William Shakespeare: King Henry VI, First Part

ACT THIRD 3. SCENE III. The plains near Rouen.

[Enter Charles, the Bastard of Orleans, Alencon, La Pucelle,
and forces.]

PUCELLE.
Dismay not, princes, at this accident,
Nor grieve that Rouen is so recovered:
Care is no cure, but rather corrosive,
For things that are not to be remedied.
Let frantic Talbot triumph for a while
And like a peacock sweep along his tail;
We 'll pull his plumes and take away his train,
If Dauphin and the rest will be but ruled.

CHARLES.
We have been guided by thee hitherto,
And of thy cunning had no diffidence:
One sudden foil shall never breed distrust

BASTARD.
Search out thy wit for secret policies,
And we will make thee famous through the world.

ALENCON.
We'll set thy statue in some holy place,
And have thee reverenced like a blessed saint.
Employ thee then, sweet virgin, for our good.

PUCELLE.
Then thus it must be; this doth Joan devise:
By fair persuasions mix'd with sugar'd words
We will entice the Duke of Burgundy
To leave the Talbot and to follow us.

CHARLES.
Aye, marry, sweeting, if we could do that,
France were no place for Henry's warriors;
Nor should that nation boast it so with us,
But be extirped from our provinces.

ALENCON.
For ever should they be expulsed from France,
And not have tide of an earldom here.

PUCELLE.
Your honours shall perceive how I will work
To bring this matter to the wished end.

[Drum sounds afar off.]

Hark! by the sound of drum you may perceive
Their powers are marching unto Paris-ward.
Here sound an English march. Enter, and pass over
at a distance, Talbot and his forces.
There goes the Talbot, with his colors spread,
And all the troops of English after him.

[French march. Enter the Duke of Burgundy and forces.]

Now in the rearward comes the duke and his:
Fortune in favor makes him lag behind.
Summon a parley; we will talk with him.

[Trumpets sound a parley.]