第80章 ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE FIFTH(3)

Presently，came up a band of eighteen French knights，bearing the banner of a certain French lord，who had sworn to kill or take the English King.One of them struck him such a blow with a battle-axe that he reeled and fell upon his knees；but，his faithful men，immediately closing round him，killed every one of those eighteen knights，and so that French lord never kept his oath.

The French Duke of Alen噊n，seeing this，made a desperate charge，and cut his way close up to the Royal Standard of England.He beat down the Duke of York，who was standing near it；and，when the King came to his rescue，struck off a piece of the crown he wore.But，he never struck another blow in this world；for，even as he was in the act of saying who he was，and that he surrendered to the King；

And even as the King stretched out his hand to give him a safe and honourable acceptance of the offer；he fell dead，pierced by innumerable wounds.

The death of this nobleman decided the battle.The third division of the French army，which had never struck a blow yet，and which was，in itself，more than double the whole English power，broke and fled.At this time of the fight，the English，who as yet had made no prisoners，began to take them in immense numbers，and were still occupied in doing so，or in killing those who would not surrender，when a great noise arose in the rear of the French-their flying banners were seen to stop-and King Henry，supposing a great reinforcement to have arrived，gave orders that all the prisoners should be put to death.As soon，however，as it was found that the noise was only occasioned by a body of plundering peasants，the terrible massacre was stopped.

Then King Henry called to him the French herald，and asked him to whom the victory belonged.

The herald replied，'To the King of England.'

'WE have not made this havoc and slaughter，'said the King.'It is the wrath of Heaven on the sins of France.What is the name of that castle yonder？'

The herald answered him，'My lord，it is the castle of Azincourt.'

Said the King，'From henceforth this battle shall be known to posterity，by the name of the battle of Azincourt.'

Our English historians have made it Agincourt；but，under that name，it will ever be famous in English annals.

The loss upon the French side was enormous.Three Dukes were killed，two more were taken prisoners，seven Counts were killed，three more were taken prisoners，and ten thousand knights and gentlemen were slain upon the field.The English loss amounted to sixteen hundred men，among whom were the Duke of York and the Earl of Suffolk.

War is a dreadful thing；and it is appalling to know how the English were obliged，next morning，to kill those prisoners mortally wounded，who yet writhed in agony upon the ground；how the dead upon the French side were stripped by their own countrymen and countrywomen，and afterwards buried in great pits；how the dead upon the English side were piled up in a great barn，and how their bodies and the barn were all burned together.It is in such things，and in many more much too horrible to relate，that the real desolation and wickedness of war consist.Nothing can make war otherwise than horrible.But the dark side of it was little thought of and soon forgotten；and it cast no shade of trouble on the English people，except on those who had lost friends or relations in the fight.They welcomed their King home with shouts of rejoicing，and plunged into the water to bear him ashore on their shoulders，and flocked out in crowds to welcome him in every town through which he passed，and hung rich carpets and tapestries out of the windows，and strewed the streets with flowers，and made the fountains run with wine，as the great field of Agincourt had run with blood.

SECOND PART

THAT proud and wicked French nobility who dragged their country to destruction，and who were every day and every year regarded with deeper hatred and detestation in the hearts of the French people，learnt nothing，even from the defeat of Agincourt.So far from uniting against the common enemy，they became，among themselves，more violent，more bloody，and more false-if that were possible-than they had been before.The Count of Armagnac persuaded the French king to plunder of her treasures Queen Isabella of Bavaria，and to make her a prisoner.She，who had hitherto been the bitter enemy of the Duke of Burgundy，proposed to join him，in revenge.