Here thro' this grate I can count every one, Where is best place to make our batt'ry next? Glan. And I here, at the bulwark of the bridge. [Here they fhoot, and Salisbury falls down. Sal. O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched finners. Gar. O Lord, have mercy on me, woful man. Tal. What chance is this, that fuddenly hath croft us? Speak, Salisbury, at least if thou canst speak, How far'ft thou, mirror of all martial men? up, That hath contriv'd this woful tragedy! -Bear hence his body, I will help to bury it. Sir Thomas Gargrave, haft thou any life? Speak unto Talbot; nay, look up to him. O Salisb'ry, chear thy fpirit with this comfort, Thou shalt not die, while He beckons with his hand, and fmiles on me, As who should fay, When I am dead and gone, Remember to avenge me on the French. Planta Plantagenet, I will; and, Nero-like, [Here an alarm, and it thunders and lightens. What ftir is this? what tumults in the heav'ns? Whence cometh this alarum and this noise? Enter a Messenger. Mell. My Lord, my Lord, the French have gather'd head. The Dauphin, with one Joan la Pucelle join'd, Is come with a great courage to raise the fiege. [Here Salisbury lifteth himself up, and groans. * Pucelle or Puffel, Dauphin or Dog fish, And then we'll try what daftard Frenchmen dare. SCENE X. Here an alarm again; and Talbot purfueth the Dauphin, and driveth him: then enter Joan la Pucelle, driving Englishmen before her. Then enter Talbot. Tal. Where is my ftrength, my valour, and my Our English troops retire, I cannot stay them. * Pucelle or Puffel.] I know not what puel is: perhaps it hould be Pucelle or puzzle. Something with a meaning it fhould be, but a very poor meaning will ferve. Enter Enter Pucelle. Here, here, fhe comes. I'll have a bout with thee; Devil or devil's dam, I'll conjure thee. * Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch; And ftraitway give thy foul to him thou serv❜st. Pucel. Come, come, 'tis only I, that must disgrace thee. They fight. Tal. Heav'ns, can you fuffer hell fo to prevail? My breaft I'll burft with ftraining of my courage, And from my fhoulders crack my arms afunder, But I will chaftife this high-minded ftrumpet. Pucel. Talbot, farewel, thy hour is not yet come, I must go victual Orleans forthwith. [Abort alarm. Then enters the town with foldiers. O'ertake me if thou canft, I fcorn thy ftrength. Go, go, chear up thy hunger-starved men. Help Salisbury to make his teftament. This day is ours, as many more fhall be. [Exit Pucelle. A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal, [Afhort alarm. As you fly from your oft-fubdued flaves. [Alarm. Here another Skirmish. The fuperftition of thofe times taught that he that could draw the woman's blood, was free from her power. It will not be. Retire into your trenches; For none would ftrike a ftroke in his revenge. In fpight of us, or aught that we could do. The shame hereof will make me hide my head. [Exit Talbot. Alarm, Retreat, Flourish. Enter on the Wall, Pucelle, Dauphin, Reignier, Alanfon, and Soldiers. Pucelle. Advance our waving colours on the walls, Refcu'd is Orleans from the English Wolves; Thus Joan la Pucelle hath perform'd her word. Dau. Divineft creature, bright Aftrea's daughter, How fhall I honour thee for this fuccefs! Thy promises are like Adonis' Garden', That them for Adonis' worship; because Venus had once laid him in a lettice bed. The next day they were thrown away, &c. To this Dr. Pierce replies, That this account of the Gardens of Adonis is right, and yet Milton may be defended for awhat he fays of them: For why (fays he) did the Grecians on Adonis' fiftival carry these Small earthen Gardens about in bononr of him? It was because they had a tradition, that, when he was alive, he delighted in Gardens, and had & magnificent one: For proof of this we have Pliny's words, xix. 4. Antiquitas nihil priùs mirata eft quàm Hefperidum HORTOS, ac regum ADO That one day bloom'd, and fruitful were the next, More bleffed hap did ne'er befal our state. Reig. Why ring not out the bells throughout the town? Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfires, Alan. All France will be replete with mirth and joy, When they fhall hear how we have play'd the men. Dau. 'Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day is won. NIDIS & Alcinoi. One would now think the question well decided: But Mr. Theobald comes, and will needs be Dr. Bentley's fecond. A learned and reverend gentleman (fays he) having at tempted to impeach Dr. Bentley of error, for maintaining that there NEVER WAS EXISTENT any mag nificent or Spacious Gardens of Adonis, an cpinion in which it has been my fortune to fecond the Dolor, I thought my felf concerned, in fome part, to weigh thofe authorities alledged by the objector, &c. The reader fees that Mr. Theobald miftakes the very question in difpute between thefe two truly learned men, which was not whether Adonis' Gardens were ever exiflent, but whether there was a tradition of any celebrated Gardens cultivated by Adonis. For this would fufficiently juftify Milton's mention of them, together with the Gardens of Alcinous, confeffed by the poet himself to be fabulous. But hear their own words. There was no fuch Garden (fays Dr. Bentley) ever exiftent, or EVEN FEIGN'D. He adds the latter part, as knowing that that would justify the poet; and it is on that affertion only that his adverfary Dr. Pierce joins iffue with him. Why (fays he) did they carry the small earthen Gardens ? It was becaufe they had a TRADITION, that when he was alive he delighted in Gardens. Mr. Theobald, therefore, miftaking the question, ît is no wonder that all he fays, in his long note at the end of the fourth volume, is nothing to the purpose; it being to fhew that Dr. Pierce's quotations from Pliny and others, do not prove the real existence of the Gardens. After thefe, comes the Oxford Editor; and he pronounces in favour of Dr. Bentley against Dr. Pierce, in thefe words, The Gardens of Adonis were never reprefented under any local defcription. But whether this was faid at hazard, or to contradic Dr. Pierce, or to rectify Mr. Thesbald's mistake of the question, it is fo obfcurely expreffed, that one can hardly determine. WARBURTON. |