To join with witches and the help of hell!
BURGUNDY
20   Traitors have never other company.
21   But what's that Pucelle whom they term so pure?
TALBOT
22   A maid, they say.
BEDFORD
23   A maid! and be so martial!
BURGUNDY
24   Pray God she prove not masculine ere long,
25   If underneath the standard of the French
26   She carry armour as she hath begun.
TALBOT
27   Well, let them practise and converse with spirits:
28   God is our fortress, in whose conquering name
29   Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks.
BEDFORD
30   Ascend, brave Talbot; we will follow thee.
TALBOT
31   Not all together: better far, I guess,
32   That we do make our entrance several ways;
33   That, if it chance the one of us do fail,
34   The other yet may rise against their force.
BEDFORD
35   Agreed: I'll to yond corner.
BURGUNDY
36   And I to this.
TALBOT
37   And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave.
38   Now, Salisbury, for thee, and for the right
39   Of English Henry, shall this night appear
40   How much in duty I am bound to both.
Sentinels
41   Arm! arm! the enemy doth make assault!
Cry: 'St. George,' 'A Talbot.'

ALENCON
42   How now, my lords! what, all unready so?
BASTARD OF ORLEANS
43   Unready! ay, and glad we 'scaped so well.
REIGNIER
44   'Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our beds,
45   Hearing alarums at our chamber-doors.
ALENCON
46   Of all exploits since first I follow'd arms,
47   Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprise
48   More venturous or desperate than this.
BASTARD OF ORLEANS
49   I think this Talbot be a fiend of hell.
REIGNIER
50   If not of hell, the heavens, sure, favour him.
ALENCON
51   Here cometh Charles: I marvel how he sped.
BASTARD OF ORLEANS
52   Tut, holy Joan was his defensive guard.
Enter CHARLES and JOAN LA PUCELLE

CHARLES
53   Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame?
54   Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal,
55   Make us partakers of a little gain,
56   That now our loss might be ten times so much?
JOAN LA PUCELLE
57   Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend!
58   At all times will you have my power alike?
59   Sleeping or waking must I still prevail,
60   Or will you blame and lay the fault on me?
61   Improvident soldiers! had your watch been good,
62   This sudden mischief never could have fall'n.
CHARLES
63   Duke of Alencon, this was your default,
64   That, being captain of the watch to-night,
65   Did look no better to that weighty charge.
ALENCON
66   Had all your quarters been as safely kept
67   As that whereof I had the government,
68   We had not been thus shamefully surprised.
BASTARD OF ORLEANS
69   Mine was secure.
REIGNIER
70   And so was mine, my lord.
CHARLES
71   And, for myself, most part of all this night,
72   Within her quarter and mine own precinct
73   I was employ'd in passing to and fro,
74   About relieving of the sentinels:
75   Then how or which way should they first break in?
JOAN LA PUCELLE
76   Question, my lords, no further of the case,
77   How or which way: 'tis sure they found some place
78   But weakly guarded, where the breach was made.
79   And now there rests no other shift but this;
80   To gather our soldiers, scatter'd and dispersed,
81   And lay new platforms to endamage them.
Soldier
82   I'll be so bold to take what they have left.
83   The cry of Talbot serves me for a sword;
84   For I have loaden me with many spoils,
85   Using no other weapon but his name.
Exit

< (Previous) ACT I, SCENE VIACT II, II (Next) >
Scene Index
ACT I
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V
  • SCENE VI


  • ACT II
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V


  • ACT III
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV


  • ACT IV
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V
  • SCENE VI
  • SCENE VII


  • ACT V
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V

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