Battle of Agincourt (Croyland Chronicle)

After these transactions, the king made a speedy voyage
with the troops and fifteen hundred ships, and landed at the
harbomr of Chef de Caux, at the moul£i of the river Seine
whence he proceeded with a prosperous course, and laid siege to
the town of Harfleur by sea and land. This place he vigorously
attacked by throwing into it immense masses of stone by means
of his engines of war, as though they were playing with the
Frenchmen at the game commonly known as ‘ tennis.’ The
])eople being worn out with the obstinacy of the prolonged
siege, and starved through want of food, the king, under the
guidance of God, was at length victorious on the feast of Saint
Mauricius,^’ and by this display of his strength gained pos-
session of the town : for which he afterwards duly returned
thanks to God, the bestower of all blessings. After an inter-
val from this time of nearly five weeks, a great battle was
fought between the king of England with seven thousand men,
; and the flower of the knighthood of all France, sixty thou-
sand in number, on the plains of Agincourt, upon the feast ^®
«f Saints Crispin and Cnspinian. Here, king Henry, girding
himself with valour and trusting in the aid of God and the
prayers of the clergy throughout all England, dew eleven

” Twenty^econd of September.. ‘» Twenty-ifth of October. <■ thousand men of the opposite side ; while he took prisoner the duke of Orleans, together with great numbers of the nobles, and compelled the rest of the army to take to flight. After the battle was thus finished, and the king of England had by the will of Gk)d thus gained the victory, he returned to his camp, there to return thanks to God for thus granting him this triumph ; and with great exultation of heart, had the hymn of praise, the Te I>eum, sung in his tent, no small
number of the private soldiers standing by, as well as such of
the clergy as were then present. The king himself, still with
his armour on, rendering the palm of glory unto God, threw
himself prostrate on the ground in the midst of all ; nor did
he consider himself worthy to arise therefrom, before the said
hymn of praise, together with the prayers appended thereto,
had been brought to a conclusion*

From the Croyland (Crowland) Chronicle