built upon character. This the duke and his soldiers felt, and hence they argued that her life had been wicked and vile; for which reason, and because he really desired to remove a powerful enemy, the duke ordered her instant death.

The old shepherd, her father, begged her now to kneel down and take his blessing; but she would not stoop to him, and his benediction was turned to a curse, for he cried out, "O burn her, burn her; hanging is too good!" upon which the duke bid her guards to take her away, for he said she had lived too long to fill the world with vicious qualities.

Joan of Arc then burst forth into a passionate defence of herself, saying that she had been virtuous and holy, and chosen from above by inspiration of celestial grace to work exceeding miracles on the earth, and that her maiden blood would cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.

But the stern duke was inflexible. He ordered her burnt at the stake; yet in deference to her maidenhood, told his officers to spare no fagots nor pitch, that her torture might be shortened; and thus this Maid, who had caused the English more loss and injury than the dauphin and all his forces beside, was led out to execution amid the curses of her captors.

It was not long after this time that a messenger from the dauphin came to the Duke of York, who was now the lord regent of France, asking an interview for his master, and saying that the states

of Christendom, moved with remorse of the outrageous broils of England and France, earnestly implored a general peace between them. Upon the messenger's heels came Charles himself attended by his nobles, and to his plea for peace the Bishop of Winchester, at the regent's request, made answer that King Henry, out of compassion towards France, would give consent to ease the land of distressful war provided Charles should become a liegeman to the English crown and pay tribute, in which case he should be placed as a viceroy under King Henry and still enjoy his regal dignity.

The French nobles murmured against these hard conditions, and the dauphin said it was well known already that he was possessed with more than half the French territories and reverenced as their lawful king. Should he, therefore, he asked, detract so much from that prerogative as to be called but viceroy of the whole? And he chose rather to keep that which he had than, coveting more, be cast from the possibility of possessing all.

This frank rejoinder angered the Duke of York, who blamed the dauphin for using intercession to obtain a league with him, and then standing thus aloof; and he threatened him with incessant wars if he did not accept the offered terms.

Then the French nobles, little relishing a renewal of the warfare in which they had been so often worsted, pleaded with the dauphin to agree to the truce, saying it was his best policy to save

his subjects from massacre and ruthless slaughters; and, in secret, they whispered that he might easily break the compact when his pleasure served.

As Charles was himself not loath to have the fighting done he at last consented on the sole condition that the English should claim no interest in any of his towns or garrisons. This was acceptable to the duke, and he bid the dauphin then swear allegiance to his majesty King Henry VI. of England, and, as he was a knight, never to disobey nor be rebellious to the English crown.

The dauphin and all his nobles gave tokens of fealty, and then retired to dismiss their forces and lay down their arms; and thus, for the time, was a solemn peace covenanted between the longcontending thrones of France and England.

KING HENRY VI.-PART II.

S was the custom in the days of King Henry the Sixth, the handsome Marquess of Suffolk, a favorite of the king, was sent into France to marry by proxy the princess who had been chosen to share the throne of England with the young ruler. She was a fair maiden, daughter to Reignier, King of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem, and King Henry had chosen her upon the report of Lord Suffolk, who not only praised her beauty, but plausibly represented that a match with one of the allies of France would confirm the peace lately made with the dauphin Charles, and serve to hold the Frenchmen in the allegiance they had sworn to the English crown.

In fulfilling his courtly mission, the marquess had journeyed to the ancient city of Tours, and there, in the presence of many kings and nobles, had performed his task and was espoused. Then, with the newly-made bride, he started for England, where arriving, he bowed before King Henry and delivered up his title in the queen.

IV.-C

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