THE KING OF ENGLAND, WHILE AT SOUTHAMPTON, DISCOVERS A CONSPIRACY OF HIS NOBLES AGAINST HIM.—HE LAYS SIEGE TO HARFLEUR, AND WINS THAT TOWN.

While the king of England remained at Southampton, to embark his army which was now ready to sail for France, he was informed that many lords of his household had entered into a conspiracy against him, with the intent to place the earl of March, the rightful successor and heir to Richard the second, on the throne of England. True it is, that the earl of Cambridge, with others, had plotted to seize the persons of the king and his brothers, to accomplish the above purpose, and had revealed their plan to the earl of March, who had discovered it to the king, advising him, at the same time, to be on his guard, or he would be betrayed, and named to him the conspirators. King Henry was not long in having them arrested, when the three principal were beheaded, namely, the earl of Cambridge, the lord Scrope of Masham, who every night slept with the king, and sir Thomas Grey. Some others were afterward executed.

This matter being ended, the king hastened the embarkation of his army, and put to sea. On the vigil of the assumption of our Lady, they made in the night-time a harbour[25], which lies between Harfleur and Honfleur, where the river Seine enters the sea, and landed without any effusion of blood. Their fleet might consist of about sixteen hundred vessels of all sorts, full of soldiers, and every sorts of warlike stores.

When the whole of the army was landed, the king fixed his quarters at a a priory in Graville[26], and his brothers the dukes of Clarence and Glocester near to him. His uncles, the dukes of York and Dorset, the bishop of Norwich, the earls of Windsor, Suffolk, earl marshal, Warwick and Kent, the lords de Camber, Beaumont, Willoughby of Trompington, sir John de Cornewall, Molliflac[27], with many more, lodged themselves as well as they could. They marched the army to besiege, with vigour, the town of Harfleur, the commanding sea-port of all that coast of Normandy.

The king's army was composed of about six thousand helmets and twenty-three thousand archers, exclusive of cannoneers, and others employed with the engines of war, of which he had great abundance. About four hundred picked men at arms had been sent by the french government, to defend Harfleur, under the command of the lords d'Estouteville, governor of the town, de Blainville, de Bacqueville, de Hermanville de Gaillart de Bos, de ClerÈ de Bectou, de Adsanches, de BriautÈ, de Gaucourt, de l'Isle-Adam, and several other valiant knights and esquires, to the amount aforesaid, who gallantly opposed the English. But their attempts were vain against so superior a force, and in their sallies they had great difficulty to re-enter the town. They took up the pavement, which was between Montivilliers and Harfleur, to make the road as bad as possible, and carried away the stones. Notwithstanding this, the English scoured the country, made many prisoners, and gained much booty, and planted their large engines in the most convenient spots for battering the town, which greatly damaged its walls.

The besieged were not slack in their defence, but made such good use of cross-bows and other weapons that many of the English were slain. The town had but two gates, namely, that of Caltinant and that of Montivilliers, whence they made several vigorous sallies on the enemy; but the English defended themselves well. An unfortunate accident befel the besieged, for a supply of gunpowder sent them by the king of France was met by the English and taken.

While these things were passing, the king of France sent against the English a considerable body of men at arms to Rouen, and other parts on the frontier under the charge of the constable, the marshal Boucicaut, the seneschal of Hainault, the lords de Ligny, de Hamede, sir Clugnet de Brabant, and several other captains.

These commanders so well guarded the country that the English were unable to gain any town or fortress, while part of their army was engaged at the siege, although they took great pains so to do; for they frequently made excursions in large bodies over the low countries in search of provision, and to meet the enemy: they did very great damage wherever they passed, and carried off large booties to their head-quarters.

However, by the prudent conduct of the french commanders, the English were very much straitened for provision, for the greater part of the stores they had brought with them had been spoiled at sea. Add to this, that an epidemical bowel-complaint raged in their camp, of which upwards of two thousand died. The principal persons thus carried off were, the earl of Stafford, the bishop of Norwich, the lords Beaumonte, Willoughby of Trompington, Burnel and many other noblemen.

The king of England, nevertheless, pushed on the siege with great diligence and labour. He had caused three mines to be carried under the walls, and his engines had nearly demolished the gates, which being made known to the inhabitants, and that they were daily liable to be stormed, they offered to surrender themselves to the king, provided they were not within three days succoured from France: they gave hostages for the due performance of this treaty, and thereby saved their lives by paying ransoms.

The lord de Bacqueville was sent by the captains in Harfleur to the king of France and the duke of Acquitaine, who were at Vernon sur Seine, to make them acquainted with their situation, and to tell them, that unless they were succoured within three days, they would lose their town, and all within it. He was in reply told, that the king's forces were not yet assembled, or prepared to give such speedy succour: upon which, the lord de Bacqueville returned to Harfleur,—and it was surrendered to the king of England, on St Maurice's day, to the great sorrow and loss of the inhabitants, and displeasure of the French; for, as I have said, it was the principal sea port of that part of Normandy.