1.The chief event of Henry’s French war was the Battle of Agincourt.Sailing across from Southampton to the mouth of the Seine，he laid siege to the town of Harfleur，which he forced to surrender after a siege of forty days.He then marched along the sea-side towards Calais，following the route which Edward the Third had taken on his way to Crecy.He hoped to cross the river Somme at the White Spot，-where Edward had crossed it；but he found that impossible，owing to the number of French soldiers at the place.
2.Then，marching quickly up the bank of the stream，he found a ford，and went across，having first made all his archers cut thick stakes of wood，six feet long，and sharpened to a point at each end.An enormous army of Frenchmen had gathered to the battle around the village of Agincourt.There Henry came up with them，and encamped within sight of his enemies.Through along，wet October night，the foes sat by their fires，waiting for the dawn which was to decide the issue of the fight.
3.Henry，who rode a gray horse，and wore a crown of gold over his steel helmet，formed his archers into a body like a wedge，and ordered them to plant the stakes which they had cut in a slanting direction，so that the charging horsemen of the enemy might run on the points.
4.In disposing of his little force，Henry adopted the plan of Bruce at Bannockbourn.He placed his men so that the French could not attack them with a broad front，the wings of which might curve round and encircle his little band.Knowing the value of stratagems，he arranged that a party of archers should lie in ambush in a field behind the French，and that another band in the same quarter of the field should set a village on fire.
5.About twelve o‘clock the English King cried out，“Banners advance；”
a
and the general of the archers
gave the signal by throwing his baton in thebair.Then the shooting began.While the arrows were emptying saddlesin great numbers，nearly all the French horsemen，who wore suits of heavy armour，stuck deep in the wet soil of a ploughed field，and afforded to the archers，who ran in among them with axe and bill-hook，an easy prey.A scene of terrible confusion ensued.The French made every effort to re-form their ranks，but without success；and in three hours the English had won a complete victory.
中文阅读
1.在亨利主导英法之战中，最重要的战役就是阿金库尔之战。当时他率领大军从南安普顿起航，渡海来到了塞纳河口，对阿夫勒尔实施围攻战术，不过整整围了四十多天之后，城里的人们才被迫投降。之后他便沿着海岸继续行军到达加来，这几乎是当年爱德华三世国王亲征克雷西的同一条路径。他希望能在“白点”渡过索姆河，爱德华当时是从这里过河的；但是他很快明白这根本不现实，因为有很多法国士兵驻扎在这里。
2.于是他只好沿着河岸继续急行军，最终发现一处浅滩，成功渡河到了对岸。渡河之后第一件事便是下令弓箭手砍伐粗实的木料，然后制成6英寸长两端尖锐的武器。而此时法国大军也开始在阿金库尔集结，亨利来到此地后，找到一个可以看到法军军营的位置驻扎下来。在这个十月份的潮湿之夜，敌军坐守在营火旁，等待天亮就发起战斗。
3.亨利骑上一匹灰色战马，在他的钢盔之上戴着一顶金色王冠，让他的弓箭手们排成一个楔子阵型，再将之前削制好的木箭倾斜放置，让对方的骑兵主将正好对着木箭的尖端。
4.为了解决他兵力不足的问题，亨利在班诺克本采纳了布鲁斯的建议。他精心布阵，避免与法军进行大方阵的正面交锋，让部队从两翼绕袭包围。明白这个计谋的用意之后，他安排一队弓箭手埋伏在法军背后，然后另一路人马在弓箭手埋伏的方向到附近的村庄里纵火。
5.大约到了中午12点，英王亨利大喊一声“举旗前进”；这时弓箭手c头领向空a The archers.-The English archers had been posted in a field，out of sight of the enemy.They sent ashower of arrows into the midst of the French horsemen，which threw them into confusion.
b Emptying saddles.-By killing those who satin them.
c 弓箭手：英军弓箭手埋伏在战场上法军看不见的地方，他们朝法军骑兵部队中间发起猛攻，一时箭如雨下，令敌人立马阵脚大乱。
中扔出指挥棒作为信号，射击就此开始了。很快飞来的箭簇就让敌人许多的马鞍上没人a了，几乎所有法军骑兵都穿着厚厚的盔甲，如今跌下马来，深深陷入泥泞的土地中，英军此时举着战斧和镰刀杀入敌阵，轻松如砍瓜切菜一般。一时法军大乱，根本无力还击，虽然他们几番努力想调整阵营，但都失败了。不到三个小时，英军便取得了决定性的胜利。
a 马鞍上没人：意指骑在上面的人被英军射下马来。
73
HENRY VI-WINDSOR
亨利六世--温莎王
1422to 1461A.D.-39years（公元1422~1461年，在位39年）affairs，business.
debated，talked over.
great rival，claimant for the throne.
mission，work to save her country.
progress，advance.renewed，begun again.routed，entirely defeated.rustic，country.
1.Henry the Sixth，son of the late King，was but an infant when his father died.A council of twenty，headed by the Duke of Gloucester，an uncle of the King，managed the affairs of the nation.The Duke of Bedford，another uncle of the King，went to France as English Regent.There fresh conquests were madeaby the English forces.Siege was then laid to Orleans；and it was thought thatit too would fall into their hands.But suddenly a change came，by which almost all that had been gained was lost.
2.In a certain village of France there lived a rustic girl，named Joan of Arc，who thought that Heaven had raised her up to save her country from the English armies.This was told to the French King，who，being much alarmed at the success of the English，was willing to do anything to check their progress.
3.He therefore put Joan at the head of some troops；and the soldiers，quite believing in her mission，fought under her command with the greatest bravery.She entered Orleans，drove the English from before the walls；defeated them in several battles，and won back for the French King the provinces he had lost.By these successes she gained the name of “The Maid of Orleans.”
4.Two years later Joan of Arc was taken prisoner by the English，and was by them burned at Rouen，it is said，as a witch.But，from the time that she appeared，the power of the English in France had gradually gone down；and in 1451they had lost all their French possessions except Calais.Thus all the blood.shed in the former reign for the conquest of France had been shed in vain.
a Orleans.-A town on the river Loire，60miles south-west of Paris.
5.To Henry’s foreign troubles were added greater troubles at home；for theaDuke of Gloucester and Cardinal Beaufort，the two most powerful friends ofthe House of Lancaster，had died；and there was growing up a great rival to the King in the person of Richard，Duke of York，who was really the rightful heir to the throne.
6.Then commenced that long and bloody contest known as the War of the Roses，which lasted thirty years，and almost destroyed the old English nobility.Those who were on the side of the Duke of York wore a white rose，and those who favoured the House of Lancaster wore a red one.
c
