ENGLAND. 
610 
Orleans was alfaffinated by the duke of Burgundy; and 
the duke of Burgundy, in his turn, fell by tIre treachery 
of the dauphin. At the fame time, the duke’s foil, de- 
firous of revenging his father’s death, entered into a 
treaty with the Engliffi ; and a league was concluded at 
Arras, between Henry and the young duke of Burgundy. 
Henry, therefore, proceeded in his conquelts without 
much oppolition. Many towns and provinces furrender- 
ed on his approach ; the city of Rouen was bcfieged and 
taken; Pontoife and Gifors fubmitted to his arms; and 
lie even threatened Paris, which obliged the court to re¬ 
move to Troye. It was at this city that the duke of 
Burgundy, who had taken upon him the protection of 
the French king, met Henry, in order to ratify that treaty 
which was formerly begun, and by which the crown of 
France was to be transferred to the king of England. 
The imbecillity into which Charles VI. had fallen, made 
him pallive in this remarkable treaty : and Henry dic¬ 
tated the terms throughout the whole negociation. The 
principal articles were, that Henry fhould efpoufe the 
princefs Catharine; that Charles fhould enjoy the title 
and dignity of king of France for life, but that Henry 
fhould be declared heir to the crown, and thould be en- 
trufted with-the then adminiftration of the government; 
that France and England Ihould for ever be united under 
one king, but (hould liill retain their refpeCtive laws and 
privileges; that Henry fhould unite his arms w'ith tliofe 
of king Charles and the duke of Burgundy, to fubdue 
the dauphin and his partizans. Such was the outline of 
a treaty, too repugnant to the real interefls of both king¬ 
doms to be of long duration • but the contracting parties 
were too much blinded by felf-interefl and ambition, to 
be aware that it is not in the power of princes to barter 
away theirkingdoms, contrary to the real interefls and 
content of the people. 
It was not long after this memorable treaty, that Henry 
efpoufed the princefs Catharine ; after which he carried 
his father-in-law to Paris, and took formal poffeflion of 
that capital. There he obtained, from the eflates of the 
kingdom, a ratification of the compact; and then turned 
his arms, with fuccefs, againft the adherents of the dau¬ 
phin. But Henry’s fupplies were not furnifhed in fuclt 
plenty, as to enable him to carry on the war without 
returning in perfon, to prevail upon his parliament for 
frefh fuccours; and, upon his arrival in England, though 
he found his fubjeCts highly gratified with the fplendour 
of his conquefts, yet they feemed doubtful as to the ad¬ 
vantage of them. A treaty, which in its confequences 
was likely to transfer the feat of empire from England to 
France, was not much relifhed by the parliament. They, 
therefore, under various pretences, refilled him a fupply 
equal to his exigencies; yet he was refolved on purfuing 
his conquefts; and, joining to the fupplies granted at 
home the contributions levied on the conquered pro¬ 
vinces, he was able once more to affemble an army of 
tw'erity-eight thoufand men, with w hich he landed with 
great renown at Calais, 
In the mean time, the dauphin, who pofleflTed great 
prudence and activity, had omitted no opportunity of 
taking advantage of Henry’s abfence from France. Fie 
prevailed upon the regent of Scotland to fend him a body 
of eight thoufand men from that kingdom; and with 
thefe, and fome forces of his own, he had attacked 
the duke of Clarence, who commanded in Henry’s ab- 
lence, and obtained a complete victory. This was the 
fir ft action which turned the tide in favour of the French. 
But it was of fliort duration, for Henry foon after ap¬ 
pearing with a confiderable army, the dauphin fled at his 
approach ; while many of the places which held out for 
the dauphin, in the neighbourhood of Paris, furrendered 
to the conqueror. In this manner, while Henry was every 
where victorious, he fixed his refidence at Paris; and, 
w hile Charles had but a Final 1 court, Henry was attended 
with a very magnificent one. On Whitfunday, A.D. 14-21, 
the two kings and their two queens, with crowns on their 
heads, dined together in public ; Charles receiving-ap¬ 
parent homage, but Henry commanding with abfolute 
authority. 
At this critical juncture, when the glory of the Eng- 
lifli monarch had nearly reached its fummit, and both 
crowns were devolving upon him, Henry was feized with 
a fiftula ; a diforder which, from the unfkilfulnefs of the 
times, foon became mortal. Perceiving that his end was 
approaching, he lent for his brother the duke of Bedford, 
the earl of Warwick, and fome other noblemen whom he 
had honoured with his confidence ; and to them he de¬ 
livered his laft will, with regard to the government of 
his kingdom and family. He expreffed great indifference 
at the approach of death ; devoutly waited its arrival, 
and expired with the fame intrepidity with which he had 
lived, on the 31ft of Auguft, 1422, in the thirty-fourth year 
of his age, and the tenth year of his reign ; leaving iflue 
only one child, a fon, by his queen, Catharine of France. 
Thus died, in the prime of life, and in the full career 
of glory, Henry. V. one of the belt, braved, and mod for¬ 
tunate, princes that ever wore the diadem of England. 
His perfon is thus defcribed by one who had often feeu 
him : “ In dature he was a little above the middle fize ; 
his countenance was beautiful, his neck long, his body 
fiender, and his limbs mod elegantly formed. He was 
very drong, and fo fwift, that, with two companions, 
without either dogs or millive weapons, he catched a doe, 
one of the fleeted animals. He was a lover of mufic, and 
excelled in all martial and manly exet'cifes.” Some of 
our contemporary hidorians have heaped upon this prince, 
with a liberal but injudicious hand, all the praifes they 
could colleCt, exprefled in the mod extravagant and bom- 
badic language. It may, however, be affirmed, without 
the lead exaggeration, that he poflefled an excellent un- 
derdanding, which enabled him to form his defigns with 
judgment, and to choofe the mod effectual means, and 
favourable feafons, for carrying them into execution. Flis 
heart was as warm as his head was cool, and his courage 
equal to his wifdom, which emboldened him to encounter 
the greated dangers, and furmount the greated difficul¬ 
ties. His virtues were not inferior to his abilities, being 
a dutiful fon, a fond liufband, an affectionate brother, a 
Iteady and generous friend, and an indulgent mader. His 
youthful excefles proceeded rather from redundancy of 
fpirit than depravity of heart. His intolerance and leve- 
rity to thole who didented from the edablidied fydem of 
religion, was the vice of the age rather than of the man. 
The injudice of his attempt to obtain the crown of France 
cannot be denied ; but the probability of its fuccefs, 
from the diftraCted date of that kingdom, was too flatter¬ 
ing a temptation to be refided by a young, warlike, and 
ambitious, prince. In a word, Henry V. though not with¬ 
out his failings, merits the character of an amiable and 
accomplidied man, a great and benevolent king. 
Henry VI. being only nine months old at the time of 
his father’s deceale, the parliament appointed the duke 
of Bedford proteCtor or guardian of the kingdom, invelt- 
ing the duke of Glouceder with the fame dignity, during 
the abfence of his elder brother, who was then conduct¬ 
ing the war in France 5 and, in order to limit the power of 
both thefe princes, they appointed a council, without 
whofe advice and approbation no meafure of importance 
could be determined. The perfon and education of the 
infant prince was committed to Henry Beaufort, billiop of 
Winchefter, his great uncle, who, as his family could 
never have any pretenfions to the crown, might fafely, 
they thought, be intruded with that important charge. 
The entire conquelt of France was the-firfl objeCtof 
the new government; and, on a ftiperficial view of the 
relative lituation of both countries, every advantage 
leemed to be on the tide of the Engliih, who were already 
mailers of Paris, and of almolt all that kingdom ; and 
though Henry VI. was but an infant he was, A. D. 1423,, 
folemnly 
