SCENE II. France. Before Rouen. The First part of King Henry the Sixth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry VI, part 1  | Act 3, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE II. France. Before Rouen. 

 Enter JOAN LA PUCELLE disguised, with four Soldiers with sacks upon their backs  JOAN LA PUCELLE  These are the city gates, the gates of Rouen, 

 Through which our policy must make a breach: 

 Take heed, be wary how you place your words; 

 Talk like the vulgar sort of market men 

 That come to gather money for their corn. 

 If we have entrance, as I hope we shall, 

 And that we find the slothful watch but weak, 

 I'll by a sign give notice to our friends, 

 That Charles the Dauphin may encounter them. 

 First Soldier  Our sacks shall be a mean to sack the city, 

 And we be lords and rulers over Rouen; 

 Therefore we'll knock. 



 Knocks  Watch  [Within]  Qui est la? 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Paysans, pauvres gens de France; 

 Poor market folks that come to sell their corn. 

 Watch  Enter, go in; the market bell is rung. 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Now, Rouen, I'll shake thy bulwarks to the ground. 



 Exeunt 

 Enter CHARLES, the BASTARD OF ORLEANS, ALENCON, REIGNIER, and forces  CHARLES  Saint Denis bless this happy stratagem! 

 And once again we'll sleep secure in Rouen. 

 BASTARD OF ORLEANS  Here enter'd Pucelle and her practisants; 

 Now she is there, how will she specify 

 Where is the best and safest passage in? 

 REIGNIER  By thrusting out a torch from yonder tower; 

 Which, once discern'd, shows that her meaning is, 

 No way to that, for weakness, which she enter'd. 



 Enter JOAN LA PUCELLE on the top, thrusting out a torch burning  JOAN LA PUCELLE  Behold, this is the happy wedding torch 

 That joineth Rouen unto her countrymen, 

 But burning fatal to the Talbotites! 



 Exit  BASTARD OF ORLEANS  See, noble Charles, the beacon of our friend; 

 The burning torch in yonder turret stands. 

 CHARLES  Now shine it like a comet of revenge, 

 A prophet to the fall of all our foes! 

 REIGNIER  Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends; 

 Enter, and cry 'The Dauphin!' presently, 

 And then do execution on the watch. 



 Alarum. Exeunt 

 An alarum. Enter TALBOT in an excursion  TALBOT  France, thou shalt rue this treason with thy tears, 

 If Talbot but survive thy treachery. 

 Pucelle, that witch, that damned sorceress, 

 Hath wrought this hellish mischief unawares, 

 That hardly we escaped the pride of France. 



 Exit 

 An alarum: excursions. BEDFORD, brought in sick  in a chair. Enter TALBOT and BURGUNDY without:  within JOAN LA PUCELLE, CHARLES, BASTARD OF ORLEANS, ALENCON, and REIGNIER, on the walls  JOAN LA PUCELLE  Good morrow, gallants! want ye corn for bread? 

 I think the Duke of Burgundy will fast 

 Before he'll buy again at such a rate: 

 'Twas full of darnel; do you like the taste? 

 BURGUNDY  Scoff on, vile fiend and shameless courtezan! 

 I trust ere long to choke thee with thine own 

 And make thee curse the harvest of that corn. 

 CHARLES  Your grace may starve perhaps before that time. 

 BEDFORD  O, let no words, but deeds, revenge this treason! 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  What will you do, good grey-beard? break a lance, 

 And run a tilt at death within a chair? 

 TALBOT  Foul fiend of France, and hag of all despite, 

 Encompass'd with thy lustful paramours! 

 Becomes it thee to taunt his valiant age 

 And twit with cowardice a man half dead? 

 Damsel, I'll have a bout with you again, 

 Or else let Talbot perish with this shame. 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Are ye so hot, sir? yet, Pucelle, hold thy peace; 

 If Talbot do but thunder, rain will follow. 



 The English whisper together in council  God speed the parliament! who shall be the speaker? 

 TALBOT  Dare ye come forth and meet us in the field? 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Belike your lordship takes us then for fools, 

 To try if that our own be ours or no. 

 TALBOT  I speak not to that railing Hecate, 

 But unto thee, Alencon, and the rest; 

 Will ye, like soldiers, come and fight it out? 

 ALENCON  Signior, no. 

 TALBOT  Signior, hang! base muleters of France! 

 Like peasant foot-boys do they keep the walls 

 And dare not take up arms like gentlemen. 

 JOAN LA PUCELLE  Away, captains! let's get us from the walls; 

 For Talbot means no goodness by his looks. 

 God be wi' you, my lord! we came but to tell you 

 That we are here. 



 Exeunt from the walls  TALBOT  And there will we be too, ere it be long, 

 Or else reproach be Talbot's greatest fame! 

 Vow, Burgundy, by honour of thy house, 

 Prick'd on by public wrongs sustain'd in France, 

 Either to get the town again or die: 

 And I, as sure as English Henry lives 

 And as his father here was conqueror, 

 As sure as in this late-betrayed town 

 Great Coeur-de-lion's heart was buried, 

 So sure I swear to get the town or die. 

 BURGUNDY  My vows are equal partners with thy vows. 

 TALBOT  But, ere we go, regard this dying prince, 

 The valiant Duke of Bedford. Come, my lord, 

 We will bestow you in some better place, 

 Fitter for sickness and for crazy age. 

 BEDFORD  Lord Talbot, do not so dishonour me: 

 Here will I sit before the walls of Rouen 

 And will be partner of your weal or woe. 

 BURGUNDY  Courageous Bedford, let us now persuade you. 

 BEDFORD  Not to be gone from hence; for once I read 

 That stout Pendragon in his litter sick 

 Came to the field and vanquished his foes: 

 Methinks I should revive the soldiers' hearts, 

 Because I ever found them as myself. 

 TALBOT  Undaunted spirit in a dying breast! 

 Then be it so: heavens keep old Bedford safe! 

 And now no more ado, brave Burgundy, 

 But gather we our forces out of hand 

 And set upon our boasting enemy. 



 Exeunt all but BEDFORD and Attendants 

 An alarum: excursions. Enter FASTOLFE and a Captain  Captain  Whither away, Sir John Fastolfe, in such haste? 

 FASTOLFE  Whither away! to save myself by flight: 

 We are like to have the overthrow again. 

 Captain  What! will you fly, and leave Lord Talbot? 

 FASTOLFE  Ay, 

 All the Talbots in the world, to save my life! 



 Exit  Captain  Cowardly knight! ill fortune follow thee! 



 Exit 

 Retreat: excursions. JOAN LA PUCELLE, ALENCON, and CHARLES fly  BEDFORD  Now, quiet soul, depart when heaven please, 

 For I have seen our enemies' overthrow. 

 What is the trust or strength of foolish man? 

 They that of late were daring with their scoffs 

 Are glad and fain by flight to save themselves. 



 BEDFORD dies, and is carried in by two in his chair 

 An alarum. Re-enter TALBOT, BURGUNDY, and the rest  TALBOT  Lost, and recover'd in a day again! 

 This is a double honour, Burgundy: 

 Yet heavens have glory for this victory! 

 BURGUNDY  Warlike and martial Talbot, Burgundy 

 Enshrines thee in his heart and there erects 

 Thy noble deeds as valour's monuments. 

 TALBOT  Thanks, gentle duke. But where is Pucelle now? 

 I think her old familiar is asleep: 

 Now where's the Bastard's braves, and Charles his gleeks? 

 What, all amort? Rouen hangs her head for grief 

 That such a valiant company are fled. 

 Now will we take some order in the town, 

 Placing therein some expert officers, 

 And then depart to Paris to the king, 

 For there young Henry with his nobles lie. 

 BURGUNDY  What wills Lord Talbot pleaseth Burgundy. 

 TALBOT  But yet, before we go, let's not forget 

 The noble Duke of Bedford late deceased, 

 But see his exequies fulfill'd in Rouen: 

 A braver soldier never couched lance, 

 A gentler heart did never sway in court; 

 But kings and mightiest potentates must die, 

 For that's the end of human misery. 



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