The poet in the chorus to this Act desires his treaty of Troyes was concluded, which gave

Troyes.

of greater profligacy. Unhappy France was to Henry's success in negociating the treaty of assailed by a resolute enemy, and had nothing to oppose to him but the weakness of factions, more intent upon destroying each other than disposed to unite for a common cause. The Duke of Burgundy, brought in by the poet as the advocate of peace, was certainly present at the negociations near Meulan, on the 30th May, 1419, when Henry first saw Katharine, and was struck with her grace and beauty. But this Duke of Burgundy, Jean Sans Peur, was murdered by the Dauphin, on the bridge of Montereau, on the following 10th September. This event led to a close connection between Henry and the young Duke of Burgundy, who was anxious to revenge the death of his father; and perhaps this circumstance mainly contributed | Lady Katharine were affianced."

The meeting of Henry with the French king, who in his unhappy state of mind was "governed and ordered" by his ambitious and crafty queen, is thus described by Holinshed :"The Duke Burgoigne, accompanied with many noble men, received him two leagues without the town, and conveyed him to his lodging. All his army was lodged in small villages thereabout. And after that he had reposed himself a little, he went to visit the French king, the queen, and the Lady Katharine, whom he found in St. Peter's Church, where was a joyous meeting betwixt them. And this was on the xx. day of May, and there the King of England and the

COSTUME.

THE civil costume of the reign of Henry V. | Vertue copied the head engraved for the History seems to have differed in no very material of England, and which has been received as the degree from that of the reigns of Henry IV. likeness of Henry from that period. and Richard II.

The illuminated MSS., and other authorities of this period, present us with the same long and short gowns, each with extravagantly large sleeves, almost trailing on the ground and escallopped at the edges. They are generally at this period, however, painted of a different colour to the body of the garment, and were, probably, separate articles of dress (as we find them in the next century), to be changed at pleasure. Chaperons with long tippets, tights-hose, and pointed shoes or half-boots.

For the dress of the sovereign himself, we have but slender authority. His mutilated effigy in Westminster Abbey represents him in the dalmatic, cope, and mantle, of royalty; differing only from those of preceding sovereigns in their lack of all ornaments or embroidery. An illuminated MS., in Bennet College Library, Cambridge, has a representation of Henry seated on his throne (which is powdered with the letter S.), not in his robes, although crowned, but in a dress of the time, with a curious girdle and collar. There are two or three portraits of Henry, on wood, in the royal and other collections, each bearing a suspicious likeness to the other, and neither authenticated; although from one of them, Mr.

The great characteristic of this reign is the close-cropping of the hair round above the ears, in contradistinction to the fashion of the last century; and the equally close-shaving of the chin, beards being worn only by aged personages, and mustachioes but rarely, even by military men: the king is always represented without them.

In the armour of this period there are many and striking novelties. It was completely of plate. Even the camail, or chain neck-piece, was superseded or covered by the gorget, or hausse col of steel. A fine specimen of the armour of this time exists on the effigy of Michael de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk (who was killed at the siege of Harfleur), in Wingfield Church, Suffolk.

The jupon, with its military girdle, and the loose surcoat of arms, were both occasionally worn; and, in many instances, were furnished with long hanging sleeves, indented at the edges like those of the robes (vide our engrav ing of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, from his seal in 'Olivarius Vredius's History of the Counts of Flanders,' and of Henry V., from the carvings of an oaken chest in York Cathedral). Sometimes the sleeves only are seen with the armour; and it is then difficult to

ascertain whether, in that case, the breast and back plates cover the rest of the garment, or whether they (the sleeves) are separate articles fastened to the shoulders. Cloaks, with escallopped edges, were also worn with armour at this period (vide the figure of Thomas Montacute, Earl of Salisbury). Two circular or shieldshaped plates, called pallettes, were sometimes fastened in front by aiguillettes, so as to protect the armpits (vide same figure, and the engraving from an illumination, representing Henry V. being armed by his esquires). St. Remy, a writer who was present at the battle of Agincourt, describes Henry, at break of day, hearing mass in all his armour, excepting that for his head and his cote d'armes (i. e., emblazoned surcoat or jupon). After mass had been said, they brought him the armour for his head, which was a very handsome bascinet a barriere (query baviere), upon which he had a very rich crown of gold (a description and valuation of "la couronne d'Or pur le Bascinet," garnished with rubies, sapphires, and pearls, to the amount of £679 58., is to be seen in the Rolls of Parliament, vol. iv. p. 215), circled like an imperial crown (query arched. Henry IV. is said by Froissart, to have been crowned with a diadem "archée en croix;" the earliest mention of an arched crown in England that we have met with).

Elmham, another contemporary historian, says, "Now the king was clad in secure and very bright armour: he wore, also, on his head, a helmet, with a large splendid crest, and a crown of gold and jewels; and, on his body, a surcoat with the arms of England and France, from which a celestial splendour issued; on the one side, from three golden flowers, planted in an azure-field (Henry V. altered the arms of France, in the English shield, from semi of fleurs-delys to three fleurs-de-lys, Charles VI. of France having done so previously), on the other, from three golden leopards sporting in a ruby field." By a large splendid crest may be meant, either the royal heraldic crest of England, the lion passant guardant (as the Duke of Burgundy is represented with his heraldic crest, a fleur-de-lys, on his bascinet), or a magnificent plume of feathers, that elegant and chivalric decoration, for the first time after the Conquest, appearing in this reign. It was called the panache; and knights are said to have worn three or more feathers, esquires only one; but we have no positive authority for the latter assertion; and the number would seem to have been a matter

|

of fancy. Robert Chamberlayne, the king's esquire, is represented with two feathers issuing from the apex of the bascinet. He wears an embroidered jupon and the military belt. With respect to the crown round Henry's bascinet,-it was twice struck and injured by the blows of his enemies. The Duke of Alençon struck off part of it with his battle-axe; and one of the points or flowers was cut off by a French esquire, who, with seventeen others, swore to perform some such feat, or perish.

The helmet of Henry V., suspended over his tomb in Westminster Abbey, is a tilting helmet |—not the bascinet a baviere (vizored or beavered bascinet), which was the war-helmet of the time (see those of Louis, Duke of Bourbon, whose tilting helmet is carried by an esquire behind him; and of John, Duke of Burgundy). The shield and saddle which hang near it may, according to the tradition, have been really used by him at Agincourt.

The English archers at the battle of Agincourt were, for the most part (according to Monstrelet), without armour, and in jackets, with their hose loose, and hatchets, or swords, hanging to their girdles. Some, indeed, were barefooted, and without hats or caps; and St. Remy says, they were dressed in pourpoints (stitched or quilted jackets); and adds, that some wore caps of boiled leather (the famous cuir bouilli) or of wicker-work, crossed over with iron. In the army of Henry V. at Rouen, there were several bodies of Irish, of whom, says Monstrelet, the greatest part had one leg and foot quite naked. They were armed with targets, short javelins, and a strange sort of knife (the skein).

The French men-at-arms, engaged at Agincourt, are described as being armed in long coats of steel reaching to their knees (the taces introduced at this period, vide figure of the Earls of Salisbury and Suffolk), below which was armour for the legs, and above, white harness (i. e., armour of polished plate, so called in contradistinction to mail), and bascinets with camails (chain neck-pieces).

The banners borne in the English army, besides those of the king and the principal leaders, were, as usual, those of St. George, St. Edward, and the Trinity.

The French, in addition to the royal and knightly banners, displayed the oriflamme, which was of bright scarlet, embroidered with gold, and terminating in several swallow tails.