19

And would have armour here out of the Tower,
To crown himself king, and suppress the prince.
Glo. I will not answer thee with words, but blows.

[Here they skirmish again.

May. Nought rests for me, in this tumultuous strife,

But to make open proclamation.

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

Off. All manner of men, assembled here in arms this day, against God's peace, and the king's, we charge and command you, in his highness' name, to repair to your several dwelling-places; and not to wear, handle, or use, any sword, weapon, or dagger, henceforward, upon pain of death. Glo. Cardinal, I'll be no breaker of the law;

But we shall meet, and break our minds at large.

Win. Gloster, we 'll meet, to thy dear 20 cost, be sure:

Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work.

May. I'll call for clubs, 21 if you will not away.

This cardinal's more haughty than the devil.

Glo. Mayor, farewell: thou dost but what thou may'st.
Win. Abominable Gloster! guard thy head;

[Exeunt.

For I intend to have it, ere long.

May. See the coast clear'd, 22 and then we will depart.
Good God! these 23 nobles should such stomachs bear!
I myself fight not once in forty year.

[Exeunt.

Enter, on the walls, 1 the Master-Gunner and his Son.

M. Gun. Sirrah, thou know'st how Orleans is besieg'd,

And how the English have the suburbs won.

Son. Father, I know; and oft have shot at them,

Howe'er, unfortunate, I miss'd my aim.

19) So heisst der junge König Heinrich, weil er noch nicht gekrönt war.

20) dear

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empfindlich, das in der ersten Fol. fehlt, findet sich zuerst in der zweiten. 21) d. h. Offizianten, mit Keulen bewaffnet, um die Streitenden auseinander zu bringen. So in As you like it (A. 5, Sc. 2) Clubs cannot part them.

22) to clear the coast, ein sprichwörtlicher Ausdruck, den Platz räumen, säubern. 23) Für these setzen die meisten Hgg. seit Rowe ohne Autorität that.

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stomach Lei

denschaft, Reizbarkeit. 1) on the walls ist mit Rücksicht auf die spätere Bühnenlocalität erst von den Hggn. hinzugefügt und fehlt in der Fol., da auf dem Sh.'schen Theater die beiden Genannten unten auf der Bühne erschienen und von dort ihr Geschütz emporrichteten nach dem erhöhten Standpunkte, den Salisbury und Talbot einnahmen.

M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou rul'd by me:

Chief master-gunner am I of this town;
Something I must do to procure me grace.

The prince's espials 2 have informed me,

How the English, in the suburbs close intrench'd,
Wont, 3 through a secret grate of iron bars
In yonder tower, to overpeer the city;
And thence discover, how, with most advantage,
They may vex us with shot, or with assault.
To intercept this inconvenience,

A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have plac'd;

And fully even these three days have I watch'd,

If I could see them. Now, boy, do thou watch,
For I can stay no longer.

If thou spy'st any, run and bring me word,

And thou shalt find me at the governor's.

Son. Father, I warrant you; take you no care:

I'll never trouble you, if I may spy them.

[Exit.

Enter, in an upper chamber of a tower, the Lords SALISBURY and TALBOT; Sir WILLIAM GLANSDALE, Sir THOMAS GARGRAVE, and Others. 5

Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy! again return'd?

How wert thou handled, being prisoner,

Or by what means got'st thou to be releas'd?

Discourse, I pr'ythee, on this turret's top.

Tal. The duke 6 of Bedford had a prisoner,
Called the brave Lord Ponton de Santrailes;
For him I was exchang'd and ransomed.
But with a baser man of arms by far,

Once, in contempt, they would have barter'd me:
Which I, disdaining, scorn'd; and craved death,

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2) espial
ful espials.

Späher, Spion. So in Hamlet (A. 3, Sc. 1) her futher and myself, law

3) wont verbesserte Tyrwhitt das went der Fol. wont ist hier Präsens von to wont pflegen, gewohnt sein.

*) Die zweite Fol., welche namentlich in dem Drucke dieses Dramas manche in der ersten Fol. ausgefallene Wörter richtig supplirt, hat auch in diesem Satze zuerst fully und boy. Die erste Fol. liest, offenbar unvollständig, And even these three days have I watch'd If I could see them. Now do thou watch || For I can stay no longer. 5) Die alte Bühnenweisung lautet Enter Salisbury and Talbot on the turrets, with others. Sie erscheinen auf dem Thurm, von dem vorher der Büchsenmeister sprach in yonder tower etc. Vgl. Einleitung pag. IV.

6) Die Fol. hat earl of Bedford, ein Versehen, das vielleicht Sh. selbst beging.

Rather than I would be so vild-esteem'd: 7

In fine, redeem'd I was as I desir'd.

But, O! the treacherous Fastolfe wounds my heart:
Whom with my bare fists I would execute,

If I now had him brought into my power.

Sal. Yet tell'st thou not, how thou wert entertain'd.
and contumelious taunts.

Tal. With scoffs, and scorns,

In open market-place produc'd they me,
To be a public spectacle to all:

Here, said they, is the terror of the French,
The scare-crow that affrights our children so.
Then broke I from the officers that led me,
And with my nails digg'd stones out of the ground,
To hurl at the beholders of my shame.

My grisly countenance made others 8 fly;

None durst come near, for fear of sudden death.

In iron walls they deem'd me not secure;

So great fear of my name 'mongst them was spread,
That they suppos'd I could rend bars of steel,
And spurn in pieces posts of adamant. 9
Wherefore a guard of chosen shot I had,
That walk'd about me every minute-while,
And if I did but stir out of my bed,
Ready they were to shoot me to the heart.

Sal. I grieve to hear what torments you endur'd

But we will be reveng'd sufficiently.

Now, it is supper-time iu Orleans:

Here, through this grate, I count each one, 10

And view the Frenchmen how they fortify.

Let us look in; the sight will much delight thee.

Sir Thomas Gargrave, and Sir William Glansdale,

Let me have your express opinions,

Where is best place to make our battery next.

Gar. I think, at the north gate; for there stand lords.
Glan. And I, here, at the bulwark of the bridge.

") vild-esteemed, die ältere Orthographie für vile-esteem'd, verbesserte M. Mason die Lesart der Fol. pil'd esteem'd. Sh. hat dasselbe Compositum in seinen Sonnets (121) 'Tis better to be vile than vile-esteem'd.

8) Die Einen wagten sich nicht nahe wegen der Steine, die er schleuderte, die Andern flohen schon vor seinem grässlichen Anblick.

9) adamant ist bei Sh. bald = Diamant, bald

=

Magnet, endlich auch wie hier = fabelhafter Stein von undurchdringlicher Festigkeit und Härte.

ein

10 Die zweite Fol. vervollständigt diesen Vers so: Here, through this grate I can count every one.

Tal. For aught I see, this city must be famish'd,

Or with light skirmishes enfeebled. 11

[Shot from the town. SALISBURY and Sir THO. GARGRAVE fall.

Sal. O Lord! have mercy on us, wretched sinners.

Gar. O Lord! have mercy on me, woeful man.

Tal. What chance is this, that suddenly hath cross'd us?

Speak, Salisbury; at least, if thou canst speak:

How far'st thou, mirror of all martial men?

One of thy eyes, and thy cheek's side struck off!

Accursed tower! accursed fatal hand,

That hath contriv'd this woeful tragedy!

In thirteen battles Salisbury o'ercame;

Henry the fifth he first train'd to the wars;

Whilst any trump did sound, or drum struck up.
His sword did ne'er leave striking in the field.
Yet liv'st thou, Salisbury? though thy speech doth fail,
One eye thou hast to look to heaven for grace:
The sun with one eye vieweth all the world.
Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive,
If Salisbury wants mercy at thy hands!
Bear hence his body, I will help to bury it.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, hast thou any life?
Speak unto Talbot; nay, look up to him.
Salisbury, cheer thy spirit with this comfort;
Thou shalt not die, whiles 12

He beckons with his hand, and smiles on me,
As who should say, " When I am dead and gone,

Remember to avenge me on the French."

Plantagenet, I will; and like thee, Nero, 13

Play on the lute, beholding the towns burn:

Wretched shall France be only in my name. 14 [An alarum; it thunders and lightens. Enter a Messenger.

Mess. My lord, my lord! the French have gather'd head:

The Dauphin, with one Joan la Pucelle 15 join'd,

11) enfeebled, ist viersylbig (enfeebeled) zu lesen. Die folgende Bühnenweisung lautet in der Fol. Here they shoot and Salisbury falls down, und vor Salisbury's vorhergehender Rede hat die Fol. die Notiz Enter the Boy with a linstock. Vgl. Anm. 1 dieser Sc. 12) Den Satz, der etwa zu ergänzen wäre: so lange Dein Tod ungerochen bleibt, unterbricht die antwortende Geberde des sterbenden Talbot.

13) Das Wort Nero ist zufällig in der ersten Fol. hinter like thee ausgefallen, und die zweite Fol. liest dafür: Plantagenet, I will, and Nero-like will, was die meisten Hgg., zum Theil mit Weglassung des letzten überflüssigen will, beibehalten.

14) Frankreich soll schon elend sein, wenn es nur meinen Namen hört.

15) Auch hier hat die Fol. Joan de Puzel, eine Schreibweise, welche Talbot's folgendes Wortspiel mit puzzel Vettel, verständlicher macht.

=

A holy prophetess, new risen up,

Is come with a great power to raise the siege.
Tal. Hear, hear, how dying Salisbury doth groan!

It irks his heart he cannot be reveng'd.

Frenchmen, I'll be a Salisbury to you,

Pucelle or puzzel, dolphin or dogfish, 17

Your hearts I'll stamp out with my horse's heels,

And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.

Convey me Salisbury into his tent,

And then we'll try what these dastard Frenchmen dare.

[SALISBURY groans. 16

[Exeunt, bearing out the bodies.

SCENE V.

The Same. Before one of the gates.

Alarum. Skirmishings. TALBOT pursues the Dauphin, and drives him in: then enter Joan LA PUCELLE, driving Englishmen before her. Then enter TALBOT.

Tal. Where is my strength, my valour, and my force? Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them;

A woman clad in armour chaseth them.

Enter LA PUCELLE.

Here, here she comes.

--

I'll have a bout with thee;

Devil, or devil's dam, I'll conjure thee:

Blood will I draw on thee, 1 thou art a witch,
And straightway give thy soul to him thou serv'st.

Puc. Come, come; 't is only I that must disgrace thee.
Tal. Heavens, can you suffer hell so to prevail?
My breast I'll burst with straining of my courage,
And from my shoulders crack my arms asunder,
But I will chastise this high-minded strumpet.

Puc. Talbot, farewell; thy hour is not yet come:

I must go victual Orleans forthwith.

O'ertake me if thou canst; I scorn thy strength.

[They fight.

16) Die Fol. hat Here Salisbury lifteth himself up and groans. dieser Nachricht einen Versuch, sich von dem Boden zu erheben und stösst seinen letzten Todesseufzer aus.

-

Salisbury macht bei

=

17) Dolphin, die alte Orthographie für Dauphin, steht hier doppelsinnig Dauphin, und erhält in ersterem Sinn das ähnlichklingende dogfish zum Gegensatz.

1) Man glaubte, dass, wer einer Hexe Blut abzapfen könnte, von ihrem Zauber frei sei.