SCENE I. Before Orleans. The First part of King Henry the Sixth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry VI, part 1  | Act 2, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Before Orleans. 

 Enter a Sergeant of a band with two Sentinels  Sergeant  Sirs, take your places and be vigilant: 

 If any noise or soldier you perceive 

 Near to the walls, by some apparent sign 

 Let us have knowledge at the court of guard. 

 First Sentinel  Sergeant, you shall. 



 Exit Sergeant  Thus are poor servitors, 

 When others sleep upon their quiet beds, 

 Constrain'd to watch in darkness, rain and cold. 



 Enter TALBOT, BEDFORD, BURGUNDY, and Forces, with scaling-ladders, their drums beating a dead march  TALBOT  Lord Regent, and redoubted Burgundy, 

 By whose approach the regions of Artois, 

 Wallon and Picardy are friends to us, 

 This happy night the Frenchmen are secure, 

 Having all day caroused and banqueted: 

 Embrace we then this opportunity 

 As fitting best to quittance their deceit 

 Contrived by art and baleful sorcery. 

 BEDFORD  Coward of France! how much he wrongs his fame, 

 Despairing of his own arm's fortitude, 

 To join with witches and the help of hell! 

 BURGUNDY  Traitors have never other company. 

 But what's that Pucelle whom they term so pure? 

 TALBOT  A maid, they say. 

 BEDFORD  A maid! and be so martial! 

 BURGUNDY  Pray God she prove not masculine ere long, 

 If underneath the standard of the French 

 She carry armour as she hath begun. 

 TALBOT  Well, let them practise and converse with spirits: 

 God is our fortress, in whose conquering name 

 Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks. 

 BEDFORD  Ascend, brave Talbot; we will follow thee. 

 TALBOT  Not all together: better far, I guess, 

 That we do make our entrance several ways; 

 That, if it chance the one of us do fail, 

 The other yet may rise against their force. 

 BEDFORD  Agreed: I'll to yond corner. 

 BURGUNDY  And I to this. 

 TALBOT  And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave. 

 Now, Salisbury, for thee, and for the right 

 Of English Henry, shall this night appear 

 How much in duty I am bound to both. 

 Sentinels  Arm! arm! the enemy doth make assault! 



 Cry: 'St. George,' 'A Talbot.' 

 The French leap over the walls in their shirts.  Enter, several ways, the BASTARD OF ORLEANS, ALENCON, and REIGNIER, half ready, and half unready  ALENCON  How now, my lords! what, all unready so? 

 BASTARD OF ORLEANS  Unready! ay, and glad we 'scaped so well. 

 REIGNIER  'Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our beds, 

 Hearing alarums at our chamber-doors. 

 ALENCON  Of all exploits since first I follow'd arms, 

 Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprise 

 More venturous or desperate than this. 

 BASTARD OF ORLEANS  I think this Talbot be a fiend of hell. 

 REIGNIER  If not of hell, the heavens, sure, favour him. 

 ALENCON  Here cometh Charles: I marvel how he sped. 

 BASTARD OF ORLEANS  Tut, holy Joan was his defensive guard. 



 Enter CHARLES and JOAN LA PUCELLE  CHARLES  Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame? 

 Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal, 

 Make us partakers of a little gain, 

 That now our loss might be ten times so much? 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend! 

 At all times will you have my power alike? 

 Sleeping or waking must I still prevail, 

 Or will you blame and lay the fault on me? 

 Improvident soldiers! had your watch been good, 

 This sudden mischief never could have fall'n. 

 CHARLES  Duke of Alencon, this was your default, 

 That, being captain of the watch to-night, 

 Did look no better to that weighty charge. 

 ALENCON  Had all your quarters been as safely kept 

 As that whereof I had the government, 

 We had not been thus shamefully surprised. 

 BASTARD OF ORLEANS  Mine was secure. 

 REIGNIER  And so was mine, my lord. 

 CHARLES  And, for myself, most part of all this night, 

 Within her quarter and mine own precinct 

 I was employ'd in passing to and fro, 

 About relieving of the sentinels: 

 Then how or which way should they first break in? 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Question, my lords, no further of the case, 

 How or which way: 'tis sure they found some place 

 But weakly guarded, where the breach was made. 

 And now there rests no other shift but this; 

 To gather our soldiers, scatter'd and dispersed, 

 And lay new platforms to endamage them. 



 Alarum. Enter an English Soldier, crying 'A  Talbot! a Talbot!' They fly, leaving their clothes behind  Soldier  I'll be so bold to take what they have left. 

 The cry of Talbot serves me for a sword; 

 For I have loaden me with many spoils, 

 Using no other weapon but his name. 



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