Calais

This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recording by Marianne.

About the middle of January, Mabel Andrews wrote to Sarah Lee from France, where she was already installed at hospital at Calais.

The evening before the letter came, Harvey had brought round the engagement ring.

He had made a little money in war stocks, and into the ring he had put every dollar of his profits, and a great love, and gentleness, and hopes which he did not formulate even to himself.

Her little phrase book seemed pitifully inadequate for the great things in her mind.

"That hardly matters," said Henri, smiling faintly, "because I think you shall not go to Boulogne." "Not go?" She stopped dead under the monument and looked up at him.

"The place for you to go, to start from, is Calais," Henri explained.

He paused to let pass two lovers, a man in khaki and a girl.

But Mary's government soon received a severe shock.

The French were anxious to strike some blow which might compensate for their defeat at Saint-Quentin, and the decayed defenses and scanty garrison of Calais invited their attack.

In the winter of 1557 and 8, Calais was surprised, and the last possession of the English in France was lost.

The loss was not in itself important, but the disgrace was deeply felt, for the English claims to France were dear to every Englishman, and war with France on their account had always been popular.

Now the last remnant of English conquests was lost, and with it much of England's past glory had fallen away.

The loss of Calais was felt equally by the Queen and the people.

From every side disappointment and disaster closed over the last years of Mary's reign.

Philip, to whom she was devotedly attached, had willingly left England to administer his wide dominions.

Fair son God give you good perseverance you are my son indeed for loyally have you acquitted yourself this day well do you deserve to hold this land.

From Crécy the English marched upon Calais and for eleven months the city bore the horrors of a siege September 1346 to August 1347.

Edward built for himself a regular town outside the walls Villeneuve-la-Hardy he called it where he was joined by his wife and where the English settled themselves comfortably down with houses and shops determined to starve out the place rather than storm it by assault.

This they very effectually did blocking it by sea and land and though Philip came within sight of the walls he did nothing to help the brave defenders.

The loss of Calais meant much to France and as a safeguard for the channel and the passage of their ships its possession was a great source of strength to the English.

Once more a truce ended for a time the wearisome struggle.

Shortly after these events Philip VI died but he was succeeded by a son of very similar character John the Good 1350 to 64 like John of Bohemia owed his title rather to the fact that he was open-handed and courteous and loved feasts and tourneys than to being in any sense a good king.

His campaign was not very successful, the French knew better than to risk another pitched battle, and the English failed to enter into Reims or Paris.

Then it's true that Norfolk comes to Paris." His wife slipped down from her seat.

"Gave I you not the ostler's gossip from Calais three days since?" she said, and went towards her roastings.

"But wherefore comes the yellow dog to Paris?" Udall persisted.

"That you may go seek," she answered, "but believe always what an innkeeper says of who are on the road." Udall too slipped down from the window-seat.

He was taken and set in the Tower by the men of Privy Seal, yet within ten hours came the men of the King.

These took him aboard a cargo.

The cargo took them to Calais, and at the gate of Calais town, the King's men kicked him into the country of France, he having sworn on oath nevermore to tread on English soil." Udall groaned.

"Aye, but what others were taken? What others shall be?" She shook her head.

Besides this, the English, before the hope of Maximilian's marrying Anne was over, had supported him vigorously against his own rebellious subjects at Bruges, Ghent, Ypres, and Slush.

The popular party in the cities had invited the French to their aid, and under pretence that the safety of the garrison of Calais was threatened by their revolt, Henry sent about 2,000 men under Lords Morley and Daubney, who inflicted a heavy blow upon the French besiegers of Nieuport.

Thus both in Britannia and on the north-eastern frontier of France, there had been fighting between the English and French, while at the same time Henry and Charles strongly maintained that the peace between the countries was unbroken.

The subsidy for the war granted by Henry's third parliament in 1489 was not levied without great difficulty in the north of England.

Tidings also came that Ferdinand of Aragon had just made a treaty with France on most advantageous terms, receiving back Roussillon and Perpignan.

which his father had pledged to France for three hundred thousand crowns.

Accordingly, though Henry sailed for Calais, October sixth, leaving orders for the army to rendezvous there, and even began the siege of Boulogne as an instalment of the sovereignty which he claimed over all France, yet he was not insensible to the advantage of negotiating, and allowed a peace to be concluded at Étaples, November third, receiving under the name of expenses a sum of one hundred and twenty-seven thousand livres, besides a pension or tribute of six thousand livres a year to make good what he had spent in Bretagne.

Thus the war ended, not heroically, we must admit.

Read by Marcy.

First citizen of Calais.

Read by Marcy.

Second poor Frenchman.

Read by Anna Simon.

Second citizen of Calais.

Read by Anna Simon.

A Captain of Calais.