but, on making restitution, and promising never again
to be guilty of the offence, he pardoned him. "And you, friend," said
he, turning to the monk, "go back to your brethren in peace, and
attend all of you to your sacred duties without fear of me or my army.
I am not come hither as a thief to rob your churches and altars, but
as a just and merciful King to protect you from violence." Henry then
proclaimed through the army that no one should injure an ecclesiastic
on pain of death.[162] It was amusing, we are told, to see how the
numbers of the regular clergy were suddenly swollen; rustics (p. 214)
shaving their heads, and putting on the dress of a monk, to be safe
under the terms of that protection.

[Footnote 162: A long list of the clergy, and of
the churches then taken by Henry under his
protection, is preserved in the Norman
Rolls.--Hardy's edition, p. 331.]

During this campaign Henry sent repeated bulletins of his proceedings
and successes to the mayor and aldermen of London, many of the
originals of which are still in existence; and which combine, with the
answers to them, in bearing evidence to the popularity of Henry's
person, and of the cause in which he was embarked. Some of these
documents are exceedingly interesting; but it would be needless to
transfer them all into these pages.[163] It is to be lamented that
such indisputable records are not all published, or rendered
accessible to every one who would wish to consult them. The
interspersion of a few in this part of the volume may enable the
reader to verify in more points than one the views which are here
offered of Henry's character and the feeling of the people of England
at this period. The first is a letter from Henry himself, dated August
9, 1417, at Touque, the very day of the surrender of that place, and
only a week after he landed.

[Footnote 163: These letters did not come within
the Author's knowledge before he had written these
brief memoirs of the last years of Henry. It is
very satisfactory to find them all confirmatory of
his previous views. He has taken especial care to
make every, the slightest, correction in his
narrative, suggested by authorities from which
there is no appeal.]

"Trusty and well-