Page:Joan of Arc - Southey (1796).djvu/292

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280
JOAN OF ARC.
Venturous, and learning thus the love of blood. 365The shout of terror rings along the wall,For now the French their scaling ladders place,And bearing high their bucklers, to the assaultMount fearless: from above the furious troopsHurl down such weapons as inventive care, 370Or frantic rage supplies: huge stones and beamsCrush the bold foe; some, thrust adown the height,Fall living to their death; some in keen pangsAnd wildly-writhing, as the liquid leadGnaws thro' their members, leap down desperate, 375Eager to cease from suffering. Still they mount,And by their fellows' fate unterrified,Still dare the perilous way. Nor dangerlessTo the English was the fight, tho' from aboveEasy to crush the assailants: them amidst 380Fast fled the arrows; the large brass-wing'd darts,[1]There driven resistless from the espringal,

Keeping

  1. ↑ Line 381. The espringal threw large darts called Muchettæ, sometimes winged with brass instead of feathers. These darts were also called Viretons, from their whirling abroad in the air.
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