’There men might see a great pity,
  A child of two year or three
  Go about, and bid his bread,
  For Father and mother both lay dead,
  And under them the water stood,
  And yet they lay crying after food. 
  Some storven to the death,
  And some stopped both eyen and breath,
  And some crooked in the knees,
  And as lean as any trees,
  And women holding in their arm
  A dead child, and nothing warm,
  And children sucking on the pap
  Within a dead woman’s lap.’

On Friday the 20th of January, King Henry V. made his public entry into
Rouen.  His personal appearance is thus described: 

  ’He rode upon a brown steed,
  Of black damask was his weed,
  A Peytrelle of gold full bright
  About his neck hung down right,
  And a pendant behind him did honge
  Unto the earth, it was so long. 
  And they that never before him did see,
  They knew by the cheer which was he.’

“With the accustomed, but mistaken, piety for which Henry was ever distinguished, he first proceeded to the monastery, where he alighted from his charger, and was met by the chaplains of his household, who walked before him, chanting Quis est magnus Dominus? After the celebration of mass, the king repaired to the Castle, where he took up his abode.  By this termination of a siege, which, for its duration and the horrors it produced, is perhaps without a parallel in ancient or modern times, the city was again plentifully supplied with provisions, and recovered the shock so tedious and afflicting a contest had occasioned: 

  ’And thus our gracious liege
  Made an end of his siege;
  And all that have heard this reading,
  To his bliss Christ you bring,
  That for us died upon a tree,
  Amen say we all, pur charite!’

The Duke of Exeter is appointed Governor of the City, and ordered by Henry to take possession of it the same night.  The Duke mounts his horse, and rides strait to the Port de Bevesyne or Beauvais, attended by a retinue, to carry the commands of his sovereign into execution.  His Entre, and the truly miserable condition of the besieged, together with the imposing appearance of Henry, shall now be described in the language of the poet.

  Thanne the duke of Excestre withoute bode
  Toke his hors and forth he rode,
  To bevesyne[E] that porte so stronge,
  That he hadde ley bifore so longe,
  To that gate sone he kam,[F]
  And with hym many a worthy[G] manne. 
  There was neying of many a stede,
  And schynyng of many a gay wede,
  There was many a getoun[H] gay,
  With mychille[I] and grete aray. 
  And whanne the gate was openyd there,
  And thay weren[J] redy into fare,
  Trumpis[K] blewgh her bemys[L] of bras,
  Pipis and clarionys forsothe ther was,
  And as thay entrid thay gaf a schowte
  With her[M] voyce that was fulle stowte,