mies, he inftantly hurried down to Shrewsbury, that he might give the rebels battle.

Upon the approach of the two armies, both fides feemed willing to give a colour to their caufe, by fhewing a defire of reconciliation; but when they came to open their mutual demands, the treaty was turned into abufe and recrimination. On one fide was objected rebellion and ingratitude; on the other, tyranny and ufurpation. The two armies were pretty nearly equal, each confifting of about twelve thousand men; the animofity on both fides was inflamed to the higheft pitch; and no prudence nor military skill could determine on which fide the victory might incline. Accordingly, a very bloody engagement enfued, in which the generals on both fides exerted themselves with great bravery. Henry was feen every where in the thickest of the fight; while his valiant fon, who was afterwards the renowned conqueror of France, fought by his fide, and, though wounded in the face by an arrow, ftill* kept the field, and performed aftonishing acts of valour. On the other fide, the daring Hotfpur fupported that renown which he had acquired in fo many bloody engagements, and every where fought out the king as a noble object of indignation. At laft, however, his death, from an unknown hand, decided the victory; and the fortune of Henry once more prevailed. On that bloody day, it is faid, that no less than two thousand three hundred gentlemen were flain, and about fix thousand private men, of whom two thirds were of Hotspur's army.

While this furious tranfaction was going forward, Northumberland, who was lately recovered from his indifpofition, was advancing with a body of troops to reinforce the army of the malecontents, and take upon him the command. But hearing by the way of his fon's and brother's misfortune, he difmiffed his troops,. not daring to keep the field with fo fmall a force,, before

F 4

before an army fuperior in number and flufhed with recent victory. The earl, therefore, for a while attempted to find safety by flight, but at last being pressed by his purfuers, and finding himfelf totally without refource, he chofe rather to throw himself upon the king's mercy, than lead a precarious and indigent life in exile. Upon his appearing before Henry at York, he pretended that his fole intention in arming was to mediate between the two parties; and this, though but a very weak apology, feemed to fatisfy the king. Northumberland, therefore, received a pardon; Henry probably thinking that he was fufficiently punifhed by the lofs of his army, and the death of his favour

ite fon.

By thefe means Henry feemed to furmount all his trouble; and the calm, which was thus produced, was employed by him in endeavours to acquire popularity, which he had left by the feverities ex

ercifed during the preceding part of his A. D. reign. For that reafon, he often permit1407. ted the house of commons to affume powers which had not been usually exercised by their predeceffors. In the fixth year of his reign, when they voted him the fupplies, they anpointed treasurers of their own, to fee the money dfburfed for the purpofes intended; and required them to deliver in their accounts to the house, They propofed thirty very important articles for the government of the king's houfhold; and, on the whole, preferved their privileges and freedoms more entire during his reign than that of any of his predeceffors. But while the king thus laboured, not without fuccefs to retrieve the reputation he had loft, his fon Henry, prince of Wales, feemed equally bent on incurring the public averfion. He became notorious for all kinds of debauchery, and ever chofe to be furrounded by a fet of wretches, who took pride in committing the moft illegal acts, with

the

the prince at their head. The king was not a little mortified at this degeneracy in his eldeft fon, who feemed entirely forgetful of his ftation, although he had already exhibited repeated proofs of his valour, conduct, and generofity. Such were the exceffes into which he ran, that one of his diffolute companions having been brought to trial before Sir William Gascoigne, chief juftice of the King's-bench, for fome misdemeanor, the prince was fo exafperated at the iffue of the trial, that he ftruck the judge in open court. The venerable magiftrate, who knew the reverence that was due to his ftation, behaved with a dignity that became his office, and immediately ordered the prince to be committed to prifon. When this tranfaction was reported to the king, who was an excellent judge of mankind, he could not help exclaiming in a tranfport; "Happy is the king, that has a magiftrate endowed with courage to execute the laws upon fuch an offender; ftill more happy in having a fon willing to fubmit to fuch a chaftifement!" This, in fact, is one of the first great inftances we read in the English hiftory of a magiftrate doing juftice in oppofition to power; fince upon many former occafions, we find the judges only minifters of royal caprice.

Henry, whofe health had for fome time been declining, did not long out-live this tranfaction. He was fubject to fits, which bereaved him, for the time, of his fenfes; and which at laft brought on his death at Westminster, in the forty-fixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign.

A. D. HE first steps taken by the young king TH

confirmed all thofe prepoffeffions en1413. tertained in his favour. He called together his former abandoned companions, acquainted them with bis intended reformation; exhorted them to follow his example; and thus difmiffed them from his prefence, allowing them a competency to subsist upon till he faw them worthy of further promotion. The faithful minifters of his father, at first, began to tremble for their former justice, in the administration of their duty; but he foon eafed them of their fears, by taking them into his friendship and confidence. Sir William Gascoigne, who thought himself the moft obnoxious, met with praises inftead of reproaches, and was exhorted to persevere in the fame rigorous and impartial execution of justice.

About this time the herefy of Wickliffe, or LolJardim, as it was called, began to fpread every day more and more, while it received a new luftre from the protection and preaching of Sir John Oldcaftle, baron of Cobham, who had been one of the king's domeftics, and ftood high in his favour. The primate, however, indicted this nobleman, and with the affiftance of his fuffragans, condemned him as an heretic to be burnt alive. Cobham, however, efcaping from the Tower, in which he was confined, the day before his execution, privately went among his party, and ftimulating their zeal, led them up to London, to take a fignal revenge on his enemies. But the king, apprifed of his intentions, ordered that the city gates fhould be fhut; and coming by night with his guards into St. Giles's fields, feized such of

the

the confpirators as appeared, and afterwards laid hold of feveral parties that were haftening to the appointed place. Some of these were executed, but the greater number pardoned. Cobham himself found means of escaping for that tinte: but he was taken about. four years after ; and never did the cruelty of man invent, or crimes draw down, fuch torments as he was made to endure. He was hung up with a chain by the middle; and thus at a flow fire burned, or rather roasted, alive.

Henry, to turn the minds of the people from fuch hideous fcenes, refolved to take the advantage of the troubles in which France was at that time engaged; and affembling a great fleet and army at Southampton, landed at Harfleur, at the head of an army of fix thousand men at arms, and twenty-four thoufand! foot, moftly archers.

But although the enemy made but a feeble refiftance, yet the climate feemed to fight against the English; a contagious dyfentery carrying off threeparts of Henry's army. The English monarch, when it was too late, began to repent of his rafh inroad into a country where disease and a powerful army, every where threatened deftruction; he therefore be gan to think of retiring into Calais.

The enemy, however, refolved to intercept his retreat; and after he had past the small river of Tertrois at Blangi, he was furprized to obferve from the heights, the whole French army drawn up in the plains of Azincourt; and so posted, that it was impoffible for him to proceed on his march, without coming to an engagement. No fituation could bemore unfavourable than that in which he found himfelf. His army was wafted with disease; the foldiers fpirits worn down with fatigue, deftitute of provi-fions, and difcouraged by their retreat. Their whole body amounted but to nine thousand men; and these were to fultain the fhock of an enemy near ten times F 6

their