William Shakespeare: King Henry VI, First Part

ACT THIRD 3. SCENE III. The plains near Rouen. (continued)

CHARLES.
A parley with the Duke of Burgundy!

BURGUNDY.
Who craves a parley with the Burgundy?

PUCELLE.
The princely Charles of France, thy countryman.

BURGUNDY.
What say'st thou, Charles? for I am marching
hence.

CHARLES.
Speak, Pucelle, and enchant him with thy words.

PUCELLE.
Brave Burgundy, undoubted hope of France!
Stay, let thy humble handmaid speak to thee.

BURGUNDY.
Speak on; but be not over-tedious.

PUCELLE.
Look on thy country, look on fertile France,
And see the cities and the towns defaced
By wasting ruin of the cruel foe.
As looks the mother on her lowly babe
When death doth close his tender dying eyes,
See, see the pining malady of France;
Behold the wounds, the most unnatural wounds,
Which thou thyself hast given her woful breast.
O, turn thy edged sword another way;
Strike those that hurt, and hurt not those that help.
One drop of blood drawn from thy country's bosom
Should grieve thee more than streams of foreign gore:
Return thee therefore with a flood of tears,
And wash away thy country's stained spots.

BURGUNDY.
Either she hath bewitch'd me with her words,
Or nature makes me suddenly relent.

PUCELLE.
Besides, all French and France exclaims on thee,
Doubting thy birth and lawful progeny.
Who join'st thou with but with a lordly nation
That will not trust thee but for profit's sake?
When Talbot hath set footing once in France,
And fashion'd thee that instrument of ill,
Who then but English Henry will be lord,
And thou be thrust out like a fugitive?
Call we to mind, and mark but this for proof,
Was not the Duke of Orleans thy foe?
And was he not in England prisoner?
But when they heard he was thine enemy,
They set him free without his ransom paid,
In spite of Burgundy and all his friends.
See, then, thou fight'st against thy countrymen
And join'st with them will be thy slaughtermen.
Come, come, return; return, thou wandering lord;
Charles and the rest will take thee in their arms.