While the desperate siege of Montereau proceeded, the queen of England, and her father and mother, with their courts and households, resided at Bray-sur-Seine. Here Henry paid frequent visits to his bride. After the tragedy of Montereau, the united courts removed to Corbeil, where queen Katherine was joined by her sister-in-law, Margaret duchess of Clarence, and by many noble ladies who had come from England to pay their duty to the bride of king Henry. She was with her mother and king Charles at the camp before Melun. "But indeed," says Monstrelet, "it was a sorry sight to see the king of France bereft of all his usual state and pomp. They resided, with many ladies and damsels, about a month in a house king Henry had built for them near his tents, and at a distance from the town, that the roar of the cannon might not startle king Charles. Every day at sunrise," continues the Burgundian, "and at nightfall, ten clarions, and divers other instruments, were ordered by king Henry to play for an hour most melodiously before the door of the king of France." The malady of the unhappy father of Katherine was soothed by music. This was evidently the military band of Henry V., the first which is distinctly mentioned in chronicles. Henry was himself a performer on the harp from an early age. He likewise was a composer, delighting in church narmony, which he used to practise on the organ.1 That he found similar tastes in his royal bride is evident from an item in the Issue rolls, whereby it appears he sent to England to obtain new harps for Katherine and himself, in the October succeeding his wedlock: "By the hands of William Menston was paid 87. 13s. 4d. for two new harps, purchased for king Henry and queen Katherine." the reader is anxious to know who was the best harp-maker in London at this period, complete satisfaction can be given; for a previous document mentions another harp sent to Henry when in France, "purchased of John Bore, harp-maker, London; together with several dozen harp-chords, and harp-case." If a 1 Elmham's Chronicle, p. 12. Likewise a French chronicler, quoted by colonel Johnes in his notes to Monstrelet; and Dr. Henry, vol. x. p. 227. 2 Pages 363, 367. At the surrender of Melun, the vile mother of queen Katherine was proclaimed regent of France through the influence of her son-in-law, who considered queen Isabeau entirely devoted to her daughter's interest. This was a preparatory step to a visit which Henry intended to make to his own country, for the purpose of showing the English his beautiful bride, and performing the ceremonial of her coronation. The royal personages of France and England now approached Paris, in order that the king and queen of England might make their triumphal entry into that city; but Henry, not knowing how the Parisians might receive them, chose to precede his wife, and take possession of the city before he ventured to trust her within its walls. "Queen Katherine and her mother made their grand entry into Paris next day. Great magnificence was displayed at the arrival of the queen of England, but it would take up too much time to relate all the rich presents that were offered to her by the citizens of Paris. The streets and houses were hung with tapestry the whole of that day, and wine was constantly running from brass cocks and in conduits through the squares, so that all persons might have it in abundance; and more rejoicings than tongue can tell were made in Paris for the peace and for the marriage of Katherine the Fair." The miserably exhausted state of France prevented Katherine from receiving any solid sum as her fortune; but she had an income of forty thousand crowns, the usual revenue of the queens of France, settled on her at her marriage by her father, a few scanty instalments of which proved, in reality, the only property she ever derived from her own country. This circumstance gives an exemplification, by no means uncommon in life, of the manner in which exorbitancy in pecuniary demands often defeats its own ends. Had Henry V. required a more reasonable dowry with his bride, Katherine might have been reckoned as the richest of our queens, instead of being, with all her high-sounding expectations, in reality the poorest among them all. The royal pair spent their Christmas at Paris, but at the end of the festival Henry 1 Monstrelet. thought it best to pay some attention to the prayer of his faithful commons, who had lately begged "that he, with his gracious queen, would please to return to England, to comfort, support, and refresh them by their presence." Accordingly, Henry set out with his queen on a winter journey through France, escorted by the duke of Bedford at the head of six thousand men. Queen Katherine arrived at Amiens on St. Vincent's-day, and was lodged in the hotel of maître Robert le Jeune, bailiff of Amiens, and many costly presents were made to her by that magistrate.2 The royal pair embarked at Calais, and landed at Dover February 1st, "where," observes Monstrelet, "Katherine was received as if she had been an angel of God." The magnificent coronation of the queen took place as early after her landing as the 24th of February. She was led on foot from Westminster-palace to the abbey between two bishops, and was crowned by the hands of archbishop Chicheley on the 24th of February, 1421. It is expressly mentioned that Katherine sat on the King's-bench, at Westminster-hall, by Henry's side at the coronation-feast. "It is worth the noting," says old Raphael Holinshed, "to take a view of all the goodly order and reverend dutifulness exhibited, on all sides, towards the new queen. After the coronation was ended, queen Katherine was conveyed into the great hall of Westminster, and there sat at dinner. Upon her right hand sat, at the end of the table, the archbishop of Canterbury and cardinal Beaufort. Upon the left hand of the queen sat James I., king of Scotland, under his canopy, who was served with messes in covered silver dishes, but after the aforesaid bishops. By the king of Scots sat the duchess of York' and the countess of Huntingdon. The countess of Kent sat under the table, at the queen's feet, holding a 1 Parliamentary History, vol. ii. p. 165. 2 Monstrelet. 3 The royal minstrel, James Stuart, who had been captive in England since his boyhood: he was given a careful education at Windsor by Henry IV., and wrote many beautiful poems, taking for his models Chaucer and Gower, whom he calls his "maistres dear." From the top of the Maiden's tower in Windsorcastle he fell in love with Joanna Beaufort, half-niece to Henry V., whom he saw walking in the garden below. Queen Katherine's friendship gave a turn to his adverse fortunes. 4 Widow to Edward duke of York. napkin. The earl of March, hoiding the queen's sceptre in his hand, kneeled on the steps of the daïs at her right side; the earl-marshal, holding her other sceptre, knelt at her left. The duke of Gloucester was that day overseer of the feast, and stood before queen Katherine bare-headed. Sir Richard Neville was her cup-bearer; sir James Stuart, sewer; the lord Clifford, pantler, in the earl of Warwick's stead; the lord Grey of Ruthin was her naperer; and the lord Audley her almoner, instead of the earl of Cambridge."-" And ye shall understand," says alderman Fabyan, "that this feast was all of fish, for, being February 24th, Lent was entered upon, and nothing of meat was there, saving brawn served with mustard." Among the fish-dishes of the first course, Fabyan mentions especially dead eels, stewed. The table-ornaments, called subtleties, were contrived to express by their mottoes a political meaning. In the first course was an image of St. Katherine, the queen's patron saint, disputing with the doctors, holding a label in her right hand, on which was written madame la reine; and a pelican held an answer in her bill, to this effect, C'est la signe et du roy Parer tenez joy, Et tout sa gent Elle mette sa content. This sign to the king Great joy will bring, She [madame the queen] will content. The second course of this fish-banquet was jelly, coloured with columbine flowers; white pottage, or cream of almonds; bream of the sea; conger; soles; cheven, or chub; barbel, with roach; smelt, fried; crayfish, or lobster; leche,' damasked with the king's motto or word, flourished,-UNE SANS PLUS; lamprey, fresh baked; flampayne, flourished with a scutcheonroyal, and therein three crowns of gold planted with fleurs-delis and flowers of camomile, all wrought of confections (con fectionary), and a subtlety named a panter (panther), with an image of St. Katherine, having a wheel in her hand with this motto, La reyne ma fille, In cette ile, Per bon reason Aie renown. The queen my daughter, With good reason Has renown. Strained jelly. The word 'leche' is still used in Suffolk for a strainer. The third course was likewise of fish. A leche, called 'the white leche,' flourished with hawthorn leaves and red haws; dates, in compost; mottled cream; carp, turbot, tench; perch, with gudgeon; fresh sturgeon, with whelks; porpoise, roasted, (which Fabyan, because the dish was not barbarous enough in itself, calls 'porporous'). Then there was crevisse d'eau (crabfish), prawns, eels roasted with lamprey, and a march-pane garnished with divers figures of angels, among which was set an image of St. Barnabas holding this poesie, giving hopes of peace as well as that the royal wedlock would be happy: Il est ecrit, Per mariage pure C'est guerre ne dure. It is written, In marriage pure No strifes endure. And lastly, there was a subtlety named 'a tigre,' looking in a mirror, and a man on horseback clean armed, holding a tiger's whelp in his hands, with this motto,-Per force sans raison je prise cette beste: 'By force of arms, and not by that of reason, have I captured this beast.' The small tiger and the motto meant an uncivil allusion to Katherine's young brother, the dauphin; the figure made show of throwing mirrors at the great tiger, which held in his paw this reason, (label with motto),— Gile che mirrour Ma festa distour. The sight of this mirror Tames wild beasts of terror. The only instance of active benevolence ever recorded of Katherine the Fair took place at this coronation-feast, when the queen publicly interceded with her monarch-bridegroom for the liberation of his royal guest and prisoner James I. of Scotland, then at table. This suit seems to have been granted, on condition that James should bear arms under Henry V.'s banner, for the purpose of completing the subjugation of France.' Katherine likewise took in hand the management 1 This was done, but it is certain that James made the ensuing campaign as a private knight; for his subjects were fighting for the dauphin, under the earl of Buchan, son to his usurping uncle, the duke of Albany. This Scotch army soon after gave to England the first reverse they had met in France, at Baugy, where "Swinton laid the lance in rest, That tamed of yore the sparkling crest |