Conspiracy against him. July 21. Aug. 2. Every preparation was now complete the army had assembled at Southampton; and the king superintended the embarkation. At that very moment, while his mind was occupied with visions of conquest and glory, he was suddenly alarmed with the intelligence that a conspiracy against his life had been formed in the bosom of his own family and household. The ringleader was his cousin Richard, a brother to the duke of York, and lately created earl of Cambridge. The principal accomplices were sir Thomas Grey, of Heton, a Northumbrian knight; and the lord Scroop, of Masham, who had been honoured with the highest employments in the state, and was, both in bed and at board, at the council table and in the chase, the king's individual companion. What motives could induce them to form the design, or whence they derived their hopes of success, it is impossible to discover; the historian must content himself with describing the facts as they appear upon record. By an inquest of twelve jurors of the county it was found, but on what testimony is not mentioned, that the earl of Cambridge had conspired with sir Thomas Grey to collect a body of armed men, to conduct the earl of March to the frontiers of Wales, and to proclaim him the rightful heir to the crown, in case Richard II. were really dead'; and had also by their emissaries solicited Thomas of Trumpyngton, who still personated Richard, Henry Percy, who had not yet returned from Scotland, and several Scottish lords, (p. 30) and Walsingham (p. 389), who reprove the insolence, of the French prelate. 'It should be observed that the earl of Cambridge had married Anne, sister to the earl of March, who, on the death of her brother without issue, would have had the real right to the crown. to invade the king's dominions at an appointed time: and that the lord Scroop had received from them the knowledge of their treasonable intentions, had concealed that knowledge from the king and council, and given to the conspirators his aid and abettance. On this indictment the prisoners were arraigned, and severally pleaded guilty; but the lord Scroop added, that his intention was innocent, as his only object in learning, was to defeat, the plans of the conspirators. The usual judgment of treason was passed against Grey : but the king commuted the most disgraceful parts of the sentence. Instead of being drawn, he was permitted to walk to the place of execution, and suffered decapitation instead of being hanged. Cambridge and Scroop claimed the privilege of being tried by their peers. The duke of Clarence presided in the place of the king: all the lords in the army were summoned : and the duke of York, that he might not sit in judgment on his brother, appointed the earl of Dorset his proxy. By this court both were condemned and after a fruitless appeal by the earl of Cambridge to the mercy of his royal relative, were executed. Though the earl of March sate among the judges at the trial, he soon afterwards received from Henry a general pardon for all treasons and offences whence it has been inferred by some writers that he was privy to the conspiracy, and had secured the royal favour by betraying his accomplices. But the inference is not warranted by the practice of the age. Such pardons were frequently solicited by the most innocent, as a measure of precaution to defeat the malice, and prevent the accusations, of their enemies. * 2 : Rot. Parl. iv. 64-67. : Rym. ix. 303. It is indeed true that the earl of Cambridge in his Aug. 5. He lands in Aug. 14. Henry's impatience had hastened the trial and execution of the conspirators. As soon as the wind would permit, he left Southampton; and after a rapid voyage entered the mouth of the Seine with a fleet of fifteen hundred sail, carrying six thousand men at arms and twenty-four thousand archers. Three days were consumed in landing the men, stores, and provisions: and Aug. 17. immediately Harfleur, a strong fortress on the right bank of the river, was invested by land and blockaded by water. The knights in garrison, confident in their valour and numbers, repeatedly assailed the intrenchments of the besiegers: but successive defeats taught them to confine themselves within the walls their defences were in a short time shattered or demolished by the artillery and in the fifth week they submitted to an unconditional surrender. The men at arms were dismissed in their doublets, after taking an oath to yield themselves prisoners within a fixed time to the governor of Calais the inhabitants, men, women', and children, were banished from their homes for ever, carrying with them a portion of their clothes, and five pennies each to procure subsistence and the riches of the town, with the arms and horses of the garrison, were faithfully distributed among the conquerors, according to their terms of service. Harfleur in the estimation of Henry had already become a second Calais : but its reduction had been purchased with the sacrifice of many officers and men, who perished not only from the casualties of the siege, but from the ravages of a dysentery caused by the dampness of the place, the immaturity of the Reduces Harfleur. Sep. 26. : written confession charges the earl of March with having assented to the plan but the charge was certainly disbelieved. He sate as a judge. Rot. Parl. iv. 66. : fruits, and the exhalations of the putrid remains of animals slaughtered for the use of the camp. When the sick and wounded had been sent to England, and a competent garrison had been selected for the defence of the place, the army was reduced to one half of its former number: a force evidently too inconsiderable to attempt any expedition of importance. But the king's honour was now at stake and, to brave the enemy, he took the bold and chivalrous resolution of marching to Calais through the hostile provinces of Normandy, Picardy and Artois. It was in vain that the uselessness of so hazardous an expedition was represented by the majority of the council: the objections of prudence were opposed by the fear of incurring the imputation of cowardice and every voice was silent, as soon as the king had declared, that he would never shun the men who had unjustly seized his inheritance. The army proceeded in three grand divisions, Crosses the attended by two detachments, which alternately served as wings in the field, and as van and rear guards on the march 2. At every step they were closely watched by strong bodies of the enemy, who, while they avoided an engagement, cut off the stragglers, and laid waste the country. The progress of the English was slow. Often they were compelled to pass the day without food and it was with difficulty that they could extort a scanty subsistence from the fears of the inhabitants in the villages, where they rested during the night. As they crossed the river Bresle, they were attacked by the : Tit. Liv. 9-11. Wals. 390, 391. Elm. 40--49. Monstrel. i. 223, 224. 226. 2 Livius observes on this arrangement, that it was the custom of the English, p. 12. Elmham also says, ut Moris est, p. 51. Somme. Oct. 6. Oct. 12. Oct. 13. Oct. 19. Messages garrison of Eu with loud shouts and amazing impetuosity but they received the assailants with coolness; and after a sharp contest drove them back to the walls. At length, the van guard reached Blanchetaque on the Somme. Henry had expected to force the passage like his grandfather Edward III. : but the enemy had profited by experience, and had intersected the ford with lines of palisades, behind which were posted strong bodies of archers and men at arms. The king now became sensible of his danger. He hastily retraced his steps to Arrames and avoiding Abbeville, where D'Albret, the constable of France, had fixed his head quarters, proceeded along the left bank of the river to Bailleul. The enemy from the opposite side observed all his motions and as he advanced, he found every bridge broken down, and every ford protected by troops and fortifications. Each day added to his disappointments: and his followers began to abandon themselves to despair, when fortunately a ford was discovered near Bethencourt, which had been neglected by the militia of St. Quentin's. The English hastened to establish themselves at Monchy la Gauche, on the right bank and the constable, mortified at their success, retired on the road to Calais as far as Bapaume and St. Pol, ordering at the same time the numerous reinforcements, which he expected, to quicken their march to his assistance. 2 : It had long been the policy of the French commanbetween the ders to decline an engagement with the English, unless they possessed a decided superiority in numbers or armies. Clamore et impetu maximo............ cantu terrifico, impetuque maximo, ut moris est Gallis. Tit. Liv. p. 13. 2 Monstrel. i. 226. |