halters and delivered them to the
queen, and released from death all those of Calais for the love of her.

[Illustration:

"THERE.IS.NOTHING.IN
FRANCE.THAT.CAN.BE.WON
WITH.A.DANCE.OR.A.SONG."

HENRY the FIFTH and the BABY KING]

[Sidenote: A.D. 1399.]

HENRY the Fourth was the Black Prince's nephew, and he came to be king
of England. His son was Henry the Fifth, the greatest of the Plantagenet
kings. When he was a young man, and only Prince of Wales, he was very
wild and fond of games and jokes. They used to call him Harry Madcap.

Once, when he got into some trouble or other, his father, who was ill,
sent for him, and he went at once in a fine dress that he had had made
for a fancy dress party. It was of light blue satin with odd puckers in
the sleeves, and at every pucker the tailor had left a little bit of
blue thread and a tag like a needle. The king was very angry with the
prince for daring to come into the royal presence in such a silly coat.
Then Prince Harry said--

"Dear father, as soon as I heard that you wanted me, I was in such a
hurry to come to you that I had no time to even think of my coat, much
less change it."

And so the king forgave him.

Another time one of his servants got into trouble and was taken before
the Chief Judge Sir William Gascoyne. The Prince went directly to the
Court where the judge was and said--

"Lord Judge, this is my servant, and you must let him go, for I am the
king's son."

"No," said the judge, "I sit here in the place of the king himself, to
do justice to all his subjects, and were this man the Prince of Wales
himself, instead of being his servant, he should be punished in that he
has offended against the law."

The prince was so angry that he actually forgot himself so far as to
strike Sir William Gascoyne. The good judge did not hesitate a minute.

"You have insulted the king himself," he said, "in my person, since I
sit here in his place to do justice. The common folks who offend against
the law offend merely against the king; but you, young man, are a double
traitor to your king and your father."

And he sent the prince to prison.

Henry begged the good judge's pardon afterwards, and when he came to the
throne he thanked him for having behaved so justly and wisely, and gave
him great honour because he had not been afraid to do his duty without
respect of rank, and Henry behaved to the judge like a good son to a