same melancholy truth. They were willing to give him the princess in
marriage, to pay him eight hundred thousand crowns, to resign the entire
sovereignty of Guienne, and to annex to that province the country of
Perigord, Rovergue Xaintonge, the Angoumois, and other territories.[**]

* Rymer, vol. ix. p. 208.

** Rymer, vol. ix. p. 211.

It is reported by some historians, (see Hist. Croyl. Cont. p. 500,) that
the dauphin, in derision of Henry's claims and dissolute character, sent
him a box of tennis balls; intimating, that these implements of play
were better adapted to him than the instruments of war. But this story
is by no means credible; rejected these conditions, and scarcely hoped
that his own demands would be complied with, he never intermitted a
moment his preparations for war; and having assembled a great fleet and
army at Southampton, having invited all the nobility and military men of
the kingdom to attend him by the hopes of glory and of conquest, he came
to the sea-side with a purpose of embarking on his expedition.

But while Henry was meditating conquests upon his neighbors, he
unexpectedly found himself in danger from a conspiracy at home, which
was happily detected in its infancy. The earl of Cambridge, second son
of the late duke of York, having espoused the sister of the earl of
Marche, had zealously embraced the interests of that family; and had
held some conferences with Lord Scrope of Masham, and Sir Thomas Grey of
Heton, about the means of recovering to that nobleman his right to the
crown of England. The conspirators, as soon as detected, acknowledged
their guilt to the king; [*] and Henry proceeded without delay to their
trial and condemnation. The utmost that could be expected of the best
king in those ages, was, that he would so far observe the essentials of
justice, as not to make an innocent person a victim to his severity;
but as to the formalities of law, which are often as material as the
essentials themselves, they were sacrificed without scruple to the least
interest or convenience. A jury of commoners was summoned: the three
conspirators were indicted before them: the constable of Southampton
Castle swore that they had separately confessed their guilt to him:
without other evidence, Sir Thomas Grey was condemned and executed; but
as the earl of Cambridge and Lord Scrope pleaded the privilege of their
peerage, Henry thought proper to summon a court of eighteen barons, in
w