h court sent commissioners to
him to negociate for peace, but the treaty resulted in no favourable
issue; and Henry went on in his career of victory through the very
depth of winter; and became master of Bayeux, Argentan, Alencon, and
other places. He was engaged, however, in the siege of Falaise through
the whole of December, the town not surrendering till the 2nd of
January.

It was at this time that the capture and execution of Lord Cobham took
place in England; of which we have written fully in a separate
dissertation at the close of this volume. Henry, however, probably
knew nothing of that unfortunate man's capture till he heard of his
death.

Early in the preceding autumn [1417] an alarm spread through (p. 218)
England in consequence of the hostile demonstration of the Scots.
There seems to be some doubt as to the extent of their movements.
Buchanan represents the whole affair as one of very little moment,
scarcely more than a border foray; but the English chroniclers lead us
to believe that it was a formidable invasion. It is said that the
Lollards were the instigators; though it is more probable that the
invitation was sent to Scotland from France, and especially through
the Duke of Orleans, then a prisoner in Pontefract, whose liberty was
consequently much straitened, as we find by an original letter of
Henry himself.[166]

[Footnote 166: This letter of the King's is only a
fragment, without date: who were the persons
addressed does not appear; probably he wrote it to
his council in 1417 or 1418. Sir Henry Ellis opens
his second series of Original Letters with this of
Henry V. It is found in MS. Cotton. Vesp. F. iii.
fol. 5.]

"Furthermore, I would that ye commune with my brother, with the
Chancellor, with my cousin of Northumberland, and my cousin of
Westmorland; and that ye set a good ordinance for my north
marches, and specially for the Duke of Orleans and for all the
remnant of my prisoners of France, and also for the K. of
Scotland. For as I am secretly informed by a man of right notable
estate in this land, that there hath been a man of the Duke of
Orleans in Scotland, and accorded with the Duke of Albany that
this next summer he shall bring the mammet[167] of Scotland to
stir what he may; and also that there sho