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Bed. 'T is 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.

Call

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. All hail, my lords! Which of this princely train
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, great lord, thou wouldst vouchsafe

To visit her poor castle where she lies; 3

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 comic sport,

When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.

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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,

2) grace ist ein dem Dauphin ironisch beigelegter Ehrentitel. der folgenden Zeile virtuous gemeint.

Ebenso ironisch ist in

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And in submission will attend on her.

Will not your honours bear me company?

4

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.]

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You perceive my mind. Capt. I do, my lord, and mean accordingly.

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.

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.

2

Count. And he is welcome.

Mess. Madam, it is.

Count.

What! is this the man?

Is this the scourge of France?

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

That with his name the mothers still their babes? 3

[Exeunt..

[Exit.

4) Wenn wir Euch zur Gräfin von Auvergne begleiteten, so überschritte dies die Gesetze der Höflichkeit, da wir nicht eingeladen sind.

1)

censure

Urtheil, Meinungsäusserung.

Die Gräfin möchte gern mit Augen und

Ohren bezeugen können, was von den auffallenden Berichten über die gewaltige Heldenkraft Talbot's zu halten sei.

2) craved by message ist participiale Apposition zu lord Talbot.

3) In Hall's Chronik fand Sh. von Talbot folgende Schilderung: This man was to the French people a very scourge and a daily terror, insomuch that as his person was fearful and terrible to his adversaries present, so his name and fame was spiteful and dreadful to the common people absent; insomuch that women in Irance, to fear their young children, would cry, the Talbot cometh, the Talbot cometh.

I see report is fabulous and false:

I thought I should have seen some Hercules,

A second Hector, for his grim aspect, 4

And large proportion of his strong-knit limbs.
Alas! this is a child, a silly 5 dwarf:

It cannot be, this weak and writhled 6 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 7 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.

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Count. Laughest thou, wretch? thy mirth shall turn to moan.
Tal. I laugh to see your ladyship so fond, 10

To think that you have aught but Talbot's shadow,

Whereon to practise your severity.

Count. Why, art not thou the man?
Tal.

4) aspect betont Sh. auf der letzten Sylbe.

5) silly harmlos, simpel.

I am, indeed.

6) writhled runzlicht, eingeschrumpft. Das veraltete Wort gebraucht u. A. Bishop Hall in St. Paul's Combat: The skin that was white and smooth is turned tawny and writhled.

7) to sort, statt des gewöhnlichen to sort out

aussuchen, auswählen.

8) Der Gegensatz von shadow und substance, von dem Bilde einer Person und der Person selbst, ist Sh. sehr geläufig.

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kriegsgefangen. Dasselbe Adjectiv kehrt A. 5, Sc. 3 wieder. to send in die Gefangenschaft schicken, thöricht, in einen Wahn verliebt.

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He winds his horn. Drums strike up; a Peal of Ordnance. The Gates being forced, enter Soldiers.

How say you,

13 madam? are you now persuaded,

That Talbot is but shadow of himself?

These are his substance, sinews, arms, and strength,
With which he yoketh your rebellious necks,
Razeth your cities, and subverts your towns,

And in a moment makes them desolate.

Count. Victorious Talbot, pardon my abuse:

I find, thou art no less than fame hath bruited, 14

And more than may be gather'd by thy shape.
Let my presumption not provoke thy wrath;

For I am sorry, that with reverence

I did not entertain thee as thou art. 15

Tal. Be not dismay'd, fair lady; nor misconster 16

The mind of Talbot, as you did mistake

The outward composition of his body.

What you have done hath not offended me:

No other satisfaction do I crave,

But only, with your patience, that we may

11) der geringste körperliche Theil des gesammten Menschen wesens, das den Talbot ausmacht.

12) merchant, ein Ausdruck der Geringschätzung, gleichsam

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Trödler, Krämer, wie in
Romeo and Juliet (A. 2, Sc. 4) what saucy merchant was this, und in Webster's
Law Case: you have proved yourself a cunning merchant indeed.
für das eine Mal, für den vorkommenden Fall.

13) Was sagt Ihr dazu?

14) to bruit aussprengen, verkünden, vom Gerüchte.

15) as thou art Dir entsprechend, wie Deine Person es verlangt.

--

for the nonce

16) misconster ist das Sh.'sche Wort, wofür die Hgg. meistens misconstrue setzen. So in

As you like it (A. 1, Sc. 2) Yet he misconsters all that you have done.

Taste of your wine, and see what cates you have;
For soldiers' stomachs always serve them well.

Count. With all my heart; and think me honoured

To feast so great a warrior in my house.

SCENE IV.

London. The Temple Garden.

[Exeunt.

Enter the Earls of SOMERSET, SUFFOLK, and WARWICK; RICHARD PLANTAGENET, VERNON, and a Lawyer.

Plan. Great lords, and gentlemen, what means this silence?

Dare no man answer in a case of truth?

Suf. Within the Temple hall we were too loud:

The garden here is more convenient.

Plan. Then say at once, if I maintain'd the truth,

Or, else, was wrangling Somerset in the error? 1

Suf. 'Faith, I have been a truant in the law,

And never yet could frame my will to it;

And, therefore, frame the law unto my will.

Som. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then between us.
War. Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch,

4

Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth, 3
Between two blades, which bears the better temper,
Between two horses, which doth bear him best,
Between two girls, which hath the merriest eye,
I have, perhaps, some shallow spirit of judgment;
But in these nice sharp quillets of the law,

Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw.

Plan. Tut, tut! here is a mannerly forbearance:

The truth appears so naked on my side,

That any purblind eye may find it out.

2

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1) Plantagenet fordert zur Entscheidung der Streitfrage zwischen ihm und Somerset die Schiedsrichter auf, entweder ihm ausdrücklich Recht zu geben oder sonst, wenn sie das nicht wollen, wenigstens zu sagen, ob Somerset Unrecht gehabt habe. So erklärt, bedarf die alte Lesart weder der Emendation Johnson's, der the right für in the error vorschlug, noch auch der von Hanmer And was not für Or else was etc. Die Streitfrage dreht sich um die nähern Erbansprüche an den englischen Thron der von Plantagenet vertretenen Yorks oder der Lancasters.

2) pitch ist die Höhe, bis zu welcher der von der Hand losgelassene Jagdfalke mit einem Male emporfliegt.

3) welcher von zwei Hunden die tiefste Stimme zum Bellen hat.

Derselbe Vorzug eines Jagdhundes wird auch in Taming of the Shrew (Induction) hervorgehoben: the deep-mouthed brach.

*) welches von zwei Pferden sich am besten trägt oder hält. So in Romeo and Juliet (A. 1, Sc. 5) he bears him like a portly gentleman.

5) shallow fügt Warwick in angenommener Bescheidenheit hinzu.

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