CHAPTER XXII--ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE SIXTH
PART THE FIRST
It had been the wish of the late King, that while his infant son KINGHENRY THE SIXTH, at this time only nine months old, was under age, theDuke of Gloucester should be appointed Regent. The English Parliament,however, preferred to appoint a Council of Regency, with the Duke ofBedford at its head: to be represented, in his absence only, by the Dukeof Gloucester. The Parliament would seem to have been wise in this, forGloucester soon showed himself to be ambitious and troublesome, and, inthe gratification of his own personal schemes, gave dangerous offence tothe Duke of Burgundy, which was with difficulty adjusted.
As that duke declined the Regency of France, it was bestowed by the poorFrench King upon the Duke of Bedford. But, the French King dying withintwo months, the Dauphin instantly asserted his claim to the Frenchthrone, and was actually crowned under the title of CHARLES THE SEVENTH.The Duke of Bedford, to be a match for him, entered into a friendlyleague with the Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, and gave them his twosisters in marriage. War with France was immediately renewed, and thePerpetual Peace came to an untimely end.
In the first campaign, the English, aided by this alliance, were speedilysuccessful. As Scotland, however, had sent the French five thousand men,and might send more, or attack the North of England while England wasbusy with France, it was considered that it would be a good thing tooffer the Scottish King, James, who had been so long imprisoned, hisliberty, on his paying forty thousand pounds for his board and lodgingduring nineteen years, and engaging to forbid his subjects from servingunder the flag of France. It is pleasant to know, not only that theamiable captive at last regained his freedom upon these terms, but, thathe married a noble English lady, with whom he had been long in love, andbecame an excellent King. I am afraid we have met with some Kings inthis history, and shall meet with some more, who would have been verymuch the better, and would have left the world much happier, if they hadbeen imprisoned nineteen years too.
In the second campaign, the English gained a considerable victory atVerneuil, in a battle which was chiefly remarkable, otherwise, for theirresorting to the odd expedient of tying their baggage-horses together bythe heads and tails, and jumbling them up with the baggage, so as toconvert them into a sort of live fortification--which was found useful tothe troops, but which I should think was not agreeable to the horses. Forthree years afterwards very little was done, owing to both sides beingtoo poor for war, which is a very expensive entertainment; but, a councilwas then held in Paris, in which it was decided to lay siege to the townof Orleans, which was a place of great importance to the Dauphin's cause.An English army of ten thousand men was despatched on this service, underthe command of the Earl of Salisbury, a general of fame. He beingunfortunately killed early in the siege, the Earl of Suffolk took hisplace; under whom (reinforced by SIR JOHN FALSTAFF, who brought up fourhundred waggons laden with salt herrings and other provisions for thetroops, and, beating off the French who tried to intercept him, camevictorious out of a hot skirmish, which was afterwards called in jest theBattle of the Herrings) the town of Orleans was so completely hemmed in,that the besieged proposed to yield it up to their countryman the Duke ofBurgundy. The English general, however, replied that his English men hadwon it, so far, by their blood and valour, and that his English men musthave it. There seemed to be no hope for the town, or for the Dauphin,who was so dismayed that he even thought of flying to Scotland or toSpain--when a peasant girl rose up and changed the whole state ofaffairs.
The story of this peasant girl I have now to tell.