II.

others. A bridge of ropes was now thrown CHAP. across and before any discovery was made, six hundred men had strongly intrenched themselves on the left bank. A fruitless attempt was made to dislodge them: the French army dispersed, and the duke reinforced the garrison. He returned to Normandy, leaving two thousand of the enemy in one of the bastiles, which was too strongly fortified to be attacked with impunity; and the ridicule of the Parisians compelled Charles to resume the siege. At length the

French got possession of the church of Notre

Dame which overlooked the walls; and three Sept. 16. days afterwards a bloody but successful assault Sept. 19. restored this important place to the dominion of the French monarch.61

tions.

7. In the two next years Charles reduced se- Negocia veral fortresses in Guienne, while the English spread themselves over Picardy, Maine, and Anjou. The pope repeatedly exhorted the rival powers to lay aside their arms; and Isabella dutchess of Burgundy, had offered herself as a mediatrix equally attached to each party; to France by her marriage with duke Philip, to England by her descent from John of Ghent, by her mother the queen of Portugal. At first every attempt to negociate with France served only to create additional irritation from the irreconcilable demands of the two courts:62 but the

61 Monstrel. ii. 187-191.

62 The instructions delivered to the English negociators on one

CHAP. quarrel with Burgundy, as it involved no great national interest, was more easily appeased. It

II.

of these occasions, are still extant; and present a most curious spe-
cimen of diplomatic finesse. They were ordered, 1o. To demand
from Charles a formal recognition of Henry's title to the throne of
France: and to enforce this demand, not by any inquiry into the
king's right, (that had been placed beyond the reach of doubt by
the decision of his royal father and Edward III.) but by insisting
on the pacification of Troyes, and the judgment of God, mani-
fested by the victories which he had given to small bodies of Eng-
lishmen over the immense hosts of their enemies. But 2o. If the
demand were refused, they were to make an offer to Charles of a
principality beyond the Loire to the annual income of twenty mil-
lions of crowns. 3o. These, however, were but preliminary flou-
rishes, proposals made that they might be rejected. The lord car-
dinal of Winchester was now to appear on the scene, not as a ne-
gociator, (he was not even named in the commission) but as a
prince of the church, brought to the place of conference by his
zeal to stanch the effusion of human blood. In a set speech he
was to exhort both parties to terminate a quarrel, which had now
lasted a hundred years, and which had sacrificed the lives of more
men than were at that time alive in the two kingdoms. He was
to paint in lively colours the evils of war, both as to the temporal
calamities which it inflicts, and the spiritual loss of souls, sent be-
fore the tribunal of God, in the midst of their sins: he was to ob-
serve that the question could be decided only by one of these two
ways, the destruction of the English or French people, which was
impracticable, or by an equitable adjustment of claims, which, if it
were to be adopted, could not be adopted too soon.
4o. The Eng-
lish ministers were to be marvellously affected by this speech: and
in consequence of it to relax in their pretensions, and to offer to
Charles the whole of France beyond the Loire, with the exception
of Guienne. Nay: rather than incur the guilt of contributing to
the evils so feelingly deplored by the cardinal, they were to suffer
themselves to be satisfied with the faithful accomplishment of the
great peace of Bretigny. But the French envoys were not to be
blinded by so flimsy an artifice. They insisted that Henry should
cede all his conquests besides Normandy, and hold that dutchy,
with Guienne, of the crown of France. The proposal was received
as an insult, and the negociation broken off. Rym. x. 724.

64

II.

had arisen from resentment for the apostacy of CHAP. the duke but England, in her endeavour to punish him, had, by the interruption of the trade with Flanders, inflicted a severe injury on herself. In 1443 Isabella (with her husband Henry seems to have refused to treat63) concluded a suspension of hostilities with the duke of York. April 24. In the next year her efforts to extend that benefit to all the belligerents were seconded by the more powerful influence of the duke of Orleans, who had been made prisoner at the battle of Azincourt, and after a captivity of twenty-four years had been permitted to revisit his country. Before his departure he paid down forty thousand nobles, gave security for the payment of eighty thousand more in the course of six months, and bound himself to return at the expiration of the year, unless he should prevail on Charles to consent to a final peace: and Henry on his part engaged to repay him the money on the signature of the treaty, or, in failure of that, on his

65

return to captivity. He was released about

the end of the year 1440: and instead of effect- Nov. 13. ing the purpose of his mission, found himself excluded from the court by the intrigues of the royal favourites. Henry was compelled to enlarge the time fixed for his return: and he at

63 Many conferences were held with her, none with him, as appears from the instruments in Rymer, x. 713. 730. 761. 767. 802, &c. 65 Ibid. x. 820-$29.

64 Rym. xi. 24.

II.

CHAP. length gained that influence in the council which was due to his rank and abilities. Charles now listened to his suggestions in favour of peace. The duke himself and the earl of Suffolk were the principal negociators: and though they could not induce their respective courts to agree to An armis any general basis of pacification, concluded an armistice for two years, during which it was May 28. hoped that some way might be discovered of adjusting the opposite claims, and reconciling the interests, of the contending sovereigns.66

tice.

1444.

Transactions with

Hitherto the attention of the reader has been Scotland. Occupied by the conduct of the war in France: this temporary suspension of hostilities will afford him leisure to revert to the domestic occurrences of the last twenty years, and the miscellaneous incidents, which diversify the history of that period. I. Before James of Scotland was restored to his throne, a truce of seven years had been concluded between the two kingdoms. By the king it was carefully obMarch 28. served; not that he retained any warm attachment for the place of his captivity, but that he wished for peace in order to curb the factious spirit of his nobles, and to encourage habits of industry and subordination among his people. Hence his connection with England did not prevent him from receiving the ambassadors of uly 17. Charles. He renewed the ancient league be

1424.

1428.

67

6 Rym. xi. 59-67.

Ibid. x. 329-332.

II.

Nov.

tween the two crowns, and agreed to give the CHAP. princess of Scotland in marriage to the dauphin as soon as the parties should have attained the age of puberty. His poverty did not enable him to offer with his daughter a portion becoming her rank but he assented to what was still more acceptable, an aid of six thousand Scottish troops, whenever a fleet for their conveyance should arrive from France.68 To secure his friendship, Charles made him a grant of the county of Xaintogne, and the lordship of Rochfort, which the king of Scots condescended to hold of the French crown, engaging to send the first prince of his blood to perforni the accustomed homage.69 These treaties alarmed the English government. The cardinal of Winchester obtained a personal interview with James at Durham and whether it were owing to his suggestions, or to the difficulty of providing a sufficient number of vessels, the stipulated auxiliaries never left Scotland.70 James even consented to a renewal of the truce with England for five years, and to an understanding that if any of his subjects should sail to the assistance of the enemies of Henry, they might be treated as

68 Du Tillet, 138. Ford. xvi. 11.

69 Du Tillet, ibid. The next month by a new agreement it was stipu lated that after the expulsion of the English from France, the Scottish king, in lieu of Xaintogne and Rochfort, should receive either the dutchy of Berri or the county of Evreux, to be held on the same terms. Ibid. December 10, 1428.

1429.

Feb.

1430. Dec. 15.