[One of Prince Henry's servants was arraigned at the King's Bench for felony.] came to the bar and demanded the release of his servant.] [The ChiefJustice admonished the Prince to let the law take its course, or obtain a The moste renomed prince kinge Henry the fifte, late kynge of Englande, durynge the life of his father was noted to be fierce [fol. 122 verso] and of wanton courage: it hapned that one of his seruantes, whom he well fauored, for felony by hym committed was arrayned at the Kynges benche, wherof he being aduertised, and incensed by light persones aboute hym, in furious rage came [The Prince hastily to the barre, where his seruant stode as a prisoner, and commaunded hym to be vngyued and sette at libertie; where at all men were abasshed, reserued the chiefe iustice, who humbly exhorted the prince to be contented that his seruaunt mought be ordred accordyng to the auncient lawes of this realme, or, if he wolde haue hym saued from the rigour of the lawes, that he shuld optaine, if he moughte, of the kynge his father his gracious pardon from pardon, wherby no lawe or iustice shulde be derogate. With [The Prince whiche answere the prince nothynge appeased, but rather more to take away inflamed, endeuored hym selfe to take away his seruaunt. The iuge (consideringe the perilous example and inconuenience that moughte therby ensue) with a valiant spirite and courage commaunded the prince, vpon his alegeance, to leue the prisoner and departe his way. With whiche commandement the prince being [went up to set all in a fury, all chafed & in a terrible maner, came vp to the place of [fol. 123] iugement; (men thinkyng that he wolde haue slayne the iuge or haue done to hym some damage;) but the iuge, sittyng styll without mouynge, declarynge the maiestie of the kynges place of iugement, and with an assured and bolde asserted his countenance, hadde to the prince these wordes folowyng : the King.] endeavoured his servant, [and, being commanded to desist, the Chief Justice in a menacing manner.] [But the ChiefJustice, without blenching, authority as the King's representative, "Sir, remembre your selfe: I kepe here the place of the king pro eo quod quædam verba grossa et acerba cuidam ministro suo dixerat et hospicio suo fere per dimidium annum amovit nec ipsum filium suum in conspectu suo venire permisit quousque predicto ministro de predicta transgressione satisfecerat."-Solly-Flood, 106. Here we have evidence of verbal abuse bestowed on a royal officer by the first Prince of Wales, whose punishment resembles that which, according to Redman, Prince Henry suffered for striking the Chief-Justice. (Cp. nec in curiam aditus ei patebat," p. 161, note 1, above.) Mr. Solly-Flood informs us that the Rotuli coram Rege and the Controlment rolls embrace every commitment by the King's Bench either ad respondendum or in penam. He carefully examined all the entries made during the reign of Henry IV. on these_rolls,—which are perfect throughout this reign, and found no record of Prince Henry's commitment for any offence, or of the commitment of any one during Henry IV.'s reign for the offences attributed to the Prince by Elyot and Redman.-Solly-Flood, 102. "your soueraigne lorde and father,1 to whom ye owe double "obedience; wherfore eftsones in his name I charge you desiste "of your wilfulnes and vnlaufull entreprise, & from hensforth gyue "good example to those whiche hereafter shall be your propre "subiects. And nowe for your contempt and disobedience go you "to the prisone of the kynges benche, where vnto I committe you; "and remayne ye there prisoner vntill the pleasure of the kyng "your father be further knowen.” [and bade go to the the Prince prison of the King's inch.1 [The Prince whereat his obeyed; servants, being laid the matter King. King answered that With whiche wordes beinge abasshed, and also wondrynge at the meruailous grauitie of that worshipful Iustice, the noble prince, layinge his waipon aparte, doinge reuerence, departed, and wente indignant, to the kynges benche as he was commaunded. Wherat his whole seruantes, disdainyng, came and shewed to the kynge all the hole before the affaire. Whereat he a whiles studienge, after, as a man all Henry rauisshed with [fol. 123 verso] gladnesse, holdyng his eien and handes vp towarde heuen, abrayded, sayinge with a loude voice: "O mercifull god, how moche am I, aboue all other "bounde to your infinite goodnes! specially for that ye gyuen me a iuge who feareth nat to ministre iustice, and also obeyed "a sonne who can suffre semblably and obey iustice!" Before leaving the stage Henry says (1. 134; 141, 142): Now call we our high court of parliament: Our coronation done, we wil accite (As I before remembred) all our state. Holinshed briefly notices the first Parliament of Henry V. men, haue [he was happy to have a judge who ministered justice fear lessly, and a son who justice.] A parlement [called by [Hol. iii. 543/2/44] Immediatlie after Easter he called a parlement, in which diuerse good statutes, and wholesome ordin- Henry V.]. 1 80 I then did vse the person of your father; The image of his power lay then in me: Your Highnesse pleased to forget my place, The maiestie and power of law and iustice, The image of the King whom I presented, And strooke me in my very seate of iudgement; The writer of The Famous Victories of Henry the fifth, 1598, made the Judgeto whom Prince Henry had given "a boxe on the eare —say (sc. iv. ll. 99-102, p. 14): "in striking me in this place, you greatly abuse me, and not me onely, but also your father: whose liuely person here in this place I doo represent." This assertion has-accidentally, no doubt the same scope as the doctrine laid down by the Court of King's Bench in regard to William de Brews's contempt: "Et quia sicut honor et reverentia qui ministris ipsius Domini Regis ratione officii sui [fiunt] ipsi Regi attribuuntur, sic dedecus et contemptus ministris suis facta eidem Regi attribuuntur."-Solly-Flood, 106. The day of king Henries coronation a very day. ances, for the preseruation and aduancement of the commonwealth were deuised and established. Act V. sc. v.—Falstaff interrupts the royal procession on its return after Henry's coronation, and is sent by the King into banishment with Henry's other "misleaders"; all of whom have been forbidden to come within "ten mile" of our person'; though they are to receive pensions now for "competence of life," and "aduancement" in future, if they reform themselves (11. 67-74). Holinshed thus records Henry's coronation and altered behaviour: [Hol. iii. 543/1/54] He was crowned the ninth of Aprill, being Passion sundaie, which was a sore, ruggie, and tempestuous tempestuous day, with wind, snow, and sleet; that men greatlie maruelled thereat, making diuerse interpretations what the same might signifie. But this king euen at first appointing with himselfe, to shew that in his person princelie honors should change publike manners, he determined to put on him the shape of a new man. For whereas aforetime he had made himselfe a companion vnto misrulie mates of dissolute order and life, he now banished them all from his presence (but not vnrewarded, or else vnpreferred); banished his inhibiting them vpon a great paine, not once to approch, lodge, or soiourne within ten miles of his court or presence: A notable example of a woorthie prince [, who, when he became King, unruly mates]. His stature. [His character.] The following sketch of Henry IV.'s character and circumstances may have afforded Shakspere some hints. [Hol. iii. 541/2/20.] This king was of a meane stature, well proportioned, and formallie compact; quicke and liuelie, and of a stout courage. In his latter daies he shewed himselfe so gentle, that he gat more loue amongst the nobles and people of this realme, than he had purchased malice and euill will in the beginning. But yet to speake a truth, by his proceedings, after he had atteined to the crowne, what with such taxes, tallages, subsidies, and exactions as he was constreined to charge the people with; and what by punishing such as, mooued with disdeine to see him vsurpe the crowne (contrarie to the oth taken at his entring into this land, vpon his returne from exile), did at sundrie times rebell against him; he wan himselfe more hatred, than in all his life time. (if it had beene longer by manie yeares than it was) had beene possible for him to haue weeded out & remooued. VIII. HENRY V. HENRY V. appears to have received the Dauphin Lewis's1 gift of tennis-balls in Lent, 1414.2 This date marks the commencement of historic time in The Life of Henry the Fift; and the play ends with Katharine of Valois's betrothal in May, 1420. (Leasht in, like Hounds) should Famine, Sword, and Fire 8 3 A speech attributed to the "Warlike Harry" contains a parable which may have suggested the picture of these crouching hounds of Famine, Sword, and Fire. On January 2, 1419, Rouen, despairing of succour, after five months' siege, yielded to the pressure of famine so far as to open communication with Henry through ambassadors. 4 A pre [Hol. iii. 567/1/39.] One of them, seene in the ciuill lawes, was appointed to declare the message in all their names; who, shewing himselfe more rash than wise, more arrogant than learned, sumptuous first tooke vpon him to shew wherin the glorie of victorie consisted; aduising the king not to shew his manhood in famishing a multi Acts 1 Lewis was a contemporary of the events dramatized in Hen. V., I.-IV. He died on December 18, 1415.-Mons., iii. 366; Journal, xv. 210. His brother, the Dauphin John, died on April 3 (Journal, 216) or 4 (Mons., iii. 408), 1417. During the historic time embraced by Act V. the Dauphin was Charles, who afterwards reigned as Charles VII., and is a character in 1 Hen. VI. 2 "Eodem anno [1414] in Quadragesima rege existente apud Kenilworth, Karolus [sc. Ludovicus], regis Francorum filius, Dalphinus vocatus, misit pilas Parisianas ad ludendum cum pueris.”—Ott., 274. In 1414 Ash Wednesday fell on February 21. 3 A speech, similar in outline, is attributed to Henry by Redman (55). I quote from it a passage which has some resemblance to that in which Henry takes credit to himself for employing the "meekest maid" to punish Rouen: Benigne et clementer omnia me administrare nemo est qui non intelligat, cum fame potius quam flamma, ferro, aut sanguine, Rotomagum ad deditionem perpello." The forces blockading Rouen were ordered to take up their positions on August 1, 1418.-Page, 6. On January 2, 1419, Henry gave audience to the ambassadors from Rouen.-Page, 26-28. Rouen opened her gates on January 19, 1419.—Page, 41, 42. Page was present at the siege.—Page, 1. orator. [Henry pass through The kings answer to this proud message. tude of poore, simple, and innocent people, but rather suffer such miserable wretches, as laie betwixt the wals of the citie and the trenches of his siege, to passe through the campe, that they might get their liuing in other places; and then, if he durst manfullie assault the citie, and by force subdue it, he should win both worldlie fame, and merit great meed at the hands of almightie God, for hauing compassion of the poore, needie, and indigent people. When this orator had said, the king, who no request lesse suspected, than that which was thus desired, began a while to muse; and, after he had well considered the craftie cautell of his enimies, with a fierce countenance, and bold spirit, he reprooued them; both for their subtill dealing with him, and their malapert presumption, in that they should seeme to go about to teach him what belonged to the dutie of a conquerour. And therefore, since it appeared that the same was vnknowne vnto them, he declared that the goddesse of battell, called Bellona, had three handmaidens, euer of necessitie attending vpon hir, as blood, fire, and famine. And whereas it laie in his choise to vse them all three, (yea, two or one of them, at his pleasure,) he had appointed onelie of Bellona's the meekest maid of those three damsels to punish them of that citie, till they were brought to reason. [He has chosen Famine the meekest handmaids to punish Rouen.] And whereas the gaine of a capteine, atteined by anie of the said three handmaidens, was both glorious, honourable, and woorthie of triumph: yet, of all the three, the yoongest maid, which he meant to vse at that time, was most profitable and commodious. And as for the poore people lieng in the ditches, if they died through famine, the fault was theirs, that like cruell tyrants had put them out of the towne, to the intent he should slaie them; and yet had he saued their liues, so that, if anie lacke of charitie was, it rested in them, and not in him. But to their cloked request, he meant not to gratifie them within so much; but they should keepe them still to helpe to spend their vittels. And as to assault the towne, he told them that he would they should know, he was both able and willing thereto, as he should see occasion: but the choise was in his hand, to tame them either with blood, fire, or famine, or with them all; |