of his will, his wealth was chiefly distributed in charitable donations: no less a sum than four thousand pounds was set aside for the relief of the indigent prisoners in the capital: and the hospital of St. Cross, in the vicinity of Winchester, still exists a durable monument of his munificence. 1 duke of The death of the duke and the cardinal removed the Richard two firmest supports of the house of Lancaster, and York. awakened the ambition of Richard duke of York, who by the paternal line was sprung from Edward Langley, the youngest son of Edward III., and by the maternal from Lionel the third son of the same monarch. But if he now began to turn his eyes towards the throne, he had the prudence to conceal his intentions, till the incapacity of Henry, or the imprudence of his ministers, should offer him an opportunity of seizing the splendid prize. He had been appointed regent of France during five years, but the duke of Somerset, who sought to succeed to the influence of his relatives, the late cardinal and the duke of Glocester, expressed a wish to possess that command and York was reluctantly induced to exchange it for the government of Ireland. But the affront sank deep into his breast: he they assembled again : a mass of requiem was celebrated, and his will was again read with the addition of several codicils. He then took leave of all, and was carried back to his chamber. What was the object of this singular ceremony, I know not but it was much admired by the writer who was present; and sufficiently disproves the story of his having died in despair. Cont. Hist. Croyl. 582. « 'His executor offered the king a present of 200l. Henry refused it, saying: « He was always a most kind uncle to me, while he lived. God reward him. Fulfil his intentions. I will not take his « money. » It was bestowed on the two colleges founded by the king at Eton and in Cambridge. Blackm. 294. Cession of began to consider Somerset as a rival; and, to prepare himself for the approaching contest, sought to win by affability and munificence the affections of the Irish. If Henry felicitated himself on the acquisition of so accomplished and beautiful a wife, his dreams of happiness were disturbed by the murmurs of the people. It was said that his union with Margaret had been purchased at too great a price: that no minister could be authorised to give away the inheritance of the crown; and that the cession of Anjou and Maine, the keys of Normandy, would inevitably draw after it the loss of all the conquests made by the king's father. At first these complaints were despised: insensibly they grew louder and more frequent and Suffolk for his own protection demanded to be confronted with his accusers in presence of the king and the council. His request was granted; the pleadings of each party were heard and the favourite, as was to be expected, triJune 17. umphed in the judgment of Henry. A proclamation May 25. 1448. Mar. 11. was published, declaring Suffolk to have acted the part of a true and loyal servant, and imposing silence on his accusers under the penalty of losing the offices which they held under the crown '. Still, however, obstacles were opposed to the cession of Maine by the persons holding grants of land in that country and Charles, weary of the tergiversation of the English government, resolved to cut the knot with the sword, and invested the capital of the province with an army. Henry was in no condition to recommence the war : and the bishop of Chichester hastened to the scene of hostilities; surrendered the whole province with the exception of Fresnoi; and obtained in return a truce to last for two 1 Rouen. 1446. Jan. years, and an assurance that the grantees of the English crown should receive from France a sum of money equal to ten years' value of the lands which they had lost. At the same time a protestation was made, that Henry did not resign his right to the sovereignty of the province, but only its actual possession, on condition that the revenue might be enjoyed by René and Charles of Anjou, the father and uncle of his queen. Maine was soon filled with French troops, and the The loss of duke of Somerset, alarmed at their approach, represented by his envoys to the king in parliament, that almost every fortress under his command had been suffered to fall into ruins: that the three estates of Normandy had, under the plea of poverty, refused any aid; and that, unless speedy and plentiful assistance were furnished from England, the province would in all probability be lost. Charles, however, did not allow his adversaries time to furnish such assistance. It chanced that the soldiers, who had withdrawn from the ceded territory, finding themselves without quarters and without subsistence, surprised and pillaged Fougeres, a town in Bretagne. Somerset, aware of the conhastened to disavow the act; and Charles, sequences, with equal promptitude, demanded instant and satisfactory reparation. As, however, such reparation would have deprived him of a decent pretext for war before the end of the armistice, he was careful to estimate the damages at one million six hundred thou sand crowns, a sum which he knew could not be raised. While the English envoys were offering excuses and May 16. remonstrances, Pont de l'Arche, a fortress within twelve miles of Rouen, was surprised by a small band of ad July 29. venturers: shortly afterwards Verneuil was gained in the same manner; and the French officers eagerly displayed their loyalty by the most hazardous, and often successful', entreprises. Soon the main army arrived, under the celebrated count de Dunois, commonly called the bastard of Orleans; and within two months one half of Normandy was in his possession. The duke of Somerset, surrounded with disaffection and treason, unable to face the enemy in the field, and forbidden to hope for assistance from England, was compelled to shut himself up in the capital, and to behold from the walls of the castle the fall of the fortresses around him. Encouraged by his correspondents within the city, Dunois approached with his army: at the end of three Oct. 16. days he decamped : was recalled by his friends; and had the satisfaction to see the walls scaled by his men between two towers, which had been intrusted to the care of the citizens. Rouen would that day have been taken, had not Talbot hastened with his banner to the spot, hurled the enemy into the ditch, and put the guards to the sword. But a garrison of twelve hundred men could not protect an extensive and populous city against a powerful army without, and a still more dangerous enemy within. The duke with a guard of sixty men was surrounded in the street by more than eight hundred armed citizens; who extorted his assent to their proposal of treating with Charles. It was agreed between the archbishop and the king, that Rouen should open its gates, that the English should retire with all their effects, and that such as should prefer it might remain unmolested. The duke, however, refused these terms; and was besieged by the citizens and the French troops in the citadel. After two fruitless attempts Oct. 18. to obtain the conditions which had been rejected, he consented to pay fifty-six thousand francs; to surrender Nov. 4. most of the fortresses in the district of Caux for his ransom and that of his companions; and to deliver Talbot and several other knights as hostages for the faithful performance of his engagements. 1450. April 18. At length, the English ministry made a feeble attempt Of all Normandy. to succour the duke, who had fixed his head quarters at Caen and Sir Thomas Kyriel, having landed with three thousand men, and drawn about an equal number from the neighbouring garrisons, marched forward to join that commander. But near Fourmigny he was intercepted by the earl of Clermont ; and after a contest of three hours his men were alarmed by the arrival of a new army under the constable of France. Some saved themselves by flight: the rest, after a bloody resistance, were either slain or made prisoners. As this was the first victory which, for many years, had been gained over the English in the open field, the account was industriously circulated throughout France, and was every where received with the loudest acclamations of joy. Avranches, Bayeux, Valogne, immediately opened their gates: the duke was besieged in Caen : the town, after several breaches had been made, surrendered; and a capitulation was concluded for the citadel, unless it were relieved within a certain period. Cherburgh alone remained to the English : it was taken after a short siege: and within the space of a year and six days, Normandy, with its seven bishopricks, and one hundred fortresses, was entirely recovered by the French monarch. 2 I Monstrel. iii. 10-21. Hall, 163, 164. Will. Wyrcest. 465. June 5. July 1. Aug. 12. |