Great Britain -- History -- Henry VI, 1422-1461; Margaret, of Anjou, Queen, consort of Henry VI, King of England, 1430-1482
[Sidenote: Anneslie's request to the king.]
In the mean time, Anneslie, finding that Katrington was taken away,
allowed himself to be lifted up. When set upon his feet, he walked
along toward the part of the inclosure which was near the king's seat,
and begged the king to allow the combat to proceed. He said he was
sure that he should obtain the victory if they would but permit him to
continue the combat to the end. Finally the king and nobles gave their
consent, and ordered that Anneslie should be placed upon the ground
again, and Katrington upon him, in the same position, as nearly as
possible, as before.
But on going again to Katrington with a view of executing this decree,
they found that he was in such a condition as to preclude the
possibility of it. He had fainted and fallen down out of his chair in
a deadly swoon. He seemed not to be wounded, but to be utterly
exhausted by the heat, the weight of his armor, and the extreme
violence of the exertion which he had made. His friends raised him up
again, and proceeded to unbuckle and take off his armor. Relieved
from this burden, he began to come to himself. He opened his eyes and
looked around, staring with a wild, bewildered, and ghastly look,
which moved the pity of all the beholders, that is, of all but
Anneslie. He, on leaving the king, came to where poor Katrington was
sitting, and, full of rage and hate, began to taunt and revile him,
calling him traitor, and false, perjured villain, and daring him to
come out again into the area and finish the fight.
[Sidenote: Anneslie's rage.]
To this Katrington made no answer, but stared wildly about with a
crazed look, as if he did not know where he was or what they were
doing to him.
[Sidenote: The termination of the trial.]
So the farther prosecution of the combat was relinquished. Anneslie
was declared the victor, and poor Katrington was deemed to be proved,
by his defeat, guilty of the treason which had been charged against
him. He was borne away by his friends, and put into his bed. He
continued delirious all that night, and the next morning at nine
o'clock he died.
* * * * *
Thus was this combat fought, as the ancient historian says, to the
great rejoicing of the common people and the discouragement of
traitors!
CHAPTER III.
KING HENRY VI.
[Sidenote: King Henry's accession.]
King Henry the Sixth, who subsequently became the husband of Margaret
of Anjou, was only about nine months old, as has already been said,
when he succeeded to the throne by the death of his father. He was
proclaimed by the heralds to the sound of trumpets and drums, in all
parts of London, while he was yet an infant in his nurse's arms.
[Sidenote: His uncles.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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