The French k. sendeth defiance to king Henrie.
K. Henries answer to the defiance.
The French king being at Rone, and hearing that king Henrie was passed the riuer of Some, was much displeased therewith, and assembling his councell to the number of fiue and thirtie, asked their aduise what was to be doone. There was amongst these fiue and thirtie, his sonne the Dolphin, calling himselfe king of Sicill; the dukes of Berrie and Britaine, the earle of Pontieu the kings yoongest sonne, and other high estates. At length thirtie of them agréed, that the Englishmen should not depart vnfought withall, and fiue were of a contrarie opinion, but the greater number ruled the matter: and so Montioy king at armes was sent to the king of England to defie him as the enimie of France, and to tell him that he should shortlie haue battell. King Henrie aduisedlie answered: "Mine intent is to doo as it pleaseth God, I will not séeke your maister at this time; but if he or his séeke me, I will méet with them God willing. If anie of your nation attempt once to stop me in my iournie now towards Calis, at their ieopardie be it; and yet I wish not anie of you so vnaduised, as to be the occasion that I die your tawnie ground with your red bloud."
When he had thus answered the herald, he gaue him a princelie reward, and licence to depart. Vpon whose returne, with this answer, it was incontinentlie on the French side proclamed, that all men of warre should resort to the constable to fight with the king of England. Wherevpon, all men apt for armor and desirous of honour, drew them toward the field. The Dolphin, sore desired to haue béene at the battell, but he was prohibited by his father: likewise Philip earle of Charolois would gladlie haue béene there, if his father the duke of Burgognie would haue suffered him: manie of his men stale awaie, and went to the Frenchmen. The king of England hearing that the Frenchmen approched, and that there was an other riuer for him to passe with his armie by a bridge, and doubting least if the same bridge should be broken, it would be greatlie to his hinderance, appointed certeine capteins with their bands, to go thither with all spéed before him, and to take possession thereof, and so to kéepe it, till his comming thither.
King Henrie rideth foorth to take view of the French armie.
Those that were sent, finding the Frenchmen busie to breake downe their bridge, assailed them so vigorouslie, that they discomfited them, and tooke and slue them; and so the bridge was preserued till the king came, and passed the riuer by the same with his whole armie. This was on the two and twentith day of October. The duke of Yorke that led the vauntgard (after the armie was passed the riuer) mounted vp to the heigth of an hill with his people, and sent out scowts to discouer the countrie, the which vpon their returne aduertised him, that a great armie of Frenchmen was at hand, approching towards them. The duke declared to the king what he had heard, and the king therevpon, without all feare or trouble of mind, caused the battell which he led himselfe to staie, and incontinentlie rode foorth to view his aduersaries, and that doone, returned to his people, and with chéerefull countenance caused them to be put in order of battell, assigning to euerie capteine such roome and place, as he thought conuenient, and so kept them still in that order till night was come, and then determined to séeke a place to incampe & lodge his armie in for that night.
The number of the French mē thrée score thousand.
Enguerant.
There was not one amongst them that knew any certeine place whither to go, in that vnknowne countrie: but by chance they happened vpon a beaten waie, white in sight; by the which they were brought vnto a little village, where they were refreshed with meat and drinke somewhat more plenteouslie than they had béene diuerse daies before. Order was taken by commandement from the king after the armie was first set in battell arraie, that no noise or clamor should be made in the host; so that in marching foorth to this village, euerie man kept himselfe quiet: but at their comming into the village, fiers were made to giue light on euerie side, as there likewise were in the French host, which was incamped not past two hundred and fiftie pases distant from the English. The chéefe leaders of the French host were these: the constable of France, the marshall, the admerall, the lord Rambures maister of the crosbowes, and other of the French nobilitie, which came and pitched downe their standards and banners in the countie of saint Paule, within the territorie of Agincourt, hauing in their armie (as some write) to the number of thréescore thousand horssemen, besides footmen, wagoners and other.