mines.] words (iii. 549/2/69), " And dailie was the towne assaulted,” may have suggested to Shakspere the King's speech (11. 1-34). Act III. sc. ii.-Gower bids Fluellen "come presently to the Mynes; the Duke of Gloucester would speake with you" (11. 58-60). Fluellen answers that "the Mynes is not according to the disciplines of the Warre1... th'athuersarie . . . is digt himselfe foure yard vnder the Countermines." Holinshed says that [Hol. iii. 549/2/70.] the duke of Glocester, to whome the [Gloucester's order of the siege was committed, made three mines vnder the ground; and, approching to the wals with his engins and ordinance, would not suffer them within to take anie rest. [The French counter mines.] Titus [An unconditional [p. 550] For although they with their countermining somwhat disappointed the Englishmen, & came to fight with them hand to hand within the mines, so that they went no further forward with that worke; yet they were so inclosed on ech side, as well by water as land, that succour they saw could none come to them. Act III. sc. iii.-In the last scene a parley 2 was sounded from Harfleur (III. ii. 148). Now King Henry enters and summons the Governor to yield "to our best mercy (1. 3). On September 18, 1415,3 the besieged made a conditional offer of submission. [Hol. iii. 550/1/38.] The king, aduertised hereof, sent them word, that, except they would surrender the towne to him the morow next insuing, without anie condition, they should spend no surrender of more time in talke about the matter. But yet at length through demanded.] the earnest sute of the French lords, the king was contented to grant them truce vntill nine of the clocke the next sundaie, being Harfleur respit. A flue daics the two and twentith of September; with condition, that, if in the meane time no rescue came, they should yeeld the towne at that houre, with their bodies and goods to stand at the kings pleasure. We may suppose that this scene opens on September 22,-the day fixed for yielding Harfleur, if no relief came, and therefore the Governor thus answers King Henry's summons (11. 44-47) : 1 It seems that "the disciplines of the Warre" really were violated, for, contrary to the prohibition of Egidius Romanus, the mines were begun in sight of the besieged, who of course countermined them.-Gesta, 24, 25. Ægidius Romanus wrote for Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1363-1404), De Regimine Principum, a part of which is entitled "De re militari veterum." -Gesta, p. 16, note 2. 2 Hol's account of the first overture for surrender has this sidenote: "The seuenteenth of September they within Harflue praie parlee." 3 The truce was ratified on September 18.-Gesta, 30. The besieged asked for a parley" about midnight," September 17.-Hol. iii. 550/1/23. Our expectation hath this day an end: The Dolphin, whom of Succours we entreated, During the truce, refused by the [Hol. iii. 550/1/68.] the lord Bacqueuill was sent vnto the French king, to declare in what point the towne stood. To whome the Dolphin answered, that the kings power was not yet assembled, [Succour in such number as was conuenient to raise so great a siege. This Dauphin.] answer being brought vnto the capteins within the towne, they rendered it vp to the king of England, after that the third daie was expired; which was on the daie of saint Maurice, being the seuen and thirtith daie after the siege was first laid. The souldiors Harflue were ransomed, and the towne sacked, to the great gaine of the sacked. Englishmen. Henry then commands Exeter (11. 52, 53) to enter Harfleur; there remaine, And fortifie it strongly 'gainst the French: 1 On September 22, ... yeelded and made Captain of Harfleur.] [Hol. iii. 550/2/30.] the king ordeined capteine to the towne [Exeter his vncle the duke of Excester, who established his lieutenant there, one sir Iohn Fastolfe; with fifteene hundred men, or (as some haue) two thousand, and thirtie six knights. Harfleur being disposed of, Henry says (11. 54-56): For vs, deare Vnckle, (The Winter comming on, and Sicknesse growing Holinshed names several Englishmen of rank who died during the siege, or were licensed to return home on account of sickness; and adds: [Hol. iii. 550/2/44.] King Henrie, after the winning of Harflue, determined to haue proceeded further in the winning of other townes and fortresses; but, bicause the dead time of the winter approched, it was determined by aduise of his councell, that he should in all conuenient speed set forward, and march through the countrie towards Calis by land, least his returne as then home 1 In making Henry say to Exeter, "Vse mercy to them all (1. 54), Shakspere ignored Hol.'s report (iii. 550/2/5) that the King expelled from Harfleur "parents with their children, yoong maids and old folke," and filled their places with English immigrants. Higden's Polychronicon (edd. Babington and Lumby, viii. 550) is Hol.'s authority. [A march resolved on.] to Calais wards should of slanderous toongs be named a running awaie; and yet that iournie was adiudged perillous, by reason that the number of his people was much minished by the flix and other Great death feuers, which sore vexed and brought to death aboue fifteene hundred persons of the armie: and this was the cause that his returne was the sooner appointed and concluded. in the host by the flix. Act III. sc. v.-Henry left Harfleur on October 8,1 and crossed the Somme on October 19.2 The following excerpt illustrates this scene, which opens after Charles VI. has received sure tidings that Henry "hath past the Riuer Some" (l. 1): [Hol. iii. 552/1/42.] The French king, being at Rone, and The French hearing that king Henrie was passed the riuer of Some, was king cōsult eth how to deale with ye English men. Dolphin king of Sicill. The French K. sendeth defiance to king Henrie. A chariot.] 4 much displeased therewith, and, assembling his councell to the number of fiue and thirtie, asked their aduise what was to be doone. There was amongst these fiue and thirtie, his sonne the Dolphin, calling himselfe king of Sicill; the dukes of Berrie and Britaine, the earle of Pontieu the kings yoongest sonne, and other high estates. At length thirtie of them agreed, that the Englishmen should not depart vnfought withall, and fiue were of a contrarie opinion, but the greater number ruled the matter: and so Montioy king at armes was sent to the king of England to defie him as the enimie of France, and to tell him that he should shortlie haue battell. Charles commands the French princes to "goe downe vpon " (1. 53) Harry England; And in a Chariot, Captiue into Roan,5 Bring him our Prisoner! Touching the assurance of victory which the French had on the night before their defeat at Agincourt, Holinshed says: [Hol. iii. 554/1/7.] The noble men had deuised a chariot, wherein they might triumphantlie conueie the king captiue to the 2 Gesta, 43. 1 Gesta, 36 (cp. note 4). 3 To reconcile a subsequent date (see p. 184, n. 2, below) we must suppose that this council was held on October 19, not, as Mons. says (iii. 330), on October 20. 4 Hol. has been misled by Halle (64). Mons. (iii. 330) does not mention the presence of the Dauphin at this council, but says that "le roi Louis" was there. Lewis was titular King of Sicily. He was the son of Lewis Duke of Anjou, Charles VI.'s eldest uncle; and father of Réné, whose daughter Margaret married our Henry VI. 5 Chariot, Captive] P. A. Daniel conj. And in a Captive Chariot into Roan F1, citie of Paris; crieng to their soldiers: "Haste you to the spoile, "glorie and honor!" little weening (God wot) how soone their brags should be blowne awaie. The Dauphin's presence at Agincourt (III. vii.), despite his father's injunction to remain at Rouen (III. v. 64), is unhistorical.1 [Hol. iii. 552/1/72.] The Dolphin sore desired to haue beene [The at the battell, but he was prohibited by his father. Act III. sc. vi.-Gower is told by Fluellen that "the Duke of Exeter .keepes the Bridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline" (11. 6-12). The fighting of which Fluellen speaks occurred at the Ternoise, and is thus described by Holinshed: [Hol. iii. 552/2/3.] The king of England, (hearing that the Frenchmen approched, and that there was an other riuer for him to passe with his armie by a bridge, and doubting least, if the same bridge should be broken, it would be greatlie to his hinderance,) appointed certeine capteins with their bands, to go thither with all speed before him, and to take possession thereof, and so to keepe it, till his comming thither. Those that were sent, finding the Frenchmen busie to breake downe their bridge, assailed them so vigorouslie, that they discomfited them, and tooke and slue them; and so the bridge was preserued till the king came, and passed the riuer by the same with his whole armie. This was on the two and twentith day of October.2 Pistol then enters and asks Fluellen to intercede with Exeter for Bardolph, whom the Duke has sentenced to be hung for stealing a "Pax 3 of little price" (11. 42-51). During Henry's march there was no 1 In the Q. version of Henry V. "Burbon" has the part in Act III. sc. vii. and Act IV. sc. v. which F. assigns to the Dauphin. As to this matter, and also Johnes's conjecture that Shakspere confounded Sir Guichard Dauphin (see p. 196 below) with the Dauphin of France, see Mr. Daniel's Introduction to the Parallel Texts of Henry V. (New Sh. Soc.), p. xiii. 2 Livius (15) gives the date October 22, wrongly adding that it was the day of S. Romanus, Confessor. This saint's day is kept on October 23. Elmham says (56) that Henry crossed the Ternoise on the morrow of S. Romanus (Oct. 24). On October 23, according to another authority, Henry was marching towards the Ternoise, which he crossed on October 24.-Gesta, 46. We may, I think, fairly infer that the bridge was seized on the day before Henry's transit. 3 Elmham (53), Livius (13), and Gesta (41), agree that a pyx was stolen. D'Arnis's Lexicon Manuale, 1866, has these definitions: "Pax-Instrumentum quod inter Missarum solemnia populo osculandum praebetur; instrument que Dauphin not at the battle.] [The French an attempt down the defeated in to break bridge over the Ternoise.] Justice in warre [, for the theft of a pyx]. Titus proclamation. [Hol. iii. 552/1/33.] outrage or offense doone by the Englishmen, except one, which was, that a souldiour took a pix out of a church, for which he was apprehended, & the king not once remooued till the box was restored, and the offendor strangled. Hearing from Fluellen of Bardolph's sentence, Henry says (11. 113117): "Wee would haue all such offendors so cut off and we giue expresse charge that, in our Marches through the Countrey, there be nothing compell'd from the Villages; nothing taken but pay'd for." At some time between August 14-the date of Henry's landing near Harfleur-and August 17,1 the King [Hol. iii. 549/2/28.] caused proclamation to be made, that no A charitable person should be so hardie, on paine of death, either to take anie thing out of anie church that belonged to the same; or to hurt or doo anie violence either to priests, women, or anie such as should be found without weapon or armor, and not readie to make resistance: . . [Everything paid for.] One hardship of the march from Harfleur was lack of victuals: [Hol. iii. 552/1/30.] Yet in this great necessitie, the poore people of the countrie were not spoiled, nor anie thing taken of them without paiment, ... I have quoted above parts of Henry's answer to Montjoy 2 (11. 148, le prêtre présente à baiser; ol[im] paix." "Pyxis-Vas in quo reponuntur 1 Gesta, 14, 15. 2 On October 20, Henry was informed by three French heralds that the Dukes of Orleans and Bourbon would give him battle before he reached Calais. -Gesta, 44, 45. According to Elmham (54) the three heralds who delivered this message were sent from the Constable, the Dukes of Orleans, Brabant, Bourbon, Alençon, and Bar. Perhaps Montjoy-whom Halle makes the sole bearer of the French challenge-was one of these heralds. We learn from Mons. (iii. 331, 332) that, during the interval which elapsed between the decision of the council and the battle (Oct. 25), the Constable sent Montjoy to Aire, a place not far distant from Agincourt. |