EXPEDITION IN AID OF CHARLES THE BOLD. 149

vironed with French fortresses; and he perceived that if the French won Dixmude, they could then attack Nieuport and Gravelines: and, "consequently, what with force and what with corruption, that their purpose was to have the possession of the young duke Philip and of all Flanders, which could not be to the profit of him nor his subjects." He sent over, therefore, to Calais, with all speed, 1000 archers and soldiers, chosen men, 1489. under lord Morley; and on their arrival a report was spread, pursuant to his instructions, that they were come to defend the pale, in case any attempt should be made against it by the French or Flemings. But, drawing soldiers from that garrison, and from Hammes and Guisnes, about 2000 men, under the deputy of Calais, lord Daubeney and lord Morley issued out at nightfall, left 600 archers at Gravelines, for a stale, and also to keep the passage, and, proceeding to Nieuport, where they found 600 Germans, with whom the enterprise had been concerted, halted there for the remainder of the night. On the morrow, as they advanced toward Dixmude, they came to a gallows near the highway, on which the people of that town were about to hang one of the besieging army, who had ventured among them as a spy. Luckily for him, he recognised among the English sir James Tyrrell, who was then captain of Guisnes, and, calling out piteously upon him, promised, if his life might be saved, to guide them so that they might come upon the enemy unperceived, and to be the first assailant himself. On that condition his pardon was obtained from the magistrates and captain of the town; and on the day following he led them out at the south gate, under a high bank set with willows, which covered them from the sight of the besiegers, so that they came unperceived to the end of the camp, and there halted. The lord Daubeney then commanded all men to send back their horses and waggons; Morley, however, said he would ride till he came to handstrokes. So they passed on till they came to a bank, low on that side, where the ordnance was planted, and a

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ditch in front of it. The archers shot one flight of arrows, and immediately fell prostrate: and the enemy, discharging, in all haste, all their artillery, overshot them upon which they instantly rose, let fly a second flight, and beat them from their guns. The Germans leapt the ditch with their pikes*, and then helped up the English who waded it; and while these set on the enemy, and slew and took many prisoners," others hasted by the causeway to enter at the north gate of the camp; and here lord Morley, being on horseback in a rich coat, was singled out, and shot. His death was dearly and wickedly revenged, for every man killed his prisoner, and no further quarter was given. The account which states the number of the slaughtered at 8000 must be greatly exaggerated: it is said, however, on the authority of some Flemish chronicle, that of 2000 men who went from Bruges to this siege, not 100 returned. The loss of the English was less than that little number. They took all the artillery, and sent it with the spoils of the camp to Nieuport, while they proceeded to Ostend, hearing that it was occupied by some French; but the French evacuated that place in time, and, having burnt part of it, Daubeney returned, left his wounded at Nieuport, and carried Morley's body to Calais for honourable interment. "The field was profitable to the English; for they that went forth in cloth came home in silk, and they that went on foot returned on great horses.”+

The sieur des Cordes, who was at Ypres with a large force, was 66 sore discontent" at this overthrow, and, thinking to be revenged, came and besieged Nieuport strongly. His men fared well; for the three principal cities of Flanders, where the popular cause prevailed, took care that they should be abundantly supplied. They

"Morishe pikes they are called by Hall, morice by Holinshed. Does this mean moorish, i. e. marsh pikes, so called as being meant to serve on occasion for leaping-poles? During the famous siege of Ostend the besieged had a company of leapers, who used "a long and great pike, with a flat head at the nether end thereof, that it should not sink too deep into the With these they could clear a ditch four and twenty feet wide."— Grimestone's Hist. of the Netherlands, p. 1299.

mud.

† Hall, 445, 446. Holinshed, 494.

HENRY'S SPEECH TO PARLIAMENT.

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carried on the siege with vigour, and breached the wall in many places; as the besieged, on the other hand, plied their artillery with effect, and such of the wounded English as could either stand or draw a bow never left the walls. At length the assailants one day gave a great assault to one of the towers, and entered it by force, and set up the banner of the sieur de Cordes; but, as God would, during the assault, a bark from Calais, with fourscore fresh English archers, come straight to the town. The women of the place no sooner perceived them, than they cried with lamentable and loud voices, 'Help, Englishmen! help, Englishmen! Shoot, Englishmen ! shoot, Englishmen!' and what with the help of such as before were wounded and hurt men, and of the courageous hearts of the new-come archers, and the stout stomach and diligency of the women, who, as fast as the Englishmen struck down their enemies, were ready to cut their throats, they retook the town, and also the French who had entered it, and rent the banner of the lord des Cordes, and set up the pennon of St. George." The enemy, supposing that a great succour had arrived, gave over the assault, and during the following night broke up the siege.*

The semblance of peace between the two countries was now no longer observed. Henry called a parliament, 1490. and opened it in person, saying, My lords, and you the commons, when I purposed to make a war in Bretagne by my lieutenant, I made declaration thereof to you by my chancellor; but now, that I mean to make a war upon France in person, I will declare it to you myself. That war was to defend another man's right, but this is to recover our own; and that ended by accident, but we hope this shall end in victory. The French king troubles the Christian world. That which he hath is not his own, and yet he seeketh more. He hath invested himself of Bretagne; he maintaineth the rebels in Flanders, and he threateneth Italy. For ourselves, he hath proceeded from dissimulation to neglect, and

*Hall, 446. Holinshed, 495.

from neglect to contumely. He hath assailed our confederates; he denieth our tribute. In a word, he seeks war. So did not his father, but sought peace at our hands; and so perhaps will he, when good counsel, or time, shall make him see as much as his father did. Meanwhile, let us make his ambition our advantage, and let us not stand upon a few crowns of tribute or acknowledgment, but, by the favour of Almighty God, try our right for the crown of France itself; remembering that there hath been a French king prisoner in England, and a king of England crowned in France. Our confederates are not diminished. Burgundy is in a mightier hand than ever, and never more provoked. Bretagne cannot help us, but it may hurt them; new acquests are more burthen than strength. The malecontents of his own kingdom have not been base, popular, nor titulary impostors, but of an higher nature. The king of Spain (doubt ye not!) will join with us, not knowing where the French king's ambition will stay. Our holy father the pope likes no tramontanes in Italy. But howsoever it be, this matter of confederates is rather to be thought on than reckoned on: for God forbid but England should be able to get reason of France without a second. At the battles of Cressy, Poictiers, Agincourt, we were of ourselves. France hath much people, and few soldiers. They have not stable bands of foot. Some good horse they have; but those are forces which are least fit for a defensive war, when the actions are in the assailants' choice. It was our discords only that lost France; and, by the power of God, it is the good peace which we now enjoy that will recover it. God hath hitherto blessed my sword. My people and I know one another, which breeds confidence; and if there should be any bad blood left in the kingdom, an honourable foreign war will vent it, and purify it. In this great business let us have your advice and aid. If any of you were to make his son knight, you might have aid of your tenants by law. This concerns the knighthood and spurs of the kingdom, whereof I am father; and

RAVENSTEYN AT SLUYS.

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bound not only to seek to maintain it, but to advance it. But, for matter of treasure, let it not be taken from the poor sort, but from those to whom the benefit of the war may redound. France is no wilderness; and I that profess good husbandry, hope to make the war, after the beginning, to pay itself. Go together, in God's name, and lose no time; for I have called this parliament wholly for this cause.'

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The cause for which Henry thus appealed to parliament appeared so just, that every man allowed it ;" and, to spare the poorer classes, "whom he ever desired to keep in favour," the king raised money by an oppressive levy, misnamed a benevolence: it had been devised by Edward IV., and practised by him without the authority of parliament, and its abolition by Richard was one of the popular acts of that prince, who gave sufficient indication that he would have governed well, if the succession had rightfully devolved to him. While the armament against France was preparing, Henry sent a naval force to assist Maximilian in reducing the Flemings to obedience. This was an enterprise in which the interests of England were immediately concerned; for Ravensteyn "being," says lord Bacon, "not only a subject rebelled, but a servant revolted, and so much the more malicious and violent," had got together ships enough at Sluys to carry on a thriving trade of piracy against the vessels of all nations that passed along that coast, either to the great mart of Antwerp, or to any part of Brabant, Zeeland, or Friesland. The adjacent country and Picardy supplied him abundantly with victuals, and France afforded him secret assistance, for its own ambitious purposes. This was 66 to the great damage of Englishmen," who were spoiled and captured by these pirates, and it was an evil which could not easily be abated; for when Ravensteyn was "set for" by land, he fled to the sea; and when he was chased on the sea, he sought refuge in his two strong castles at Sluys, and ever he had succour from Bruges and Ghent. Maximilian had often