was this Bastard of Orleaunce, which was not onely now capitayne of the citie, but also after by Charles the Sixt made erle of Dunoys, and in great aucthoritie in Fraunce, and extreme enemie to the Englishe nation, as by this storie you shall apparantly perceyve, of whose line and stem discended the dukes of Longuile, and the marques of Rutylon. Lewes duke of Orleaunce, murthered in Paris, by John duke of Burgoyn, as you before have heard, was owner of the castell of Concy, on the frontiers of Fraunce towarde Arthoys, whereof he made constable the lord of Cawny, a man not so wise as his wife was faire, and yet she was not so faire, but she was as well beloved of the duke of Orleaunce as of her husband; betweene the duke and her husband (I cannot tel who was father) she conceyved a child, and brought forth a pretie boy called John, which child being of the age of one yere, the duke disceased; and not long after the mother and the lorde of Cawny ended their lyves. The next of the kinne to my lorde Cawny chalenged the enheritaunce, which was worth foure thousand crownes a yere, alleging that the boy was a bastard: and the kindred of the mother's side, for to save her honesty, it plainely denied. In conclusion, this matter was in contention before the presidents of the parliament of Paris, and there hanged in controversie till the chylde came to the age of eyght yeres olde. At which time it was demaunded of him openly whose sonne he was: his friendes of his mother's side advertised him to require a day, to be advised of so great an aunswere, which he asked, and to him it was graunted. In the meane season his sayde friendes perswaded him to claime his inheritaunce, as sonne to the lorde of Cawny, which was an

honorable lyving, and an auncient patrimony, affirming that if he sayde contrarie, he not onely slaundered his mother, shamed himselfe, and steyned his blood, but also should have no`lyving nor any thing to take to. The scholemaster thinking that his disciple had well learned his lesson, and would reherse it according to his instruction, brought him before the judges at the day assigned, and when this question was repeted to him agayne, he boldly answered, My hart geveth me, and my noble courage telleth me, that I am the sonne of the noble duke of Orleaunce, more glad to be his bastard with a meane lyving, than the lawful sonne of that coward cuckold Cawny, with his foure thousand crownes. The justices much marveyled at his bold answere, and his mother's cosyns detested him for shaming of his mother, and his father's supposed kinne rejoysed, in gaining the patrimonie and possessions. Charles, duke of Orleaunce, hering of this judgement, tooke him into his family, and gave him great offices and fees, which he well deserved, for (during his captivitie) he defended his landes, expulsed the Englishmen, and in conclusion, procured his deliverance.

"This couragious Bastard, after the siege had continued three weekes full, issued out of the gate of the bridge, and fought with the Englishmen, but they receyved him with so fierce and terrible strokes, that he was, with al his company, compelled to retire and flie back into the citie: but the Englishemen followed them so fast, in kylling and taking of their enemies, that they entered with them the bulwarke of the bridge: which, with a great towre standing at the ende of the same, was taken incontinent by the

English men. In which conflict many Frenchmen were taken, but mo were slain, and the keeping of the towre and bulwarke was committed to Wylliam Glasdale esquire. When he had gotten this bulwarke, he was sure that, by that way neither man nor vitaile could pass or come. After that, he made certain bulwarkes round about the citie, casting trenches betwene the one and the other, layeng ordinaunce in every part, where he sawe that any battery might be devised. When they within perceyved that they were environed with fortresses and ordinances, they laied gonne against gonne, and fortefied towres agaynst bulwarkes, and within made new rampires, and buylded newe mudwalles, to avoyde cracks and breches which might, by violent shot, sudainly insue. They appointed the Bastard of Orleaunce and Stephen Veignold called the Heire, to see the walles and watches kept, and the bishop saw the inhabitants within the citie were put in good order, and that vittailes were not wantonly consumed nor vainly spent." - Grafton, page 529.

Page 6. Stephen de Vignolles, otherwise La Hire.

Etienne (Stephen) de Vignolles, better known in history by the name of La Hire, was a descendant from the illustrious house of the barons de Vignolles, who being driven from their estates by the English, established themselves in Languedoc. This nobleman was one of the most renowned French captains, during the reign of Charles VII., that monarch being indebted to him for the raising of the siege of Montargis, which had been invested

by the duke of Bedford; La Hire also accompanied Jeanne d'Arc to the siege of Orleans, as appears in the Diary, where all historians agree in stating that he performed prodigies of valour. This gallant captain terminated his brilliant career at Montauban, in 1447, and very deservedly holds the most distinguished rank among the number of those heroes, whose prowess greatly contributed to establish the tottering throne of Charles VII.

There is recorded in a very ancient volume of bons mots, and speeches of distinguished personages, the following anecdote of Etienne de Vignolles, introduced under the ensuing head: "Paroles hardies de La Hire à Charles Sept." La Hire being despatched by the army of Charles VII., in order to set before him the real state of his affairs, and that, on account of the want of provisions, money, and other necessaries, the English had taken possession of several cities, while the French had lost many battles; the monarch, in order to display his familiarity towards La Hire, set before him those luxuries upon which his great delight was placed, namely, his courtesans, his banquetings, his balls, &c.; at the same time inquiring what he thought of them, to the which Vignolles bluntly made answer:

"On n'a jamais vu roi, aussi gaiment que vous;

Se défaire de sa couronne, son royaume, et tout."
No monarch, like you, e'er acquired such renown,
In gayly surrend'ring his kingdom and crown.

Page 6. Of which he died.

Grafton thus describes the removal of the body of the earl of Salisbury, at page 531:

"The earl was conveyed to Meum upon Loyre, where he lay, beyng wounded, viii. days, and then died, whose bodie was conveyed into England, with all funerall pompe, and buried at Bissam by his progenitors, leaving behinde him an onely daughter named Alice, maryed to Richard Nevill, sonne to Raufe erle of Westmerland, of whom hereafter shall be made mention. What detriment, what damage, and what losse succeeded to the Englishe publike wealth, by the sodeine death of this valiaunt capteyne, not long after his departure, manifestly appered. For the high prosperitie and great glorie of the English nacion in the partes beyond the sea, began shortly to fall, and little and little to vanish away: which thing, although the Englishe people, like a valiaunt and strong bodie, at the first tyme did not perceyve; yet, shortly after, they felt it growe like a pestilent humor, which successively a little and little corrupteth all the members, and destroyeth the bodie. For, after the death of this noble man, fortune of warre beganne to change, and triumphaunt victorie beganne to be darkned. Although the death of the erle were dolorous to all Englishmen, yet surely it was most dolorous to the duke of Bedford, regent of Fraunce, as he which had lost his right hande, or lacked his weapon, when he shoulde fight with his enemie. But seeing that dead men cannot with sorowe be called againe, nor lamentation for dead bodies cannot remedie the chaunces of men lyving: he (like a prudent governor and a politike patrone) ap