Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 2.djvu/167

] The cold formality and restraint of the affair, however, was not long in wearing out the patience of the more frank and generous Francis. One morning early he mounted his horse and rode off towards Guisnes, attended only by two gentlemen and a page. On reaching the temporary palace, a body of 200 English soldiers, who kept guard, were no little astonished to see him. "Surrender your arms!" cried Francis, "you are all my prisoners; and now conduct me to my brother." He entered the room where Henry was fast asleep, and, drawing the curtains, exclaimed, "You are my prisoner!" Henry was for a moment confounded with astonishment at what he saw, but the next, springing from his bed, he clasped Francis in his arms, saying, "My brother, you have played me the most agreeable trick in the world, and have showed me the full confidence I may place in you. I surrender myself your prisoner from this moment." He took up a collar of pearls, worth 15,000 angels, and putting it on Francis, insisted that he should wear it for his sake. Francis returned the compliment, by fixing on Henry's wrist a bracelet of double the value of the collar. The jocund French king was in the merriest humour in the world. He insisted on helping Henry to dress; he warmed his shirt, spread out his hose, and trussed his points for him; and having done this, he mounted his horse again, and rode back to Ardres. What a pity that monarchs and statesmen do not extend such moments into years! We admire the bonhommie, the confidence and good-heartedness of such sallies. Alas! that they are but sallies, and not the enduring conduct of potentates to one another. Were such things their practice and not their aberrations, what a different world they would make of it!

But this act of Francis, instead of being regarded by his ministers, as it seems to us, one of the most natural and sensible things on earth, was looked upon as a freak of excessive folly. Riding back towards Ardres, in the gaiety of his heart, he met a party of his courtiers in high alarm; and his faithful officer, Marshal Fleuranges, said bluntly, "Sire, I am right glad to see you back again; but let me tell you, my master, that you were a fool to do the thing you have done; and ill-luck betide those who advised you to it." "And that was nobody," said Francis, laughing; "the thought was all my own, and could have come from no other head." Henry was not the man to be outdone in a deed like that: of all things he delighted in such surprises, and therefore he speedily returned the visit in the same unceremonious manner; and the barriers of the cardinal's stately etiquette being broken down, the intercourse of the courts went on far more pleasantly.

The tournaments were such as had not been witnessed since the most chivalrous ages. Both Henry and Francis were ardently attached to all martial exercises, and therefore they had, months before this meeting, sent heralds into all the principal cities of Europe, to proclaim by sound of trumpet, the challenge of the kings of England and France, who, as brothers in arms, with fourteen companions, at tilts, tournaments, and barriers, would keep the field against all comers, and invited all valorous knights and gentlemen to come and accept the challenge. In this challenge the two kings showed themselves truer knights than Henry had done to Francis in a ludicrous challenge of another kind, which was never to shave till they met—a challenge which Francis maintained, and appeared with a bushy beard, but Henry with a smooth face, asserting that the queen could not abide a shaggy chin.

These tournaments opened on the 11th of June and terminated on the 23rd. The enclosed arena was 900 feet long, and 320 feet wide, and surrounded by scaffolding and galleries for spectators. The two queens sat as umpires, loaded with silks, cloth of gold, and jewels, the very foot-cloth of Queen Catherine being covered with pearls. There were two tents near the entrance of the arena for the kings to array themselves in, and to rest after their contests, and wine flowed like water. In the centre of the field was raised a mound, on which were planted two artificial trees, the hawthorn for England and the raspberry for France, with their stems and branches lovingly intertwined. The shield of Henry, bearing the arms of England within a garter, hung upon one tree, and that of Francis, with the arms of France within a collar of his order of St. Michael, on the other. Henry was attended by his gallant brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, the Marquis of Dorset, Sir William Kingston, Sir Richard Jerningham, Sir Giles Capel, Nicholas Carew, and Anthony Neville; Francis, by the Lords Pol, Montmorency, Biron, and other gentlemen. Numbers of the bravest knights of different countries appeared in the lists to answer the challenges; and six days were spent in tilting with lances, two in fighting with broadswords on horseback, and two on foot at the barriers. There were five battles a day; and in all, such was the valour of the monarchs, or the skilful flattery of their opponents, they came off conquerors.

After the tournaments, the English and French wrestlers appeared and wrestled before the kings and the ladies, in which contest the English bore away the palm. Henry, excited by this scene, seized Francis by the collar, crying, "My brother, I must wrestle with you," and endeavoured to trip up his heels; but the King of France, who was a dexterous wrestler, twisted him round and threw him on the ground with great violence. Henry, mortified at this defeat before the two courts and the concourse of illustrious strangers, rose warmly, and insisted on renewing the contest, but the nobles on both sides interfered and prevented further play. The joustings were succeeded by banquets, balls, masquerades, and mummeries, in which the ladies as well as the gentlemen played their parts. Shakespeare has described these gorgeous festivities in his unequalled style:—

"Men might say, Till this time pomp was single: but now married To one above itself. Each following day Became the next day's master, till the last Made former wonder its: to-day, the French, All clinquant, all iii gold, like heathen gods, Shone down the English: and, to-morrow, they Made Britain, India: every man that stood, Showed like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were As cherubins, all gilt: the madams, too, Not used to toil, did almost sweat to bear The pride upon them, that their very labour Was to them as a painting: now, this mask Was cried incomparable; and the ensuing nights Made it a fool and beggar. The two kings, Equal in lustre, were now best, now worst, As presence did present them: him in eye,