84 THE MASTIFF IN HENRY VTH's REIGN. 



the Old Church, Macclesfield, which was founded by Edward 

 ist, in 1279, and dedicated to St. Michael, it was nearly 

 rebuilt in 1740, and there is, or was, a small chapel belonging 

 the Leighs of Lyme Hall, in which was a brass plate, thus 

 inscribed : 



" Here lyeth the body of Perkin A Legh, 

 That for King Richard his death did dye, 



Betray'd for Righteousness : 

 And the bones of Sir Peers his sonue, 

 That for King Henry vth. did wonne 

 At Paris. 



This Perkin served King Edward the third and the Bkick 

 Prince, his son, in all their wars in France, and was at the 

 battle of Cressie, and had Lyme given him for that service ; 

 and after their deaths, served king Richard the second, and 

 left him not in his troubles, but was taken with him, and 

 beheaded at Chester by King Henry the fourth ; and the said 

 Sir Peers, his sen, served king Henry the fifth, and was slam 

 at the battle of Agincourt. In their memory Sir Peter Lcgh, 

 of Lyme, Knight, descended from them, finding the said old 

 verse, written upon a stone in this Chapel, did re-edify this 

 place A.D. 1626." 



The puppies were kept by the family out of a sort of 

 gratitude for the fidelity of their 'dam, and from them, with 

 crosses, introduced frcm time to time, the breed is said to 

 have been kept up at Lyme Hall until the present time. 



I would have my readers remember that Henry 5th, with 

 his army set sail from Southampton harbour on the i3th of 

 August, 1415, and Agincourt was fought on the 25th of October 

 following, being exactly 63 days from Henry 5th's army 

 setting sail ; and as the bitch was capable of being present 

 at Agincourt, and active enough to defend her master, and 



