Henri V. granted the Prince his life; but, no doubt misguided
by the advice of his noble and ecclesiastical counsellors, treated the
illustrious English Duke with marked coldness, and did not even ask him
to supper that night.
"Well!" said Jenkins, "I and my merry men can sup alone." And, indeed,
having had the pick of the plunder of about 28,000 men, they had
wherewithal to make themselves pretty comfortable. The prisoners
(25,403) were all without difficulty induced to assume the white
cockade. Most of them had those marks of loyalty ready sewn in their
flannel-waistcoats, where they swore they had worn them ever since 1830.
This we may believe, and we will; but the Prince Henri was too politic
or too good-humored in the moment of victory, to doubt the sincerity of
his new subjects' protestations, and received the Colonels and Generals
affably at his table.
The next morning a proclamation was issued to the united armies.
"Faithful soldiers of France and Navarre," said the Prince, "the saints
have won for us a great victory--the enemies of our religion have
been overcome--the lilies are restored to their native soil. Yesterday
morning at eleven o'clock the army under my command engaged that which
was led by his SERENE Highness the Duke de Nemours. Our forces were but
a third in number when compared with those of the enemy.
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