THE FRENCH WARS 



were making colossal preparations for an invasion of England. One 

 thousand three hundred and eighty-seven ships were mentioned as 

 collecting at Sluys, and all sorts of weird and wonderful devices were 

 invented to carry across the French knighthood, but in the meantime the 

 English people had regained their heads and had taken steady and sober 

 measures to repel the invasion. From internal dissensions and a variety 

 of reasons the French Fleet was dispersed, and once again the British 

 corsairs contrived to take a number of prizes as they were on their way 

 back to their native ports. After this failure the schemes for invasion 

 were left to practical men like de Vienne. 



The Lord High Admiral. 



The entire British Fleet had several times been put under one com- 

 mand, but always in a rather haphazard manner, and it was not until 

 1406 that the experiment was made of appointing a proper Lord High 

 Admiral. This office has been maintained ever since, either by one 

 person or by a commission, as is the case to-day with the Lords of the 

 Admiralty. John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset, was the man selected. 

 He was the natural son of John of Gaunt, but he did little for the fleet, 

 being succeeded in 1407 by Edward, Earl of Kent, who was far more 

 promising, but who was killed in 1408. 

 The Truce with France. 



Richard II latterly had contrived to effect a truce with France, 

 which, while it was none too honourable to us, gave us a greater oppor- 

 tunity of settling our own affairs. As far as sea warfare in the Channel 

 was concerned Jean de Vienne's life-work was completed, and eventually 

 he died at Nicopolis in 1390, heading a charge that he had made against 

 his mature judgment but according to the orders of his senior in the 

 campaign. In his time his was one of the best cursed names in England, 

 but he has a very distinct place in naval history. 



Henry IV's Position. 



Henry IV was nominally at peace with France for the whole of his 

 reign, but from the beginning relations were exceedingly strained — and 

 when relations were strained in those days it was a constant case of raid 

 and counter-raid ; in fact, everything but open warfare. King Charles 

 of France naturally felt the murder of his son-in-law, King Richard, 

 deeply, and as Henry's claim was far from perfect, it was only natural 

 that he should vent his displeasure by encouraging all the many move- 

 ments against him. Henry understood a good deal of sea power, and 

 as the Commons refused to be taxed any further he persuaded the Lords 

 to submit to a capital levy, while many of them also equipped and com- 

 missioned ships of war. France was always talking of invasion, and in 

 order to avoid this Henry ordered his ships to confine their depredations 

 to the Scots. At this period the pirate menace grew immeasurably, and 

 ships dared not even engage in coasting trade without an escort. The 

 English, French, and Scots were equally to blame in this matter, and it 

 is to be feared that even nominally naval ships went a-pirating, often 

 because they could not get their pay in other ways. The Navy was 



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