174

INVASION OF FRANCE.—1413.

induced him to revive the claim to the crown of that country, which had been urged by Edward III. In making war, Henry likewise obeyed the dying injunctions of his father. He also deemed that some employment must be found for the restless activity of the English, which, if not turned against foreign enemies, would certainly break out in open rebellion against their own king.

3. Henry accordingly assembled a large fleet and army at Southampton, and, crossing over to France, landed near Harfleur, which place he took after a vigorous resistance, whilst the French princes were contending among themselves as to who should command the army assembled to oppose him.

4. Henry soon began to repent of his rash inroad into France. The fatigues of the siege, the unusual heat of the weather, and the indiscretion of the troops in eating too much fruit, had so wasted the English army, that Henry could enter upon no further enterprises; as he had sent away the ships which brought him over, he had no means of reaching England but by proceeding first to Calais. 5. The whole distance lay through the enemy's country; there were strong towns to pass, and deep rivers to cross; and an army of one hundred thousand Frenchmen was in the field. The attempt, therefore, on the part of Henry, with a force now reduced to less than twelve thousand, appeared to be almost desperate.

6. Nothing daunted, however, he departed from Harfleur in October, 1415, proceeding by easy marches, and enforcing the strictest discipline. He paid the country people liberally for everything he had of them, and they consequently brought him supplies of provisions, in spite of the orders they had received to the contrary.

7. During the march the king fared no better than the common soldier, and encouraged his men by the cheerful and friendly manner in which he conversed with them. Thus they proceeded till the 24th of October, when, upon their arrival near the town of Agincourt, they beheld the whole French army drawn up at some distance before them.

8. Henry took an attentive survey of the country from a high hill, and saw that it was equally impossible to retreat or to advance. He therefore immediately set about his preparations for a battle; for to surrender without a blow never once entered his mind.

9. He chose his position on a small rising ground, surrounded by trees and brushwood. He then placed guards and lighted fires, and the army, with the exception of some who passed in prayer what they supposed would be the last night of their lives, retired to rest. As some of the nobles were conversing together, one of them said, he wished all the brave men, who were then living idly in England, were there to help them.

10. The king happened to hear them, and cried out, "No! I would not have one more here. If we are defeated, we are too many; but if it please God to give us the victory, as I trust he will, the smaller our number, the greater our glory."

advice to his son? Why did he give it? 3. What did Henry V. do? 4, 5. In what difficulties was he involved? 6. What is said of his conduct on the march? 7. When did they arrive at Agincourt? 8, 9. What did Henry do? 10. What was his speech

BATTLE OF AGINCOURT.-1415.

175

11. The French passed the night in noisy festivity; and, confident of victory on the morrow, it was agreed among them that all the English should be put to the sword, excepting the king and the chief nobility, who were to be saved for the sake of their ransoms.

12. We need not detain the reader by giving the details of the battle, which took place the next day. It would be but the story of Cressy and Poictiers over again. The French, proud of their own strength, and despising the weakness of the enemy, acted with rashness and fool-hardiness, which gave to their cautious and welldisciplined enemy a complete victory.

13. The king himself displayed a valor worthy of the Black Prince. Arrayed in shining armor, with a crown of gold, adorned with precious stones, on his head, he was easily to be distinguished in the thickest of the fight. Eighteen French knights had made a vow to kill or take the English king, and they all lost their lives in attempting to fulfil it.

14. They were all slain by David Cam, the king's faithful squire, and two other Welshmen, who defended him at the cost of their own lives. Henry knighted them as they lay bleeding to death at his feet. One might think it could do the dying man but little good to say to him, "Rise up, Sir David Cam!" but it was the only means at that moment in the king's power to express his sense of gratitude and regard for so faithful a servant.

15. The battle being at an end, Henry called upon the French herald, who was named Mountjoy, to declare to whom the victory

to some of the nobles? 11. How did the French pass the night? 12. What of the con duct of the two parties? 13. What of the conduct of the king in the battle? 14. How did he reward his faithful squire? 15. What is the battle called? Where was it fought?

176

HENRY AGAIN INVADES FRANCE.-1417.

belonged; and he adjudging it to the English, the king asked him the name of a neighboring castle, to which he pointed with his finger. "It is called Agincourt," replied the herald. "Then," said the king, "this action shall henceforth be called The Battle of Agincourt."

CHAPTER C.

Henry again invades France.-Makes a Treaty, by which he is constituted Regent of that Kingdom, and declared to be the Successor to the Crown.-His Death.

1. THE victory of Agincourt was of little real service to Henry, for he was too weak to take advantage of the dismay of the French, to extend his conquests in their country. It served, perhaps, to make the king's popularity at home more firm, but at the same time it inspired him with a love of new conquests.

2. With this view he returned to England, to procure a fresh supply of men and money. The people crowded to receive him, and were in such ecstasies of joy, that when he approached Dover, many of them plunged into the sea to meet his barge.

3. In August, 1417, Henry again invaded France at the head of a considerable army. The quarrels among the nobles had left that country in a more defenceless state even than before. No preparations had been made for opposing the progress of the English, and they marched forward into the country, taking possession of all the towns in their way.

4. At last, when they had conquered the whole of Normandy, the contending factions in France began to consider, when too late, what was to be done. An apparent reconciliation took place between the parties. But this was put an end to by the murder of the Duke of Burgundy, as it was supposed by the instigation of the dauphin, as the eldest son of the King of France was always called, as the eldest son of the King of England is called the Prince of Wales.

5. Philip, the new Duke of Burgundy, forgetting every other consideration in his desire of vengeance for his father's death, entered into a treaty with Henry, by which it was agreed that the latter should govern France, during the life of the present king, with the title of regent, and at his death should succeed to the crown in exclusion of the dauphin; thus France and England were to be forever united in one monarchy.

6. Charles VI., King of France, whose title for life was thus respected, was a poor deranged man, and his person was in the possession of the Burgundians. They compelled him to give his assent to this treaty, which disinherited his own son, and gave his kingdom to its most bitter enemies.

C.-1. What is said of the advantages of the victory at Agincourt? 2. How was Henry received in England? 3. When did Henry again invade France? What is said of the condition of France? 4. How was the reconciliation among the French nobles

DEATH OF HENRY V.-1422.

177

7. In fulfilment of the terms of the same treaty, Henry married Catharine, daughter of the French king. The two kings with their queens made a triumphant entry into Paris, in May, 1420, where the union of the two crowns was celebrated with great outward demonstrations of joy.

8. But the dauphin did not submit tamely to the loss of his inheritance. Retiring with a few followers to a distant part of France, he assumed the title of regent, and vigorously defended the few places that still adhered to him.

9 In 1422, Henry took the command of the army employed against the dauphin, but, being taken sick, was obliged to resign it to his brother, the Duke of Bedford. He then retired to Vincennes, near Paris, where he grew rapidly worse. He soon felt himself to be near his end, and sent for the Duke of Bedford and the Earl of Warwick to receive his last directions.

10. He appointed the Duke of Bedford Regent of France, and the Duke of Gloucester Regent of England. His infant son he committed to the care of Warwick. He also gave particular orders that the prisoners taken at Agincourt should not be released till this son, then only a few months old, should be of age.

11. After he had given his final directions, he asked his physicians how long they thought he might live. And when they told him, "About two hours," he shut out from his thoughts every earthly care, and spent his remaining moments in devotion. He died August 31st, 1422, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the tenth of his reign.

12. His funeral procession was conducted with great pomp through France, and afterwards from Dover to Westminster, where he was buried. Tapers were kept burning day and night on his tomb for nearly one hundred years, and might be burning still perhaps, if such customs had not gone out of fashion at the Reformation.

TABLE OF THE FAMILY OF HENRY V.

WIFE.

Catharine of France, married afterwards to Owen Tudor, a Welsh gentleman, who does not appear to have had anything to recommend him but his beauty and his fine dancing.

SON.

Henry, Prince of Wales, who was born December 6, 1421.

Catharine had three sons after she married Owen Tudor; namely, Edmund, Earl of Richmond, father of Henry Tudor, afterwards King Henry VII. Jasper, Earl of Pembroke.

Owen.

defeated? 5. What did the new Duke of Burgundy do? 6. What is said of the King of France? 7. Whom did Henry marry? 9. What happened to Henry in 1422? 10. What were his last directions? 11. When did he die? What was his age? What the length of his reign? 12. What honors were paid him after death?

178

THE ENGLISH IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

CHAPTER CI.

Domestic Habits of the English in the Fifteenth Century.

1. It is time to say something of the domestic habits of the English at this period of history. The nobility no longer lived shut up in gloomy castles, but began to inhabit large rambling houses, built of timber, and covered with plaster. The outside wood-work was very much carved, and the windows were large and wide.

2. The principal apartment was the hall, which was two or three stories high, and commonly had an entrance porch. The floor of the upper end of the hall was raised about one foot higher than the rest, and called the dais; here the lord of the mansion was accustomed to sit with his guests.

3. The lower part was common to the menials of the family, of whom there were in every house a great number. The furniture of these halls was not very sumptuous, and usually consisted of only a long table fastened to the floor, three or four wooden benches for the gentlemen, with some low stools for the ladies, and perhaps a cupboard in the corner.

4. The most frequent decoration for the walls was tapestry, which was hung on large hooks, and taken down in summer. Few houses

CI.-1. What change in the place of residence of the nobles? dais? 3. How was the hall furnished' 4. What was the reredosse?

2. What was the 5, 6. What of