Mediæval London, Volume 1: Historical & SocialBesant, Walter
History
Mediæval London, Volume 1: Historical & Social
Besant, Walter
London (England) -- History -- To 1500; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- To 1500
“In this yere, and xx days of the moneth of November, was a great
counsayll holden at the Whyte Freres of London, by the whiche it was
amonge other thynges concluded, that for the kynges great journaye
that he entendyd to take, in vysytynge of the holy sepulcre of our
Lord, certayne galeys of warre shuld be made & other pursueaunce
concernynge the same journay. Whereupon all hasty and possyble spede
was made: but after the feest of Christenmasse, whyle he was makynge
his prayers at Seynt Edwardes shryne, to take there his leve, and so
to spede hym upon his journaye, he became so syke, that such as were
about him feryd that he wolde have dyed right there: wherefore they,
for his comforte, bare hym into the abbottes place, & lodgyd him in
a chamber, & there upon a paylet, layde him before the fyre, where
he laye in great agony a certayne of tyme. At length, whan he was
comyn to himselfe nat knowynge where he was, freyned of suche as then
were aboute hym, what place that was: the which shewyd to him that it
belongyd unto the abbot of Westmynster: and, for he felte himselfe so
syke, he commaunded to aske if that chamber had any specyall name:
whereunto it was answeryd, that it was named Jerusalem. Than sayd the
kynge, louvynge be to the Fader of Heven, for noew I knowe I shall dye
in this chamber, accordyng to the prophecye of me beforesayd, that I
shulde dye in Jerusalem: and so after he made himself redy, and dyed
shortly after.”
Other details given by Monstrelet bear the stamp of truth.
“The king,” he says, “in great pain and weakness lay before the fire,
his crown on a cushion beside him. They thought him dead. Then the
Prince took up the crown. But the king recovered, it was a fainting
fit before the end. ‘Fair son,’ he asked, ‘why hast thou taken my
crown?’ ‘Monseigneur,’ replied the Prince, ‘here present are those who
assured me that you were dead, and because I am your eldest son and to
me will belong the crown when you have passed from life, I have taken
it.’ Then said the king, with a sigh, ‘Fair son, how should you have
my right to the crown when I have never had any, and that you know
well?’ ‘Monseigneur,’ replied the Prince, ‘just as you have held it
and defended it by the sword, so will I defend it all my life.’ Then
said the king, ‘Do with it as it seemeth good to thee.’”
CHAPTER X
HENRY V
[Illustration: HENRY V. (1387-1422)
From the engraving by Greatbach of the picture at Windsor Castle.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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