282 A G G A G I so far ful Riled that many troubles befell the state during his reign. Few of these, however, are traceable to the policy of the king, whose public life was illustrated by a series of brilliant victories over the enemies of his country. In character, Agesilaus seems to have possessed the Spartan virtues of courage, temperance, and fortitude, without the Spartan vices of hardness, cupidity, and injustice. His life and merits have been commemorated by Xenophon, Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, and Cornalius Nepos. AGGREGATION, STATES OF, the three states solid, liquid, and gaseous in which matter occurs, depending on the degree of cohesion that subsists between the molecules or atoms of material bodies. In the solid state, the mole cules cohere so firmly that their relative positions cannot be changed without the application of force, and the body retains a definite form ; in the liquid state, they move freely and readily on each other, the cohesion that exists being so slight that the body has itself no form ; in the gaseous state, they are affected by an elastic force that amounts to repulsion, tending to separate them, and so diffuse them through an increased space. The metals, glass, wood, &c., are solids ; water and atmospheric air are the most familiar types of liquid and gaseous bodies. The name fluid is sometimes used to denote both gases and liquids, which are designated elastic and non-elastic fluids respectively. These states of aggregation are not in every case many now believe they are not in any case per manent and unchangeable. Metals can be melted and vaporised ; the liquid water is convertible into ice and into steam ; and a number of what were formerly reckoned fixed or permanent gases have been liquified and solidified. Solids are reduced to liquid, and liquids to gaseous forms, princi pally by heat ; pressure effects changes of the opposite kind. AGHRIM, or AUGHRIM, a small village in Galway, 4 miles W. of Ballinasloe, is rendered memorable by the de cisive victory gained there, on 12th July 1G91, by the forces of William III., under General Ginkell, over those of James II., under the French general St Ruth. The Irish, numbering 25,000, and strongly posted behind marshy ground, at first maintained a vigorous resistance ; but Ginkell, having penetrated their line of defence, and their general being struck down by a cannon-ball at this critical moment, they were at length overcome and routed with ter rible slaughter. The loss of the English did not exceed 700 killed and 1000 wounded; while the Irish, in their disastrous flight, lost about 7000 men, besides the whole material of the army. This defeat rendered the adherents of James in Ireland incapable of farther efforts, and was speedily fol lowed by the complete submission of the country. AGINCOURT, or AZINCOURT, a French village, in the department of Pas de Calais, situated in 50 C 35 N. lat., 2 10 E. long., famous on account of the victory obtained there by Henry V. of England over the French. Follow ing the example of several of his predecessors, the young king crossed over to France in the third year of his reign on a military expedition. Having landed at the mouth of the Seine, he took and sacked Harfleur after a siege of thirty-six days, but the army was so much reduced in strength, especially by disease, that some of Henry s ad visers counselled a return home without following up the advantage. The proud spirit of the young king, however, would not submit to this, and he resolved on a march through the country to what was then the English forti fied town of Calais, though he knew that a force vastly superior to his own was in the field to oppose him. On the morning of Friday, the 25th of October, 1415 A.D., St Crispin s day, the English and French armies were ranged in order of battle, each in three lines, with bodies of cavalry on both wings. The Constable d Albert, who commanded the French army, fell into the snare that was laid for him, by drawing up his army in a narrow plain between two woods. This deprived him in a great mea sure of the advantage he should have derived from the prodigious superiority of his numbers, by obliging him to make his lines unnecessarily deep, and to crowd his troops, particularly his cavalry, so close together that they could hardly move or use their arms. The numbers of the French are differently estimated at from 50,000 to 150,000 men, but the latter number is a gross exaggeration. The first line was commanded by the Constable d Albert, the dukes of Orleans and Bourbon, and many other nobles ; the dukes of Alencon, Brabant, and Barre conducted the second line ; and the earls of Marie, Damartine, Faucun- berg, ike., were at the head of the third line. The king of England placed 200 of his best archers in ambush in a low meadow on the flank of the first line of the French. His own first line consisted wholly of archers, each of whom, besides his bow and arrows, had a battle-axe, a. sword, and a stake pointed with iron at both ends, which he fixed before him in the ground, the point inclining outwards, to protect him from cavalry. This was a new invention, and had a happy effect. That he might not be encum bered, Henry dismissed all his prisoners on their word of honour to surrender themselves at Calais if he obtained the victory, and lodged all his baggage near the village of Maisoncelles, in his rear, under a slender guard. The main body of the English army, consisting of men-at-arms, was commanded by Henry in person ; the vanguard, com mitted to Edward Duke of York at his particular request, was posted as a wing to the right ; and the rearguard, commanded by Lord Camois, as a wing on the left. The archers were placed between the wings, in the form of a wedge. The lines being formed, the king, in shining armour, mounted on a fine white horse, rode along them, and addressed each corps with a cheerful countenance and in encouraging language. To inflame their resentment against their enemies, he spoke of the cruelty practised by the French against their prisoners; and to rouse their love of honour, he declared that every soldier in the army who behaved well should thenceforth be deemed a gentleman, and entitled to bear coat armour. The two armies, drawn up in this manner, stood a considerable time gazing at one another in silence. But the English king, dreading that the French woiild discover the danger of their situation and decline a battle, commanded the charge to be sounded, about ten o clock in the forenoon. At that instant the first line of the English, kneeled down and kissed the ground ; and then starting up, discharged a flight of arrows, which did great execution among the crowded ranks of the French. Immediately after, upon a signal being given, the archers in ambush arose, and, discharg ing their arrows on the flank of the French line, threw it into some disorder. The battle now became general, and raged with great fury. The English archers, having expended all their arrows, threw away their bows, and rushing forward, made dreadful havoc with their swords and battle-axes. The first line of the enemy was by tlicso means defeated, its leaders being either killed or taken prisoners. The second line, commanded by the Duke d Alengon (who had made a vow either to kill or take the king of England, or to perish in the attempt), now ad vanced, and was met by the second line of the English, led by the king. The duke forced his way to the king, and assaulted him with great fury; but Henry brought him to the ground, where he was instantly despatched by the surrounding soldiers, receiving innumerable wounds. Dis couraged by this disaster, the second line made no more resistance, and the third fled without striking a blow j yielding a complete and glorious victory to the English,
after a violent struggle of three hours duration. In the
