LOVYNG companions, and hardy souldiers, call to your remembraunce, how the Englishemen haue not onely gotten from vs the noble isle of Fraunce, the duchies of Normandy and Aniow, but also sith their enterprise and cenquest hath bothe slain our parentes and killed our frendes, yea, and hath dritien our naturall Prince, and very soueraigne Lorde from his chief habitation and surest chaumber, the faire citee of Paris: which act neuer Pagan durst attempt or euer any prince was able to acheue. Besides this, you se that the duke of Bedford Regent here for the kyng of Englande, entendyng nothyng more then the deposicion or the destruccion of our kyng and his nobilitie, and in finall conclusion to bryng to extreme bondage all vs our wiues and children, and all the people of this so long renoumed region, by many hundred yeres called the realme of Fraunce, which is as muche to saie as a fre countrey, or a franke lande. Alas, shal your kyng now be made a subiecte, shall your peres and nobilitee bee made vassals, and you also slaues & bondmen to a forain nacion? Where is the liberty of Fraunce and where is the auncient fredome? When you defended your fraunchises, and when your hartes serued you: your kyng ruled kynges your princis possessed the empire, and your nacion subdued Germany, conquered Italy, and ouercame the proude Spanyardes. Shall wee now, fallyng out of kynd from our fathers, feare the puissaunce of the arrogant Englishemen, beyng men of no forecast, nor of no excellcnte wit, long in gettyng and shortly lesyng? Will you now suffre the olde glory of Fraunce to be put in obliuion? will you haue an Englishe infant, whiche liueth with pappe to bee your kyng and gouernor? Will you liue in seruitude of a barbarous nacion in whom is neither bountifulnes nor honor? Clerckes saie, that the greatest plague, that euer God scourged with the Israelites, was, when he permitted them to be caried from their natiue countrey to the bondage of Babilon, where they liued in captiuitie by the space of many yeres. What can bee a more greater scourge, then to haue a forrein ruler in a free region? What dishonor can there be more to a countrey, then to haue the nobilitie put backe from rule and to be gouerned by strangers. Beleue me, beleue me, it is to vs all one blot, to bee a slaue in Turkeye, vnder the Turkishe bondage, and to be a free man in France vnder the Englishe libertie. Of this point you be sure: if they gain this battaill, thei be not vnlike to obtain the whole region: whiche if thei get, then is the enheritaunce theirs: then be all the riches theirs, and then all the people bee their subiectes. If they be rulers, fare well the franke and Frenche libertie: If they be lordes, welcome English seruitude. So that now we stand al on this poynt, either to be free or bondmen. Whiche terme of bondage is so detested of all nacions, that there can be no more reproch to a man then to call hym a villain or a bondman. Therfore manly defence must onely withstand this mischief, and hartie corage must driue back this imminent plage. This is the daie either of our deliueraunce out of vile seruitude, or the daie of our entry into the vale of bondage. The conclusion of this battaill is very doubtfull, for if we bee vanquished, the gain for our side is almost without recouery, cosidryng, that here be the best men, & wisest capitaines vnder our kyng: And if we get the vppcr hande, our heddes shal be free and out of the Englishe yoke. And although the duke of Bedford hath here with him, all the power that he can gather on this side the sea, yet I assure you, (God willyng) I will not turne one fote backward for fear of hym, or his picked armie. Therfore I exhorte you to remembre, your wifes, your children and your selfes. Fight manfully and sticke eche to other for the libertie of our countrey: I doubt not but the victory shalbee ours, and the honor shalbe our kynges. For if this daie we vanquishe hym and sparcle his armie, we shall so diligently folowe Fortunes good grace, that not onely Fraunce to vs shall yeld, and Normandy bowe, but we shall recouer again al our citees and tounes, whiche out of our possession wer gained, before any aide can come to rescue out of the poore isle of Englande. Now consideryng, that we hang in the ballaunce betwene honor and shame, libertie and bondage, gaineor losse, let euery man take harte and corage to hym, litle regardyng, or caryng, either for death, or the force of his enemies, and with a manly countenaunce marche furth toward our foes.

You valiaunt capitaines and hardie souldiers, my louyng compaynions in armes, and frendly felowes. If you considre with your self what daie this is: What honor and what profile wee shall get by our trauaile and pain, I doubt not but where you now stand stil musyng, you would runne furth a galloppe, and where you run on your fete, you would, if you had winges, flieas faste, as euer did Hauke to his praie. For greate is the honor that is gotten with paine, and swete is the lucre, that is gayned with trauaile, for you muste remembre, that nothyng is wel done, if it growe not to a good conclusion: and a thyng were as good neuer to be begon, as neuer ended. My brother our late soueraigue lord, (whose soule God pardon) hath entred into this countrey, as into his awne lawfull inheritaunce: and first conquered Normandy, and after by agremet of kyng Charles the vsurper, he was by assent of the nobilitee, agrement of the Clergie, & speciall request of the commonaltie, restored to his rightfull inheritaunce, and lawful patrimony, whiche by his death is returned and come to my nephewe our moste redoubted souereigne. The beginning of this conquest was good, and the sequele better, yet resteth the finall knot to be knitte, and the last locke to be shut vp. For if we suffre Charles the Dolphyn, whiche now vsurpeth the name, and estate royall of this realme of France, to proceade farther in his purpose, or to gather more puyssance, or allure more people, I cannot tell then what feates flatteryng fortune will worke: and of this I am sure that if we suffre his fier still to flame, as it hath begon, we shall haue skant water to quenche out the same. Here he hath assembled all the Frenche men that he can get and for lacke of aide, he hath retained the Scottes: croppe hym now at the beginnyng and he shall growe no more: let hym grow farther and he will passe our reache: discomfite hym now and bryng our conquest to a conclusion: let hym alone now and we shalbe new to begin. Therfore I say, it is wisdome to take occasion, when the hery side and not the balde side is profered. If we feare the multitude, remembre our awne victories, which we haue euer obteined by lesse nombre, and not by the greater. If we feare death, remembre the glory and immortall fame, that shall succeade of our valiaunt actes, if we sell our lifes so dere. If we shalbe slain, considre I haue a kyng to my nephew, and a duke to my brother, and twoo noble vncles, and you haue frendes, kynsemen and children, whiche wil reuege our death, to the vttermost poynt: therfore I saie let euery man this day do his best. For this is the daie of thend of our great trauaile, the daie of our greate victory, and the daie of our euerlastyng fame: Therfore good felowes, put your onely trust in God, call to hym for aide boldly, and marche forward hardly, for our enemies be at had.

HE had skace ended his exhortacion, but the Englishmen beyng incouraged with his prudent persuasion, sette on their enemies, criyng, Sainct George, Bedford. And the Frenchemen likewise cried, Moutioye, sainct Denise. Then the arrowes flewe out of the long bowes on the one parte, the quarrelles out of the crosse bowes on the other parte. After thei came to hande strokes: greate was the fight, & terrible was the batfaill, with so indifferent Judgement of victory that no heraulde could determyne to whiche parte Fortune moste shewed her louyng countenaunce. For on bothe sides men wer slain and wounded, and on bothe partes some wer felled and recouered, thus stil in a doubtful Judgement, the battaill continued about three houres. The duke of Alauson in the meane season neuer ceased to exhorte and praie his people manly to fight, and not to suffre their enemies, (whiche wer at the very point to be ouercome) by their faint hartes to be victors, and ouercommers. Likewise the duke of Bedford rode about his armie, refreshing the weake with freshe men, and encoragyng his people with moste plesaunt wordes: But at the last when he perceiued the Frenchemen, what with heate, and with trauaill, to waxe wery and faint, and not to bee so freshe as thei wer before (for surely the nature of the Frenchmen, is not to labor long in fightyng, and muche more braggeth then fighteth) he with al his strength set incontinent on them with suche a violence, that they bare theim doune to the grounde by fine force. The French horsemen that daie did litle seruice: for the archers so galled their horses, that they desired not muche to approche their presence. This battaill was fought the xxvij. day of August, in the yere of our Lorde. M. CCCC. xxv. in the whiche battaill wer slain:

Of Frenchemen: The erle of Aumerle, The erle of Ventadore. The erle of Forestes. The erle of Mary. The lorde Grauile. The lorde Gaules. The lorde Fountaynes. The lorde of Amboys. The Vicount Thouars. The lorde Mounteney. The lorde of Combreste. The lorde of Brunell. The lorde Tumblet. The lorde of Poysy. And thre hundred knightes beside. The. Vicount Nerbon whose body was haged on a gibbet, because he was one of the murtherars, of the duke of Burgoyne.

Of Scottes also wer slain. Archibald erle Douglas made duke of Toroyne. James Douglas his sonne erle of Nigton. Ihon the erle of Boughem newly made Constable of Fraunce. Sir Alexander Meldryne. Sir Henry Balglauie. Sir Ihon Sterlyng. Sir William of Homelsdone. Sir James Graye. Sir Robert Kanden. Sir Alexander Lynsaie. Sir Robert Stewarde. Sir Robert Swinton, and. xxvij. hundred Scottes of name and armes, besides other.