He being in the vaward, (plac'd behind",
With purpose to relieve and follow them,)
Cowardly fled, not having ftruck one stroke.
Hence grew the general wreck and maffacre;
Enclosed were they with their enemies:

A bafe Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thrust Talbot with a fpear into the back;
Whom all France, with their chief affembled ftrength,
Durft not presume to look once in the face.

Bed. Is Talbot flain then I will flay myself,
For living idly here, in pomp and ease,
Whilft fuch a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Unto his daftard foe-men is betray'd.

3. Me. O no, he lives; but is took prifoner,
And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford;
Most of the rest flaughter'd, or took, likewise.
Bed. His ranfom there is none but I fhall pay :
I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne,
my friend;
His crown fhall be the ranfom of

brain. Nor when he named him Falstaff do I believe he had any intention of throwing a flur on the memory of this renowned old warrior. THEOBALD.

Mr. Theobald might have feen his notion contradicted in the very line he quotes from. Faftolfe, whether truly or not, is faid by Hall and Holinfhed to have been degraded for cowardice. Dr. Heylin in his St. George for England, tells us, that he was afterwards, upon good reafon by him alledged in his defence, restored to his honour."-"This Sir Jobn Falftoff," continues he, "was without doubt, a valiant and wife captain, notwithstanding the ftage hath made merry with him." FARMER. See Vol. V. p. 119, n. 1; and Oldys's Life of Sir John Faftolfe in the GENERAL DICTIONARY. MALONE.

In the 18th fong of Drayton's Polyolbion is the following character of this Sir John Faftolpb:

Strong Faftolpb with this man compare we justly may;
"By Salfbury who oft being seriously imploy'd

"In many a brave attempt the general foe annoy'd;
"With excellent fuccefle in Main and Anjou fought,

And many a bulwarke there into our keeping brought;
"And chofen to go forth with Vadamont in warre,

"Moft refolutely tooke proud Renate duke of Barre." STEEV 2 He being in the vaward (plac'd behind,] Some of the editors feem to have confidered this as a contradiction in terms, and have propofed to read the rereward,-but without neceffity. Some part of the van must have been behind the foremost line of it. We often fay the backfront of a house. STEEVENS.

Four

Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours.→
Farewel, my mafters; to my task will I;
Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make,
To keep our great faint George's feast withal:
Ten thousand foldiers with me I will take,
Whofe bloody deeds fhall make all Europe quake.
3. Me. So you had need; for Orleans is befieg'd;
The English army is grown weak and faint:
The earl of Salisbury craveth fupply

And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,

Since they, fo few, watch fuch a multitude.

Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry fworn;

Either to quell the Dauphin utterly,

Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.

To go about my preparation.

Bed. I do remember it; and here take my leave,

[Exit.

Glo. I'll to the Tower with all the hafte I can,

To view the artillery and munition;

And then I will proclaim young Henry king.

[Exit.

Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young king is,

Being ordain'd his fpecial governor ;

And for his fafety there I'll beft devise.

Win. 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 fend *

[Exit.

And fit at chiefeft ftern of publick weal. [Exit. Scene clofes.

Enter CHARLES, with his forces; ALENÇON, REIGNIER, and Others.

Char. Mars his true moving 3, even as in the heavens,

-to fend,] Mr. Mafon, with fome probability conjectures that we fhould read to feal. The fecond charge in the Articles of accufation preferred by the Duke of Glofter against the Bishop, (Hall's Chron. Henry VI. f. 12, b.) countenances this conjecture. MALONE. 3 Mars bis true moving, &c.] So, Nash in one of his prefaces before Gabriel Harvey's Hunt is up, 1596:"You are as ignorant in the true movings of my mufe, as the aftronomers are in the true movings of Mars, which to this day they could never attain to." STEEVENS.

So

So in the earth, to this day is not known:
Late, did he shine upon the English fide;
Now we are victors, upon us he fmiles.
What towns of any moment, but we have?
At pleasure here we lie, near Orleans;
Otherwhiles, the famish'd English, like pale ghofts,
Faintly befiege us one hour in a month.

Alen, They want their porridge, and their fat bullbeeves:

Either they must be dieted, like mules,

And have their provender ty'd to their mouths,
Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice.

Reig. Let's raife the fiege; 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.

Char. Sound, found alarum; we will rush on them.
Now for the honour of the forlorn French :-
Him I forgive my death, that killeth me,
When he fees me go back one foot, or fly.

[Exeunt,

Alarums; Excurfions; afterwards a Retreat.

Re-enter CHARLES, ALENÇON, REIGNIER, and others.

Char. Who ever faw the like? what men have I ?— Dogs! cowards! daftards!-I would ne'er have fled, But that they left me 'midft my enemies.

Reig. Salisbury is a defperate homicide

He fighteth as one weary of his life.
The other lords, like lions wanting food,

Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.

Alen. Froifard, a countryman of ours, records, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,

1

During

4 England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,] Thefe were two of the most famous in the lift of Charlemagne's twelve peers; and their exploits are render d to ridiculously and equally extravagant by the old ro mancers, that from thence arofe that faying amongst our plain and fenfible ancestors, of giving one a Rowland for his Oliver, to fignify the matching one incredible iye with another. WARBURTON.

Rather,

During the time Edward the third did reign.
More truly now may this be verified;

For none but Sampions, and Goliaffes,

It fendeth forth to skirmish.

One to ten!

Lean raw-bon'd rafcals! who would e'er suppose
They had fuch courage and audacity?

Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair-brain'd flaves,

And hunger will enforce them to be more eager:
Of old I know them; rather with their teeth
The walls they'll tear down, than forfake the fiege.
Reig. I think, by fome odd gimmals or device,
Their arms are fet, like clocks, ftill to ftrike on;
Elfe ne'er could they hold out so, as they do.
By my confent, we'll e'en let them alone.
Alen. Be it fo.

Enter the BASTARD of Orleans.

Baft. Where's the prince Dauphin? I have news for him.

Char. Baftard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us.

Baft. Methinks, your looks are fad, your cheer appall'd;

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not difmay'd, for fuccour is at hand:

Rather, to oppofe one hero to another, i. e. to give a person as good one as be brings. STEEVENS.

The old copy has-breed. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE. 5-gimmals-] A gimmal is a piece of jointed work, where one piece moves within another, whence it is taken at large for an engine. It is now by the vulgar called a gimcrack. JOHNSON.

In the inventory of the jewels, &c. belonging to Salisbury cathedral, taken in 1536, 28th of Henry VIII. is-" A faire cheft with gimmals and key." Again, "Three other chefts with gimmals of filver and gilt." Again, in the Vow-breaker, or the Faire Maide of Clifton, 1636: "My actes are like the motionall gymmals "Fixt in a watch." STEEVENS.

6 Their arms are fet, like clocks,] Perhaps the author was thinking of the clocks in which figures in the shape of men ftruck the hours. Of these there were many in his time. MALONE.

7-your cheer-] Chear is countenance, appearance. STEEVENS.

A holy

A holy maid hither with me I bring,

Which, by a vision sent to her from heaven,
Ordained is to raise this tedious fiege,

And drive the English forth the bounds of France.
The spirit of deep prophecy the hath,
Exceeding the nine fibyls of old Rome;

What's paft, and what's to come, she can defcry.
Speak, fhall I call her in? Believe

For they are certain and unfallible.

my words,

Char. Go, call her in: [Exit Baft.] But firft to try her skill,

Reignier, ftand thou as Dauphin in my place:

Question her proudly, let thy looks be ftern ;-
By this means fhall we found what skill she hath. [retires.
Enter LA PUCELLE, BASTARD of Orleans, and others.

Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do thefe wond'rous feats!
Puc. Reignier, is't thou that thinkeft to beguile me?→→
Where is the Dauphin?-come, come from behind;
I know thee well, though never seen before.
Be not amaz'd, there's nothing hid from me :
In private will I talk with thee apart;

Stand back, you lords, and give us leave awhile.
Reig. She takes upon her bravely at first dash.

Puc. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's daughter,

My wit untrain'd in any kind of art.

Heaven, and our Lady gracious, hath it pleas'd
To fhine on my contemptible eftate:

Lo, whilft I waited on my tender lambs,

And to fun's parching heat difplay'd my cheeks,
God's mother deigned to appear to me;

8-nine fibyls of old Rome;] There were no nine fibyls of Rome; but be confounds things, and mistakes this for the nine books of Sibylline oracles, brought to one of the Tarquins. WARBURTON.

9 Believe my words,] It should be read-believe her words. JOHNSON.

I perceive no need of change. The baftard calls upon the Dauphin to believe the extraordinary account he has just given of the prophetick fpirit and prowess of the Maid of Orleans. MALONE.

And