That beauty am I bleft with, which you fee,
Afk me what question thou canst poffible,
And I will anfwer unpremeditated.

My courage try by combat, if thou dar'ft,
And thou fhalt find that I exceed my fex.
Refolve on this, thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.

Dau. Thou haft aftonifh'd me with thy high

terms.

Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,

In fingle combat thou fhalt buckle with me;
And if thou vanquifheft, thy words are true;
Otherwise, I renounce all confidence.

Pucel. I am prepar'd; here is my keen-edg'd fword,

Deck'd with fine flow'r-de-luces on each fide;
The which at Tourain in St Catharine's church,
Out of a deal of old iron I chofe forth.

Dau. Then come o'God's name, for I fear no

woman.

Pucel. And while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a man. [Here they fight, and Joan la Pucelle overcomes. Dau. Stay, ftay thy hands, thou art an Amazon; And fighteft with the fword of Deborah.

Pucel. Chrift's mother helps me, elfe I were too weak.

Dau. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must help me.

Impatiently I burn with thy defire;

My heart and hands thou haft at once fubdu'd;
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be fo,

Let me thy fervant and not fovereign be,
'Tis the French Dauphin fueth to thee thus.
Pucel. I must not yield to any rites of love,

For my profeffion's facred from above;
When I have chased all my foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompence.

Dau. Mean time look gracious on thy proftrate thrall.

Reig. My Lord, methinks, is very long in talk. Alan. Doubtless he fhrives this woman to her fmock;

Elfefe'er could he fo long protract his speech. Reig. Shall we difturb him, fince he keeps no mean?

Alan. He may mean more than we poor men do know:

These women are fhrewd tempters with their tongues.

Reig. My Lord, where are you? what devife you Shall we give over Orleans or no?

[on? Pucel. Why, no, I fay; diftrüftful recreants! Fight-till the laft gafp, for I'll be your guard. Dau. What the fays I'll confirm; we'll fight it

out.

Pucel. Affign'd I am to be the English fcourge. This night the fiege affuredly Ill raife: Expect St Martin's fummer*, Halcyon days, Since I have ent'red thus into these wars. Glory is like a circle in the water; Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, Till by broad fpreading it difperfe to nought. With Henry's death the English circle ends; Difperfed are the glories it included. Now am I like that proud infulting ship, Which Cæfar and his fortune bore at once. Dau. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove? Thou with an eagle art inspired then. Helen the mother of great Constantine, Nor yet St Philip's daughters †, were like thee. Bright ftar of Venus, fall'n down on the earth, How may I reverently worship thee?

Alan. Leave off delays, and let us raife the fiege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canst to fave our honours;

Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd. Dau. Prefently try. Come, let's away about it. No prophet will I truft, if she proves falle.

[Exeunt.

That is, expect profperity after misfortune, like fair weather at Martiemafs, after winter has begun. Johnf † Meaning the four daughters of Philip mentioned in the Alts. Hannier.

Tower-gates, in London.

Enter Gloucester, with his ferving-men.

Glou. I am this day come to furvey the Tower; Since Henry's death I fear there is conveyance. "Where be these warders, that they wait not here? Open the gates. 'Tis Gloucefter that calls.

Ward. Who's there that knocketh fo imperi-
oufly?

1 Man. It is the noble Duke of Gloucester.
2 Ward. Whoe'er he be, you may not be let in.
■ Man. Villains, anfwer you fo the Lord Protec-
tor?

Ward. The Lord' protect him! fo we anfwer We do no otherwife than we are will'd. [him; Glou. Who willed you? or whofe will ftands but mine?

There's none protector of the realm but I.
Break up the gates, I'll be your warranty.
Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms?

Gloucester's men rush in at the Tower-gates, and
Woodvile the Lieutenant Speaks within.

Wood. What noife is this? what traitors have we here?

Glou. Lieutenant, is it you whofe voice I hear? Open the gates; here's Glo'fter that would enter. Wood. Have patience, noble Duke; I may not open;

The Cardinal of Winchester forbids;

From him I have exprefs commandement,
That thou, nor none of thine, fhall be let in.

Glou. Faint-hearted Woodvile, prizest him 'fore Arrogant Winchester, that haughty prelate, [me; Whom Henry, our late Sovereign, ne'er could brook?

Thou art no friend to God, or to the King;
Open the gate, or I'll fhut thee out fhortly.

Ser. Open the gates there to the Lord Protector; We'll burft them open, if you come not quickly.

Enter to the Protector at the Tower-gates, Winchester, and his men in tawny coats.

Win. How now, ambitious Humphrey, what means this?

Glou. Piel'd priest, doft thou command me be shutout?

Win. I do, theu muft ufurping proditor, And not protector of the King or realin.

Glou. Stand back, thou manifeft confpirator; Thou that contriv'd'ft to murder our dead Lord; Thou that giv't whores indulgences to fin* ; I'll canvass thee in thy broad Cardinal's hat †, If thou proceed in this thy infolence.

Win. Ñay, stand thou back, I will not budge a foot: This be Damafcus, be thou curfed Cain 4, To flay thy brother Abel, if thou wilt.

Glou. I will not flay thee, but I'll drive thee back. Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing cloth, I'll ufe to carry thee out of this place.

Win. Do what thou dar'ft; I beard thee to thy face.

Glou. What? am I dar'd, and bearded to my face? Draw, men, for all this privileged place.

Blue coats to tawny. Priest, beware thy beard;
I mean to tug it, and to cuff you foundly.
Under my feet I'll ftamp thy cardinal's hat :
In fpight of Pope or dignities of church,
Here by the cheeks I'll drag thee up and down,
Win. Glo'ster, thou'lt answer this before the Pope.
Glou. Winchester goofe |! I cry, a rope, a rope.

The public ftews were formerly under the diûtrict of the Bishop of Winchester. Pope.

This means, I believe, I'll tumble thee into thy great bat, and fake thee as bran and meal are fhaken in a fieve. Johnfon.

+ About four miles from Damafcus is a high hill, reported to be the fame on which Cain flew his brother Abel. Maundrell's Travels, p. 131. Pope.

A clap, or rather a ftrumpet, was called a Winchefter goofe. Johnjon.

Now beat them hence, why do you let them stay? Thee I'll chafe hence, thou wolf in fheep's array. Out, tawny coats; out, fcarlet hypocrite!

Here Gloucefter's men beat out the Cardinal's; and enter in the hurly-burly the Mayor of London, and his Officers.

Mayor. Fy, Lords; that you, being fupreme magiftrates,

Thus contumeliously fhould break the peace!

Glou. Peace, Mayor, for thou know'ft little of. my wrongs;

Here's Beauford, that regards not God nor King, Hath here diftraia'd the Tower to his use.

Win. Here's Glo'fter too, a foe to citizens, One that still motions war, and never peace, O'er-charging your free-purfes with large fines, That feeks to overthrow religiön,

Because he is Protector of the realm,

And would have armour here out of the Tower, To crown himfelf King, and fupprefs the Prince. Glou. I will not anfwer thee with words, but blows. [Here they fkirmish again. Mayor. Nought refts for me in this tumultuous ftrife,

But to make open proclamation.

Come, officer, as loud as e'er thou canst.

All manner of men affembled here in arms this day, against God's peace and the King's, we charge an command you, in his Highness's name, to repair to your feveral dwelling places, and not wear, handle,. or use any fword, weapon, or dagger hencefor• ward, upon pain of death.

Glou. Cardinal, I'll be no breaker of the law; But we fhall meet, and tell our minds at large. Win. Glo'fter, we'll meet to thy dear coft, be fure; Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work. Mayor. I'll call for clubs if you will not away. This Cardinal is more haughty than the devil. Glou. Mayor, farewell: thou doft but what thou may't.