v.] THE HUNDRED YEARS' IVAR. 67 Lewis of Orleans were brought back to Paris. The young Duke Charles was of a gentle, poetical nature, but he was a mere boy, and the Count of Armagnac treated the city as if it had been taken by assault, fining, im- prisoning, and hanging all Burgundians and all reformers, till no one dared to be seen talking in the street lest he should be accused. When the unfortunate Parisians complained to the Duke of Berry, all the answer they got was, " It concerns you not at all ; you ought not to meddle in matters concerning the king, or us who are of his blood. When we please, we are angry, and when we please, we grant peace." 19. Invasion of Henry V., 1415. — Since the breach of the Peace of Bretigny there had been no peace with England, but only truces, and the English kings still called them- selves Kings of France. Henry IV. had played the game of helping both French parties in turn. Henry V., seeing the utter weakness of the French kingdom, determined to renew the war in earnest. But he began by requesting the restoration of Aquitaine in full sovereignty, with the hand of the king's daughter Katharine, and Normandy, Anjou, and Maine as her dower. The dauphin is said to have replied by sending a basket of tennis-balls as fit toys for the "madcap prince." Each side armed, but John of Burgundy held aloof; while Henry, with 26,000 men, landed in Normandy, and took Harfleur. Scarcity of food forced him to march towards Calais, and the forces of France mustered to intercept him. The French had by far the larger army, an army full of courage, but disorderly and boastful, each prince and noble acting for himself and despising all authority, though the dauphin was present. The battle took place at Azincour, on the 25th of October, 1415, where, compact, orderly, and resolute as the English were, the hot valour of the more numerous French must have won the day had they been properly disciplined, but, as it was, it only rendered their loss more frightful. The dauphin fled, but the Constable a'Albret, the Duke of Alenqon, and 10,000 more were slain ; and the Duke of Orleans, Arthur, count of Riche' viont, brother of the Duke of Britanny, and many more were made prisoners. Henry broke through the usual practice, and would not put them to ransom, meaning to keep them till his conquest should be complete. He allowed no pillage, but treated the country people as his native subjects returning to their allegiance, and the F 1
