golden crowns. He was offered less territory
and fewer crowns, and no princess; but he
called his ambassadors home and prepared for
war. Then, he proposed to take the princess
with one million of crowns. The French
Court replied that he should have the
princess with two hundred thousand crowns
less; he said this would not do (he had never
seen the princess in his life), and assembled
his army at Southampton. There was a short
plot at home just at that time, for deposing
him, and making the Earl of March king;
but, the conspirators were all speedily
condemned and executed, and the King
embarked for France.

It is dreadful to observe how long a bad
example will be followed; but, it is
encouraging to know that a good example is
never thrown away. The King's first act on
disembarking at the mouth of the river Seine,
three miles from Harfleur, was to imitate
his father, and to proclaim his solemn orders
that the lives and property of the peaceable
inhabitants should be respected on pain of
death. It is agreed by French writers, to
his lasting renown, that even while his
soldiers were suffering the greatest distress
from want of food, these commands were
rigidly obeyed.

With an army in all of thirty thousand
men, he besieged the town of Harfleur both
by sea and land for five weeks; at the end
of which time the town surrendered, and the
inhabitants were allowed to depart with only
five-pence each, and a part of their clothes.
All the rest of their possessions was divided
amongst the English army. But, that army
suffered so much, in spite of its successes,
from disease and privation, that it was
already reduced one half. Still, the King
was determined not to retire until he had
struck a greater blow. Therefore, against
the advice of all his counsellors, he moved on
with his little force towards Calais. When
he came up to the river Somme he was unable
to cross, in consequence of the ford being
fortified; and, as the English moved up the
left bank of the river looking for a crossing,
the French, who had broken all the bridges,
moved up the right bank, watching them, and
waiting to attack them when they should try
to pass it. At last the English found a
crossing and got safely over. The French
held a council of war at Rouen, resolved to
give the English battle, and sent heralds to
King Henry to know by which road he was
going. "By the road that will take me
straight to Calais!" said the King, and sent
them away with a present of a hundred
crowns.

The English moved on, until they beheld
the French, and then the King gave orders
to form in line of battle. The French not
coming on, the army broke up after remaining
in battle array till night, and got good
rest and refreshment at a neighbouring
village. The French were now all lying in
another village, through which they knew
the English must pass. They were resolved
that the English should begin the battle. The
English had no means of retreat, if their King
had had any such intention; and so the two
armies passed the night, close together.

To understand these armies well, you must
bear in mind that the immense French
army had, among its notable persons, almost
the whole of that wicked nobility, whose
debauchery had made France a desert; and so
besotted were they by pride, and by contempt
for the common people, that they had scarcely
any bowmen (if indeed they had any at all)
in their whole enormous number: which,
compared with the English army, was at least
as six to one. For these proud fools had said
that the bow was not a fit weapon for knightly
hands, and that France must be defended by
gentlemen only. We shall see, presently,
what hand the gentlemen made of it.

Now, on the English side, among the little
force, there was a good proportion of men who
were not gentlemen by any means, but who
were good stout archers for all that. Among
them, in the morning—having slept little at
night, while the French were carousing and
making sure of victory—the King rode, on a
grey horse; wearing on his head a helmet of
shining steel, surmounted by a crown of gold,
sparkling with precious stones; and bearing
over his armour, embroidered together, the
arms of England and the arms of France.
The archers looked at the shining helmet
and the crown of gold and the sparkling
jewels, and admired them all; but, what
they admired most was the King's cheerful
face, and his bright blue eye, as he told
them that, for himself, he had made up
his mind to conquer there or to die there,
and that England should never have a
ransom to pay for him. There was one brave
knight who chanced to say that he wished
some of the many gallant gentlemen and
good soldiers, who were then idle at home
in England, were there to increase their
numbers. But the King told him that,
for his part, he did not wish for one more
man. "The fewer we have," said he, "the
greater will be the honour we shall win!"
His men, being now all in good heart, were
refreshed with bread and wine, and heard
prayers, and waited quietly for the French.
The King waited for the French, because
they were drawn up thirty deep (the little
English force was only three deep) on very
difficult and heavy ground; and he knew that
when they moved, there must be some confusion.

As they did not move, he sent off two
parties:—one, to lie concealed in a wood on
the left of the French: the other, to set fire to
some houses behind the French after the battle
should be begun. This was scarcely done,
when three of the proud French gentlemen,
who were to defend their country without any
help from the base peasants, came riding out,