Within their chiefest temple I'll erect

A tomb, wherein his corpse shall be interr'd:
Upon the which, that every one may read,
Shall be engrav'd the sack of Orleans;

The treacherous manner of his mournful death,
And what a terror he had been to France.
But, lords, in all our bloody massacre,

I muse, we met not with the Dauphin's grace;
His new-come champion, virtuous Joan of Arc;
Nor any of his false confederates.

BED. 'Tis thought, lord Talbot, when the fight began,

Rous'd on the sudden from their drowsy beds,
They did, amongst the troops of armed men,
Leap o'er the walls for refuge in the field.

BUR. Myself (as far as I could well discern,
For smoke, and dusky vapours of the night,)
Am sure, I scar'd the Dauphin, and his trull;
When arm in arm they both came swiftly running,
Like to a pair of loving turtle-doves,
That could not live asunder day or night.
After that things are set in order here,

We'll follow them with all the power we have.

Enter a Messenger.

MESS. All hail, my lords! which of this princely train

Call

ye the warlike Talbot, for his acts

So much applauded through the realm of France?

TAL. Here is the Talbot; who would speak with him?

MESS. The virtuous lady, countess of Auvergne, With modesty admiring thy renown,

By me entreats, good lord, thou wouldst vouchsafe

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To visit her poor castle where she lies;
That she may boast, she hath beheld the man
Whose glory fills the world with loud report.

BUR. Is it even so? Nay, then, I see, our wars Will turn unto a peaceful comick sport, When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.You may not, my lord, despise her gentle suit. TAL. Ne'er trust me then; for, when a world of

men

Could not prevail with all their oratory,
Yet hath a woman's kindness over-rul'd:
And therefore tell her, I return great thanks;
And in submission will attend on her.-
Will not your honours bear me company?

BED. No, truly; it is more than manners will:
And I have heard it said,-Unbidden guests
Are often welcomest when they are gone.

TAL. Well then, alone, since there's no remedy, I mean to prove this lady's courtesy.

Come hither, captain. [Whispers.]-You perceive my mind.

CAPT. I do, my lord; and mean accordingly.

[Exeunt.

where she lies;] i. e. where she dwells. MALONE,

SCENE III.

Auvergne. Court of the Castle.

Enter the Countess and her Porter.

COUNT. Porter, remember what I gave in charge; And, when you have done so, bring the keys to me. PORT. Madam, I will.

[Exit.

COUNT. The plot is laid: if all things fall out right,

I shall as famous be by this exploit,

As Scythian Thomyris by Cyrus' death.

Great is the rumour of this dreadful knight,
And his achievements of no less account:

Fain would mine eyes be witness with mine ears,
To give their censure of these rare reports.

Enter Messenger and TALBOT.

MESS. Madam,

According as your ladyship desir'd,

By message crav'd, so is lord Talbot come.

COUNT. And he is welcome. What! is this the man?

MESS. Madam, it is.

COUNT.

Is this the scourge of France?

Is this the Talbot, so much fear'd abroad,

their censure-] i. e. their opinion. So, in King

Richard III :
"And give your censures in this weighty business."

STEEVENS.

That with his name the mothers still their babes?5
I see, report is fabulous and false:

I thought, I should have seen some Hercules,
A second Hector, for his grim aspéct,
And large proportion of his strong-knit limbs.
Alas! this is a child, a silly dwarf:

It cannot be, this weak and writhled shrimp
Should strike such terror to his enemies.

TAL. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you:
But, since your ladyship is not at leisure,
I'll sort some other time to visit you.

COUNT. What means he now ?-Go ask him, whither he goes.

MESS. Stay, my lord Talbot; for my lady craves To know the cause of your abrupt departure. TAL. Marry, for that she's in a wrong belief, I go to certify her, Talbot's here.

Re-enter Porter, with Keys.

COUNT. If thou be he, then art thou prisoner. TAL. Prisoner! to whom?

That with his name the mothers still their babes?] Dryden has transplanted this idea into his Don Sebastian, King of Portugal:

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"Nor shall Sebastian's formidable name

"Be longer us'd, to lull the crying babe." STEEVENS.

writhled-] i. e. wrinkled. The word is used by Spenser. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads-wrizled, which has been followed in subsequent editions. MALONE.

The instance from Spenser, is the following:

"Her writhled skin, as rough as maple rind.”

Again, in Marston's fourth Satire:

Cold, writhled eld; his lives wet almost spent."

STEEVENS.

COUNT.
To me, blood-thirsty lord;
And for that cause I train'd thee to my house.
Long time thy shadow hath been thrall to me,
For in my gallery thy picture hangs :

But now the substance shall endure the like;
And I will chain these legs and arms of thine,
That hast by tyranny, these many years,
Wasted our country, slain our citizens,
And sent our sons and husbands captivate."
TAL. Ha, ha, ha!

COUNT. Laughest thou, wretch? thy mirth shall

turn to moan.

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TAL. I laugh to see your ladyship so fond, To think that you have aught but Talbot's shadow, Whereon to practice your severity.

COUNT. Why, art not thou the man ?

TAL.

I am indeed. COUNT. Then have I substance too.

TAL. No, no, I am but shadow of myself:9
You are deceiv'd, my substance is not here;
For what you see, is but the smallest part
And least proportion of humanity:

I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here,
It is of such a spacious lofty pitch,

Your roof were not sufficient to contain it.

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9

captivate.] So, in Soliman and Perseda: "If not destroy'd and bound, and captivate, "If captivate, then forc'd from holy faith."

STEEVENS.

so fond,] i. e. so foolish. So, in King Henry IV. P. II: "Fondly brought here, and foolishly sent hence."

STEEVENS,

I am but shadow of myself:] So, in K. Henry VIII: "I am the shadow of poor Buckingham.” STEEVENS.