poynted the erle of Suffolk to be his lieutenant, and captayn of the siege, and joyned with him the lord Scales, the lord Talbot, Sir John Fastolfe, and diverse other valiant knights and squires. These lordes caused bastiles to be made round about the citie, with the which they troubled their enemies, and assaulted the walles, and left nothing unattempted, which might be to them any advauntage, or hurtfull to their enemies." Page 7. Broken his promise to the duke of Orleans. The personage above alluded to was Charles duke of Orleans, half brother of the Bastard Dunois; he was born the twenty-sixth of May, 1391, of whom we are led to speak, on account of his poetical talents, altogether unknown, which possess an indescribable charm, breathing the innate effusions of the soul. It is, indeed, singular, that this most interesting versifier did not receive from the writers during the reign of Louis XIV., that justice which was so deservedly his due; and it is even more astonishing, that he continued unknown to the great Boileau. He married the widow of Richard II., of England, was taken prisoner at the battle of Agincourt, and conveyed to Britain, where he continued incarcerated for several years; he was the father of Louis XII., and uncle of Francis I. Obiit the eighth of January, 1466. As a specimen of his poetical talent, exerted while in confinement, may be gratifying to the reader, I hereto subjoin a few lines, quoted from an original manuscript, preserved in the public library of Grenoble, as transcribed by one Astezan, first secretary of the duke; the passage being extracted from folio 78 of the volume in question. "Tempus quod regnat clamidem dimisit acerbam, Et comptas claris radiis solaribus atque Non est nunc ales; non est nunc bellua, quæ non Cantet vel clamet more sonoque suo : Tempus quod regnat clamidem dimisit acerbam, Thus Anglicised. "Old Time has cast his cloak away, But in its strain or song hath told, In beauty's guise are now enroll'd; Page 8. John Talbot, first baron of England. "John Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury, was born of a noble family in Herefordshire, and displayed great valour in the reduction of Ireland, where he was commander-inchief for Henry V. He afterwards went to France, serving under the duke of Bedford, where he was made prisoner at the battle of Patay, but not long after recovered his liberty, and then returned to Ireland; from which country he was once more recalled to France, where he gained several victories, and took some strong places; so that his name became a terror to the French until the period of his death; which occurred at the battle of Chastillon, where the great and valiant earl of Shrewsbury and his son were slain, in 1453."— Rapin. Page 15. On the same day was to have been a pitched battle of six Frenchmen against six English, &c. Independent of the intended conflict above adverted to in our Diary, at a subsequent period of the siege, we find the following account delivered by Dubreton, at page 43, which is not mentioned in the manuscript of our work. "Four days after took place a very memorable combat, worthy of this history, between four knights, being two from either side. One of the French was named Gasquet, and the other Vedille, both of Gascony, and from the company of La Hire. The defiance was such, that, if there were found among the English two knights so generous and loving of their country as to be willing to combat in her defence, they were to present themselves in the lists against the French, who, without any unfair play, would make an assay of their courage and address with them." "This challenge being received and accepted, two Englishmen appeared at a spot environed on all sides with cords attached to posts, which was allotted for the combatants. In addition to this, it was lined with men on foot and on horseback in good array, of whom there were equal numbers on either side, to prevent any injury happening to such as entered the lists or came to behold the combat. This being done, they all four rushed upon each other with couched lances, meeting together with impetuous and unparalleled force: but, in the end, the greater glory of the battle remained with the French. For Vedille and his adversary having each pierced the other through the side armour, even to their shirts, without having done much injury; and Gasquet having unhorsed his opponent with a blow of his lance, they were separated. This was done in order to prove that the contest was that of brave and courageous men, without any movement of hatred or choler having urged them to the rencounter." Page 18. And more especially there died an English lord. The Editor's research has not enabled him to identify the name of the noble personage above adverted to, concerning whom Dubreton, at page 68, states as follows: - "In this combat an Englishman of high quality and great reputation was killed. Some knights having dismounted, raised him up and transported him to the camp as he surrendered up his soul. He was extremely regretted by all the English, as well on account of the great proofs he had given of his courage in divers rencounters, as also from his being of considerable utility to them." Page 20. For he was their marshal, and a right valiant man. Speaking of Lancelot de l'Isle, Dubreton, at page 71, inserts the following eulogium: "This death considerably elevated the courage of the Orleanese, and diminished their apprehension, as if the enemy's forces had been destroyed with this great captain, for he was one of the most redoubted of the English host. His counsel was fit to be executed, and his hand was never wanted. There was not an order to be issued, nor a watch, a review, nor a labour to be undertaken, or any act to be performed, that he would not accomplish with the most admirable patience and address. If God, by the hands of those of Orleans, had not taken from the world this wary, prompt, vigilant, bold, and generous enemy, it is not likely that the French would have easily escaped the threatening storm, nor extricated their necks from the yoke of servitude wherewith they were threatened by the English." The English carried off the sticks, that is, vine stakes, from the vineyards. The soil in the environs of Orleans has been for many centuries famous for its fecundity in producing the vine, and at the present period it is ranked the most prolific territory |