eng: 
volunteers, at length difbanded ; Charles, after having 
pofTelfed himfelf of Lava, Lagni, and St. Denys, retired 
to Bourges ; while Bedford carried over the young Henry 
VI. to Paris, and celebrating the ceremony of his coro¬ 
nation in that capital, exacted an oath of allegiance from 
Inch as hill acknowledged the authority of the Englifh. 
But whatever lufire the coronation of the infant king 
might refleCl on his caufe, the regent expedted to derive 
more folid advantage from an accident which foon after 
took place. Joan d’Arc had declared, that with the in¬ 
auguration of Charles at Rheims, her million expired ; 
and that it was her with, after having fulfilled her pro- 
mifes, to retire to her former condition. The count of 
Dunois had exhorted her to perfevere till the Englifh 
were finally expelled. Overcome by his importunities, 
flie had thrown herfelf into Compeigne, which at that 
time was befieged by the duke of Burgundy, afiified by 
the earls of Arundel and Suffolk. In a fally, fhe was 
defected by her friends, probably out of envy, and being 
furrounded by her enemies, after a gallant refifiance, was 
taken prifoner. 
1 he duke of Bedford purchafed from John of Luxem¬ 
burg, into whofe hands (lie had fallen, this important 
captive, and commenced a profecution againft her, which, 
whether undertaken from policy or revefige, (fains for 
ever his accomplifhed character. She was accufed of 
forcery, impiety, idolatry, and magic, and burnt in the 
market-place of Rouen. But the inhumanity of the Eng¬ 
lifh contributed not to advance their intereffs : the illu- 
fion which had fo long oppreffed them with- terror was 
indeed difpelled, but the tide of fortune ftill continued 
to flow rapidly againft them ; the French triumphed in 
repeated encounters; and their fuccefs was enfured by a 
rupture between the dukes of Burgundy and Bedford. 
The bands of friendfhip had been loofened by the death 
of the duchefs of the latter ; and the former complained, 
that the memory of his fitter was infulted by the hafty 
marriage of the regent with Jaqueline of Luxemburg. 
All advances toward a reconciliation were di'fdained by 
two princes equally tenacious of their dignity; and Charles 
availed himfelf of the difcontent of the duke of Burgundy 
to negociate the celebrated treaty, fince known by the 
name of the treaty of Arras, concluded in Sept. 1435. 
Very foon after this traofaction the duke of Bedford 
expired, a prince of many virtues, and of the molt bril¬ 
liant military character. After his death, the court of 
Henry was diftrafted by the rival parties of the duke of 
Gloucefter and the cardinal of Winchefter; and it was 
feven months before Richard duke of York, fon to the 
earl of Cambridge who had been executed in the laft 
reign, was appointed to the command in France. On his 
arrival, the new governor found the capital already loft ; 
the Parifians, attached to the houfe ot Burgundy, imi¬ 
tated the example of that duke ; they opened their gates 
to the count of Richemont, and proclaimed the French 
king, Charles VII. Lord Willoughby, with an Englifh 
garrifon of 1500 men, maintained himfelf for fome time 
in the Baftille ; but his valour and (kill only ferved to 
procure a capitulation, by which he was allowed with his 
troops a free paflage to Rouen. 
_ For five years the duke of York ftruggled againft the 
difficulties of his fituation ; and, being a flitted by the va¬ 
lour of lord Talbot, afterwards earl of Shrewsbury, he 
performed many brilliant, but indecifive actions. At laft 
both parties, weary of hoftilities, feemed defirous of 
peace, and they fet on foot negotiations for that purpofe. 
But the propofals of France, and the demands of Eng¬ 
land, were (till fo wide of each other, that all hope of 
accommodation vanifhed. The Englifh ambaffadors de¬ 
manded full and entire reftitution of all the provinces 
which had formerly been annexed to England, together 
with the final ceffion of Calais and its diftriCt: the French 
offered only a part of Guienne, part of Normandy, and 
Calais, loaded with the ufual burthen of homage. It 
appeared in vain to continue the negociation, while there 
Vol. VI. N0.377. 
^ A N D. 613 
was fo little profpcdt of agreement. The Englifh were 
(fill too haughty to (loop from the vaft hopes which they 
had formed of complete concjueft ; and the French had 
gained too much, not to expedt the acquifition of more. 
The captivity of five princes of the blood, taken pri- 
foners in the battle of Agiocburt, was a confiaerable ad¬ 
vantage which England long enjoyed over its enemy ; 
but this fuperiority was now loft. Some of thefe princes 
had died ; fome had been ranfomed ; and the duke of 
Orleans, the mod powerful among them, was the laft 
that remained in the hands of the Englifh. He offered 
the fum of fifty-four thoufand nobles for his liberty ; and, 
w-hen this propofal was laid before the council of Eng¬ 
land, the party of the duke of Gloucefter oppofed it, and 
that of the cardinal of Winchefter fupported it with zeal. 
The party of the latter, as ufual, prevailed ; and the duke 
of Orleans was releafed ; after a melancholy captivity of 
twenty-five years. 
The fentiments of cardinal Beaufort foon after pre¬ 
vailed in another more eflential point. That prelate had 
always'encouraged every propofal of accommodation with 
France, and had reprefenied the utter impoffibility of 
puthing farther.the conquefts in that kingdom ; but the 
duke of Gloucefter, high-fpirited and haughty, and edu¬ 
cated in the lofty pretenfions which the firft fuccefles of 
his two brothers had rendered familiar to him, could not 
endure thefe.humble counfels. The influence of his ri¬ 
val, however, turned the fcale, and the earl of Suffolk, 
who adhered to the cardinal’s party, was difpatched to 
Tours, A,. D. 1440, to negociate with the French mini- 
fters. As it was found impollible to adjuft the terms of 
a lading peace, lie concluded a truce for twenty-two 
months; and proceeded to the execution of another bufi- 
nefs, which feems to have been rather implied than ex- 
preffed in his commiilion. 
As Henry advanced in years, his character developed 
itfelf. He was found to be of the moft unaft'eCted man¬ 
ners, but of the moft (lender capacity. Hence it was eafy 
to forefee that his reign would, prove a perpetual mino¬ 
rity. As he had now reached the twenty-third year of 
his age, it was natural, however, to think of choofing 
him a queen. The duke of Gloucefter propofed a daugh¬ 
ter of the count of Armagnac; but the cardinal and his 
friends caft their eyes on Margaret of Anjou, daughter of 
Regnier, titular king of Sicily, Naples, and Jerufalem; 
a princefs accornplifhed both in perfon and mind ; of a 
mafculine fpirit and enterprifing temper, and which had 
even become confpicuous in the privacy of her father’s 
family. The earl of Suffolk, in concert with his affociates 
of the Englifh council, made propofals of marriage to 
Margaret, which were accepted. But this nobleman, 
befides pre-occupying the princefs’s favour, by being the 
chief means of her advancement, endeavoured farther to 
ingratiate himfelf with her and her family, by very ex¬ 
traordinary conceffions. Though Margaret brought no 
dowry with her, he ventured, of himfelf, without any 
direCt authority from the council, but probably with the 
approbation of the cardinal and the ruling members, to 
engage, by a fecret article, that the province of Maine, 
which was at that time in the hands of the Englifh, 
Ihould be ceded to Charles of Anjou, her uncle, who 
was prime minifter, and favourite of the French king, 
and who had already received from his mafter the grant 
of that province as his appanage. The treaty of mar¬ 
riage was ratified in England, in 1443. Suffolk obtained, 
firft the title of marquis, then that of duke; and even 
received the thanks of parliament for his fervices in con¬ 
cluding it. The princefs fell immediately into clofe con¬ 
nection with the cardinal and his party, who, fortified by 
her powerful patronage, refolved on the final ruin of the 
duke of Gloucefter. 
This generous prince, ill fuited for court intrigues, but 
poflefting, in a high degree, the favour of the public, had 
already received from his rivals a cruel mortification, 
which it was impollible a perfon of his fpirit and huraa. 
7 R. nity 
