surnamed Ceur de Lion was the third Son of Henry the II. but the Eldest when his Father died aged 35 years when he began his Reign the former part whereof was spent by him in the Wars in the Holy-Land William Longshamp Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England governing the Kingdom during his absence in this War he signalized his Valour to a wonder having first taken Cyprus in his way thither and at Acon in Syria so behaved himself that he became an object of Envy to other Christian Princes especially to King Phillip of France as you shall see hereafter where ever he went Terror was his forerunner insomuch that it grew common amongst those Eastern People to terrifie their Children with the apprehension of King Richard's coming in his return being driven upon the Coast of Dalmatia and thinking to pass home by Land incognito he was made Prisoner by the Duke of Austria who brought him to the Emperor Henry and was detained by him in Custody for a Year and five Months till he paid a great Ransom his unparallell'd Valour and Bravery was the occasion of this misfortune these and other Princes bearing him Envy especially the French King who invades Normandy during his absence which obliged Richard to make a Peace with Saladine for Three Years much to the disadvantage of the cause they fought for Phillip attacked Gisors and had it surrendred to him and many other Places and then hasted to lay Siege to Roan but found such a vigorous defence made by the Valiant and Noble Earl of Leicester that he was forced to quit his Enterprize and so returned into France On the 12th of March 1194. King Richard landed at Sandwich was recrowned again reduced the Kingdom entirely to his Obedience which was much divided because of his Brother John's pretentions in his absence and hearing the King of France had besieged Vernail he passed over into Normandy and arrived at Harfleur with 100 Ships full of Horsemen Armour c. the noise whereof so frighted the Monsieur that he left the Siege and went his ways whereupon Richard enters the French Dominions takes in several strong Places but the Noble Leicester had the misfortune to be taken Prisoner who afterward paid a great summ of Money for his Ransom and soon after ensued a Truce for a short time which was no sooner ended but Richard takes the Field possesses himself of the Castle of Brisen Novencourt c. the French King in the mean time besieging Albermarl whither Richard hastening to succour the Place a sharp Battle was fought between both Armies wherein the French prevailed chiefly upon the account of the English being wearied with their hard March But Richard had no sooner recruited and refreshed his Soldiers but he laid Siege to Miligio took it and burnt it down to the Ground whereupon ensued some overtures of Peace Albemarl in the mean time falling into the French hands and ran the same fate with Miligio Some three Years after Richard turned his Arms against the Barons of Poictiers that rebelled against him with prosperous success till at last besieging the Castle of Chaluz and having brought it to that extremity that he would grant no other Conditions but a surrender at Discretion he was shot in the left Arm out of a Cross-bow with an invenomed Dart by one Bartram de Gordon of which wound he died the 6th of April 1199. after he had reigned Nine Years and Nine Months and was buried at Fonteverard at his Fathers Feet The Causes were that while Richard went on so prosperously in the Holy Land the French King out of Envy and contrary to his Sacramental Oath invaded Normandy which forc'd King Richard to make peace with Saladine so much disadvantagious to all Christendom JOHN THe Brother of Richard who died without issue and youngest Son of Henry the II. succeeded his Brother to the prejudice of Arthur Geoffrey his Elder Brothers Son who was the real heir of Course This Arthur in right of his Mother was Earl of Bretagne in France so that by this exclusion England lost one of the best Provinces in that Kingdom and by advancing John to the Throne we not only lost almost all our Possessions in France but England it self became vassal to the Pope the Clergy of those times growing strangely bigotted to Rome and perverse to the King King John was in Normandy when his Brother dyed and though he wasted over into England with all possible speed to take Possession of the Crown and that his presence was so necessary here for to keep his new Subjects in their Obedience to him yet he could make no long stay for before a Year came about he was forced to return into Normandy again upon information that Phillip King of France had with a powerful Army made an irruption into Normandy who took the Country of Main and several other places from the English the Britons at the same time possessing themselves of the City of Angiers the Towns of Gorney Butenant and Gensoline Arthur doing also Homage to King Phillip for Anjou Poictiers Turain Main Bretaign and Normandy but soon after a Peace was concluded between the Kings and thereby many places confirmed to the French King that he had taken and others yielded up by John upon the account of his neece Blanch's Marriage with Lewis heir of France besides 30000 Marks in Silver paid to Phillip and all this to the great dishonour as well as detriment of the English Nation About two Years after this to wit the third of the Kings Reign one Hugo Brune a Noble Man of Aquitain raised a Rebellion against King John in that Province but he and his Adherents being unable to withstand John's Forces made complaint of him to Phillip of France whereupon he was summoned by the Nobles of France as Duke or Earl of Aquitain and Anjou to appear before the French King and to stand to the Judgment of his Peers which he refused upon which the Court adjudged him to be deprived of all his Lands which he or his Predecessors held of the King of France King Phillip forthwith raises a great Army invades Normandy takes in many Castles and a great part of the Country without resistance but Arthur Duke of Bretaign besieging the Castle of Mirable with Queen Eleanor then in it King John fell upon him there with such Force and Fury that he routed his Army and took Arthur and many others of Note Prisoners Arthur sometime after was sent Prisoner to the Tower of Roan and was there barbarously Murdered some said by King John's own hands but in all this time Phillip prospered in so much that in a very short space King John was in a manner despoiled of all the Lands he held in Fee of the Crown of France King John once and again made great preparations to recover his lost Dominions and had the good success to destroy the French Fleet and recover the Province of Poictou but his Domestick troubles both
Treaty of Peace they were forced to restore all to the English again but they left St. Christophers in so pittiful a plight by destroying all the Plantations that it seemed in a manner to be as much a Wilderness as when first the English took footing in it About Seven Years after things veer'd about the French joining with the English against the Dutch in a second Dutch War during this Reign and here a late learned Author has observed that as the English were so succesful in the former War against both and the Dane to boot and were never beaten but once and that when the Fleet was divided so in this the English in all the Fights they had which were Four came off with more loss then the Dutch but the truth of it is the French only came out to learn to fight both in the one and the other War for they stood still looking on or firing at a very great distance while the English and Dutch battered one another and Monsieur de Martel for falling on and engaging bravely was recalled check'd and dismissed his imploy in so much that the Parliament who began to smell the French designs moved November the 4th 1673. that the Allyance with France was a Grievance and so a Peace was concluded with the States and our King sets up for a Mediator at Nimeguen between the French and Dutch with their Confederates and in the mean time having got considerable supplies from his Parliament raises Forces for the French King had during this Navall War possessed himself of a great part of Flanders and the Territories of the States but before a Peace was shuffled up or at leastwise before the Prince of Orange knew or would know of its being concluded the Prince not staying for Eight Thousand English that were on their march to join him did with the assistance only of Ten Thousand English under the command of the Duke of Monmouth and Earl of Ossery storm the Duke of Luxemburg's Camp fortified with all Imaginable Art before Monts with that resolution and bravery that he beat him out of it and relieved the place and this was the last act of Hostility between England and France of any kind during this Reign this King afterwards instead of putting a stop to the growing greatness of that Kingdom fell in more and more with the interest of it and the Nation during the latter part of his Reign was almost rent to pieces with the Parties of Whig and Tory which are but too much felt to this day and he himself at last died on the 6th of February 168 4-85 in the Fifty Fifth Year of his Age and the 37th of his Reign computing it from his Father's Death JAMES II. ONly Surviving Brother to Charles II. immediately assumed the English Crown of which notwithstanding the opposition made against him in the preceding Reign he got a peaceable possession but had not been long invested with the regal Dignity when the Earl of Argyle landing in Scotland and the Duke of Monmouth in the West of England put him in no small danger of losing that he had so lately attained but this storm blew over and ended in the Execution of both the aforesaid Chiefs with a multitude of their followers and that in a very barbarous manner which execution as it drew no small emulation upon his Person so the success egged him on with so much violence in the pursuits of his designs for the advancing of the Papal Power in these Kingdoms that it made the Subjects now in danger of the loss both of their Religion and Civil Properties have recourse for relief to that Prince who has since so worthily filled the Abdicated Throne and who then readily embraced their Quarrel and in the most perillous season of the Year with an Army from Holland landed at Torbay Novemb. 5th 1688. a day and year memorable in the Annals of time for the English deliverance and having wished success was the 13th of February following with his Princess Proclaimed King and Queen of England c. King James having sometime before withdrawn himself into France with whom he was so far from having any Wars during his absent four Years Reign that he entred into a stricter Alliance with that Crown but since his present Majesty's ascending of the Throne what traverses of War there have been between England and France by Sea and Land and what the Causes of them were consists in the following Pages WILLIAM III. UPon King James's withdrawing himself out of the Kingdom and retiring into France in consideration the French had committed many Hostilities in the Palatinate on the Rhine and on the Frontiers of Flanders and assisted the Irish in Rebellion with considerable Naval and Land Forces a War was Proclaimed and the King of England entered into a strict confederacy against the French King with Brandenburgh Spain and the United Provinces c. to hinder the Excessive Power and growing Greatness of France from Insulting over the Neighbouring Princes and Forces were sent over under the Command of the Earl of Marlborough and others who gained considerable advantages over the French Parties But as yet the greatest Scene of War on our Part was in Ireland where the Earl of Tyrconnel had declared for King James and put most of the Irish Papists especially in Arms stopping the Ports and hindering the Escape of many English nor was it long e'er King James Landed there with a great many French Officers and Soldiers so that most of the Principal Places in that Kingdom fell into his Hands A Party of the Iniskilling Men and London-Derry being almost all the Loyal English held in Ireland and these two acted wonders and in fine baffled the Enemies Power for the former gained in several signal advantages in the Field and the latter the Town being commanded in chief by one Mr. Walker a Minister a very valiant Man though enduring the Extremity of Famine that no unclean thing was left uneaten held out a Siege of 105 days Killing a great number of the Enemy in Salleys and from the Wall whose Army against it was at least 40000 so that the Besieged being relieved with Provisions by the way of the River the Besiegers despairing of success drew off and were pursued loosing a great many Men and some Cannon Tents and Ammunition in the Retreat On the 13th of August 1689. the Duke of Schomberg with a fair Army from England Landed at Carickfergus whereupon the Garison of Antrim deserted and Carickfergus after a short Battery surrendred the Garison being only allowed to march out without Baggage to the next Garison and that Winter the Duke Encamped after reducing some other Places on the Plains of Dundalk whose unhealthy Air and Dampness destroyed abundance of our Men yet in that Season Parties were daily out took some Places and got great Advantage over the Enemies Parties in the Field In 1690. The King with a Royal Army set forward and landed the fifteenth
from his Barons and Clergy prevented his further designs yet about the 15th Year of his Reign having entred into a strong confederacy with other Foreign Princes he set sail for Bretaign and laid Siege to Nantes where a bloody Battle was fought the French King being once in great danger of his Life but at length proved victorious and took many Prisoners whereof of Note were the Earls of Brabant Holland Flanders and Bolloign the Emperor who was also at the Battle being driven out of the Field and 6000 marks on the King of Englands part was the purchase of a Truce for Five Years Commotions in England soon followed upon the neck of this and for male-Administration in so much that aâ— length Lewis the Dauphine was invited over by the Barons to take upon him the Crown of England who came accordingly with little opposition but being soon after displeased with their new King they resolved to cast him off and so he was fain at last to depart from whence he came This was an unhappy Reign but memorable for Magna Charta and for building of London Bridge of Stone This King dyed at Lyn as he was marching with his Army to Fight the Dauphine when he had reigned Seventeen Years and about five Months and was Aged 51 Years Anno. 1216. The first ground of this War was That Phillip of France did infringe the Truce made with England for 5 Years and invaded Normandy Then another Truce being made he violated that also and still fomented the Barons Wars HENRY III. COmmonly called Henry of Winchester from his Birth Place succeeded his Father King John at the Age of Nine Years as next heir maugre all the attempts of Lewis the Dauphine of France whose Forces were defeated at Lincoln by the Kings Guardian and Brother-in-Law the famous Earl of Pembrook and so from that time forward things went worse and worse with him most places yielding by Land and his Fleet utterly destroyed by Sea by Hubert de Burg Eustace a Monk that commanded it being slain by Richard a Bastard Son of King John he yielded up his claim to the Crown and so returned with a glimmering of it into France Henry about the 14th Year of his Reign determined to make War upon France and to that purpose he assembled at Portsmouth all his Nobility Knights and such a vast number both of Horse and Foot as never was done by any of his predecessors designing to have recovered all those Territories his Father had lost but when they came to be Shipped they had not Carriages enough for half the Army which he imputed to the Treachery of Hugo de Burg his chief Justice and in a rage drawing his Sword would have killed him had it not been for the Earl of Chester that interposed the Earl of Bretaign who was present and bound by an Oath to conduct the King to his Country and others perswaded him to defer his Expedition for that Season and so his mighty Preparations for the present vanished But the Year following King Henry with a mighty Army sailed into Bretaign and after he had ravaged and committed great Spoil in the Country laid Siege to the City of Nantes but after the Consumption of a vast Treasure and the loss of many Men by sickness and otherwise returned into England the same Year but set all things first in order for the Conservation of the Country of Bretaign The French making use of the Opportunity of the King's absence took the City of Rochel and so pushing on their Conquest reduced the whole Province of Poictiers to their obedience which King John his Father had Conquered whereat Henry being nettled prepared for another mighty Expedition but with the same fatal success as before For after several Bickerings wherein were lost many of his Men he made a Peace and returned re infecta but recovered at last the Province of Aquitain The later part of his Reign was so taken up with intestine Broils in the Barons Wars wherein sometimes he was worsted and imprisoned sometimes prevailed against his Enemies that he had no leasure to look after his Territories abroad and call the French to an Account for them till at last after he had lived 65 Years and of them Reigned 56 and odd Days and lavished away an immense Treasure he resigned his Breath to him that gave it at Edmundsbury in Suffolk was buried at Westminster Anno. 1272 and was happy in nothing so much as in the hopes of his eldest son Edward 1. One Cause of his Wars with France was that the French assisted the Scots against him 2. Another was the Recovery of those Towns and Provinces the French unjustly took from him and his Ancestors EDWARD I. SUrnamed â—ong-shanks the Son of Henry was in the Holy Land with Eleanor his Wife when the Crown fell to him being then about 33 Years old He began his Reign the 16th oâ— November and arrived with his Queen in England the 15 of Aug. following being in the Year 1273 He proved a warlike wise and victorious Prince and may justly be stiled The best Law-giver He made several Expeditions against Wales and Scotland the latter became Tributary to him and the former he reduced entirely under the Obedience of the Crown of England and has so continued to this day but the Stratagem he used for to satisfy those unruly Spirits and keep theâ— in Subjection may be worthy of observation Having about the 12th Year of his Reign reduced all Wales and by a Statute made at Ruthyn incorporated and annext it to the Crown of England but finding he could not win the good will of the People unless he would engage to reside amongst them or allow them a Prince of their own Nation to govern them and that after several Conferences no English Deputies would do but that they were content to submit to any Man he should name provided he were a Welchman at length he privily sends for his Queen then big with Child and caused her to remain at Carnarvaâ— Castle where she was brought to bed of a Son at which time he sends for the Barons and chief Men of Wales to come to him to Ruthyn to deliberate about the affairs of the Country and when they came he told them he had now occasion to go out of that Country but before he went he was determined to name them a Prince if they promised to obey him they replyed They would proviâ—â—d he were one of their own Nation wherefore 〈◊〉 King rejoined he would name one born in 〈◊〉 m and that could speak never a word of â—â—glish and who was of unspotted Life and Conâ—â— Csation and when all was agreed to he namâ—d his Son Edward born as aforesaid But notwithstanding this King had so much to do with Wales and Scotland yet he was no ways â—egligent of his Affairs and Interest in France 〈◊〉 as soon as he had any leasure which was 〈◊〉 the 22d Year of his Reign first like a wise
the Prince there was a contest who took him first and the King was desired to point at him so he pointed at Howel and said this is the Man who took me There are authentick Records in some Welsh Manuscripts that confirm this Moreover they have a general Tradition and some Songs which continue fresh to this day how Howel did put a Bridle in the French King's Mouth with many other Expressions touching this great Act. Now for that signal exploit the Prince knighted him in the Field and he was ever after call'd Sir Howel y Fuyall Sir Howel with the Axe he had the Constableship of Crikyth Castle given him with the farms of Chester mills and other considerable things conferr'd upon him which surely would not have been but for the merit of some high signal Service The British Records besides Tradition and common Report that mention this were to be found in Sir John Winn's Library an honourable knowing Knight who was a curious collector of Antiquities These and many other glorious exploits were done by this King in France who ceased not his pursuits till he had got the Key of it hanging at his Girdle to wit the Town of Calais that in those days was looked upon to be impregnable which he carried after a long Siege This Kings Reign is also memorable upon many other accounts as for the Institution of the noble Order of the Garter for removing the staple of Wool from Flanders into England for that great Champion against Rome the famous Wickliff and for his own numerous issue by his Heroick Queen Phillipa being no less then seven Sons and five Daughters his Sons were these Edward the Black Prince the hopes of England and who died before his Father William of Hatfield Lioneâ— Duke of Clarence John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster Edmund of Langley Duke of York William of Windsor and Thomas of Woodstock Duke of Glocester he died at Richmond in 1377. when he had Reigned 50 Years and odd Months The cause of the War twixt the English and French in Edward the III. time was a claim to the Crown and Kingdom of France in right of his Mother Isabel which they would make invalid by their Salique or distaâ—â— Law to which the greatest Civilians do allow 〈◊〉 essence at all and Du Haillan the great French Historian hath no better Opinion of it but to be a meâ— Chymera or Imaginary thing but of this more presently OF THE Salique Law HERE I judge it no ways impertinent to be a little more particular yet touching the claim of this King Edward to the Crown of France and what grounds the French had by vertue of this Salique Law for the exclusion of him claiming from a Female and first we will briefly state his claim as it then stood and then come to the Law it self and it was thus Phillip the IV. surnamed the Fair had three Sons Lewis the Contentious Phillip the Long and Charles the Fair all these successively reigned after him and died without issue inheritable he had likewise a Daughter named Isabel I purposely omit the other being foreign to the present affair married to Edward the II. King of England and so was Mother to Edward the III. The issue male of Phillip the Fair thus failing Phillip Son and Heir of Charles Earl of Valois Beaumont c. who was Brother to Phillip the Fair laid claim to the Crown as next heir male against King Edward who made answer to the objection of the Salique Law that admitting it was as they asserted yet he was heir-male though descended of a Daughter and this in a publick assembly of the States of France first about the Protectorship of the Womb for Queen Joan Dowager of Charles the Fair was left with Child and delivered of a Daughter named Blanch afterwards Dutchess of Orleans was had in solemn dispute by Lawyers on both sides and applied at length also to the direct point of inheriting the Crown and so adjudged against King Edward What followed hereupon we have in some measure traced in the Preceding History of his Wars and are more at large recorded in Walsingham Froissart Aemilius and a multitude of more modern Writers whereby it appears and will in the Wars of this King's Successors in France how the denial of this Soveraignty to him by the French cost the lives of many thousands of their Men and involved that Country into long and miserable Calamities But as for the Law it self whereby they pretended such an exclusion of him it may well be said with Drayton in his Poly-Albion that every mouth speaks of it but few understand the thing it self or so much as the Etymology of its name and therefore to clear this point as well as we can we are necessitated to ascend a little higher then these times wherein it was made use of in prejudice to the English claim and to begin with the Original of the Francks with whom they affirm it was brought into France The Francks therefore according to many modern Historians came originally from Asia into Germany though others and perhaps upon better grounds make their original to be in Germany it self but this is certain that upon the decline of the Roman Empire they inhabited Franconia a Province of Germany and about the year 413 or according to Davila 119 invaded France under Pharamond whom they chose to be their King and Leader which Pharamond they make to be Son to Marcovir a Prince that governed them in Franconia but first before they began their Expedition they held a general Assembly near unto a River named Sala and there by the advice of the Salij their Priests or as others of the Salians whom they make to be the same with Francks enacted Laws for Government and amongst the rest one for the Exclusion of Females from inheriting the Crown which from the aforesaid appellations whether one or all it matters not came to be denominated the Salique Law But Goropius that fetches all our of Dutch and this perhaps more tollerably then many of his other Etymologies deriving the Salians name from Sal which in contraction he makes to be from Sadel inventors whereof says he the Salians were interprets them to be as much as Horse-men a name fitly applied to the War-like and most noble Persons of any Nation as Equites in Latin Chevaliers in French and Marchog in Welch do very well agree to so that upon the whole the Salique Law is made by him to be as much as a Chivalrous Law and Salique Land Quae ad equestris ordinis dignitatem in capite summo in caeteris membris conservandam pertinebat which very well agrees with a sentence given in the Parliament at Bourdeaux upon an ancient Will devising all the Testator's Salique Lands which was in point of Judgment interpreted to be a Fief and who knows not but that Fiefs were originally military Gifts but if things be so how then comes Salique to extend to the
but the Island grew quickly too hot for him Plymouth also was plundered and divers Houses burnt whereupon the Western men were permitted to set out Ships of War whereby they sufficiently revenged themselves of the French and at one time took 40 Sail. The French take footing again in the Isle of Wight with 1000 Men but they were repelled with the slaughter of many hundreds afterwards the Admiral of Britany with the Lord of Castile and 30 sail attempt Dartmouth where at a fierce assault du Castile was slain with his two Brothers The English during this Reign had occasion also to signalize themselves by Land in France upon two several occasions for a great Feud happening between the Duke of Burgundy whom the French King and his eldest Son favouredâ— and the Duke of Orleans whose Father had been put to death by the procurement of the former it came at last to open Wars between them but Burgundy finding his adversary had powerful assistance from the Kings of Navarre and Arragon the Dukes of Bituria Bretaign and others makes his application to King Henry for aid who aâ—â— first gave him good Counsel and afterwards seâ—â— him good force under the command of Thomas Earl of Arundel the famous Sir John Old-castâ—â— Lord Cobham and others with which reinforcement he prevailed powerfully against his Enemy insomuch that about a year after Orleans also becomes a Suiter to the same King Henry for assistance against Burgundy which the King also granted and dispatched away under the command of Thomas Duke of Clarence Edward Duke of York c. many valiant Men who landed in Normandy where Orleans was to meet them but did not at the time appointed however they prosecuted their design and took many strong places and at length Orleans and Clarence meâ— and having settled their Affairs the English departed to their Winter Quarters in Aquitain Henry like a wise Prince designed to make use oâ— these Dissentions in France and exprest as much to the Archbishop of Canterbury saying Behold now is the acceptable time let us go into France and win with small adâ— that which is our right but being then labouring under a great Sickness he was by his Lords with much difficulty perswaded to the contrary and thus ended his Wars in France he himself dying soon after this last expedition under Clarence to wit on the 20th of March Anno 1412. Aged 46. when he had Reigned 13 Years and about 6 Months and was buried at Canterbury by his first Wife the Lady Mary Daughter to Bohun Earl of Essex he had issue four Sons Henry that succeded him Thomas Duke of Clarence John Duke of Bedford and Humphry Duke of Glocester of whom it was said they could not be distinguished for their excellency save that Henry was the Eldest He had also 2 Daughters Blanch Dutchess of Bavaria and Phillipa Queen of Denmark The causes of this War was first self-preservation and that the French assisted the Scots against England and had also sent 12000 Men to Owen Glendower a Brittish Prince who was up in Arms against the King but a few daies after they landed at Milford Haven they ran again back to their Ships HENRY V. COmmonly called Henry of Monmouth the eldest Son of Henry IV. proved a great Prince was a mirror of Magnanimity and stands to this day one of the greatest Ornaments of our English Chronicles he no sooner mounted the Throne but he had his Eye presently upon France for recovering his Royal Right to that Crown in order whereunto he alter'd in his Arms the bearing of Semy Deluces and quarter'd the 3 full Flower Deluces as France her self did bear them thereupon he sent the Duke of Exeter in a magnificent Embassy attended with 500 Horse to Paris to demand the Crown and receiving no satisfactory answer but rather a jeer the Dauphine sending King Henry a sackful of Racket Court-balls to employ his time he replied that for every one of those Balls he had so many fiery Bullets to bandy at the proudest Towers of France as he should quickly find and so he presently got over and encounter'd the French Army at Agen-Court the French King himself being at the head of it which he utterly overthrew and took more Prisoners then he had common Soldiers the battel was fought upon a Sunday Morning about the time of high Mass for having sent notice to England before that extraordinary prayers should be made in all Churches about ten a Clock in the Morning he stood upon the defensive part all the while till then but then making a moving oration to his whole Army and among other strains telling them how all England was praying for them at that very hour he obtained a most glorious and compleat Victory Besides that great Act of Piety another of Policy was us'd for the King to prevent the fury of the French Cavalry appointed divers stakes studded with Iron at both ends of about 6 foot long to be pitch'd behind the Archers and ordered that Pioners should attend to remove them as they should be directed which invention conduc'd much to the good success of the Action The King himself charged the Duke of Alanzon who being beaten off his Horse was slain there was also a great slaughter of all kind of French Prisoners because the number was so great that nothing could give assurance of safety but by making them away At length after many wonderful Feats and Successes performed especially by himself and noble Brothers the Dukes of Clarence Bedford and Glocester he was upon Articles agreed between him and Charles VI. then King of France made Regent of that Kingdom and proclaimed both there and in England Heir Apparent to the French Crown and did thereupon take Katherine the said Kings Daughter to Wife but the Dauphin afterwards Charles VII who judged himself much aggrieved hereby made a strong Party in the Kingdom and with a great Army laid Siege to the Town of Cosney which King Henry was so concerned at that he resolved to go in person to the raising of it but he was so eager and over-hasty in his March that he could reach no further then Senlis trusting to his Brother the Duke of Bedford's care in the prosecuting of that design who relieved the Town and obliged the Dauphine to retreat and there his Fever so increased upon him that he made his last Will and appointed his Jewels to be sold for the payment of his Debts and ordained his Brother the Duke of Bedford to be Regent of France and Normandy and so died at Vincennes leaving no issue but a young Son whose Education he left to the Cardinal of Winchester and the Government of England during his Minority to Humphrey Duke of Glocester being the year of our Lord 1422. Aged 38 and having Reigned 9 Years and odd Months he had the mortification to have his Brother Clarence slain with many fine Soldiers at the Siege of Bauge in Anjou before he died but
had landed on the Coast of Normandy and burnt to the number of 21 Towns and Villages together with many Ships in the Haven of Trapart Staples and other places The French King by the means of Pope Leo with whom he was now accorded sues for a Peace which was at length concluded the Lady Mary the King's Sister for the tying of the knot being given to the French King in Marriage whom however she did not long enjoy Lewis XII dying 82 days after The remainder of this King's Reign was in a manner spent in Domestick Affairs which is not our Province to treat off till about the 35th Year when in conjunction with the Emperor he again makes war upon France the Emperor took the Field in Person and the English joining him under the command of Sir John Wallop laid siege to Landarsey the French King hasted with a great Army to succour the Town which was brought to great extremity upon whose approach the Emperor expecting to give Battle raised his Siege the Town being by this means relieved that was all the French cared for declining to hazard a Battle and so upon the approach of Winter both Camps broke up The Year following the King raised a mighty Army the Front led by the Duke of Norfolk the main Battle by the Duke of Suffolk where the King intended to be present himself also and the Rear by the Lord Russel attended with many other Nobles as the Earls of Surrey Oxford c. which about Whitsuntide landed at Calais and from thence leaving Bolloign to the right directed their march towards Muterell and were as they passed joined by the Emperors Forces under the Count of Buren but finding the foresaid place extraordinarily well fortified and provided for its defence the Duke of Suffolk with the King's Army wheels off towards Bolloign where he arrives July 19th and pitched his Camp to the East of the Town upon the Hill but thence removing into a Valley after many sharp skirmishes entred the lower Town deserted by the Inhabitants who under the covert of the Smoak got into the high Town undiscovered soon after the Tower called the Old Man was yielded up by sixteen Soldiers that kept it which notwithstanding discouraged not the Garrison who continued to make a vigorous Defence on the 26th of July the King arrives in Person orders a Mount to be raised upon the East-side planted with diverse pieces of Cannon and Mortars which incommoded the Town very much so that few Houses were left whole within it in this distress 200 French and Italians under the conduct of Joncurtio attempted to get into the Town in the Night and succeeded so well by the means of a Priest that spoke English that most of them were got over the Trenches before discovered and a matter of 120 got in the rest being either slain or taken at length a peice of the Castle being blown up the King stormed the place but did not carry it however the Cannon continuing playing and the Garrison having lost the best of their Commanders and men in this Action and fearing as well as concluding that such another assault must carry the Town thought it time to Capitulate before things came to the last extremity and so Articles were agreed upon and the Garrison marched our with Bag and Baggage to the number of 67 Horse 1563 Foot 87 wounded and 1927 Women and Children On the 25th of September the King with the Sword bore before him by the Marquess of Dorset enters Bolloign in Triumph the Trumpets all the while sounding on the Walls and two days after viewing of the Place caused St. Maries Church to be pull'd down and a mount to be made in the Room of it for the strengthning the Town and at his departure made Sir John Dudley Governor and on the first of October lands in England next year September 9th Sir John Dudley then Admiral lands with 6000 Men at Trey Port in Normandy burns the Town and Abby and 30 Ships in the Haven with the loss of 14 Men only The French attempted the recovery of Bulloign again and again but to little purpose so that at length a Peace was concluded wherein it was agreed the French King should pay King Henry 800000 Crowns within the term of Eight Years and then to have Bulloign restored to him but whilst the Oath for Confirmation hereof was taken by both Kings Monsieur Chatillon began to make a new Bastillion at the very mouth of the Haven of Bulloign calling it Chatillon's Garden the Lord Grey of Wilton then Governor of Bulloign advertised the King hereof by Sir Thomas Palmour requiring to know his pleasure therein the King advises with his Councel who all agree the Conditions of Peace ought by no means to be infringed and therefore to let the Bastilion stand whereupon the King ordered his Secretary to write to the Lord Grey to that purpose but then called to Sir Thomas privily and told him that notwithstanding the Contents of that Letter he should from him command the Lord Grey to rase the Fortification to the ground with all speed Sir Thomas replyed That a message by Word of Mouth contrary to a Letter would never be believed well saies the King tell him as I bid you and leave the doing of it to him Sir Thomas upon his arrival at Bulloign delivered the Governor the Letter and withall the Message who hereupon calls a Council what to do wherein they all agreed the Letter should be obey'd to which the Lord Grey himself said nothing but caused the Message to be written down verbatim from Sir Thomas Mouth and those of the Council to set their hands to it and when this was done the very next Night he issues out and rases the Fort to the ground and then sent Sir Thomas back to the King with Letters to acquaint him with what he had done who as soon as he saw him asked aloud What will he do it or no Sir Thomas delivering the Letter said Your Majesty shall know by these but the King half angry said Nay Tell me has he done it or no and being told it was done he turn'd about to his Lords and said what say you my Lords to this Chatillon's Garden is rased down to the ground whereunto one presently answered that he that had done it deserved to lose his Head to which the King immediately replies That he would rather lose a dozen such heads as his was then one such servant that had done it and therewith commanded presently the Lord Grey's Pardon to be drawn which he sent to him with Letters full of thanks and promises of Reward The cause why the King took this course was this lest if he had given order in writing for the rasing of the Fort it might have come to the knowledge of the French before it was done and so have been prevented This may be taken as an instance of King Henry's great Capacity and was the concluding act of his