rprise Henry, but arrived only to find that he had escaped. They
afterwards raised the standard of revolt, but their insurrection
proved abortive, and the fate of the leaders was summary and
sanguinary.

The favourite palace of Henry the Fourth was at Eltham, where, in the
second year of his reign, he kept a grand Christmas, and entertained
the Emperor of Constantinople. At this festival the men of London made
a "gret mummyng to him of XII. Aldermen and theire sones, for which
they had gret thanke." Similar festivities were observed at several
subsequent festivals; then the king's health gave way, and he passed
the last Christmas of his life in seclusion at Eltham, suffering from
fits of epilepsy, and lying frequently for hours in an unconscious
state. After Candlemas he was so much better as to be able to return
to his palace at Westminster, but he died there on the 20th of March
the same year (1413). The final scene and the parting words of the
king to his son, who became Henry V., have been beautifully depicted
by Shakespeare.

KING HENRY THE FIFTH.

In connection with the Christmas festival in 1414 a conspiracy to
murder the king is alleged against the Lollards, but the charge has
never been satisfactorily proved. "If we are to believe the
chroniclers of the times the Lollards resolved to anticipate their
enemies, to take up arms and to repel force by force. Seeing clearly
that war to the death was determined against them by the Church, and
that the king had yielded at least a tacit consent to this iniquitous
policy, they came to the conclusion to kill not only the bishops, but
the king and all his kin. So atrocious a conspiracy is not readily to
be credited against men who contended for a greater purity of gospel
truth, nor against men of the practical and military knowledge of Lord
Cobham. But over the whole of these transactions there hangs a veil of
impenetrable mystery, and we can only say that the Lollards are
charged with endeavouring to surprise the king and his brother at
Eltham, as they were keeping their Christmas festivities there, and
that this attempt failed through the Court receiving intimation of the
design and suddenly removing to Westminster."[26] Lord Cobham was put
to death by cruel torture in St. Giles's Fields, London, on Christmas
Day, 1418.

In the early part of his reign Henry invaded France and achieved a
series of brilliant successes, including the famous victory at
Agincourt. The