Prolicionycion [sic]

Capitulum xiij

AFter kynge Harry the fourth regned harry his sonne bor¦ne at monmouthe in walys / This Harry whiche was the fyfth harry after the Conquest was a noble and wyse man / For after his faders deth whanne he hadde take vpon hym to be kynge / he chaunged al his Condicions and was sodeynly chaū∣ged and lefte al his old wyld maners and charged alle them / that had ben conuersaunt in his wylde lyuynge that they shold auoyde his presence and come no more therynne /

This man dyde many greete thynges in his dayes / and regned not fully ten yere / For in the tenth yere of his regne and syx & thyrtty yere of his age he deyde / and is buryed worshipfully at westmynstre / In his fyrst yere anone after he was crowned / whiche was the nynthe day of Apryll / He sente to the Frerys at langley where the body of kyng Rychard the second was buried and lete the body take oute of therth ageyne and dyde do bryng it to westmynstre in a Ryal chare couerd with black veluet and baners of dyuerse armes about / And alle the horses in the chare were couerd with blac / and beten with dyuerse Armes / and ma¦ny a torche brennyng by the chaar till they cam to westmynstre / And there he lete make a ryall terment and buryed hym by que¦ne Anne his wyf as his desyre was / Aboute whoos sepulcre ther stande foure grete tapers contynuelly brennynge / And one day in the weke perpetuelly he hath a Dirige with nyne lessons And on the morne a masse / bothe by note solempnly on whiche day is gyuen also wekely in pens to poure peple enleuen schyl∣lynges / & viij d / all ordeyned by this kyng vpon grete payne / And on the day of his annyuersary is yerly gyuen twenty pond in pens to pour peple / ¶ Also this kynge ordeyned by his lyf and founded the chartrous at Shene / And the hous of

Syon of saynt Brygyttes ordre / And dyde moche good to the newerke at westmynstre where he lyeth buryed / and ordeyned thre masses perpetuelly to be songen ouer hym dayly / & also cer¦tayne lyghtes dayly to brenne atte hye masse and at euensong / & twenty pound to be deled in pens yerly at his annyuersarye / Al this ordeyned he by his lyue besyde all his warre in Fraūce and other greete actes / On whoos sowle Ihesus haue mercy Amen / ¶Also in this fyrste yere Syre Iohan olde Castell lord Cob∣h••m was take and dampned for an heretyk by al hooly chirche and commyted to the tour· and from thennes he brake prysonne / and escaped / And anone after he and his Complyses conspyre∣den the kynges deth and his bretheren / and also the destruction of hooly chirche· For they hadde purposed to haue assemblyd by nyght in saynt gyles felde for tachyeuyd theyr euyll purpose / But blessyd be God the kynge and lordes had knowleche of theyr entente / and toke the felde to fore them / and awayted on theyr comyng and toke many preestes / clerkys / and other lewd men that were of theyr secte fro alle the partyes of Englond / wenyng to haue founden theyr Capitayne there Syre Iohan ol∣de castel / but they were deceyued ¶ For there were take many of them / and nyne and thyrtty were hanged on one daye vppon a newe payr galowes new made fast by the same felde by the hye waye / And seuen of the gretteste heretykes were brente hangyng on the galowes / And anone Syre Rgoyer Acton knyght was taken drawe and hanged vppon the same galowes for the same cause / ¶ In the seconde yere of his regne byganne the generall counseylle at Counstaunce for the vnyon of hooly Chirche / and for to depose them that were Scysmatykes / and to chose one ve∣ray heede and vndubytate pope / Also the same yere Iohan Clay¦don skynnar and Rychard baker of lombardstrete were brent in Smythfelde for heresye / Also this same yere by thadnys of hys counseyle the kynge sente lettres vnto the kyng of Fraunce that he shold rendre & delyuer to hym his enherytaunce / whiche his pre¦decessours had holden and had to fore hym. or ellys he wolde doo his deuoyre to grete it by the helpe of god and of his subgettys with the swerde / To whome it was answerd that the kyng was ouer yong and tendre of age to vse the warre ageynste hem and in derysyon sente to hym a tonne full of Tenyse balles to playe with •• And whanne the kynge vnderstode his answer / anone he lete doo ca lle a counseylle / and there shewed them thismater /

mater / ¶ And there it was concluded by the sayd counseylle and in especiall by the spiritu••••te that h•• sholde goo and grete normandye / and they wold helpe hym to theyr power / It is sayde that the spyritualte f••red soore / that yf he hadde not hadde to doo withoute the londe / that he wolde haue laboured for to haue taken fro the chirche the temporel possessions / And therfor they concluded amonge hem self that they shold sti¦re hym for to goo and make warre ouer see in Fraunce / for to conquere his ryghtful enherytaunce / And soo it was concluded and acorded that the kynge and lordes with al theyr power shol∣de mete at Southhampton at lammasse next after / And soo the eyghtenth day of Iuyn the kyng roode thurgh lon¦don with all his hooste ryally toward Southhampton / And there beynge redy for to passe and alle his lordes assembled There was taken and arestyd for hye treasonne Syre Rychard Erle of Cambrydge brother to the duc of york / the lord Sccope Tresorer of englond / and Syre thomas gray knyght / whiche shol¦de ymagyne the kynges deth / For whiche cause they were Iuged and dampned to deth / And there the nyne and twentyest day of Iuyll they were byheded / And thenne the kynge and alle the lor∣des with theyr armee toke the see with fyften honderd say••••ys / and arryued at kydkaws in normandy / And fro thennes went and leyd syege to harflete by lande and by water / And leyd his ordenaunce to the toune / And the twoo and twentyest daye of September the toune· was gyuen ouer to hym / Thenne ordeyned he there capytayne his vncl•• the Erle of Dor∣sete / and putte oute the Frensshmen / and stuffyd it with englissh¦men / ¶ Thenne the kynge sente in to Englond / and lete crye in euery good towne that what crafty man wolde come the¦der for to dwelle and enhabyte the toune there sholde haue hows and houshold to hym and his heyres for euermore / Thenne come theder many craftes men / and enhabyte them the∣re / ¶The kynge seynge the toune wel stuffyd with vytaylle and men / he passyd forthe by lande towarde Calays / Thenne the Frensshmen heerynge of his comyng brake the bryd¦ges that he sholde not come ouer the Ryuer of Somme / . ¶Thenne the kynge wente soo fer vpward / that he gate ouer and cam in to Pycardye / ¶ And thenne were the Frensshmen at Agyncourt Rolandcourt and blangy wyth alle the Ryal power of Fraunce / excepte the duc of Burgoyne

whiche wolde not come theder / ne suffre his sonne the lord cha∣royles to come theder / ¶ And whanne the kynge sawe that h•• myght not passe / he toke hi•• felde with suche peple as he hadde / whiche were not passynge seuen thousand fyghtynge men And the mooste parte of hem were seeke of the flyxe / and the yemanry hadde theyr hosen teruen or bounden bynethe the knee ha¦uynge longe Iackys· But euery man had a good bowe a sheef arowys. and a swerd ¶ Thenne he sette his felde / and sette the duc of york in the vauntward / And ordeyned in the nyght to fore the bataylle that eche man sholde make a stake sharp on both̄ thendes and pytche it a slope in the grounde to fore hym / And soo on the morne he hadde his confessour that made hem to saye a general confession / and gaf them general absolucion / And thenne the kynge roode thurgh̄ the felde and comforted hem promysynge to them that he wol̄d rather deye that day than yelde hym / And thenne euery man toke good herte and courage And soo abode the comynge of Frensshmen. whome they ressey∣ued on her stakys stomblynge and fallynge donne hors and man / In suche wyse that our men shotte on hem / and soo fought that thurgh the grace of god the vyctorye abode with the kyng / and the Frensshmen ouerthrowen / and were slayne of them en∣leuen thousande and moo / And many grete lordes and gentyls take prysonners / And whanne the kynge hadde thus goten the Felde / tydynges cam that ther was comynge a newe batayll of Frensshmen towards hym / And thenne he dyde doo crye and co∣maunded that euery man shold slee his prysonners And whanne the duc of Orleaunce herde that / and other greete lordes / they sente worde to the Frensshmen / that yf they cam on they shold be slayne / And thenne the Frensshmen for sauacion of the prysonners lyues withdrewe them / And soo the kynge hadde and kepte the felde / and wanne the worshippe of the bata∣ylle / ¶ And there were slayne in the felde thre Dukes / Nyne Erlys / And Barons nyghe an honderde / and Gentyl∣men in Cote armoure / xlv / C / ¶ And of the Englyss••e partye the Duc of yorke / and therle of Suffolke and not twen∣ty personnes moo blessyd be god / the duc of Braban was taken a lyue / but whan the kynge commaunded that euery man shold slee his prysoner· he was slayne / on whos sowle and alle other god haue mercy Amen / Thus by the helpe of Almyghty God the kynge of Englond with vij / M / Englysshmen wan the feld

vpon the Frensshmen whiche were nombred moo than foure sco∣re thousand men with all the ryall lordes of Fraunce except the kynge and Dolphyn / And whanne al was done the kynge de∣maunded the herowdes the name of the next place to the felde / And they answerde Agyncourt / Thenne sayd he we wille that the bataylle be callyd and named the bataylle of Agyncourt / ¶ Thenne the kynge kepynge the felde with his hoost al nyghte after on the morne departed toward caleys with his prysonners. That is to wete the Duck of Orleaunce / The Duck of Borbon / the erles of Ewe and of vendon / Burcicaught the marchal of Fraunce with many other lordes and Gentill men / whome he brought alle in to Englonde with hym where he was receyued in euery place worshipfully with alle the honoure Ioye and So∣lempnyte that myght be / And the foure and twentyeste daye of nouembre the kyng cam to london / and it is to wete that euery Englisshman that had ben in that bataylle gate good prysoners or good Iewellis For the Frensshmen were Richely and costlew arrayed / wherof oure peuple had good pyllage /