Page:The Queens of England.djvu/206

i/4 THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. other constitutions are not subject to infancy, or craziness, as kings are." "When the day appointed for the conference with Henry was come, the king, the queen, and Princess Katherine, the Duke of Burgundy, and the Count de St. Pol, with the members of the council, escorted by a thousand combatants, went to the place of conference, near to Meulan, and entered the tents that were without the inclosure. Soon after the King of England arrived, attended by his brothers, the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, and a thousand men-at-arms. He entered the tent that had been pitched for him, as the others had done; and when they were about to commence the conference, the queen on the right hand, followed by the Lady Katherine, the Duke of Burgundy, and the Count de St. Pol, entered the inclosure. In like man- ner did the King of .England, with his brothers and council, by another opening ; and, with a most respectful obeisance, saluted the queen, and then kissed her and the Lady Katherine. After this the Duke of Burgundy saluted the king, bending his knee a little, and inclining his head ; but Henry took him by the hand, embraced him, and showed him great respect. After they had remained in conference a long time, they separated, taking most respectful leave of each other. On the morrow three weeks they again met there, and remained together for several days in the same state, and with the same number of persons as before, with the exception of the Lady Katherine, who had been brought the first time that the King of England might see her. King Henry was very desirous to marry her, and not without cause, for she was very handsome, of high birth, and of the most engaging manners." Nevertheless, in spite of the maiden's beauty and the hero's admiration, his territorial acquisitiveness remained undimin- ished. Such was the exorbitancy of his demands, that even all the interest of the queen could not persuade the council to com- ply with them ; and the conference ended without any satisfac- tory result. Some days afterward Henry demanded a third interview at the Bridge of Ponthoise, but on arriving there and finding the tents struck, the barriers pulled down, and everything removed to show that the treaty was supposed to be entirely broken off, "the King of England was much displeased, and said indig- nantly to the Duke of Burgundy, the only one of the royal fam- ilv who had attended, 'Fair cousin, we wish you to know we